You may not be aware of this, but long-term weight management is a result of setting and following through on a series of SIMPLE goals over time. As you achieve these simple goals, they become habit. You then build on these habits by setting more simple goals. Before you know it, you’re exercising every day and making healthy food choices without giving it much thought. This process changes who you are and you begin to adopt the health habits of a lean person. As a result, you become a lean person as well. And you won’t hate it. Hard to believe but I’ve seen my fair share of converts over the years to prove otherwise.:-)

Here’s how it works:

• Set an attainable goal every day related to a BEHAVIOR you want to improve.
• Log your DAILY progress in a journal, calendar, or online tracker.
• Arrange your world for success. 
• Have people around who will support you.
• Treat yourself (every time you accomplish the task, weekly, monthly, etc)

Sample behavior
Goal: Walk 10,000 steps/day (This is realistic if you have built up to it.)
Log: Log steps in your preferred app or with a wearable device.
Arrange your world: Have walking clothes and sneakers prepared and ready to go.
Support: Ask specific people to hold you accountable each day.
Treat yourself: After you walk, listen to your favorite dance music and do a dance in your kitchen. Pat yourself on the back, give yourself a sticker. Take yourself to the movies after a week of successfully meeting your goal, etc.

It’s really as simple as that. Most of us try to tackle too many goals at once or set goals that are too high. If you start with just one realistic behavioral goal and work on it until it becomes a habit, you’ll be more successful in the long run. And if you’re trying to lose weight, focusing on behavioral goals is better than focusing on weight goals. It’s the behavior change that will drive the weight loss anyway, so if you make a change in your behavior, the weight loss will follow.

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By Kelly Lahey, MHPE

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Did you know that cravings only last a few minutes? The way some of us dramatize the length and strength of cravings, you certainly wouldn’t know it. But in truth, cravings only last a few minutes. It’s a fact many people don’t know because they indulge the craving so impulsively that their mind isn’t engaged until after the fact. Impulsivity and mindlessness go hand in hand. So how can you avoid immediately giving into a craving? Do something else to engage your mind for a few minutes. 

While, there are MANY strategies to kill and curb cravings, for today, I am going to share a few strategies with you so have something you can try immediately.

• Take 10 slow, deep breathes
• Sing a song
• Tell off your craving
• Count backwards from 100
• Stretch and slowly count to ten while holding each pose
• Play a mind game like Sudoku, crossword, or one of your smart phone games

With regular practice, your cravings will lessen and you’ll be able to move through them much faster. But you’ve got to do something to distract yourself each time you have a craving. The goal is to give into your cravings less often. It’s unrealistic to think you will conquer each and every craving.  If you can reduce the number of times you give in to a craving, you’re more likely to maintain your weight (or continue to lose weight if that’s your goal).

Each time you are successful in exerting more self-control, your self-confidence will increase and it will get easier to divert cravings in the future. Try to have fun with the process. This is only a drudgery if you choose it to be. 🙂  You can do this!

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By Kelly Lahey, MHPE

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A willpower muscle? Chances are, you’ve never heard of willpower described that way before. True enough, willpower isn’t a muscle per se, but rather a function of the brain that can be exercised to become stronger, much in the same way your muscles become stronger from exercise.

Willpower, i.e., self-control, is a function of the brain? It sure is. Most of us think of willpower as something intangible so it’s hard to wrap our minds around how to change it. Most people are under the belief that some people naturally have more willpower while others have less and that it’s impossible for someone with low motivation to become someone with high motivation. Not so! 

Here’s how it works. The center for self-control (willpower) is located in the pre-frontal cortex of your brain. The ability for self-control is divided into three parts:

1. ‘I want’
2. ‘I will’
3. ‘I won’t’

The ‘I want’ is essential to driving your actions, specifically in regard to those behaviors that you ‘will’ or ‘won’t’ engage in that will help you get to your goals. Most people trying to lose weight have some very strong ‘wants’ that help them in the short-term, but falter in maintaining weight loss because they never re-evaluate what they want in the present moment. 

Example: Francis is overweight, has high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Her Dr. advised her to lose 25 pounds to decrease her health risk. Francis meet with a registered dietician (RD) for nutritional guidance and a personal trainer to get her started on an exercise regime.

Francis’ initial ‘wants’ included: 

• Lose 25 pounds
• Improve cholesterol levels
• Decrease blood pressure to normal

Francis then defined her ‘I will’ and ‘I won’t’ behaviors as they relate to her ‘wants’.

I will …
– engage in cardiovascular exercise for 60 minutes, in my target heart rate, 6 days/week 
– remain within the calorie range and food plan prescribed by the RD
– log my food and exercise in my MyFitness Pal

I won’t…
– go off meal plan
– skip daily exercise
– put myself in ‘at risk’ situations like going out to eat with people who overeat and/or don’t support me

Francis exercised her motivation muscle by writing down her ‘wants,’ ‘will,’ and ‘won’ts’ and repeating them several times a day until they became well-ingrained. As a result of her efforts, she was able to achieve her goals with more ease than she expected. She lost all the weight and a bit more, and her cholesterol and blood pressure moved into desirable ranges! But within a month, she began to drift back into old behaviors and started regaining weight. Why? She no longer was as motivated because her ‘wants’ had all been met. She forgot to re-evaluate her ‘wants’ once her previous goals had been met.

Fortunately, Francis met with her RD who helped her get back on track. Francis used the same motivation formula as before, but replaced her ‘wants’ with new short-term and long-term goals. Francis felt so great after losing weight and getting in shape, that she decided to train for a 5-K being held 3 months later as a new short-term goal. She also began creating long-term goals which included visualizing her future self as a vibrant, healthy, happy woman 20 years down the road, being active, enjoying her grandchildren, attending all their milestone events and being more fully engaged in life. Francis continues to check-in with her wants & goals every few months to make sure she is addressing her own motivational hot buttons that will help her maintain her weight loss.

What do YOU want? Start thinking about the things you want, both long and short-term, that relate to your health. These things must be powerful and you must write them down and rehearse them in your mind everyday to gain willpower strength. The goal is to value your healthy ‘wants’ MORE than your desire to engage in behaviors that keep you from getting those wants met. 

I highly recommend purchasing ‘The Willpower Instinct’ by Kelly McGonigal. It’s life-changing. It’s the missing link for many of those in the weight loss/maintenance journey.

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By Kelly Lahey, MHPE

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By Kelly Lahey, Master of Health Promotion & Education (MHPE)

Ladies, I have some news for you. The fatalistic view that weight gain around and during menopause is pre-destined due to factors outside our control is NOT TRUE!  But it sure is a misconception that many of us have bought hook, line, and sinker.

I remember being in my forties thinking that I had better prepare for the carnage that was about to unfold once perimenopause/menopause arrived like a dark, ominous cloud, overtaking over my body. I heard from women that were ahead of me in the process that weight gain was inevitable, that I had no control over this ‘fact,’ and if I tried to prevent it would be a lifelong struggle requiring that I consume practically no calories. If that wasn’t enough, I was also going to begin storing fat in my middle, which has never been my pattern. I could say ‘bye bye’ to my abs. The future looked bleak.

As a healthcare professional and health educator for over 20 years, I wasn’t buying it. I am a true believer in the significant positive impact of a healthy lifestyle. It is a powerful intervention and life-enhancer. I looked to the literature for answers. Here are some factors contributing to (not causing) weight gain:

• Hormonal changes in perimenopause and during late stage menopause may increase appetite. If one responds by eating more than they burn, they will gain weight.

• Decrease in physical activity. Many women are empty-nesters or have older children by the time they have hit perimenopause and/or menopause. When children are young, there’s a lot of daily physical activity involved in caring for them, playing with them, transporting them, and so on. Raising children regardless of whether you had an outside career or not, is a very active endeavor. All that activity adds up. In lieu of children, some women find themselves unable to engage in the sports that used to keep them fit and lean and haven’t replaced them. If those now defunct activities are not replaced but the same amount of calories are consumed, weight gain occurs.

• The aging process. As we age, we tend to lose muscle mass which results in a decrease in metabolism. If we don’t account for this decrease in metabolism and keep our eating and exercise plan the same, we’ll gain weight. However, numerous studies have shown that weight-bearing exercises can improve muscle mass and metabolism, therefore mitigating muscle loss.  

Looking at the scientific evidence, there is nothing here that says to me, “It’s a wrap. You’re doomed.” In fact, it validates healthy lifestyle behaviors being the antidote to weight gain.

One research study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology questions how different factors such as age, menopause, and lifestyle changes account for the weight gain often experienced by midlife women. They studied the activity levels of over 3000 women across the country. They found that by remaining active, many women prevented weight gain.

I see this time of life as a wake-up call to those who have been slow to get on the healthy lifestyle bandwagon and get their lives on track. Approximately 70% of Americans are overweight so we can’t blame weight gain on menopause. Menopause can highlight behavioral deficits as they relate to weight control. And by the time we hit our fifties, the cumulative consequences of this extra weight start to evidence themselves on our bodies in more profound ways. The hormonal changes bringing this problem front and center may be the best thing that have happened to many of us if it inspires us to make some changes and improve our lives for good.

This is going to blow your mind. Ready? Here goes…

You could actually LOSE WEIGHT during this stage of life. What? No way! How?

Exercise daily, The Surgeon General recommends working up to 150-300 minutes of moderate or 75-150 minutes of high intensity cardiovascular activity per week for heart health. If you’re not exercising much now, this would be an excellent goal.  Start slow and gradually increase time, days and intensity. For those trying to maintain weight loss, you’ll want to work up to 60-minutes of cardio every day. Also engage in strength training to build/maintain muscle mass.

TIP: If you can, invest in a few sessions with a personal trainer if you’re not sure how to go about this and choose activities you enjoy. Dance, play sports, do something that is fun.

Get on a healthy eating plan. Cut portions, significantly decrease refined carbohydrates, eat more non-starchy veggies, get more fiber in your diet. Go to choosemyplate.gov for healthy eating guidelines and suggestions.

TIP: Check with your health plan to see if you can meet with a Registered Dietician or Certified Health Coach to help determine a healthy eating plan that you will adhere to and enjoy that contains the right amount of calories. If you have to pay out of pocket for this service, it’ll be worth the minor investment.

Get adequate sleep. Chronic sleep deficit can wreak havoc with your hormones and being tired can make it harder to have the energy to exercise and make good dietary decisions.

TIP: Get on a sleep and wake schedule and keep it consistent, even on the weekends. Avoid screen time a few hours before bedtime, keep the room dark, and try using a white noise machine to wash out sleep-disturbing ambient sounds.

What about the matter of mid-section weight gain? Extra weighton your bodymay redistribute from hips and thighs to the mid-section. Gaining more than 2-5 pounds may create too much visceral fat, which is the dangerous fat that can lead to serious health consequences. Another reason to get going on improving your lifestyle habits to establish a healthy weight and maintain it over your lifetime. It’s hard to get wider in the middle (or anywhere else for that matter) if you’re maintaining a healthy weight!

Feelings aren’t facts. It may feel like things are out of our control but they are not. Science does not support that women will gain weight during perimenopause and menopause. In fact, science supports that women can actually lose weight during this time of life. You can learn how to develop the skills required to manage your weight for your lifetime. Check with your health plan for registered dieticians and health coaches, and your local gyms for personal trainers. There are a wide range of qualified experts to help you in this journey.  While hormonal changes can make this process less linear and sometimes very frustrating, better eating and exercise habits tend to lessen the symptoms of perimenopause/menopause, keep your weight under control, and help you maintain your sanity!

I hope this has resonated with some of you. I have some first-hand experience with this topic and credit my good lifestyle habits for diminishing the impact of the hormonal fluctuations. I want to give you all hope that you are not doomed to gain weight and in fact can turn this into a life-enhancing opportunity. I wish you all well on your journey to living your best life.

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By Kelly Lahey, MHPE

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