New Year, New Habits!
Are you motivated to lose weight? What is your reason for this goal? To feel better? To look better? To improve your health? You may have said ‘Yes!’ to all 3 questions. Then why are you not losing weight? Or still gaining? I can tell you the answer in one word: habits!
Habits are relentless behavioral forces that can make or break you. Think about the things that you do daily, or nearly every day. There is little effort in them because they are ingrained habits. Some are good, some are bad. Now think about which habits are causing you to gain weight: the poor quality foods, the large portions, the lack of exercise, not enough sleep.
Getting rid of a bad habit is simply a matter of substituting a good habit where a bad habit once was. Do not try to simply give up a bad habit – replace it!For example, don’t just resolve to stay away from fast food. Decide to shop twice a week for healthy food and to always have some on hand for a meal or snack. Don’t just resolve to watch less TV. Decide to spend that wasted TV time exercising.
It will take some time. It will take chipping away at a bad habit every week or month, and possibly restarting sometimes. But the more intentional you are with replacing your bad habits, the more likely they are to stick. And no one wants temporary weight loss. We want to remain slim and fit!
Start small, but with an eye on gradual improvement. Start walking briskly 15 minutes a day. After a couple weeks, bump that up to 30 minutes. Then start running for just a minute or two in the middle. (Check out the app C25K – Couch to 5K. It’s a great program for gradual improvement over about 9 weeks.)
Go on Google or YouTube a few minutes daily to learn about healthy foods. Become an expert on this! It will educate you and motivate you.
Summer is coming. That means shorts and bathing suits come out of the closet. We can prescribe phentermine that will decrease your appetite and boost your energy level. These will help you get started. But first make some goals, do some reflecting on your habits, and make a plan. Then come and see us!