Jan. 29, 2020

This paid piece is sponsored by Avera.

As we dive into a new year – and a new decade – we do so with plenty of pretty familiar ideas:

• This time, I’m going to lose a bunch of weight.
• This time, I’m going to stick with the plan.
• This time, I’m going to reach my goals.

Another familiar feeling is the frustration that comes when “this time” turns out to be like times past, imperfect and a bit defeating. What’s the best way to achieve the apparently elusive goal of weight management?

“Go slowly – really good weight loss is only a pound or two per week,” said Lauren Cornay, a registered dietitian with Avera Heart Hospital. “People are impatient, but to lose the weight in a healthy way, you need to pace yourself and realize it’s a long-term change, made up of small steps, every day.”

Cornay said even people with the best intentions can overdo it in January, when the hype for lifestyle changes is at its zenith.

“Resolutions are good, but weight-loss miracles really don’t exist,” she said. “There are many helpful approaches, but all take time. There are countless products on the market with unrealistic claims too. Remember, even prescription weight-loss medications only offer about 5 percent weight loss, and that is over many weeks or months.”

Start with things you can do versus miracles, Cornay added. The basics – eat less sugar and fatty food, enjoy more fruits and vegetables – are good starting points. Building on them, and rewarding yourself for small accomplishments, is better than magic, miracles and misinformation every time.

Certified health coaches Becky Hanzen and Kandace Brands of Avera Medical Group Integrative Medicine work with many people who are putting their best into resolutions for weight loss. Hanzen said one of the keys to losing weight with health in mind is planning.

“What a gift you give yourself when you have things planned ahead of time. It’s a strategy that works when it comes to mindful eating and weight loss,” she said.

Keeping a food journal is a way to reflect and focus on what you’re eating – and what you’re not.

“When we don’t plan ahead, or we go a few days away from our food journals, it can lead to setbacks. Preparing meals, and having a plan for each day’s meals – and snacks – can really pay off. We encourage people to plan their three meals each day, along with one snack, and to keep up with it,” Brands said. “If you keep recording those journal entries, you’ll see patterns and can keep yourself on track. If you plan nothing out, you have no foundation on which to build. And remember to keep drinking your water, and minding your stress.”

Food is medicine, but it can be a drug, one we might turn to when life gets hectic or brings us down.

“One great way to achieve healthy weight loss is to look into the tools that can help you manage stress,” Hanzen said. “It can be meditation, yoga, gratitude journaling or other methods that work best for you. Stress reduction goes hand-in-hand with other lifestyle changes for improving health. Too often, people try changes like diet and exercise but overlook this part – and they have setbacks.”

If – or when – stumbling blocks appear, keep in mind that being healthy is about realizing you’re human.

“Try not to be a perfectionist because stress can get to you. So you scarfed down half a pie – that happens,” Cornay said. “The threat to change isn’t that single splurge but letting it become an excuse for an all-out binge. You face the test of how quickly you can get back on track. That’s where truly healthy weight loss will come from.”