No Need for Diets and Deadlines in Your New Year's Resolutions, Says IG-Famous Dietitian

(SPOT.ph) Lose weight. Eat healthier. Exercise more. There's nothing inherently bad with creating resolutions to set a path towards a healthier version of yourself whenever the year starts. But in most cases, the resolutions don’t stick, and what should be a source of inspiration to improve one's health or physique turns into a source of crushing pressure and obligation—or in extreme cases, set off body dysmorphia or eating disorders.

Registered Nutritionist-Dietitian Jo Sebastian has long been an advocate—especially online—of a healthy lifestyle. With more than 76k followers on Instagram, she is known for her gentler, more understanding approach when it comes to being healthy. In an exchange with SPOT.ph, Jo shares three common health-related resolutions or approaches Pinoy makes during the New Year that need reframing. 

Also read:
New Adventure Awaits: Traveling as Your New Year's Resolution
NY Resolutions to Have Aside From "Healthy Living"

Three resolutions that need reframing:

Detox or cleansing

It's not uncommon to hear Pinoys who want to detox or cleanse after a week, or months, of stuffing themselves with food and booze during the holiday season. People who take this route go on juice cleanses or take certain products in the hopes of eliminating toxins from the body.

Sebastian is clear that there's no need for these extremes. "The truth is, your body can actually detox and cleanse itself," Jo says. She adds that our body's organs, such as the liver, kidney, and digestive system, can eliminate unwanted toxins as long as a balanced diet and movement accompany it. 

"The more we rely on these [detox, cleansing] products, the more it impacts our relationship with food negatively. It doesn't really build long-term habits which keep us in this loop, this cycle of overeating, restricting, cleansing, and overeating again."

Putting a deadline on your ideal weight

Losing weight is already hard in itself, what more if there's a self-implemented deadline attached to it? After all, it is not, and it shouldn't be, a race.

"When we set those deadlines, we focus on the weight itself and not on the foundation and habits that we have to build. With this number deadline, you're willing to sacrifice or do anything you can just to get there," says Sebastian.

It is possible to lose weight within the timeline but it's also equally important that the method of doing so is sustainable—something that can be maintained beyond the deadline, beyond the finish line. Otherwise, it's a bandaid solution and you could end up simply regaining the weight you've worked hard to lose. 

"We put so much pressure on ourselves to lose weight, especially the holiday weight. And we do everything in our power, everything we can, which usually ends up failing—feeling like we've failed, feeling like we're undisciplined. But this is actually because the method itself is not fit for us," says the dietitian.

Changing overnight

Quite similar to deadlines, another unrealistic resolution is wanting to change too many aspects of your life in one go. For this kind of intention, the dietitian mentions the importance of building a foundation that works and habits to stick to instead of committing drastic changes overnight. 

"It's good to set and understand your long-term goals but it's also important to set your short-term habits to build. Where, [for example], 'For this week, I'm going to work on drinking more water. Next week, I'm going to work on adding more fiber. The next week, I'm going to add five minutes of working out," says Sebastian.

This isn't to say that you can't have two goals at the same time. There are habits that you can stack so as long as you're not overwhelmed. Baby steps!

How to reframe your 2024 resolutions:

We're already a few days into 2024 (days that already feel like months, TBH), but it's not too late to do minor tweaks and revisions on your New Year wellness resolutions.  One advice Sebastian always tells her clients is that it's good to focus on habits that you can add to one's life, as opposed to zooming in on restrictive habits. In other words, focus more on the "dos" than the "don'ts."

In this way, "You're focused on a direction," she says. Sebastian sets this for an example: Instead of the common "I should stop drinking soda," you can rephrase or reframe by saying "I should start drinking more water." See and feel the difference?

Now that you know the ingenious cheat code, what are the things you'd like to add to your 2024?

Hey, Spotters! Check us out on Viber to join our Community and subscribe to our Chatbot.