How long do healthy New Year's resolutions last?

With January nearly over, we check up to see how people are doing with their food-related New Year’s resolutions.

Thirty-one days is a long time when you’ve promised to give up chocolate, cake, or any other tasty treats. But giving up naughty food for January is exactly what millions do each year.

Falling down

According to a survey from protein drink producer Upbeat, people who hadn’t given up on their New Year’s resolution by the 16th are 75% more likely to stick with it. And not just for the whole of January, but for the rest of the year!

However, a third of us had given up on their healthy resolve by the same date and reverted to old habits, with 95% apparently blaming work colleagues!

Meanwhile, 30% of us said that we also might lose willpower when dining out with friends and family, while 26% said that they had caved and bought unhealthy food following a bad day.

Retox or detox?

Sourced Market, a pop-up shop in the underground station near our office, is currently offering commuters the choice of naughty or nice.

When I popped in earlier in the month, founder Ben O’Brien explained that in its main shop in St Pancras station you can either pick up fresh, seasonal produce, or something far more indulgent.

In this new pop-up shop, the divide has been made more obvious, with foods being classified as ‘retox’ or ‘detox’, and the menu split into two columns to highlight the distinct choice.

The detox options include a quinoa cereal, fresh baked bread and fruit, but people visiting the shop with the best intentions may well be tempted by the doughnuts, craft beer and bacon brioche rolls.

At the start of the week, he says, people tend to make healthier choices, but as the days roll past, diet planning goes “out the window.” He predicted at the time that people would be sliding to the ‘retox’ side of the shop by the end of the month.

And what happened…

Speaking to me earlier today (30th January), Ben said that some people were still being ‘good’. But it was now quite an even split between those opting for healthy food, and those chowing down on doughnuts, cakes and the like, compared to around 60% of sales for the healthy products in the first two weeks.

“Definitely this week, everybody is thinking: ‘Right, it’s nearly the end of January, I can break it now and it doesn’t count.’ The juices are just as popular, I would say, but there’s more things like doughnuts and bacon sandwiches selling. The brownies and carrot cake have been selling well in the afternoon suddenly!”

A lot of people, he says, have actually looked at the options and made a conscious decision to go with either a ‘retox’ or ‘detox’ product, but some have kept their diet balanced by simply having both!

A big rush on doughnuts is to be expected today “even though it’s not the last day of the month until tomorrow, I think people will think today is near enough!”

How are you getting on?

Let us know how your resolutions are going using the poll below, or use the Comments box at the bottom of the page to share your thoughts.

Dry January

For those of you who have forsaken alcohol this month like me, how did you find it? Personally, I haven’t really felt a difference in my sleep patterns (I struggle to get up on cold mornings anyway) or general well-being, but it’s done my wallet a big favour. And although it’s intangible at a surface level, it’s probably been doing my body good too. Let me know how you got on using the Comments box below.

Have you stuck with your healthy resolutions? Have you given up? Or did you simply not bother in the first place? Let us know in the Comments below. 

You might also like:

Dry January: giving up alcohol for a month

Why January is the worst time for diet resolutions

Why January is a great time to eat out