New Year, New You???
Why New Year Resolutions Don’t Work For Weight Loss
Written by: Danielle Rudder, APRN
Most Americans have made a New Year resolution at some point in their life. January 1st automatically gives us a “clean slate,” and we can “start over” in the New Year. Scroll through any social media platform and you’ll find “life hacks,” lists for having “an amazing year,” and lots of quotes to start the New Year off on the right foot. I understand it’s meant to inspire. If we don’t reach our goals this year, we can always try again next year, right? New Year, New You!
But Megan O’Neal asks, “Is that really what we want? We say ‘new you’ so casually that it’s easy to miss the deeper meaning. Oxford defines new as ‘not existing before; recently made, invented, introduced, etc.’ New Year, new you literally means beginning the year as a completely new person. I don’t know what you think, but to me, that sounds a little off. If I were to start the year completely unaffected by my past, who would I be? And what in the world would possess me to toss all of those memories into the trash?”
My kids’ school has a program called “8 Keys to Excellence.” The 2nd key is “Failure leads to success.” Huh? Doesn’t failure lead to failure? Actually, no. The school defines this as a way to “view failures as feedback that provides you with the information you need to learn, grow, and succeed.” Thomas Edison is quoted, “I have not failed. I just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” So, why would I want to discard everything I’ve learned in the past? I know what works and what doesn’t work. I’ve grown, and I’ve learned from my mistakes and my successes.
Stop Creating a New Year’s Resolution Around Weight Loss
The root word of resolution is “resolve.” Resolving obesity/pre-obesity with weight loss is not an achievable goal (Keep reading! I promise to explain myself). The Obesity Medicine Association (OMA) defines obesity as a “Chronic, relapsing, multi-factorial, neurobehavioral disease, wherein an increase in body fat promotes adipose tissue dysfunction and abnormal fat mass physical forces, resulting in adverse metabolic, biomechanical, and psychosocial health consequences.”
Okay, let’s break that down: Obesity is a long-term, constant battle, with lots of causes, and is affected by our brain. All of these issues make our fat mass misbehave, ultimately resulting in endocrine (hormone) issues, bones/joints/muscles problems, and it affects our mental health. See those words I keep typing in bold letters? Those are important- we can manage/treat obesity with weight loss (diet, exercise, mindfulness, medications, etc.), but it won’t ever go away! It will never be “resolved.” And the second you stop doing something to treat obesity is the same second that it comes rushing back! You will have the same “resolution” year, after year, after year…..
Okay, What Do I Need To Do Instead?
1. Celebrate How Far You’ve Come!
O’Neal writes, “The desire to improve is admirable and should certainly be encouraged. But we shouldn’t be so hard on ourselves as to demand we start over if, come Jan. 1, we haven’t managed to figure out our lives… And it would be a shame to discredit how far you’ve truly come. Life is hard. Perhaps you didn’t lose those 10 pounds or find a new job. Regardless, the year was not a wash because of a couple failed resolutions. You tried, and that counts for a lot more than you’d think. Gaining character and resilience is something to celebrate, not bury, at the start of a new year. I, for one, am not willing to hide my battle wounds for the sake of newness and perfection.”
She’s right! I hear each and every one of you be hard on yourselves when you’ve gained weight or hit a plateau, and so many of you dismiss the amazing accomplishments you have achieved (improved blood pressure/cholesterol/diabetes, decreased pain, improved mobility, given up sugary drinks, eating more veggies, making better food choices, etc.). I know you don’t want to disappoint Dr. G or me. And yeah, it’s a lot more fun to come into the office when you have lost weight and/or inches than when you are gaining weight. But please, DO NOT DISCOUNT the changes you have made to improve your health!
2. Do NOT Feel Guilty About Needing Help With Weight Loss!!
Go back and reread the definition of obesity. Obesity is a disease process, just like diabetes and high blood pressure. Has your primary care provider ever asked you to manage your blood pressure by yourself (without at least talking about medication options)? Or has your doctor ever given you a bottle of insulin and said, “Here, figure out how much you need and fix your diabetes by yourself”? Nope- you would think they are a quack and walk out of the office to never come back. But I’m pretty sure you’ve had a provider tell you, “calories in/calories out,” “eat less/move more,” and my all-time favorite, “just push yourself away from the table!” (If you see me, you know I have some choice words for those providers).
I want you to understand that OBESITY IS A DISEASE PROCESS, NOT A CHARACTER FLAW!!! Treating/managing obesity is different for each individual. Like other disease processes, we may have to change/modify your treatment plan to get the results we are trying to accomplish.
3. Never Give Up on Yourself
O’Neal writes:
Life is like a canvas and every day is a new brush stroke. It would be nearly impossible to make a masterpiece if you were continually starting over. The “new year, new you” philosophy discredits the beauty of your journey, of taking failure and running with it…
So as the New Year begins, be bold. Be brave. Don’t ditch what might look like a mess of a canvas for the ideal of perfection in a blank slate. Because we make real and lasting progress slowly and with grit, not simply when the date on the calendar says so. “New year, new you” sounds appealing, but there is something to be said for refusing to give up on yourself. For looking in the mirror and being determined to make something beautiful out of what you see, no matter the state at which you stand.
The important thing is to have patience and treat yourself with compassion. And remember that you, as you are now, are more than deserving of another year, a new year, to build and grow upon. You don’t need to start anew; you simply need the courage to start as you.
We are humans- we screw up all the time! We encourage you to get back on track ASAP- whether that’s the next snack, the next meal, or (at the latest) the next day. Keep working on it! As long as you are trying, Dr. G and I will keep trying to find what works best for you!
Excerpts from Megan Nicole O’Neal’s “The Problem With the ‘New Year, New You’ Mindset” first published in Jan 2017