Planning Your New Year’s Weight Loss Resolution

Breaking down your New Year’s weight loss resolution into small, manageable tasks you can work on every day is the best road to success.

“Instead of making the number on the scale the focus, look for other ways to find to measure success,” says Stefanie Barthmare, a psychotherapist with the Methodist Weight Management Center in Houston. “I worked with a patient recently who said that when she lost 60 pounds she was going to sign up for a half-marathon. She signed up last June and is running the full 13 miles in January.”

Once you set a goal, it’s important to have a vision for what it will look like. That might be a smaller size of pants you will be able to wear, or participating in activities that you physically could not take part in when you were overweight. After the goal is set, break it down and begin to eliminate foods from your diet that are bad for you a little at a time.

“Literally, start by cutting down your intake of soda from three a day to one for the first week, and the next week maybe eliminate cheese from your sandwiches,” Barthmare says. “It’s also important to realize that depriving yourself never works. By refraining from one behavior that you know is potentially causing weight gain, you will begin to accumulate small successes. These positive actions and resulting good feelings give you the momentum to keep going and eventually reach the goal you set for yourself.”

Doing a little at a time will keep you from being overwhelmed, and keep you on track for keeping the pounds off and keeping your New Year’s resolution.

Tips for weight loss:

• Consume fewer calories than you use.
• Increase calories burned with regular physical exercise.
• Keep a food diary to track your diet.
• Aim for losing weight gradually at one to two pounds a week.

Acupuncture & Massage College’s Community Clinic offers acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and massage therapy for the treatment of a wide range of health conditions as well as for overall wellness. To schedule an appointment call (305) 595-9500. For information about AMC’s Oriental Medicine and Massage Therapy programs ask for Joe Calareso, Admissions Director.