{By: Dr. Ashish Gautam}
People often return to weight loss as a New Year resolution because their bodies start sending small warnings. Movements feel heavier, energy dips sooner than it used to, sleep is less restful, and routine health checks begin to raise questions. The aim is rarely about appearance. It is about feeling functional and preventing problems before they grow. Most resolutions do not fail due to lack of effort, but because they are built on plans that do not survive regular workdays, family demands, and stress.
Many people struggle to lose weight because the plan asks for more discipline than daily life allows. Work does not slow down, responsibilities pile up, and disruptions are common. Methods that work alongside normal routines tend to hold up better over time.
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1. Build On The Routine That Already Exists
Big changes to your lifestyle are unlikely to last. When work gets hectic, strict meal plans, sudden gym schedules, or strict time tables tend to break off. Checking out the current day is a better way to go. How many meals are eaten at home? How long do sitting periods last? When people usually sleep. It’s easier to keep up with small changes in this structure. Making small changes like going for short walks, cooking one more meal at home, or eating less late at night often works better in the long run than making big changes.
2. Eat Regular Meals Instead Of Relying On Restraint
People often think that skipping meals is a sign of discipline. In practice, it makes you hungrier later in the day and makes it more likely that you’ll eat too much. Eating meals on a regular basis helps keep your energy and appetite steady. Most Indian families already cook foods that help them lose weight, like dals, vegetables, curd, whole grains, and fruit. People usually gain weight because they eat too much oil, too many large portions, and too many snacks, not because they eat too many staple meals.
3. Address The Food Environment
People often say they can’t stick to a healthy diet because they don’t have enough willpower, but the environment is a big factor. It’s easy to make bad choices when you can get snacks in packages, order food through apps, and sit for long periods of time. Making small changes to the environment can help with this problem. Keeping fresh food in sight, limiting the amount of highly processed snacks, and bringing home-cooked food to work on workdays all help reduce the need to make decisions all the time. When the environment makes it easier to make good choices, people put in less effort.
4. Choose Physical Activity That Can Be Continued
Exercise plans don’t work when they feel like punishment or get in the way. When exercise fits into your daily life, it’s most effective. Walking, biking, doing yoga, swimming, doing exercises at home, or playing sports for fun can all help you keep your weight in check. The activity you do doesn’t matter as much as how often you do it. Moderate exercise done regularly is better for metabolic health than short, intense workouts.
5. Sleep Has A Direct Effect On Weight
Not getting enough sleep messes with your appetite, makes you crave things more, and makes you feel tired. It also makes it harder to make good decisions, which can lead to bad food choices. Late dinners, sleeping at odd times, and spending too much time in front of screens all make it harder to get enough rest. Having a regular sleep schedule and eating lighter meals at night can help you control your appetite better. Plans to lose weight that don’t take sleep into account often move slowly, even if you try to eat better.
6. Look Beyond The Weighing Scale
Weighing yourself too often can make you anxious for no reason because your weight changes every day. Checks every week or every other week show more useful trends. Changes that aren’t related to weight loss, like better stamina, better digestion, fewer cravings, steadier energy, better sleep quality, and changes in how clothes fit, also show progress. These signs often show up before you can see weight loss and mean that your metabolic health is getting better.
7. Know When You Need Medical Help
Many people see gradual improvements when they make changes to their lifestyles. Some individuals, however, do not achieve significant progress despite persistent effort. In these situations, a medical evaluation is very important. Some metabolic disorders or long-term severe obesity may need structured treatment. Robotic Bariatric surgery is recommended for individuals who have already made serious attempts to lose weight through diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes but have not seen lasting results. If someone’s Body Mass Index (BMI) is above 32 and they also have health issues like diabetes, osteoarthritis, obstructive sleep apnea, or osteoarthrosis, they become eligible for the procedure. In cases where the BMI crosses 35 and obesity becomes excessive, despite all other weight-loss efforts, bariatric surgery becomes a strong option.
In real life, strict rules cease to last long. It’s hard to be rigid when you have family meals, festivals, work events, and trips. Following a balanced diet most days, staying active, getting enough sleep, and getting back into a routine after a break all help with weight control. It’s more important to get back to your old habits than to avoid every mistake.
When you think of weight loss as part of your overall health management instead of a short-term goal, it becomes easier to keep off. When daily habits quietly help metabolic health, weight changes slowly. The resolution then stops correcting things all the time and starts providing steady care, which is what keeps disease from happening in the first place.
The author, Dr. Ashish Gautam, is the Principal Director, Robotic and Laparoscopic Surgery, at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj, New Delhi.
[Disclaimer: The information provided in the article is shared by experts and is intended for general informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.]
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