Making lifestyle changes that stick

Who hasn’t started the new year (or even a random Monday morning) saying “I’m going to lose weight! Start exercising! Get healthy!”

“Making lifestyle changes is all about defining realistic goals and figuring out practical ways to achieve them,” says Kurt Hong, M.D., director of the HMF Center for Human Nutrition. “Instead of focusing on losing 50 pounds, come up with a plan to lose that first 10 pounds—or even the first five pounds.”

So don’t think big. Think…small. Keep a detailed food and exercise log for a week and look for ways to improve.

“Make small, incremental changes you can maintain over the long term to meet your goals. Once a change is locked in, start incorporating another healthy habit,” he says.

“Instead of eating out five times a week, cut back to three. Eliminating restaurants altogether is not practical for many people,” says Dr. Hong. “And if you usually have two glasses of wine with dinner, limit yourself to one.”

Avoid fad diets because their results are based on extreme approaches like no carbs or no fat. “People can follow these diets for a week or two, but usually get burned out on the deprivation,” says Dr. Hong.

If your resolution is to exercise more, you need to look at how much time you have after commitments like work, commuting, and family obligations. You may not be able to go to the gym every day. Can you manage three workouts a week? Two?

“If you haven’t been exercising at all, ease into it. Hit the gym once during the week and once more during the weekend,” Dr. Hong says.

One key to making changes that stick is to keep moving forward, even if you slip up. “One missed workout or a day of overeating does not cancel out the progress you’ve made,” says Dr. Hong. “Reset, refocus, restart.”

If you need guidance to lose weight or manage diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, ulcers, and other chronic diseases, take advantage of the HMF Center for Human Nutrition.

Dr. Hong and his team can customize a diet and exercise plan that will work for you. Call 626/441-4231 for an appointment.