Beauty School : attitude

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It's long past the time to make New Year's resolutions, but it isn't too late to assess how you're doing on the ones you made. Weight loss is one of the more popular resolutions, and one of the more challenging ones to continue.

Now is the time of year when you experience the many obstacles of sustaining health behavior changes to promote weight loss. Good intentions to begin the year require renewed vigor to reach your goals.

So, what can help keep you on track? Before going there, let's look at some things you should consider when you're beginning a weight loss program. Is this a good time in your life to do this? Are you able to commit the time? Or, are there things going on in your life that you need to attend to first? There are other similar considerations outlined in Chapter 1 of our book "The Mayo Clinic Diet".

Once you decide to make a commitment to continue your weight loss efforts, then you can identify obstacles you may be experiencing and consider solutions and strategies to deal with them. These obstacles may include time pressures or something more specific such as portion control. The important point is there are many obstacles, they vary for each of us, and the strategies to overcome them may vary individually as well.

When undertaking weight loss, everyone experiences obstacles and challenges. Expect them and use problem solving behaviors to address them. For every obstacle, there are strategies and potential solutions. They may not be perfect, but something can be done. By approaching obstacles in this manner, you can adopt a can-do attitude, which will make you much more likely to achieve your goals.

Beginning on page 180 in "The Mayo Clinic Diet", there's an action guide that describes many different obstacles in nutrition, physical activity, and behavioral change along with strategies on how to deal with them. You may have experienced others. Please share with us what obstacles you've experienced and how you've overcome them.

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Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.

The reason some people aren't as successful at managing their weight as they would like to be can be traced to how they begin their efforts. You need to set yourself up to succeed.

What do I mean by that? In an area that's challenging and has many barriers and bumps in the road, you want to give yourself the best chance possible. This means preparing yourself initially as well as you can.

Attitude is extremely important, but often not appreciated. The common attitude associated with initiating weight loss is "Oohh, I've got to go on a DIET," often said with a forlorn tone that implies the joy has gone out of life.

This negative, restrictive attitude seems to anticipate the drudgery that is sure to follow. Sound familiar? This approach is destined to fail sooner or later because it isn't sustainable. It's like you're constantly trudging uphill toward an elusive goal.

A better approach is to focus on the positive aspects of undertaking lifestyle changes that can lead to better weight management. Yes, positive. For example, many people find that when they were more physically active, they felt better. Listen to this. Use this as motivation to continue to be active.

Does it take some effort to move regularly, especially when just starting? Sure. Will it take more time? Absolutely. But it's well worth it — for your weight, your health, and how you feel. And if you start out with the right attitude, along with a solid program, you can succeed.

In terms of changing the way you eat (it's much more than a "diet"), focus on the opportunities and what you can eat as opposed to what foods you're trying to cut down on. There are many wonderful foods and recipes to explore, and believe it or not we can learn to like new foods.

Think of something you didn't like when you were younger and now enjoy (for me it's cantaloupe and tomatoes, especially fresh garden varieties). There are so many traditional, healthy, ethnic foods to explore — Mediterranean (e.g., Greek salad, tabouli, pasta primavera and many others), Asian (stir fried vegetables, sushi — OK, we'll wait for a while on the sushi for some of you), and others. It can be a veritable gastronomic journey around the world instead of a restrictive "diet".

There are many other issues to consider before undertaking lifestyle changes to promote weight loss, many of which are discussed in The Mayo Clinic Diet (it's more than a "diet" also). Be sure you're ready and can give it your best effort. Starting out with the right attitude and feeling like you're on an enjoyable and sustainable journey will get you well on your way. Happy travels.

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