It’s New Year’s Resolution time again, folks.
Yes, that time of year when people swear off bad habits and promise to replace them with more productive endeavors.
Health clubs and gyms will see their memberships spike, sales of self help books will increase and stairways will get more use.
Unfortunately, for many, New Year’s resolve fades quickly and by February or March, gym crowds shrink, self help books start to gather dust and stairwells get quieter.
But Stephen Darrow, M.D., chief resident of pediatrics at UNMC who refers patients to a Creighton University clinic for obese children, has some suggestions that might make it easier to stick to those resolutions this year.
A major key, he said, is to find a reasonable stepping-off point. One of Dr. Darrow’s main tips for change that he gives the families he sees in the obesity clinic is to start with small changes.
For example, a person who drinks several sodas a day may resolve to drop the sugary-drinks altogether. But Dr. Darrow said this person may find it more effective to switch to diet soda.
“Small changes yield big rewards,” Dr. Darrrow said. “Often, these small changes open the door to more changes.”
One young person who Dr. Darrow saw at his clinic was severely overweight. Her daily routine included about six snacks — often in the form of potato chips or some other unhealthy food choice.
Instead of suggesting wholesale changes, such as getting rid of potato chips completely, Dr. Darrow suggest that the girl limit herself to one snack after dinner and urged that she replace potato chips with wheat thins or some other grain-based food for some of her snacks.
The girl implemented his suggestions. A month later she returned having lost eight pounds. After following Dr. Darrow’s suggestions, she also found the willingness to walk 30 minutes a night and incorporate more fruits and vegetables into her diet.
Having someone to be accountable to is another tip that helps people stick to their resolutions to change, Dr. Darrow said, and he also noted that people tend to have an easier time initiating change by reducing or eliminating a bad behavior rather than starting a new productive behavior.
“Small steps are still steps,” he said. “And they certainly are more effective than taking no steps at all.”