Secret of no surrender

At this point in January we find it hard to keep our willpower and our New Year resolutions. Two weeks on from the reckless moment when we resolved to improve our lives by drinking and eating less (and exercising more), or by giving up smoking, the tedious reality of these virtuous new ideas really hits home. For the first few days, any change in behaviour feels exciting - a positive new step for the start of the new year. But, a fortnight on, why does it feel like such hard work? And why is it that most dieters regain weight and that 99 out of 100 attempts to stop smoking fail?

It's all to do with our habits, says Tim Bean of Total Physique Management, a nutrition and personal training consultancy. "Once a habit is established, whether it's smoking, or always covering your salads in olive oil, you are comfortable with it, and to change your behaviour and take that habit away is quite difficult. We're very insecure about taking things away from our lives because we fear that it will leave a void - 'What will I do if - I can't have a chocolate bar at 4pm?' unless we have an acceptable substitute for it.

"If you are in the habit of having a Chinese takeaway every Friday night, you probably won't mind changing it for a fish and chip supper - because essentially, nothing has changed. But you would miss it if you were swapping it for a plate of salad. If you're trying to do something such as giving up chocolate or cigarettes, you are immediately beset by worries about what will happen if you stop. If you give up smoking, will you gain weight? Will you be tired without that chocolate treat?î

There's also the physical attachment to our habits - if you regularly eat foods which cause a roller coaster in your blood glucose levels, says nutrition expert Ian Marber, you will physically crave sugar when those levels are low. "No amount of telling yourself not to eat sugar will help in those situations, so you need to separate the physical reasons from the emotional ones."

The awful truth is that our bodies become used to the status quo. If that means a large drink as soon as you get home in the evening, chocolate and biscuits at snack time, or a nicotine hit at regular intervals, your body will protest if it doesn't get it.

A heavy coffee-drinker who suddenly switches to herbal tea will be lucky to escape headaches and subsequent fatigue as their body learns to do without the stimulant that constantly pushed their metabolism into overdrive. And it is at these points that our resolution wavers.

"The secret," says Bean, "is to get past this mental block. What you really need is a reason to do things differently. If you have no reason to change, then why bother? Even if you are just taking up exercise, and all you are giving up is a bit of your time, it can be quite a hurdle, mentally.

"Thinking, 'I ought to get fit,' is hardly a proper reason. We tend not to make changes unless a situation becomes unbearable. If you're losing weight or giving up smoking, it's harder to motivate yourself than if the doctor tells you that you will die unless you make some significant changes in your lifestyle. It's a decision you need to make for yourself. If someone else nags you to make a change, you won't - you'll just rebel."

It takes six weeks for a new pattern of behaviour to become a habit. So think of the benefits; ask yourself whether you are serious about making the changes. And remind yourself, from looking at the chart, of how good you could feel if you do. That has to be the best reason for sticking to those resolutions.