Year after year in city after city, weight loss tops the charts for New Year’s resolutions.

But by the third or fourth month into the year, the majority of us have fallen off the weight loss wagon. Why? For the time stretched (and who isn’t these days!) sticking to a healthy regimen can be hard work. When unexpected events and stresses put pressure on our already time-compressed schedules, diet and exercise often are the first to be compromised. But with a few organizational tricks you can avoid these pitfalls and get back on track for swimsuit weather!

Alicia on ‘An Hour a Day’

‘The National Association of Professional Organizers estimates that the average American wastes an hour a day hunting for misplaced papers. That’s enough time to get to the gym, work out for 30 minutes, shower, and change — all you theoretically need to achieve a healthier body. So an essential step in setting yourself up to succeed at weight loss probably should be getting your basic information in order. The less time you waste searching unnecessarily for lost bits of data, the more time you’ll have to take care of yourself.’

Sarah on ‘Ditching Perfection’

‘Getting healthy is a journey, not a destination. Very few individuals will ever make it through a weight loss program without slip ups. So relax and remember you’re likely to surrender to the siren call of a cookie (or chips, or whatever your weakness is) during your journey. If you don’t expect to be ‘perfect’ you’ll be much more likely to rebound from the less than ideal food choices you’re bound to make along the way.’

Organizing Yourself for Weight Loss Success

Here are three simple ways to get organized so that you reach your weight loss goals.

#1: Create a Daily Recipe Hat/Bowl
One of the most difficult tasks associated with weight loss is planning and preparing healthy meals. Who among us hasn’t been ‘good’ all day, come home exhausted, looked in the fridge and said ‘we’ve got nothing to eat,’ and then proceeded to blow the day by eating junk food or bad take-out? To beat those dinner disasters, create a recipe hat. Cut out healthy recipes from magazines, print online recipes or write down your cookbook favorites and put them all in a big bowl. As you walk out the door in the morning, pick a recipe and commit to making that for dinner. At lunch or on your way home, stop by the grocery store and pick up the items you need to make the meal. That way, when you walk in the door — you’re already on your way to a healthy meal!

#2: Write it Down
There’s nothing like recording your meal plans to help you stay on track. So incorporate it into your daily to do list. Write down your menu for the day in the same place you write your regular ‘to-dos’ and cross each foot item off the list as you eat it. That way you can monitor your progress and will be more inclined to stick to your plan as the day wears on.

#3: Start Your Day With Five Minutes
You might be surprised at how important a measly five minutes at the start of your day can be in maintaining your weight loss momentum. Minute 1: calm your thoughts and get quiet. Minute 2: remind yourself about the specifics of your weight loss goal and why you wanted to achieve that goal in the first place. Minutes 3-4: picture yourself achieving your goal, writing down on a piece of paper specifically what you’ll look and feel like. Finally, use minute five to commit to the tasks you need to do today in order to stay on course to a healthier you.