Map out weight-loss plan well before
New Year's
December 22, 2004
By Charles Stuart Platkin
It happens every Jan. 1. That's the one day we make
a commitment to "making a change."
We're ready to get going, yet most of us will not make
it past the first week. And according to the Journal
of Clinical Psychology, even among those who make serious
attempts at change, 30 percent will drop out within
two weeks and less than half will make it past six months.
Not very encouraging, is it? Yet, by following some
simple tips we can significantly increase our odds of
losing weight and keeping it off in the new year.
Don't wait
Don't wait until New Year's to plan your resolution.
If you don't make your resolution in advance, you reduce
your chances of success.
Be serious
Those who make a "serious" (and realistic)
resolution to change are 10 times more likely to succeed
than those who make halfhearted or overly ambitious
attempts and don't put together a plan in advance. "Take
your resolutions seriously or don't make them at all,"
says John Norcross, professor of psychology at the University
of Scranton in Pennsylvania and New Year's resolution
researcher.
Believe it
Norcross says feeling confident that you can change
a behavior is the single biggest predictor that you
will be able to change. It's called "self-efficacy,"
or an individual's belief in his or her ability to succeed
at something — in this case, changing an ingrained
negative pattern.
Getting ready
Are you ready to make a change? It takes more than
just saying you would like to lose weight. You have
to think about it before you start. "It's all about
preparation," says Norcross. One basic resolution-setting
piece of advice is to make sure you set realistic, specific
goals and have a written plan of action.
Goal-setting is the cornerstone of successful weight
loss. That means planning the details and mapping them
out in writing. We spend days planning our vacations
and from six to nine months planning a wedding, which
is a four- to six-hour event. Yet when it comes to losing
weight, we tend to "wing it" and not tip the
odds in our favor by planning and setting goals.
Relapse prevention
Keep in mind that a slip doesn't have to become a fall,
nor does a lapse have to become a relapse. Unsuccessful
weight-maintainers tend to have an "all or nothing"
attitude and view a single "bad" eating situation
as verification that they just can't lose weight.
"On the other hand, a successful weight-loss maintainer
(or a person who succeeds in changing his or her behavior)
thinks in advance about situations and obstacles that
might cause brief breakdowns, such as having a bag of
chips or the weekly doughnut gathering in the office,"
says G. Alan Marlatt, director of the University of
Washington's Addictive Behaviors Research Center in
Seattle.
Marlatt recommends coming up with a relapse-prevention
plan before Jan. 1. Think in advance about what common
problems you might encounter that will cause you to
slip up and have a plan. For instance, if you have difficulty
staying on your diet when you go out to dinner or when
you're visiting relatives, come up with strategies to
avoid the slip-up, as well as a plan of action to follow
if you actually do slip up.
And it's a marathon, not a 100-yard dash. "It
takes months, not days or weeks, to establish a change."
In addition, "Resolutions are a process, not a
one-time effort, and even if people are successful,
they need to follow up on their behavior over the years,"
says Marlatt.
Think positive
State your New Year's resolution in positive terms.
Don't say things like "I need to stop eating junk
food" or "I will never watch television again"
or "I'm not going out to dinner three nights a
week anymore."
Pick things that are positive, such as "I'm going
to start eating low-fat frozen yogurt instead of ice
cream" or "I will start taking walks in the
evening." Why? "It's easier to install new
behaviors then to simply get rid of old ones,"
explains Norcross.
Be an environmentalist
Before Jan. 1 comes around, check out your personal
food environment. Those who make successful weight-loss
resolutions review and change their surroundings by
removing the cues that cause them to overeat and not
exercise. They use stimulus control — for instance,
not getting their morning coffee at the bakery or removing
"diet-buster" foods and take-out menus for
unhealthy restaurants from their homes.
And don't just remove negative stimuli or cues —
increase positive ones. For example, hang out with people
who are supportive of your weight-loss efforts, surround
yourself with healthy foods, post reminder notices that
you "can lose
weight," buy a pedometer, join a gym and make
your personal environment weight-loss friendly.
Source:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com
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