Right before a new year, the pressure starts to build. New plan. New rules. New you.
Sure, we take the time to reflect on what worked or didn’t work the year before, and we set new intentions or goals for the year ahead. And yet, for so many people, those well-intended resolutions are quietly out the window by February.
For me, losing weight was always on that resolution list.
Sometimes it was obvious, “Lose 20 pounds.” Sometimes it showed up disguised as “eat better,” “get back on track,” “start working out,” or “take care of myself.” But year after year, weight was the underlying goal.
Most of my life, I sincerely thought losing weight was the ultimate goal. I firmly believed that being thinner was the answer. I chased weight loss again and again, convinced that if I could just get the number on that scale down, everything else would fall into place.
It didn’t.
What I eventually learned—after years of frustration, failure, and starting over—was that weight loss shouldn’t have been the goal. The goal should have been my health. And once that clicked, everything changed.
Like I had done so many times before, I wanted weight loss. But this time was different. Not because I had better motivation or a smarter plan—it was because I had no option.
My eating habits and sedentary lifestyle landed me in the hospital. My health failed me. My life was being threatened, and I hit rock bottom fast. Improving my health wasn’t exciting or trendy—it was survival. It became my only path forward.
Ironically, making that shift away from weight loss and focusing on my health resulted in a 140-pound weight loss—weight that I’ve kept off for well over a decade now.
What no one tells you: willpower isn’t the problem.
What I now understand is that losing weight has very little to do with willpower. It has everything to do with supporting your body. Sounds simple, but of course nothing is that easy…or is it?
Consider this, when your gut bacteria aren’t properly fed, when your hormones are out of balance, and when your nervous system is constantly stressed, willpower doesn’t stand a chance. You’re not failing—you’re fighting biology. And in my own experience, biology wins!
But once I stopped fighting my body and started supporting it with real food, proper nutrition, joyful movement, rest, and nervous system care, things began to change. Hunger stabilized. Cravings quieted. My body finally started working with me instead of against me.
That’s the difference diets miss.
A Simple Check-In
As we’ve discussed, when you can’t lose weight, it’s rarely because you’re not trying hard enough. More often, it’s because the body isn’t being supported in the ways it needs.
Think of this as a quick scan—to notice what might be influencing how your body feels and responds. How many of these things are part of your life?
☐ Frequent intake of processed sugar
☐ Regular reliance on processed or refined flour
☐ Cooking or eating foods made with inflammatory oils
☐ Most meals coming from packages, drive-thru, or takeout
☐ Very few fruits or vegetables or limited plant variety
☐ Long stretches of sitting with little intentional movement
☐ Little to no time spent calming the nervous system
☐ Eating while distracted, rushed, or on autopilot
Everyone—whether they openly admit it or not—will find themselves somewhere on this list. And yes, it is a problem, because these patterns directly affect gut health, hormones, metabolism, and how the body regulates weight.
The good news is that supporting your body doesn’t require a full overhaul.
Simple Ways to Better Support Your Body
If you want to start supporting your body more effectively, here are a few simple ways to get you started:
- Eating fewer processed foods and more real, whole foods
- Adding more veggies and frut where they fit—more color, more variety, more often
- Moving your body more, often starting with walking
- Creating small moments of calm through breathing, meditation, or quiet pauses
- Slowing down while eating—paying attention, chewing, and actually tasting your food
These aren’t rules to follow or a checklist to master. They’re actions that truly help the body feel nourished, regulated, and safe. And when that happens, the body is much more likely to respond the way you want it to.
I also want to be honest here. The changes I made were drastic—not because I was chasing results, but because my situation demanded it. My health had deteriorated to the point where I didn’t have the luxury of easing in slowly. That “cold turkey” approach worked for me, and it’s worked because it addressed the root of the problem, not just the symptoms. I changed the way I ate, the way I moved my body, and learned how to be more mindful and intentional. All of it worked.
Not everyone needs to go that far. Every body is different, and some will respond to minor tweaks rather than a full overhaul of health. But, if you are interested in my approach, I share that full journey in my book, The Awakened Body.
A Different Way to Approach the New Year
So rather than managing a long list of resolutions, consider choosing a single word that reflects how you want to show up this year.
Maybe your word is health.
Maybe it’s movement.
Maybe it’s consistency, calm, or care.
And then think about your intentions around that word. And have clarity around what that word means to you and how it will carry you in the upcoming year. The point isn’t perfection—it’s direction.
I’ve been choosing a single word to guide me in the upcoming year for several years now, and I’ve seen how one simple word can quietly guide decisions without pressure or punishment. My friends and I have been exchanging words, and they are also seeing how their chosen word of the year shows up in their lives over the course of a year. Often when they don’t even remember their word it still seems to have presence in their life. We laugh about it each year and they play along and give me their word for the next year.
Maybe this year, try something different. For example, if weight loss is one of your goals this year, don’t resolve to fight your body into submission. Support it. Feed it. Listen to it.
The resources on this site exist because I’ve lived this. Not perfectly—but honestly. Start where you are. Take what’s useful. Leave the rest.
What I know for sure is when you stop fighting your body and start supporting it, change doesn’t feel like punishment anymore. It feels possible.
So what’s your word for 2026?
Stamina.
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