Welcome back, health champions!👋

Happy New Year! 🥳

Feeling the pressure to set resolutions? You're not alone.

Sadly, most New Year's resolutions fail within the first week—not because you lack willpower, but because we're setting the wrong kind of goals.

In today's Health Guide, I'm breaking down how to set the right goals for your prediabetes remission journey in 2026. We're talking behavioral psychology, research-proven strategies, and how to build a plan that sticks.

Let's make 2026 the year you walk away from prediabetes for good.

BEST FINDS
Green Power Picks - Leafy greens are prediabetes superheroes—packed with fiber and magnesium with zero blood sugar impact, add them to every meal for sustained energy. Protein-Packed Mains: Lemon Buttered Salmon with Zucchini & Garlicky Kale - omega-3s plus low-carb veggies for stable glucose; Chicken Shawarma Salad - lean protein on greens with bold spices; Turkey-Spinach Meatballs - hidden greens boost fiber in lean protein. Plant-Based: Curry Red Lentil Stew with Kale + Chickpeas - legumes and kale slow digestion. Smart Snacks: Air Fryer Spinach Chips - crispy, low-carb alternative; Mint Chocolate Chip Banana Nice Cream - hidden greens in naturally sweet treat.

Set Your 2026 Goals Right: Your Prediabetes Remission Breakthrough

Fun fact: New Year's resolutions started with ancient Romans making promises to Janus, a two-faced god.

Fast forward 2,000 years, and we're still making promises every January—and breaking them by February.

But here's what's different this year: you're going to learn why resolutions fail and, more importantly, how to succeed.

Most people set the wrong goals, skip analyzing what worked last year, and rely on willpower when they should be building systems.

Here's your science-backed roadmap to make 2026 your transformation year.

Start Where You Actually Are: The Continuity Principle

Life doesn't hit reset on January 1st. Your metabolism doesn't forget what happened in 2025. Yet most people set goals like they're starting from scratch—which is why they repeat the same patterns year after year.

Before you declare "I'm going low-carb this year," analyze your 2025 first.

Ask yourself:

• What were your A1C readings throughout the year?

• What did you try? Cut carbs, start walking, join a gym?

• What actually worked? Maybe meal prepping or protein at breakfast.

• What flopped? Complete carb restriction at social events? Stopped tracking when progress slowed?

• What will you build on? Keep what worked, add what's missing.

For example: Your A1C was 6.2 in January, dropped to 6.0 by June, then crept back to 6.1 by December. You cut carbs and lost 8 pounds by March, but old patterns returned by summer.

What worked: Sunday meal prep, protein-rich breakfasts (read: Prediabetes breakfast guide), evening walks. What didn't: Complete carb restriction felt unsustainable. Afternoon crashes persisted. You quit tracking when the scale stalled.

Your 2026 plan: Build a protein-first eating pattern with Sunday meal prep. Add resistance training twice weekly to build muscle and improve insulin sensitivity. Address 3pm crashes with strategic movement and snacks. Focus on adding protein and fiber instead of just removing carbs.

One approach acknowledges continuity and learns from experience. The other ignores valuable data you already collected about yourself.

Become the Person, Not the Goal-Chaser: Identity-Based Goals

Here's a game-changer from Atomic Habits: Stop chasing outcomes. Start building identity.

Old approach: "I'm trying to lose weight." "I'm working on my A1C."
New approach: "I'm a person who takes excellent care of my metabolic health."

This isn't just word games. It changes how you make decisions. When ordering at a restaurant, "I'm trying to lose weight" creates conflict and deprivation. But "I'm a metabolically healthy person" prompts: What would a metabolically healthy person order?

They'd probably choose grilled salmon with vegetables, enjoy it, and move on. No drama. No guilt.

By the end of 2026, you want to be someone who no longer identifies as "prediabetic" or "struggling with weight." You're becoming someone who makes metabolic health non-negotiable.

This identity shift guides thousands of micro-decisions at the grocery store, during stressful weeks, at holiday parties. You're not fighting your "old self"—you're simply acting consistent with who you are now.

Design Your Environment for Metabolic Success

When you got diagnosed with prediabetes, you changed. You noticed sugar content, thought about your weight, understood food's metabolic consequences.

Now flip that script to your advantage.

If you're a metabolically healthy person, what does your kitchen look like? Is your pantry full of ultra-processed foods or stocked with quality proteins, vegetables, nuts, and whole foods?

What about your living room? The comfiest couch positioned in front of the TV with addictive chips within reach? Or a stepper or hand weights nearby so you can move while watching your show?

Your office? Desk drawer full of candy or stocked with protein bars, nuts, and herbal tea?

Audit your home and workspace through the lens of your new identity. Redesign these spaces to make healthy choices the easiest choices. This is the "make it obvious" and "make it easy" principle from Atomic Habits in action.

Focus on Process Over Outcome for Better A1C Results

Most prediabetics obsess over A1C. Big mistake.

Prediabetes isn't just high blood sugar. It's comprehensive metabolic dysfunction—insulin resistance, visceral fat, declining muscle health, chronic inflammation.

A1C is a lagging indicator reflecting the past 2-3 months. You can't control it directly, and obsessing creates anxiety without actionable steps.

Instead, focus on process-based goals you actually control:

❌ Not this: "Get my A1C below 5.7"
✅ But this: "Eat 30g protein at each meal, resistance train 3x weekly, hit 10,000 steps daily"

When you implement these processes—protein and fiber with carbs, regular activity—blood sugar spikes improve.

With that you can see these improvements daily or weekly:

• Weight: Check daily, track weekly averages

• Energy: Notice sustained energy instead of crashes

• Morning glucose: Track fasting readings to spot trends

• Body composition: How do clothes fit? Take monthly measurements

• Sleep quality: Are you sleeping deeper?

You didn't develop prediabetes overnight. One low A1C reading won't be your exit ticket either.

Focus on 1% weekly improvements—consistent protein intake, regular resistance training, eliminating ultra-processed foods. This creates more reliable progress than anxiously waiting for quarterly A1C results you can't directly control.

The 80/20 Rule: Essential Prediabetes Management Strategies

The prediabetes world is drowning in advice. Should you eat fruit or avoid it? Try berberine or cinnamon? Buy special snacks? Track glucose after every meal? The overwhelm is real.

Here's the truth: you could chase every trend, or focus on fundamentals that deliver real results.

The vital 20% that matters most:

• Whole food, balanced diet – fixes underlying metabolic dysfunction, not just carbs

• Regular exercise – both movement and strength training

• Quality sleep – poor sleep directly worsens insulin resistance

• Stress management – chronic stress keeps blood sugar elevated

Yes, it sounds basic. That's why it's easy to ignore for the latest supplement. But these fundamentals move the needle. Master these, and you'll get 80% of the results without the noise.

Read:
Do you really have to avoid all carbs as a prediabetic?
Walk Away from Prediabetes: 10-Minute Strategies for Busy Women

Build Your Support System: Finding Your "Whos"

The book 10x Is Easier Than 2x teaches this: surround yourself with the right people for transformational results.

Who will help you reach your goals?

• This newsletter community, our monthly challenges and programs?

• A nutritionist specializing in metabolic health?

• A personal trainer experienced with prediabetic clients?

• An accountability partner tracking macros with you?

• A family member meal-prepping with you on Sundays?

Your "whos" make success dramatically more likely. Social support isn't optional—it's fundamental. Identify your people early in 2026.

Build Systems, Not Willpower: Sustainable Habit Formation

Willpower is white-knuckling through cravings or forcing yourself to the gym. It's exhausting, runs out by 3pm, and fails exactly when you need it most.

Systems remove the need for willpower. They're pre-made decisions that work automatically, no matter how you feel.

The difference:
Willpower: "I won't eat junk food" → What happens when someone brings donuts?
System: "I eat an apple with almond butter at 3pm" → No decision needed.

Willpower: "I should exercise more" → Easy to skip when motivation fades.
System: "Resistance training Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday at 7am" → It's scheduled, it happens.

Build the system once, and it works for you forever.

Use the minimum viable habit principle: 
Can't do 30 minutes of exercise? Do 10.
Can't meal prep five dinners? Prep two.
Can't hit 10,000 steps? Hit 5,000.
Consistency beats volume when building new habits.

Pre-commitment strategies that work:

• Decide Sunday what you'll eat all week

• Pack your gym bag the night before

• Schedule workouts as unmovable calendar appointments

Plan for obstacles before they happen:
Travel? Pack protein powder.
Research restaurant menus ahead.
Book hotels with gyms.

Stressful work weeks?
Stock your freezer with easy protein-rich meals.

Celebrations?
Eat a protein-rich meal before parties.
Decide your alcohol limit in advance.

Your 2026 Prediabetes Remission Framework

Here's your cheat sheet:

❌ Wrong: Outcome-only goals
✅ Right: Outcome + process goals
(Not just "A1C under 5.7" but also "eat 100g protein and under 100g carbs daily")

❌ Wrong: Restriction-based
✅ Right: Addition-based
(Not "cut all carbs" but "add 100g protein daily and 7,500 steps")

❌ Wrong: Behavior change only
✅ Right: Identity transformation
(Not "I'm trying to lose weight" but "I'm a metabolically healthy person")

❌ Wrong: Lagging indicators
✅ Right: Leading indicators
(Focus on daily protein grams and weekly activity you control, not just scale weight and A1C)

This year, you're not setting another resolution destined to fade by February.

You're analyzing what you've learned. Redesigning your identity and environment. Building robust systems. Focusing on controllable processes that compound into transformation.

The ancient Romans had it right—the new year is a powerful moment for new beginnings.

You're not making wishful promises to gods. You're applying evidence-based health psychology to become the metabolically healthy person you're meant to be.

Welcome to your 2026 transformation.