January may be almost over, but many of us are still in the New Year’s resolution mentality of goal-setting for our health in 2021. Even if you don’t make resolutions, you still probably set goals and have areas of your health that you want to improve in.
For a lot of people, this involves weight-loss. And for the purpose of this blog post, we’re going to look at weight-loss that is intended for health improvement. If that’s you, keep reading.
That being said, this time of year is also one to be cautious of. News articles, magazines, commercials, social media ads and more are increasingly abundant with marketing tactics for health and weight-loss. In fact, businesses sell nearly 300 million dollars of products and services globally each year to help people lose weight, mostly during resolution season.
With the vast sea of information that is out there, how can you figure out a plan that will help you address weight-loss in a healthy but effective way? In its most recent Monthly Broadcast, the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) touched on this topic with Dr. Holly F. Lofton, MD, an obesity medicine physician and Director of the Medical Weight Management Program at NYU Langone Health. Dr. Lofton offered advice for sifting through marketing schemes and approaching weight-loss as a journey, not a phase. Here are some of her tips.
1 – Write Down Your Goals and Motivations
It’s easy to get caught up in the number on the scale, but your ultimate goal should encompass something more than weight – your well-being. Physically write down what you want to get out of this process on your journey to better health. Is it more energy? Being able to get off medication? More mobility? More confidence? Write it down and keep it in mind.
One other word of advice from Dr. Lofton: rather than writing down only long-term goals, set weekly and monthly goals that will help you develop habits and keep you motivated.
2 – Do a Self-Assessment
Rather than throw yourself into a new plan without much thought, do an honest self-assessment about your weight history. What have you tried before that didn’t work? Where did you struggle? Have you picked up on any patterns? How have you been affected physically, mentally and emotionally? Use this information to build a new plan that takes these factors into account.
3 – Focus on Your Specific Needs
One weight-loss plan or approach to health does not work for all. You have a different combination of biology, genetics, environment, personality and routine than everyone else. When building a new plan, focus on your specific needs. For example, you may have a health condition that affects your fitness level or a challenging relationship with food that needs to be addressed before trying a new eating plan.
4 – Avoid Swift Lifestyle Overhauls
Small steps lead to big long-term outcomes. For a plan to be sustainable, it has to be realistic and manageable. It also needs to be something you can keep doing for the rest of your life, because weight management requires healthy lifestyle changes that can become habits. On the other hand, swift lifestyle overhauls can feel very unnatural or not work with your environment, routine or family dynamic – therefore making them unsustainable.
5 – Steer Clear of “Quick Fix” Solutions
While new information about health and weight-loss is always emerging, there will never be a new concept that truly offers a “quick fix,” “easy,” or “magic bullet” way to lose weight long-term. If a product or program promises results but doesn’t require behavioral change, it is likely too good to be true. In order to make changes in our bodies, we have to make changes in our lives and in our behaviors.
Do you want more advice on setting goals in the New Year? Click here to watch Dr. Lofton’s segment on the OAC’s January 2021 Monthly Broadcast.
