It’s always easy to get started on a weight loss regimen in January. Everybody with a few extra pounds to lose is hitting the gym after making New Years resolutions. However, the sad truth is that most people fail at their New Years resolution and getting back on the wagon can be difficult as winter turns to spring and summer. Getting back on that wagon can be a difficult thing to do – but here are four simple tricks to get you back on the wagon and back to losing weight.

The first thing that you should do after you wake up each morning is to take a multivitamin. This trick will give you two different benefits. First, you are supplying your body with all the nutrients and vitamins it needs to carry on a good fitness regimen without relying on diet. This gives more freedom in your diet for low-cal foods you like and some wiggle room in general when eating whether at home or out and about. Second, the multivitamin provides a daily reminder that you are back on the fitness and health wagon. You wake up, and remind yourself by popping a multivitamin, that today is a day that you are focused on fitness and losing weight. It’s a win-win because you are giving yourself a daily reminder while also providing great nutrition to fuel any fitness routine you might be after.

Second, you need to give yourself small goals that are manageable, rather than large goals that will breed failure for both dieting and exercise. With dieting, start by just cutting out empty calories like soda and alcohol. Once you have become accustomed to this change, begin adding in more fruits and veggies. Overtime you can begin to really have a diet change, but giving yourself small goals will help that change feel natural and smooth. Natural changes will be successful changes. With regards to exercise, again begin with modest goals – say exercising ten minutes a day. Once you have a routine back in your life you can push that time or type of exercise up. The small steps will give lots of success because you have lots of easy to achieve small goals. These small steps also have the added benefit of helping you incrementally increase your workouts which will protect against injury.

Finally, you are not alone – there are tons of other people who are having a similar problem with weight loss. Ask your coworkers friends and family and give each other support. Swapping recipes can be a great way to share healthy low calorie food ideas, and setting up a walking or running group can help you stay focused. The goal of weight loss isn’t just to look great in a bathing suit; it is to have a healthy lifestyle. Incorporating your social network into your weight loss will smooth out the transition. A smoother transition encourages lifestyle changes that you can live with, and keep on doing it. And that is the overall goal – to get back on the wagon and avoid falling off again.