Seeking a Healthier Self in 2016? This New Year, take a New Approach!
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Question: Which diet will give me the best chance at succeeding with my New Years weight lose resolution?
Answer: Have you seen all the commercials touting weight loss lately? Weight Watcher’s just unveiled their new “More than a Scale” campaign, Medifast stepped up their “Lose Big, Save Big” meal replacement program, and Kirstie Alley’s back at Jenny Craig (again).
Must be New Years. Or, more accurately, time to make those New Years resolutions.
This year, 45% of American men and women will resolve to change some important aspect of their life. For 21% of them, it will be their weight. Not surprising, the number one New Years resolution for 2015 is, once again, “to lose weight.”
People desire a healthier lifestyle and a more comfortable waistline. We vow to start off the new year “right” and commit to “feeling better next year.” Yet within 6 months, the majority of weight loss resolvers lose only their weight loss enthusiasm. And only 8% ever achieve their goal.
What goes wrong? The answer is a simple four-letter word called, D-I-E-T.
This year, resolve to throw away old dieting behavior that research shows is problematic and ineffective. Instead, commit to developing new skills and a new mentality that allows you to develop a healthier, more successful relationship with food.
Ready for change? Here are 5 tips to get you started:
- Next time you reach for food, ask yourself, “Am I physically hungry?” If the answer is no, wait to eat until you feel moderately hungry.
- Pay attention to the reasons “why?” you are eating. If you are not physically hungry, ask yourself “What am I using this food for?”
- Commit to using food only to nourish your body, not your heart.
- Throw out the scale! Weighing yourself every day creates an emotional roller coaster that oftentimes backfires into overeating behavior.
- Stop thinking “exercise.” Instead, commit to discovering new ways to move that makes you feel good and causes your heart to beat faster – with joy!
It’s a New Year, why not take a NEW approach, one that actually works!
This article first appeared in AZCentral’s “Ask the Expert” on December 22, 2015. Dr. Julie T. Anne’ is a licensed psychologist and eating disorder specialist. She is the founder and clinical director of A New Beginning and the Co-Creator of TheHealthyWeighOut, an innovative Emotional Eating Weight loss Program located in Scottsdale, Arizona.
