Why falling off the January diet wagon isn't a disaster

It’s January – how did that happen? And I absolutely LOVE January. No, really. I do. As a fitness and weight-loss coach, it’s one of the most fulfilling and exciting times of the year because people are so motivated. They’ve had enough of excess, they want restraint and control.

You may have been viewing January as your safety net, because after weeks of treat food, pub food, posh food, other people’s food, you can’t wait to undo it all on a January ‘diet’.

But instead, some ‘moderation’ might work better. So don’t be miserable this month eating cod and broccoli (standard tasteless weight-loss fodder), but instead use January to carve out a longer lasting routine of good nutritious food, feel-good strength training and wholesome cardio, with a small chocolate treat each day. Wait… what?! Chocolate? In January? Yes!

Over the last few years, I’ve used my column as a platform to advise you on getting into shape. Not just getting there, but staying there. That means building a solid foundation of healthy food and movement, one that works with your lifestyle, all year round, rather than sporadic bursts of starving and sprinting.

Don't make things too hard for yourself

You might have a whole list of New Year’s resolutions stuffed away in the notes folder on your phone, and if it starts with ‘lose weight’, read this. Try not to wander down a narrow restrictive path of self-hatred and punishment, thinking ‘the harder this is, the better the results’. To be frank, it’s more a case of ‘the harder this is, the harder you fall’.

Approach January with the mindset of someone who wants to try hard to implement good habits for at least six months, not just for January.

I’m not dissing resolutions, far from it. They’re a great source of motivation, but pad them out with realism so that come February, your new routine, dignity and progress are still intact.

Let’s take our friend Susan – say she has a 2026 goal to drop from a size 14 to a size 12. When she gets to that size 12, presumably she’ll want to stay there. This means that what she does in January has to be something she can sustain throughout the ensuing months. Therefore, a puritanical diet of cod, broccoli, chicken and kale, plus daily hellish HIIT workouts might not fit the bill.

However, three smaller varied meals, with wholegrain carbohydrates (oats, quinoa, brown rice), plenty of protein-rich meals (poultry, fish, nuts, legumes, dairy), minimum seven hours of sleep, loads of veg, some daily steps, three strength workouts a week and a dinky little chocolate bar to round off the day just might carry Susan into the summer. No punishment, just results – and it’s what all my clients get.

December handed us temptation on a plate and I’m sure we all heartily succumbed, but let’s not dwell on it. What is done is done. Be kind to yourself and look at January with a long lens. Short-term drastic fixes are just that: short-term.

One thing to do this month

Experiment with soup! It’s cheap, nutritious and great for boosting your lunch. Try two new recipes a week using vegetables and pulses. Chuck in some herbs and you’ll be nearing the recommended 30 plant foods per week for the healthiest gut microbiome.

There’s a low-fat spinach and broccoli soup recipe on my Blast Plan website, which scores highly on the smug-o-meter.

Annie Deadman is a fitness expert who writes a monthly Fitness Guru column for woman&home magazine, and a Feel Great column for our sister title, Woman magazine.

There's no health and fitness topic she won't tackle – from how to enjoy the benefits of caffeine to stretches to bring on sleep, to how to lose a menopause tummy, and how to love your legs in shorts.