Michele DeJesus, PhD, NBC-HWC is a board-certified & Mayo Clinic-certified Health Coach and an ACE-certified Personal Trainer with a PhD, in Holistic Nutrition. She is the CEO of a 26-year coaching business, successfully guiding adults in transforming their health, fitness and weight loss.
I love Januarys. My clients are so motivated to change, lose weight, and be healthy. Every January, millions of people eagerly set New Year’s resolutions, determined to achieve big goals like losing weight, getting fit, or leading a healthier lifestyle. But as the weeks pass, the initial surge of motivation often fades. In fact, studies from Strava, a popular fitness app, reveal a startling trend: the second Friday of January, now dubbed "National Quitter's Day," is when many people abandon their resolutions. The good news? You don’t have to be one of them. Here are five proven strategies I use to help my clients override the urge to quit and keep moving toward their weight loss goals.
1. Don’t rely on motivation
Motivation can feel like a tidal wave in the beginning, strong, powerful, and unstoppable. But just like a wave, it eventually crashes. The key to lasting success isn’t motivation but discipline and consistency. Rather than waiting to "feel like" exercising or eating healthy, focus on building habits.
For instance, choose exercises that you love to do and schedule your workouts like appointments you can’t miss. The combination of positive emotion, autonomous choice, and scheduled commitment will energize your willingness to follow through.
Want to eat healthier? Take charge of your meal choices and keep your kitchen stocked with healthy options. This simplifies your routine and keeps you aligned with your weight loss goals.
This proactive approach removes the stress of last-minute decisions, making it easier to stay on track without relying on willpower alone. When nourishing, satisfying meals are readily available, you'll feel empowered, focused, and confident in your ability to make consistent progress. Plus, it frees up mental energy to enjoy other aspects of your life.
Discipline and consistency, not fleeting motivation, will carry you through the days when you’d rather quit.
2. Set very specific goals
Vague goals like “I want to lose weight” are not enough to keep you committed. To create a roadmap to success, your goals need to be specific, measurable, and time-bound. Instead of saying, “I want to lose weight,” outline exactly what you want to accomplish and why. For instance, you might write:
“I want to lose 10 pounds in three months by exercising for 1 hour, three times a week, and eating a balanced, plant-focused diet with 80% whole foods. I want to do this because I want to improve my A1C, and I want to run and play with my grandkids.”
Specific goals with emotional attachment provide clarity, boost desire, and simplify your ability to reverse engineer concrete steps to follow. They also make it easier to track your progress, which can boost your confidence and reinforce your commitment.
3. Use failure as a learning tool
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is viewing failure as a reason to quit. Missing a workout or indulging in dessert isn’t a sign of failure, it’s a normal part of the journey. Instead of throwing in the towel, use setbacks as opportunities to learn and improve. Ask yourself, “What triggered this? What can I do differently next time?” For example, if you find yourself skipping workouts because you’re too tired after work, consider exercising in the morning instead. Every stumble is a chance to adapt and grow stronger.
4. Embrace the 1° principle
Too often, people try to overhaul their lives overnight, only to burn out quickly. Many of my clients buy a book and attempt to follow everything outlined in it within the first week. This overwhelm, coupled with a lack of choice or personal consideration, is the perfect recipe for quitting.
The 1° Principle, making small, doable changes that compound over time, is a more sustainable approach. Start with one manageable habit, like drinking more water each day or adding a 10-minute walk to your routine. Once that habit feels natural, build on it by introducing another small change. Over weeks and months, these incremental shifts add up to a completely transformed lifestyle. The beauty of this approach is that it feels less overwhelming and more achievable.
5. Shift your mindset for success
I cannot stress this enough, it’s a major cornerstone of my work. Your mindset is the foundation of your success. If you view weight loss as a temporary phase, you’re setting yourself up to quit once you hit a rough patch. If you don’t believe you can lose weight, you won’t.
Instead, adopt a mindset that prioritizes long-term health and self-care. Remind yourself that you’re not just losing weight, you’re creating a healthier, happier version of yourself. Reframe challenges as opportunities to prove your resilience, and focus on celebrating progress, no matter how small. By shifting your mindset, you’ll cultivate a sense of purpose and determination that goes far beyond the scale.
The power of coaching
While these strategies can keep you on a successful path, implementing them becomes significantly easier with the guidance and support of a health coach. As a coach, I provide personalized advice, accountability, and encouragement, helping you navigate roadblocks and stay focused on your goals. Using various behavioral modification tools and science-based strategies, I help my clients develop a plan of action that fits their unique lifestyles and empowers them to make sustainable changes. The coach-client relationship amplifies your results. It streamlines the process of building healthy habits, and you’ll even enjoy the journey. Together, we turn challenges into opportunities, ensuring that your weight loss journey is not only successful but also deeply rewarding.
Staying the course
National Quitter’s Day might highlight a common trend, but it doesn’t have to define your journey. By relying on discipline instead of motivation, setting specific goals, learning from failures, embracing small changes, and fostering a success-oriented mindset, you can override the urge to quit and stay committed to your weight loss goals. Remember, lasting change isn’t about perfection, it’s about persistence. With these strategies, you’ll not only achieve your goals but also build a lifestyle that supports your health and well-being for years to come.
Read more from Michele DeJesus
Michele DeJesus, Health Coach/Weight Loss Specialist
Michele DeJesus, PhD, NBC-HWC is a board-certified & Mayo Clinic-certified Health Coach and an ACE-certified Personal Trainer with a PhD. in Holistic Nutrition. She is the CEO of a 26-year coaching business, successfully guiding adults in transforming their health, fitness and weight loss. Michele has been featured in the IDEA Health & Fitness online magazine as well as numerous television appearances speaking about fitness, weight loss and health. She is the host of the Facebook group, Midlife Confidence: Women Conquering Weight Loss and the creator of an online 12-week weight loss intensive for midlife women. Her mission is to support midlife women in creating their own health & wellness renaissance.
