Dr. Neill Neill

For many people the holidays involve quite a bit of food and beverage intake in the celebrations; yes, even excess. Then in January diets abound and gym memberships surge.

 

In our family, typically, everyone would eat too much in December and gain a few unwanted pounds. Then, come the New Year, the list of New Year’s resolutions would include losing weight through some form of diet and fitness program.

 

Gym memberships always soar in January. So do diet programs. Ads for diet and weight loss programs abound. Magazines are bulging with articles about how to lose weight. Frequent mentions are Weight Watchers, the South Beach diet, and the Atkins diet.

 

This season the Jorge Cruise Belly Fat diet is all the rage. He has just released his new book this month.

 

Is dieting after holiday excess among your resolutions for the New Year? If yes, good! Unfortunately, there is more to reaching and maintaining a healthy weight than just dieting… or even combining diet with exercise.

 

Weight loss is a major life change. If it isn’t treated that way, it becomes a temporary blip. I found that out the hard way, by losing hundreds of pounds over the years, only to bounce back each time to my old weight.

 

One year was an exception. I dieted and lost about 25 pounds that never came back. What was different that time was that I was going through extreme emotional turmoil. Everything changed. As I emerged from the turmoil, I realized I was creating a new life. In creating a new life, I created a new weight set point about 25 pounds lower than the old set point.

 

So what is different now from before my weight set point dropped? More exercise? No, it is actually less. I don’t walk to work as I used to. Healthier eating? Perhaps a little, but I have always prided myself on healthy eating. Alcohol reduction? No, I stopped drinking over a decade before my set point changed.

 

The differences I can see have little apparent connection to weight—more sense of purpose, an easier acceptance of my body, more ability to accept tragedy as part of the flow of life, a lot more gratitude, and greater ease about seeking professional help for myself during loss.

 

I am not suggesting a formula for changing your weight set point. And you already know how to lose weight through diet and exercise. What I am suggesting is that changing something as major as your weight set point involves much more change than losing the weight. Like me, you may not even be aware of what else will change as you lose the pounds.

 

Make your resolutions count by being open to and allowing of whatever changes emerge.

 

Psychologist Dr. Neill Neill maintains an active practice on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada, with a focus on healthy relationships and life after addictions. He is the author of Living with a Functioning Alcoholic - A Woman’s Survival Guide.  
www.neillneill.com, 
www.ConquerAlcoholism.com