Blog

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION

Lifestyle  •  January 7, 2020

Every year people make health and weight goals for their New Year’s Resolution:  “I will lose 20 pounds in 6 weeks”; “I will get off of sugar FOREVER!”; “I will go to the gym every day without fail!”; “I am cutting out all carbs and only eating protein and vegetables”.  Not only are most of these resolutions unrealistic and hard to accomplish, but if we really care about our health and appearance, shouldn’t some modified version of these goals go on all year long?  Why January?

There is no quick fix for weight loss and health issues.  Living healthy and losing weight are wonderful goals, but they take time and they need to be goals that we are mindful of every month of the year.  Making change is hard, and sometimes change is best achieved in small steps. 

The wonderful thing about changing your lifestyle for the long-haul is that you will not only feel better physically and emotionally now, but you will prevent and reverse health issues for the rest of your life.  Losing weight helps to prevent and reverse high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis and joint pain, low back pain, heart disease, depression and anxiety, headaches, and many forms of cancer. Living at a healthy weight is important not just for self-esteem and having a good body image, but it also will help us to live longer and better. 

Most patients who I work with have lost and gained the same weight multiple times.  They are good at losing weight but keeping that weight off is just impossible.  Patients blame themselves and think that “if only I had better will power” they would have better long-term success.  There are now many medical studies that prove that being overweight or obese is a disease that needs a medical approach just like any other medical condition.  When someone loses a significant amount of weight, the hormones that control their appetite are thrown off for up to 6 years.  This explains why most of us tend to regain the weight that we lost despite the greatest of will power and long hours at the gym.  After weight loss, our bodies think that we have been through some sort of stress that has caused us to lose weight.  Our bodies don’t know that the weight loss was intentional!!!

The medical approach to weight loss helps dramatically with weight loss and helps our bodies to NOT put that weight back on.  At Medical Weight Loss of Cherry Hill, you will not be put on a “diet”.  You will be given an individualized medical plan to help control cravings, appetite, and a full nutrition plan calculated based on your medical issues and body mass index.  You will always work with a doctor and be given medical and emotional support throughout the journey. 

Work with a doctor who is board-certified in Obesity Medicine for the newest approach to losing weight and better success and achieving your goals.

Make this your year to make those New Year’s Resolutions WORK FOR GOOD!!