CU doctor details steps to successful weight loss

Resolve to make those weight loss resolutions stick this year with help from Holly Wyatt, M.D., and the secrets she and her staff have discovered at the University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center. Wyatt is the center’s associate director and co-author of “State of Slim,” which shows dieters how they can create their own state of slim no matter where they live.

Wyatt has learned that mindset in weight loss can be just as impactful and life-changing as diet and exercise and teaches that concept in her transformational weight loss programs. Her newest program is Extreme Weight Loss: Destination Boot Camp. Boot camps in October were a sell-out and sessions in 2015 will be held March 22-28, June 14-20, and July 26-Aug. 1.

For long-term weight loss success, Wyatt encourages dieters to identify their personal “why” for losing weight, focus on positive aspects of weight loss, create a supportive environment and develop new habits to make healthy decisions. And, what better time to make the commitment and use her tips than in the new year?

• Find your “real” why: Dig deep, identify your why and write it down. Recognizing your strong internal motivation will help you stick with new healthy behaviors for more than a few weeks.

• Be honest: Are you really ready to make a change?: how high a priority is your resolution? If it’s not an eight or higher on a scale of 10, you’re not likely to stick with the necessary behavioral changes for long-term success.

• Out with the old, in with the new: New friends, new places, new routines and new behaviors all help with weight loss transformation success. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people will make it easier.

• Road map to success:  You know what your New Year’s resolution is; now you have to map out the transformational journey. Exactly what will you do to lose those 15 pounds or train for a 5K? Achievement is in the details.

• Go public and get vulnerable: It’s scary, but put yourself out there. Tell lots of people about your resolution. Good old-fashioned peer pressure makes you accountable. It’s harder to cheat when everyone’s checking up on you.

• Nobody’s perfect:  No weight loss transformation journey is perfect. Life gets in the way. Have a plan to navigate the bumps in the road and stay focused despite the slip-ups. The body achieves what the mind believes.

• Don’t hold back: Make the decision to achieve your resolution and jump in with both feet. Making a halfhearted commitment won’t cut it. Know your why, your what and your how, then go for it 100 percent.

• Score a quick win: Nothing makes you more determined or gives you more confidence than quick success. Take your big goal and break it into bite-size, achievable chunks and feel your willpower skyrocket.

• Create an autopilot and cruise to success: Resolutions get harder to keep after four to six weeks when the excitement wears off. Having a default autopilot plan in place makes it easy and boosts willpower.