Josie Bidwell with the University of Mississippi Medical Center says making New Year weight-loss goals can be difficult.
“It is going to probably add unnecessary stress to an already more stressful time, which the holidays are,” she said.
Instead, Bidwell suggests reaching for normal and sustainable health goals.
“The good news is that we don't have to wait for December or the holidays or January or any of those things to start putting steps in place to to lose weight if that's what our goal is,” she said. “Or walk more or eat more balanced [meals]. Usually what I encourage in particular patients that I'm working with around the holiday season is just weight maintenance.”
Bidwell says regardless of what a person’s weight is, five to nine daily servings of fruits and vegetables and adequate water intake will make one healthier overall.
“Then we want to look at all of our other numbers, [how] is our blood pressure doing?” she said. “What's our blood sugar doing? How's our cholesterol? All of those things matter, right? Can we walk up and down stairs without getting short of breath? Those are the things I encourage people to really focus on, because when we put those behaviors in place to achieve all of those things, then weight loss usually accompanies that.”
Bidwell also suggests creating plans to accomplish goals in the new year that don’t have to do with the number on the scale.
“Maybe it is taking a trip,” she said. “Maybe it is learning a new hobby or a new skill. You may need to work on your health habits to make those things more realistic, like if you want to go on a hiking trip and we've not exercised in a very long time.”
If weight loss is someone’s main priority, Bidwell recommends setting realistic goals, such as losing one pound per week.
“I always encourage people to approach any of their goals with that framework so that you set yourself up for success,” she said. “It's not saying that four pounds is all you want to lose. It's just the first step on that journey of what your ultimate weight loss goal is.”
