New Year’s Resolutions – Good or Bad?
As a clinical psychologist who works with many people suffering from eating disorders, body image issues, and disordered eating, I often hear people say that their resolution for the new year is to lose weight or get toned or get in shape. The New Year is traditionally seen as a time for fresh starts, with people setting resolutions to improve various aspects of their lives. Something about the new year makes it feel like a fresh new start for so many people, and a opportunity to do something that have not being able to in the past. And don’t get me wrong, setting goals can be healthy, but New Year’s resolutions often come with a hidden pressure that can actually work against us. In my opinion, the most common and also most harmful resolutions are those related to weight loss and body changes. Here’s why your 2025 resolutions might not be the best approach and why body-focused goals in particular can harm your health, body image, and self-esteem.
Why New Year’s Resolutions Don’t (Usually) Work
- A Quick Fix Mindset:
- New Year’s resolutions can stem from a desire to make sweeping life changes overnight. Rather than a gradual commitment to tiny sustainable changes, they’re often seen as a “quick fix” for complex, long-standing problems. This mentality can set people up for frustration when change doesn’t come fast enough or when it becomes too difficult to maintain the changes.
- The “All or Nothing” Trap:
- Resolutions are often framed in rigid terms—goals like “I will work out every day” or “I’ll lose 20 pounds.” But this rigidity leaves little room for flexibility. When people inevitably face setbacks, they’re more likely to abandon their goals altogether rather than adjusting them to be more realistic. Not to mention, those who do lose 20 pounds, will almost certainly gain it all back (and a bit extra) and feel even worse about themselves than they did before.
- External Pressure Over Internal Motivation:
- With New Year’s resolutions being such a big part in our culture and society, people may feel pressured to set them without actually being internally motivated. These resolutions often aren’t rooted in genuine, personal goals and can become more about conforming to societal expectations than fulfilling one’s own needs.
- Lack of Planning:
- Resolutions can be a spur-of-the-moment commitment, without a concrete plan to follow through. Goals like “go to the gym” or “eat healthy” lack specific, actionable steps. Without a roadmap, people often lose focus on the intention behind their resolutions and revert to old habits. You’ve probably heard the term ‘SMART goals’ (if you haven’t, google it) and most people who set New Year resolutions do not make them SMART.
Why Weight Loss and Body-Related Resolutions Are Harmful
- Reinforcing a Negative Relationship with Body Image:
- Setting body-focused goals, such as losing weight, can deepen existing insecurities. Focusing on a perceived “flaw” reinforces the idea that your worth is tied to physical appearance, leading to a negative body image cycle and the spider phenomenon (the more you look at something in the mirror the bigger it becomes).
- Weight Isn’t a Measure of Health:
- Body-focused resolutions often mistake weight for a universal marker of health. However, weight is influenced by numerous factors, including genetics and lifestyle, and doesn’t necessarily reflect one’s overall health. People come in very different shapes and sizes, just like dogs, and two people on an identical fitness and diet program would still end up with very different results. Goals based solely on weight can ignore important aspects like mental well-being, fitness, and energy levels.
- Perpetuating Diet Culture:
- Resolutions focused on weight loss often involve restrictive diets and generally unsustainable and expensive changes, influenced by diet culture influencers. This perpetuates the idea that bodies should conform to specific ideals, which can lead to harmful cycles of yo-yo dieting and weight fluctuation, ultimately leading to higher weight over time. Many of those influencers you see on Instagram or TicToc are young thin women who are naturally thin and it’s not actually the products that they are selling that’s responsible for their body, but their genetic makeup!
- Increased Risk of Disordered Eating and Obsessive Behaviours:
- Focusing on weight loss or changing body shape as a resolution can lead to extreme and unhealthy behaviours, such as restrictive diets, excessive exercise, or calorie counting using My Fitness Pal. These habits can become all-consuming and contribute to the development of disordered eating, preoccupation with body image, and eating disorders.
Why Timing Goals Around the New Year Can Be Problematic
- Timing Aligns with Holiday Season:
- The holiday season is often a time of delicious treats, festive dishes, sharing meals with family and friends, drinking and indulgence. All of this sometimes makes people feel guilty or ashamed about eating or celebrating because diet culture screams that everyone should be ‘eating healthy’ all the time. Guilt and shame are very strong emotions that are difficult for most people to process, so many people will do whatever they can to feel better, which often involves set restrictive, body-related resolutions as a way to compensate for all the festive eating and feel better. However, resolutions based on guilt and shame tend to be unsustainable and people end up feeling even worse.
- The Pressure to “Bounce Back” After the Holidays:
- There’s a cultural expectation that after the holidays we should reset and “fix” any holiday weight gain and ‘get back in shape’, which spurs people to set New Year’s resolutions to lose weight. This only reinforces a cycle of restriction, bingeing, and guilt that is far from healthy. It’s okay to enjoy the holidays and gain weight from eating delicious foods that you only get once a year without feeling the need to fix it! Your body will take care of itself and your weight will rebalance over the year when you’re back to living your normal daily life.
The Psychological Effects of Setting Body-Focused Resolutions
- Self-Worth Tied to Physical Appearance:
- When you set resolutions focused on changing your body, you’re basically telling yourself that your worth is dependent on appearance. This can seriously harm your self-esteem and mental health, especially if the goal isn’t achieved. A self-worth tied to physical appearance is fragile and can lead to ongoing dissatisfaction, especially as you age over the years and your body and skin look less and less youthful. Tying your worth to appearance is a sure way to lead a very unhappy life, because you might spend your young years trying to ‘get in shape’ and then your older years trying to look younger. D
- Impact on Mental Health:
- Failing to achieve body-focused goals can make you feel like you have failed. This is often a recipe for low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. The focus on body change can become obsessive, taking up mental energy that could otherwise be used for more fulfilling pursuits like quality time with friends, travel, career, plant parenting, etc.
- Ignoring Emotional Needs:
- Body-focused resolutions don’t address the underlying emotional reasons of why you may feel the need to change your body. Often, the desire to lose weight or “improve” appearance is linked to deeper emotional or self-acceptance issues that won’t be resolved by physical change. Most of the time weight loss ‘high’ is temporary, and most people go back to their baseline feelings about their body even if they manage to maintain weight loss (which most people don’t!).
Healthier Alternatives to New Year’s Resolutions
- Practice Self-Compassion and Self-Acceptance:
- Instead of setting goals around changing your body, try practicing self-compassion and accepting your body as it is. This doesn’t mean giving up on personal growth, but rather approaching self-improvement from a place of kindness rather than punishment. Alternatively, set a resolution on accepting your body and not trying to change it.
- Focus on Feelings Over Metrics:
- Goals like “I want to feel more energetic” or “I want to be kinder to myself” are less restrictive and don’t involve external markers like weight. These types of goals focus on internal experiences, which are more likely to lead to lasting satisfaction.
- Set Small, Sustainable Habits:
- Rather than sweeping resolutions, aim for smaller, manageable habits that you can realistically maintain. These habits could include drinking more water, cooking more meals at home, or walking more frequently. Small steps are often more sustainable and have a greater impact over time than drastic resolutions.
- Commit to a New Perspective Rather Than a Resolution:
- Instead of a resolution, consider approaching the New Year with a shift in perspective. This could mean focusing on gratitude, building resilience, or practicing mindfulness. These approaches foster positive mental health and can lead to healthier, lasting change.
- Choose Goals Based on Values, Not Guilt:
- Identify what truly matters to you—whether it’s spending more time with loved ones, engaging in fulfilling hobbies, or improving mental health. Goals rooted in personal values tend to be more meaningful, less likely to fail, and more likely to actually make you feel good, which is ultimately what most people want!
Steps to Embrace Positive Change All Year Round
- Set Intentions Instead of Resolutions:
- Intentions, unlike resolutions, are fluid and flexible. They allow for self-compassion and give you room to adapt to life’s changes. For example, an intention like “show my body love and gratitude” can guide you toward decisions that nurture your mental and emotional health, without the pressure to achieve a rigid outcome.
- Check In with Yourself Regularly:
- Instead of setting goals only once a year, try to assess your goals and progress regularly. This helps you stay in touch with what you genuinely want and adjust your efforts based on your current state, which is a more holistic approach to growth, as a lot can happen in one year!
- Prioritize Mental and Physical Wellbeing Equally:
- It’s okay to focus on physical health, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of your mental health. Aim to make choices that support both, like eating plenty (and enough!) of nourishing tasty food, moving your body in ways that feel good to you, and taking time for rest and relaxation.
- Celebrate Small Wins and Progress, Not Just Results:
- Small and big progress should be celebrated equally. Often, the small wins along the way are the thngs that get you to your goals, and those small wins are just as important as the big ones. Whether it’s trying out a dance class or learning to treat your body with kindness, these milestones deserve recognition and celebration.
New Year’s resolutions are a time-honoured tradition, but they’re often set up in ways that encourage unrealistic expectations and a focus on outward change. Body-focused resolutions, in particular, can promote negative self-image and foster unhealthy behaviours. By moving away from rigid resolutions and instead embracing values-based intentions, small sustainable habits, and self-compassion, you can start the New Year—or any day—off on a healthier, more empowering note.
If you’re feeling unhappy about your body or weight, obsessed with food and out of control when eating certain foods, please seek professional help from a clinical psychologist specialising in eating disorders. Disordered eating can lead to eating disorders, which are extremely dangerous and debilitating mental health issues. Remember that you don’t have to do this alone.
Disclaimer: The information and advice provided in this blog are general in nature and are not intended to replace personalized guidance or professional help. For individual support or if you are struggling with issues related to body image, eating, or mental health, it’s important to consult a qualified healthcare or mental health professional.