Resolutions Are a Scam.

Every January, the same cycle repeats. New goal. New gym membership. New diet. By February, it's abandoned. By March, the guilt sets in. By December, the same resolution appears on the list again.

This isn't a willpower problem. It's a system problem.

Resolutions are designed to fail.

The stats are brutal. Research shows approximately 80% of New Year's resolutions are abandoned by the second week of February. Gym attendance spikes in January and craters by March. The diet industry makes over $70 billion a year selling the same programs that failed last year to the same people who tried them.

Why? Because resolutions focus on outcomes ("lose 20 pounds") instead of understanding. They rely on motivation, which is a finite resource. They ignore root causes entirely. And they assume January 1st has some magical power it simply doesn't have.

The real question nobody's asking.

Before setting another goal, ask: why hasn't it worked before?

Not "why didn't I stick to it" but "what was actually going on in my body that made it impossible to sustain?"

Was it insane cravings that felt impossible to control? That's likely blood sugar instability, not lack of discipline.

Was it brain fog and exhaustion that made cooking and exercise feel impossible? That could be inflammation, poor sleep, or nutrient deficiencies.

Was it stubborn weight that won't budge no matter what you do? It might be your hormones. Thyroid, cortisol, insulin, estrogen... they all play a role.

Was it stress eating that derailed every attempt? That's your nervous system, not weakness.

Was it emotional eating patterns tied to something deeper? That might need a different kind of support entirely.

All of the above? Welcome to the club. Most people are dealing with multiple overlapping issues, which is exactly why the "just eat less and exercise more" advice has never worked.

Enough fluffing around.

Enough trying something new every January. Enough buying the program, joining the challenge, downloading the app. Enough random supplement purchases. Enough hoping this year will be different without changing the approach.

If those things worked, they would have worked by now.

This is the year of understanding. Understanding why the body holds onto weight. Understanding what it actually needs. Understanding how to support it instead of fighting it. Understanding how to age healthy instead of battling biology every step of the way.

Build your team.

The most successful people don't go at this alone. They have support. Or as a good friend of ours (shout out to Kara) calls it: a board of directors.

What that might look like:

A doctor who actually listens. Not one who glances at basic labs and says "everything looks normal" while you feel terrible. One who runs comprehensive testing and looks at the full picture. Functional medicine practitioners specialize in exactly this: root-cause medicine that asks "why" instead of just managing symptoms.

A therapist. Weight and food are rarely just about weight and food. Emotional patterns, stress responses, past experiences, and nervous system regulation all play a role. Sometimes the unlock isn't in nutrition at all. It's in processing what's underneath.

A nutritionist or health coach who educates. Not one who hands over a meal plan and disappears. One who teaches how the body works, helps identify what's driving the issue, and builds sustainable skills. Education over restriction. (That's what we do at The Healthy Weight Loss Coach, by the way.)

Movement support that fits. A trainer, a class, a program that works with the body instead of punishing it. Movement should add energy to life, not drain it.

Yes, this can get expensive.

Building a full team isn't cheap. But here's the thing: random spending on supplements, programs, gadgets, gym memberships that go unused, and diets that don't work is also expensive. Most people have already spent thousands over the years with nothing to show for it.

The smarter approach: find the core issue first. Get the right testing. Understand what's actually going on. Then invest strategically in the support that addresses that specific problem.

One thing at a time. One root cause at a time. That's how real progress happens.

What to do instead of resolutions:

Reflect honestly. What actually worked last year? What didn't? What felt sustainable and what felt like torture? The answers hold valuable information.

Identify the real obstacle. Is it blood sugar chaos? Chronic inflammation? Stress and cortisol? Emotional eating? Gut issues? Hormone imbalances? All of the above? Getting clarity here changes everything.

Get educated. Learn how the body actually works. Why it holds onto weight. What it needs to release it. Knowledge is the foundation sustainable change is built on.

Assemble the right support. Not all of it at once. Start with the piece that addresses the most pressing issue. A functional medicine doctor for testing. A therapist for emotional patterns. A coach for nutrition education. The trainer that teaches you how to do it on your own. Build the board of directors over time.

Make small sustainable shifts. Not dramatic overhauls. Not "new year, new me." Just one informed change at a time, rooted in understanding.

This is the year of knowing better.

Not trying harder. Not grinding more. Not restricting further. Knowing better.

Understanding how the body works. Addressing root causes instead of symptoms. Building a team that supports the whole picture. Making choices from education, not desperation.

That's sustainable. That's how people actually experience real change and move on to the next chapter. We call it leveling up. Screw resolutions.

🤎

Coco Pierrel, The Healthy Weight Loss Coach, helps you unlearn dieting and relearn eating for a healthy weight loss through the Eat Shed Glow™ method. Ready for personalized support? Book your free 15-min consult today.