A newsletter from The Miriam Hospital Weight Management Program Strategy, Support, Success, Weight Loss
Our Mission: To teach patients the skills necessary to make lifestyle changes and to empower patients to implement these changes in their everyday lives. Each patient’s program is personalized based on his/ her current weight, medical conditions, lifestyle factors, and personal goals.
The Miriam Hospital Weight Management Program provides comprehensive treatment programs designed specifically to treat various levels of overweight and obesity. Treatment staff include physicians, psychologists, social workers, physician assistants, nurses, nutritionists, and exercise physiologists. Patients can enroll in a free orientation session by calling 401-793-8790. The Miriam Hospital Weight Management Program 146 West River Street Suite 11A, First Floor Providence, RI 02904 www.lifespan.org/centers-services/ weight-management-program Facebook: www.facebook.com/Miriamhospital Twitter: twitter.com/Miriamhospital or @MiriamHospital Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/Miriamhospital
Volume 3, Issue 2: Winter 2016
A New Way to Think about New Years’ Resolutions “This year I will finally lose weight!” How many times has this been your New Year’s resolution? Almost half of all Americans make a New Year’s resolution with the most common one being to lose weight. According to researchers, only 8% of people are able to successfully achieve their resolution. Change in behavior is often shortlived and people return to their old habits days or weeks into the year.
…rather than focusing on the end goal that you want to lose weight, shift the focus to the “big picture,”…Identifying a value that is truly meaningful to you will help guide you in making behavior changes …Think about the reason behind wanting to lose weight. What is important to you in your life?
Why is it so hard to stick to a New Year’s Resolution? When we think about making changes in order to achieve a goal, we are less likely to reach the goal unless it is personal and meaningful. Identifying what is important to you, your values, can be used as a guide to drive your desire to lose weight. For example, rather than focusing on the end goal that you want to lose weight in order to look better at the beach come summertime, shift the focus to the “big picture,” such as your value of having the energy to play with your grandchildren. Identifying a value that is truly meaningful to you will help guide you in making behavior changes that are consistent with living a balanced, meaningful life. Think about the reason behind wanting to lose weight. What is important to you in your life? What do you want to be able to do as a result of weight loss? The “why” matters. Goals won’t matter to you unless your motivation is personal and meaningful. The purpose of engaging in healthy behaviors is not only to lose weight, but to support a healthy lifestyle and allow you to lead a fulfilling life. Values are not finite goals to be achieved, but rather the ways in which you want to live your life that guides day-to-day actions. To illustrate, a person chooses to commit to the goal of engaging in strength training exercises three days per week to increase strength and mobility in order to support the value of independent aging, as opposed to doing strength training to lose weight. Because healthy aging matters to this person, he or she is likely to maintain motivation to accomplish his or her goals in service of this value.
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Here are a few ways to connect New Year’s resolutions to your values. Before deciding on your resolution:
Center for Weight & Wellness
1. Take the time to identify which values are the most important to you. Perhaps you highly value being a loving and supportive parent or family member.
1377 South County Trail East Greenwich, Rhode Island www.weightlossri.org The Center for Weight and Wellness is a comprehensive weight management program providing a full range of services, for patients who are moderately to severely overweight: • Dietary counseling • Behavioral counseling • Medical weight management • Surgical treatment Specialized medical weight management programs focus on: • Emotional Eating • Weight Management and Diabetes Management Call 401-606-4177 to register for a free orientation seminar.
Amy’s Advice: If exercise is part of your New Year’s goals, try some of the following tips to stick with your routine. • Choose activities that you enjoy and can realistically complete. • S tart with small amounts of exercise, even 10 minutes at a time, and gradually build up. • S chedule in exercise like an appointment to make it a regular part of your lifestyle. • S et short-term goals, such as walking one mile continuously. • Record your exercise. • R eward yourself when you reach your goals. Editors: Vincent Pera, MD Lucy Rathier, PhD Suzanne Moriarty, MSW To learn more about The Miriam Hospital Weight Management Program, register for a free orientation session. Call 401-793-8790.
2. Identify specific, achievable goals that would help you pursue these values. For example, your goal could be to engage in a 5-minute breathing exercise daily so that you are less stressed and can give more undivided attention to those you love. 3. Write your values down in a journal or somewhere you can easily refer back to them as a reminder. The New Year is a great time to reassess your values and behaviors, and if needed, re-commit to getting back on track or engaging in a new healthy behavior that supports the way you want to live your best life. Kalin Clark, PsyD is a psychologist with the Lifespan Physician Group Behavioral Medicine Program and The Miriam Hospital Weight Management Program.
Patient Success “I have a deep commitment to my new, healthy behaviors…” Elaine made New Year’s Resolutions to lose weight year after year. Her resolve lasted 3 to 4 weeks. Elaine says that her resolutions did not work because she was trying to change too much, too quickly. Rather than changing one to two behaviors per week, she would attempt to make drastic changes in both her eating habits and exercise patterns. “I didn’t realize that moderation took a lot of practice,” she says. Expectations often exceed what is doable. This leads many to give up on resolutions. As a member of the Emotional Eating Group within TMH Weight Management Program, Elaine has learned to focus on her values or how she would like the quality of her life to be. She came up with two important values: “I’d like to lead a vital life and stay mobile into my late 80’s and 90’s” and “I’d like to set a good example in both eating healthy and regular exercise for members of my family, specifically my grandchildren.” Elaine notes that her mother was obese and became immobile. If her mother fell at home, the paramedics needed to be called to help her up. Elaine has increased vitality and mobility. She offers “I can now get down on the floor to play with my grandchildren and their trucks, cars, and trains. I can get up off the floor with great ease. I have energy to go upstairs with groceries. I used to have to stop midway to catch my breath.” She adds, “I could not load the dishwasher without my back hurting from my excess weight pulling me forward. I had to sit down to prep foods for a meal.” In all of her activities of daily living, Elaine notes there is “such an improvement!” Since focusing on her values, Elaine notices the increased motivation to stick to healthy eating and exercise. “I have a deep commitment to my new healthy behaviors. I have more self-compassion and am aware that it is okay to do things for myself.” Elaine adds “Sweets and high fat foods no longer tempt me because I realize that I will live a longer and healthier life without indulging in them.” Moreover, she observes that she has set a good example and inspires family members and friends. She says, “Family members and friends tend to order healthy foods in restaurants now like I do.” Elaine has lost 43 lbs. since June 2016. More importantly, Elaine states “Food is no longer a main focal point. My focus now is enjoying a better quality of life.”