Episode 182: Beating Quitter's Friday: Sticking to Your Resolutions Beyond January

[00:00:00] Welcome back to the Back on Track Achieving Healthy Weight Loss, where I help you get on track and stay on track with your weight loss journey. I'm your host, Dr. Alicia Shelly. So let's get started.

[00:00:27] Hello, Happy New Year, and welcome to the Back on Track Achieving Healthy Weight Loss podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Alicia Shelly. Now I hope you're having a good new year so far. And I'm so glad that

[00:00:43] you are here with us again to be able to listen to another week of the podcast. Just over the holiday, I was watching the Apple Watch commercial and they said that most people quit their New Year's resolution by the second Friday in January. And it's called Quitters Day. Look it up. And so I did. And I was kind of surprised. That was my first time hearing about Quitters Day.

[00:01:12] But it is an actual day, the second Friday in January. This year, the second Friday is January 10th. So this is five days away from when this podcast will be released. And I wasn't surprised about Quitters Day because a lot of times people will make New Year's resolution, myself included, and then forget about it and do something else.

[00:01:38] And when we look at the research, it shows that 88% of people who set a New Year's resolution fail within the first two weeks. And only about 9% of Americans feel that they are successful in keeping their resolutions throughout the year.

[00:01:55] And so in this episode, our goal is to kind of see what we can do to help you push through and stay committed to your goal.

[00:02:04] So let's do a deep dive here on why is it that we quit our New Year's resolution.

[00:02:10] When we look at a 2014 study showed that among those who failed their resolutions, 35% attributed it to setting unrealistic goals, 33% attributed it to not keeping track of progress, and 23% of it simply just forgot about it.

[00:02:30] And when I look back at my New Year's resolutions, it's usually exactly what happened.

[00:02:36] I usually start off with, okay, I'm going to do these big plans.

[00:02:41] I'm going to the gym six days a week.

[00:02:44] I'm going to be eating a 1,500-calorie meal.

[00:02:47] I'm going to be getting lots of rest, drinking lots of water.

[00:02:51] I put so much on me, not realizing that, man, you don't have the time.

[00:02:57] And so, or at least looking at some of the challenges that can occur.

[00:03:02] And then, of course, sometimes I wouldn't keep track of my progress.

[00:03:06] I wouldn't write it down or keep a log.

[00:03:08] And then other times I just kind of forgot about it.

[00:03:11] Life got in the way and I just forgot.

[00:03:12] So I've done all three of the reasons why people fail.

[00:03:18] But, you know, let's dive a little bit deeper.

[00:03:21] Setting unrealistic goals is something we all do.

[00:03:24] Me being kind of a people pleaser and a perfectionist, type A personality, I want everything to be perfect.

[00:03:32] But what I've come to realize is that life's not perfect.

[00:03:37] I'm not perfect.

[00:03:38] And so sometimes you just have to do things messy.

[00:03:43] So that's how I remind myself.

[00:03:45] Just do it messy.

[00:03:46] It doesn't have to be perfect.

[00:03:47] I know I have certain goals.

[00:03:49] I want to be consistent.

[00:03:51] But, hey, I just do what I can do.

[00:03:53] And then also the other thing is I try to take in consideration my schedule.

[00:03:57] Making sure that I'm kind of scheduling in when I want to do things.

[00:04:02] I am not the best and I will be transparent with you with meal prep.

[00:04:07] Like for some reason it seems to take me hours.

[00:04:11] But I find when I break it up, like maybe Saturday evening writing out what I want to cook.

[00:04:17] And then Sunday cooking it, it makes it a lot easier.

[00:04:22] And when my schedule is just full, I sometimes will just go and get a meal prep from a local store or a grocery store just to kind of help me out.

[00:04:31] So I may not be able to cook every week, but at least I have something healthy that I can grab and go when life just gets busy.

[00:04:39] So it is important to, first of all, realize that nothing is perfect.

[00:04:44] It's not going to be the way you think.

[00:04:46] But at least if you try, you'll get some things done, you know.

[00:04:50] So just make sure that your goals are more realistic to where you are as far as in your personal schedule.

[00:04:56] And make sure it's realistic.

[00:04:58] Like I said before, sometimes we want to go to the gym five days a week.

[00:05:01] But we only have two to three days where we can actually do it.

[00:05:05] And so maybe you start off with those two to three days and find other ways to be healthy the other two days.

[00:05:10] Or be more active the other two days by doing something different.

[00:05:14] So making sure you consider your schedule in is going to be very imperative.

[00:05:18] The other thing why people quit is that sometimes they get discouraged with just not seeing the results.

[00:05:24] I've talked to friends where they're like, man, I was on this diet for two weeks and I didn't lose any weight.

[00:05:29] And so I stopped.

[00:05:30] And it wasn't like it was a bad diet is that you need more time to see change.

[00:05:36] And sometimes people want to lose 20 pounds in two weeks versus losing one to two pounds.

[00:05:42] And if they would keep up with it, they would be able to see that change over time.

[00:05:47] So it's important to not only have realistic goals, but have realistic expectations.

[00:05:53] We didn't gain weight overnight.

[00:05:55] Is this something that was more of a gradual progression?

[00:05:58] It's going to be a gradual progression to lose weight.

[00:06:00] And so one to two pounds is what I tell my patient is what you should expect.

[00:06:05] So to see per week change, you know, or even a half a pound, depending on where you are.

[00:06:10] But the goal is that you're seeing a change is so important.

[00:06:13] And then the last thing is sometimes people lose that motivation or kind of clarity on why the resolution matters.

[00:06:20] And that is so important.

[00:06:23] I think sometimes if we have our why, why we do things, if it's not clear, if it's a little muddy, or even if it's just not, you know, you're not doing it for yourself.

[00:06:35] Shoot.

[00:06:36] Sometimes we just forget about it and we just go about our lives.

[00:06:39] So it's important, I think, to have a good why.

[00:06:42] I've had friends where they're like, I just want to lose weight for my boyfriend or I want to lose weight for someone else.

[00:06:48] Those type of why's, if it's for someone else and not yourself, you tend to eventually not want to continue with your, when you lose motivation, it makes it harder to continue with it because your reason for doing it is not for yourself.

[00:07:02] But I do find when people have like a good reason, like, hey, I need to lose weight to have a surgery, they are more apt and more motivated to keep going.

[00:07:12] And so what are some ways that we can make these mindset shifts in order to overcome the slump or lack of motivation or why we quit?

[00:07:22] And then I think the first thing is, is that we need to focus on progress over perfection.

[00:07:28] Like I said, sometimes when we set those unrealistic goals, we tend to want everything to be perfect.

[00:07:34] But hey, there are some ways where it's going to be crazy and you can't do everything perfect.

[00:07:39] And that is okay.

[00:07:41] So number one, we got to give ourselves some grace.

[00:07:43] And number two, we need to celebrate what we could do this week instead of what we may not have been able to do or check all the boxes.

[00:07:51] Once again, having that self-compassion is important.

[00:07:55] There will be times when we slip up or there will be times when we don't have, you know, our schedule is busy and we couldn't exercise the way we want.

[00:08:03] But if we did something rather than nothing, that is something.

[00:08:07] And it definitely shows that we're making progress.

[00:08:10] And so that's important that we be able to focus on that.

[00:08:13] Also, focus on your resolutions as ways to build a habit more than just rigid rules.

[00:08:20] Because sometimes we have these rules in place that we think is going to work.

[00:08:23] But what we find is, is that rigidity causes us more stress and overwhelm.

[00:08:28] But if we look at this as habits that we're building, like building blocks that we're building upon, it makes it so much easier than being so rigid.

[00:08:37] Because if we don't follow this rule, then we get discouraged and we're like, our mind takes us down this rabbit hole where we're like, nothing is working.

[00:08:44] I'm never going to lose weight.

[00:08:46] And we just end up stopping.

[00:08:47] So focus this on habits that we're building upon.

[00:08:51] And so even if it's not perfect, it's okay.

[00:08:53] We're building upon these habits.

[00:08:55] Some other strategies that we can use to stay on track is, number one, have a stronger why for implementing change.

[00:09:03] Like, have a good reason why you want to implement these changes.

[00:09:07] Whether it's, hey, it's for my health.

[00:09:10] I want to have more energy.

[00:09:11] I want to be able to move better.

[00:09:13] Those type of whys can help you stay motivated when you're not feeling quite so motivated.

[00:09:19] When it's rainy outside, I don't want to get my hair wet.

[00:09:22] Or when you're tired and you don't feel like doing it.

[00:09:25] Having a strong why helps you get through that because you know exactly why you're doing it.

[00:09:30] Sometimes I'll put like little post-its, like on the mirror, just to remind myself why I'm doing this.

[00:09:36] Why am I getting up so early in the morning?

[00:09:39] Or why am I exercising even though I'm tired after work?

[00:09:42] It's just important to have that why.

[00:09:46] Also, too, breaking your goals into smaller manageable steps are very helpful.

[00:09:52] If you hadn't been exercising and you want to kind of get back, it may be overwhelming to say, hey, I'm going to run a 5K when you haven't run before.

[00:10:01] And so sometimes you have to start slow and be like, hey, I do want to run a 5K.

[00:10:06] It is possible.

[00:10:07] But let me maybe start with a couch to 5K app where for so many minutes I'm running and walking.

[00:10:14] And then as time goes on, I increase my endurance and my time and then I'm prepared to do my 5K.

[00:10:22] So it's important to kind of to break those goals into smaller manageable steps.

[00:10:27] Also, it's going to be important to create a system of accountability.

[00:10:32] Having ways where you track your progress, partnering with a friend or joining a community where you can be like, hey, I went exercising today.

[00:10:39] Or, hey, I was able to drink my water today.

[00:10:42] Finding ways where you can have an accountability.

[00:10:45] There are lots of tracking apps out there.

[00:10:47] You can just find which one works for you.

[00:10:49] I know I've had people use my Annette Diary, my Fitness Pal, Noom.

[00:10:55] So it's just finding what works for you and where you are at this moment in time.

[00:10:59] The other thing is celebrating your small wins.

[00:11:02] A lot of times people will put their goal as weight loss and they're like, I want to lose 20 pounds or I want to lose 30 pounds.

[00:11:09] But what happens is they don't have the small wins where it's like, oh, I want to exercise this X number of days or I want to drink more water.

[00:11:17] I want to get more sleep.

[00:11:17] And so because they don't have those goals, what happens is in week one, they don't necessarily lose like five pounds.

[00:11:26] They don't feel like they're making progress.

[00:11:28] But they are because, number one, they changed their lifestyle.

[00:11:31] They started sleeping better.

[00:11:32] They started getting enough rest.

[00:11:34] They started eating better.

[00:11:35] They started exercising.

[00:11:36] And so they've been able to do this and be able to make changes.

[00:11:39] But they don't see it because they're not celebrating the small wins.

[00:11:43] So it's important to celebrate those small wins that you do that are non-scale victories.

[00:11:48] Things that you're doing that does not have to do with how much weight you lose.

[00:11:51] Because what I do find is that sometimes people gain muscle so they don't lose weight.

[00:11:56] But they're still making progress.

[00:11:58] And if they just continue, they'll get to their goal.

[00:12:00] And next, like we were saying before, adjust your goals to make them more realistic and achievable.

[00:12:07] So it's important that your goals match where you are at the moment so that you can be able to add to that.

[00:12:13] And being able to do certain things in your schedule, it makes it a lot easier.

[00:12:18] It's less stressful on you because it's already planned out.

[00:12:20] And then it's always important.

[00:12:23] So a couple of things.

[00:12:24] So when you do slip up or when things don't go perfect and you can't do the small steps that you want to do,

[00:12:32] it's important that when you get into that area that you reflect on what caused the setback and be like,

[00:12:38] OK, is it because I had this big project at work that I'm trying to finish and I just don't have the time?

[00:12:45] Or is it like, man, I've had a death in my family.

[00:12:48] I'm going through grief and I just need to give myself grace right now.

[00:12:51] And then I'll come back and kind of be more consistent.

[00:12:54] So, you know, reflect on what's going on in your life that's causing that setback.

[00:12:58] And then remind yourself why you're doing it.

[00:13:01] Remind yourself that, hey, yes, I had a setback, but my goal is to have less pain, to move better.

[00:13:07] So I'm just going to keep moving forward.

[00:13:09] And I'm not going to continue to dwell on what happened in the past, but I'm going to move forward.

[00:13:16] And then make sure you have different affirmation exercises that you can use.

[00:13:21] I have a couple of things here in the back.

[00:13:23] One of my favorite things actually is this one, which is progress over perfection.

[00:13:29] So remind myself that, hey, as long as I'm making progress, it's good.

[00:13:33] And then the other one I have here, which says you can't go back and change the beginning,

[00:13:39] but you can start where you are and change the ending.

[00:13:42] So know that, yes, it may not have been great in the past, but you can make a change now,

[00:13:48] today, that will change how your ending goes.

[00:13:51] So just to recap, yes, Quitter's Day is on January 10th.

[00:13:57] But you don't have to be a quitter.

[00:13:59] You don't have to be that person.

[00:14:01] You can be the 12% that continues their New Year's resolutions.

[00:14:06] They keep their goals going.

[00:14:07] You do not have to be the 88% that fails within the first two weeks.

[00:14:12] And ways that you can do this is by having a stronger why, breaking goals into smaller manageable steps,

[00:14:20] having a system of accountability, and celebrating the small wins.

[00:14:24] And then most importantly, give yourself some grace when you slip up or things don't go the way you want.

[00:14:30] And I thank you so much for listening to this episode.

[00:14:34] But before we go, one of my goals this year is to be more of an advocate for obesity treatments,

[00:14:42] insurance coverage for obesity treatments.

[00:14:44] And so recently, the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services here in the U.S.

[00:14:50] are looking into including coverage for obesity treatments.

[00:14:54] Now, the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid focus on individuals with Medicare,

[00:14:58] which are individuals greater than the age of 65 or people who are on disability.

[00:15:04] And Medicaid are those who have a lower income.

[00:15:07] And so with these different services, this is so helpful.

[00:15:11] I see patients from all walks of life, Medicare and Medicaid.

[00:15:16] And what I do find is that for those who insurance is covers, weight loss treatments, they tend to do better.

[00:15:23] Whether it's nutritionists, whether it's exercise physiologists,

[00:15:26] sometimes even the psychologists and medications, they really usually do better as far as in their weight loss.

[00:15:33] And when we look at obesity, it is a chronic disease.

[00:15:36] It's similar to your high blood pressure, diabetes.

[00:15:39] Obesity can affect over 200 medical conditions.

[00:15:43] And so if we can reduce someone's obesity, we can improve their blood pressure.

[00:15:50] We can improve their risk for diabetes.

[00:15:53] We can improve, actually reduce their risk for cancer by just reducing their weight.

[00:15:59] So it's so much more.

[00:16:01] I know some people like to look at obesity treatments as a way of looking good.

[00:16:05] But this actually helps people with improving their health outcomes, which is what we try to do as doctors.

[00:16:11] I've had people who've told me that even with losing 5% of their body weight,

[00:16:16] oh, doc, I have more energy.

[00:16:18] I'm able to play with my grandchild.

[00:16:20] I'm able to do this.

[00:16:21] I'm able to do that that I couldn't do before.

[00:16:23] So these treatments for some people are even life and death.

[00:16:26] And so they are having a 60-day commenting period for the public to share their stories

[00:16:33] and why it's so important that they cover obesity treatment.

[00:16:37] If you look in the show notes, I will have a link where you can go and learn more information

[00:16:43] about how to comment during the 60-day period.

[00:16:46] And also there will be a webinar on January the 9th from the Obesity Action Coalition

[00:16:52] to learn more about how we can comment and what can we do to help get this approval.

[00:16:58] The deadline to submit our comments is going to be January 27th, so just a few days away.

[00:17:05] And so it's important that we can be able to comment and then help move this along.

[00:17:10] And you may be thinking, well, I don't have Medicare or Medicaid,

[00:17:14] but usually how Medicare and Medicaid, what Medicaid and Medicare usually covers,

[00:17:19] what happens is most of the commercial insurances will start to cover it.

[00:17:24] So as CMS goes, so does the rest of the insurances.

[00:17:30] So if you are with an employer that does not cover weight loss,

[00:17:33] if Medicare and Medicaid starts to, this can help with them transitioning

[00:17:38] to cover those obesity treatments for commercial insurance.

[00:17:42] Well, I thank you so much for your time today.

[00:17:45] Please go to the show notes and comment, even if it's just saying a few words

[00:17:50] on why it's important to have obesity treatments.

[00:17:54] It would be so appreciated.

[00:17:56] And I thank you again for joining us on the Back on Track Achieving Healthy Weight Loss podcast.

[00:18:02] And I hope to see you next time.

[00:18:05] Bye.