Non-Diet New Year's Resolutions
There is one thing we all know is coming when January 1st rolls around: New Year’s resolutions. For decades there has been a heavy cultural pressure to start the new year with diet or weight-loss goals. But what if, instead of centering goals around weight, body size or diets, we rooted our resolutions in self-care, personal growth, and peace making principles? Resolutions don’t have to involve weight loss to be meaningful and transformative. Read on for encouragement and tips for setting non-diet New Year’s resolutions.
Why Ditch Diet-Centric Resolutions?
Health care professionals (and influencers) do not suddenly have new ideas or magic answers to your health concerns come the first day of every new year. What they do have is diet culture’s big push to restart, reset or recommit to “health” with New Year’s resolutions.
Unfortunately, yo-yo dieting and the constant whiplash of success followed by defeat is bad for both physical and mental well-being. It doesn’t feel good to set goals that are unrealistic, unattainable or just plain unenjoyable to achieve. But goal setting doesn’t have to be this way. Instead of setting goals that may or may not even be within your ability to achieve (like a specific amount of weight loss or a specific clothes size), you can choose to set goals that are within your power to make happen.
Ultimately, your long term contentment and peace with your body starts by centering your goals and picture of health around body diversity and care, respect and compassion towards your body.
Reframing Resolutions with Self-Compassion
So how do you center your goals around body diversity and self care? I recommend starting by identifying personal values, like kindness, creativity, fun or connection. From there, you can make a plan about how to incorporate those values into your health related goals.
Here are a few sample shifts:
From “I need to lose weight” to “I want to feel energized and connected to my body.”
From “I want to exercise every day” to “I want to combine movement with socializing by meeting up with friends for walks once a week.”
Or, from “I want to fit into my college jeans” to “I want to get dressed and ready for the day each morning so I feel confident and put-together.”
Remember, too, that it can be difficult to know *exactly* what new goals will be enjoyable, be sustainable and fit easily into your lifestyle. Approach goal setting with curiosity and flexibility rather than rigidity. Adjusting or abandoning a goal doesn’t make you a failure or mean that you’ve lost your commitment to a healthy lifestyle. It means you’re reflecting honestly and objectively about what’s best for you and giving yourself the grace and space to make changes without shame.
Non-Diet Resolution Ideas
Area of focus #1: Connection with Body and Mind
Practice intuitive eating: use the hunger and fullness scale at mealtimes, allow previously forbidden foods back into your house, cook a fun dessert at home every week.
Explore joyful movement: try out a local dance class, do at-home yoga on Youtube, take a 10 minute walk before leaving for work twice a week.
Experiment with mindfulness practices: download an app for meditation, journal one sentence every evening before bed, learn a new breathing technique for relaxation.
Area of focus #2: Cultivate Joy and Fulfillment
Prioritize relationships by spending quality time with friends and family.
Start a daily or weekly creative practice, like painting, writing, or photography.
Commit to learning a new skill or craft.
Explore local art, music, or cultural events and support small business owners.
Area of focus #3: Focus on Well-Being
Build a sustainable sleep routine.
Nourish your body adequately by incorporating snacks into your daily eating routine.
Set boundaries to protect your time and energy.
Overcoming New Year’s Resolution Challenges
It will not necessarily be easy to stay away from diet-y goals. No doubt you will be faced with weight-loss conversations and questions about why you’re abandoning diet related goals. When this happens, return to the list of your values that you named. Remind yourself that pursuing weight-loss or body manipulation is not in line with those values and will distract you from what matters the most to you.
Remember that progress is not linear and that self-care is about long-term well-being, not perfection. You may be tempted to revisit diets; you may have lingering thoughts about wanting to change your body. That’s OK! Committing to a weight-inclusive, non-diet life doesn’t mean that those desires magically go away overnight. You’re working on a new approach to health that will serve you best in the long-term, and it takes time.
Non-diet New Year’s resolutions enhance well-being by being realistic, sustainable and rooted in self-care, compassion, and personal growth. Maybe you’re reading this and you’re not totally sold, or you’re not sure this is for you. One step that anyone can take is to start journaling. Write down how you’re feeling about whatever your New Year’s resolutions are. Keep yourself honest and accountable by continuing this journaling as the weeks go by. Whatever goals you set, if they’re working for you and making your life fuller, healthier and more peaceful, then I think you will find this reflected in your journaling. If your goals are making you feel miserable, overwhelmed or defeated, you’ll notice that, too. It’s never a bad time to make adjustments based on your observations.
I’ll leave you with a quote from Brené Brown: "Talk to yourself like someone you love."
Be gentle with yourself. Treat yourself kindly and see how your body responds.
If you’re not sure where to get started but you know that you want 2025 to be a year of growth and better health, reach out to me. I’d love to talk with you about working together on your nutrition and healthy lifestyle goals.