It’s that time again! Happy New Year! I just need to insert this personal tidbit in this blog right here. The traditional New Year celebration meal of western Pennsylvania of pork and sauerkraut is my favorite of all holiday meals. The new year represents an opportunity for a fresh start. I love that idea as well. The thought of setting new goals, self improvement, and moving forward has always been exciting for me.
It is interesting how many people make a resolution and by the end of the first week of the new year have broken it! Statistically speaking, only 1% of those that make a resolution stick with it all year long. 67% of people making a resolution will break it or give up on it by the end of March. Beside this being a very sad statistic, it does not speak well of us having any true motivation or desire to improve our lives. How can we become inspired to do better? We will unpack a couple of ideas for that a little deeper in this blog.
What do you suspect would be the focus of the largest amount of New Year’s resolutions? If you said weight loss and improved health, give yourself a pat on the back! Weight loss is always among the biggest concerns of resolution makers along with money issues. I have made these same resolutions many times, only to find myself giving up on the “pledge” and usually well before March 30.
I have blogged and podcasted before on ways to self inspire and motivate. (Check out a podcast titled Motivation at ( https://www.kirkweberchiropractor.com/single-project ) I credit these techniques with carrying me as far as I have gone for my resolutions. You need to have a burning desire to achieve your goal though, or you will not complete your resolution. I believe, especially with weight loss, we are all wanting maximum return with minimum effort. This is why currently the GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, and others are so popular. These medications were originally designed for helping diabetics control their blood sugar levels. Now there are so many people taking these medications that the diabetics are having difficulty having their prescriptions filled.
My point is that we are as a society enamored with instant gratification. We want to lose that weight quickly and with minimal effort. That also explains why gastric bypass surgeries were so popular a few years back. Here is a concept you can carry with you forever. There are no shortcuts to gaining health. I have known so many people that came to my office that initially lost weight with bypass surgeries that within a couple of years had put it all back on. I also know that this GLP-1 popularity will have the same result in a few years. If people do not change their HABITS, the therapy will not have the lasting effect you desire. In addition to people not changing their habits, there is very little research on the lasting effect of taking more than dietary levels of GLP-1. The longest study I can find is about 7 years in duration, and it was a solitary study.
I believe that when dealing with foods, chemicals, medications, and our health we should all look to err toward the safe side. I think the physiology behind how the GLP-1 substance works makes sense as to why it results in weight loss. I also understood the mechanics of why a smaller stomach would aid in weight loss. I am not sure that understanding how a thing works means we should be using that method the way we are.
If the GLP-1 works and it exists in normal foods, why wouldn’t a diet rich in GLP-1 along with a moderate level of exercise work as well? The results may not be as fast or dramatic as they would with the injections, but it should work. If you could lose 50 pounds would you be happy? If it took a year to do that, would you be upset? I sure wouldn’t! A one pound per week weight loss is an achievable and sustainable goal. If I had to cut back on the foods I know that put weight on me, should I be upset with that? I would hope not.
Look! A GLP-1 rich diet with a moderate amount of exercise will work. The physiology of that combination is sound. When you combine that diet with a proper mindset and then break the end goal into smaller achievable goals you will win! You will build determination, motivation, and inspiration. You become unbeatable. Let’s take a look at the component parts of this plan, shall we? Start with picking a reasonable and achievable target for your weight loss. It needs to be achievable in a year’s time at the most. We are looking to break the weight loss into small easy to do chunks of no more than a pound per week. (If you are doing less than 20 pounds make your time frame 6 months and if you want to lose more than 50 pounds make your time frame 2 years.) This makes a weekly/monthly goal attainable and you will build momentum and excitement with a string of consecutive successes.
Next, take 5 minutes every morning to visualize what you will look like, how you will feel, what abilities you will be able to do again, and how you will celebrate your health goal when you achieve it. Put as much imagination into this as you can. What will you look like? What are you wearing? Where are you? Who is with you? What do you hear? The more “real” this vision becomes to your subconscious, the more you will want to do it. You must do this every morning and every evening if you can.
Now, let’s look at the GLP-1 rich foods. Here is a partial list that you can start to work with. You can also Google up a list of GLP-1 foods as well as use AI (artificial intelligence programs on your computer to even present you with menus). The foods are eggs, nuts, high fiber grains, avocados, salmon, sardines, turkey, chicken, lean red meats, cheeses, legumes, leafy greens, berries, and sauerkraut. This is not a complete list, but is enough to get you started. I need to remind you to add a little common sense as well. Please stay away from foods you know are not good for us such as breads, pastas, cookies, cakes, deep fried, and so on. I am not saying that you cannot eat them at all, but just use common sense. Lastly on the dietary intake, please drink lots of water. I define “lots of water” as half your current body weight in ounces.
Lastly, we need to exercise. We need to exercise aerobically so we burn calories. Start slow and small and work up to more extensive exercise. This should be done at least three times per week and the end goal would be an hour to an hour and a half done three times per week. Walking is a great way to start, but if you are relatively in shape try a couple of trips up and down the stairs. Once you get started and build a little momentum, you will find you look forward to doing the exercises.
There it is my friends! A very easy and doable way for you to set a New Year’s resolution, get healthy, lose some weight, and get to feeling and looking great in 2025! This is your year! You’ve got this!
HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!