What Does New Year's Eve Look Like Without Resolving to Lose Weight?

For years my pre-New Year's ritual was devoted to making a plan to lose weight in the new year and planning my "last meal" before I turned over a new leaf.

As a result, I never reached New Year's Eve feeling inspired - instead, I wanted to get it over with so I could start my new plan. I also ended up eating everything that wasn't tied down before the restriction was going to begin.

This meant I usually started the New Year already feeling frustrated, hopeless, and depressed about my body.

Focusing on a future weight loss plan actually caused me to take terrible care of my body at the moment and lose all connection with what it actually wanted.

And then one year, I made it my New Year's resolution to "have more fun" instead of losing weight and I have never gone back to making weight loss a resolution.

In fact, I gave up resolutions altogether - which doesn't mean I gave up on making plans and taking inspired action when it comes to my health and well being.

I stopped focusing on intentional weight loss as the path to feeling how I want to feel and I started focusing on what habits actually make me feel good and are fun to do.

Now I take even better care of my body than I ever did before because I make it a priority to focus on joy, delight, and feeling vibrant and alive and not on shame, guilt, restriction, and judgment.

What I love most about New Year's now is looking back at the past year to celebrate the wins and honor the losses and looking forward to what I will create in the New Year. Whether it's business-related, relationship-related, or body-related, I still get excited about new opportunities, ideas, and practices.

I love the unlimited potential and knowing I can create anything I set my heart on. I love focusing on what will be nourishing and nurturing and what makes me feel like I am thriving.

What I don't do anymore is attach myself to what it all has to look like when I'm done.  I move forward because it's exciting NOW, not because I can't be happy until X, Y or Z happens. 

Anytime we put off feelings of satisfaction and joy until something else has to happen - we are giving our power away. 

So as you take time to reflect on what worked and what didn't with food and your body this year, and as you explore the ways you want to feel in your body and your life in 2021, remember there is nowhere to get to and nothing that you have to do "or else" you will never experience joy. 

There is always something to be grateful for right here and right now and that energy is the optimal starting point for creating the future. 

If you are looking for some tools to help you unwind and reflect this New Year, here are some old favorites and new explorations.

This is my all-time favorite tool for reflection and creating a vision for the New Year. It gets my creative juices flowing.  Susannah also has a process for choosing a word of the year which I do every year as well. 

I have never used this resource before but it looked interesting to me and I’ve been enjoying learning more about Ziva meditation lately. 

I also signed up for this free yoga series with Adriene for January - it’s a 30 day series on the breath.  I am currently reading Breath by James Nestor and it's incredible to learn the impact proper breathing can have on our health and well being. 

I am excited about the new year and all the opportunities to experiment and incorporate practices into my everyday life that support my overall wellness and wellbeing. 

I look forward to hearing how the holidays went for you this year.  What was different this year than in year’s past when it comes to your relationship with food? What felt easier? What felt harder?

What are you excited about in 2021 when it comes to making peace with food and your body?

Stay tuned for an invitation to book a free call if you want to make 2021 the year you stop obsessing over food and start living in freedom and joy. 

Until then, Happy New Year!