From Dr. Wood’s handout “Behavioral Modification.” The quoted lines on this page are hers.
1. Write it down
Dr. Wood’s first point is simple: people who lose weight and keep it off keep track of what they eat and how much they move. A notebook works; so does an app. The point is to see your week as it was, not as you remember it.
2. Pick a goal your body will notice
Most people walk in with a round number in mind — 25, 50, 100 pounds. Dr. Wood’s advice is to aim first for 5% to 10% of your total weight, because that is where health starts to change. The NIDDK says the same thing: a loss of 5% to 10% may lower blood sugar, blood pressure and triglycerides (NIDDK). At that point, she notes, people around you start to see it, and your doctor may have to adjust your medications.
3. Set goals the scale cannot measure
“Make it a goal to be able to walk around the block 4 times or play for an extended time with your kids without getting winded.”
— Kelly Wood, MD, MSPH
Goals like these are often more satisfying than a number, and they keep you going in the weeks when the scale stalls.
4. Find the movement already in your day
Dr. Wood calls it lifestyle exercise. Look at how you spend a normal day and ask where the small changes are:
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Park at the far end of the lot.
- Trade part of your TV or reading time for a walk — and listen to an audiobook while you go.
5. Stop using food as a reward
A bad day is not a reason to eat; neither is a good one. Celebrate with something that is not food — a salon visit, a new book, a walk somewhere you enjoy. Her handout also asks patients to drop the idea of “good” and “bad” food: it is fuel, used in different ways. And when the excuses start, answer the negative thought with a positive one instead of a rationalization.
When habits are not enough
Habits matter at every stage, but they work best alongside treatment of the biology underneath. Medical weight management adds labs, a written nutrition plan and, when it fits, medication.