• Do You Suffer from Insomnia? 10 Tips for Improving Sleep
• Making Positive Life Changes with New Year’s Resolutions
• Agonizing Over Holiday Weight Gain?
• Dear Dr. B.: Should I Continue My Medication?

It’s the beginning of the New Year and, if you’re like many people, you have a list of ways you plan to improve your life and become a better person in 2007. Like many people, however, you may end up setting yourself up for disappointment and failure if you try to make too many changes or set unrealistic goals.

Rather than coming up with a list of 10 things you want to change, try starting with one or two resolutions that are most important to you, and be sure you can answer yes to the following questions:

1. Am I doing this for myself, or someone else? You will be less motivated to change if you are doing it to please someone other than yourself.
2. Am I trying to do too much? Make sure your plan is reasonable, and take small and simple steps to achieve it. If you try to take on too much too soon, you have less chance of succeeding.
3. Are my plans or goals specific? Instead of planning to exercise more, develop an exercise plan and schedule, such as “I will walk two miles on Tuesday and Thursday mornings before work and once on Saturday mornings.”
4. Do I have someone to support me? Share your plan with someone who cares about you, and ask that person to help you stay motivated. Having a “cheerleader” – or better yet a buddy to join you – can inspire you to keep up the good work.

Aim for gradual progress, and evaluate it along the way. Recognize and reward yourself for your achievements – no matter how small. If you are trying to do too much too quickly, you have a greater chance of not following through with your plan. If your plan isn’t working, figure out what went wrong and try again, or work on a different goal.

Remember, it’s never too late to start over. Each day is a new beginning and a new opportunity for you to make better choices that will lead to a healthier and happier life.

Cheers!

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Taking the Weight Off Too Fast May Set You Up for Failure

Okay, so maybe you overdid it a bit over the holidays. Many of us are guilty of filling up on too many sweets, loading up plates and going for seconds of our favorite foods, or drinking a little too much holiday cheer. It happened, so let it go, and don't punish yourself.

Trying to take too much off too fast will only set you up for failure. Rather than concentrating on how many pounds to take off, resolve to begin or resume a healthy lifestyle that includes moderate exercise and a well-balanced diet of nutritional foods.

Keep it Small and Simple
Your goal should be to make small but lasting changes to your lifestyle. People who try to lose weight quickly by going on an intense diet or exercise plan usually find that their plan ends up backfiring – and ultimately they regain the weight in the future.

Here are some suggestions for maintaining a healthy weight:

• Avoid foods with a lot of simple carbohydrates such as candy and soda
• Choose foods with complex carbohydrates, such as whole-grain breads and cereal
• Limit your intake of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, salt, and alcohol
• Eat healthy snacks throughout the day to keep you satisfied
• Include plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet each day
• Include protein-rich snacks such as peanut butter and low-fat yogurt and cheese
• Try not to eat too close to bedtime
• Drink plenty of water
• Engage in moderate exercise every day or several days a week

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Dear Dr. B.:
Like many people who come to your site, I suffer from both an eating disorder and depression. Three years ago, I went to a psychiatrist and he prescribed an antidepressant for me. Since the psychiatrist was pretty far away, after about a year, my primary care physician took over prescribing it for me. I am happy to say that between the medication and my therapy, I’ve been doing pretty well, especially over the past year – so well that I want to try going off my medication now. I’m not stopping my therapy – in fact my psychologist said that she would help me monitor my symptoms if I went off the medication. Last week, I had my yearly physical and talked to my doctor about it. He was really against stopping the medication. He said that I had a chemical imbalance, and probably needed to be on it for the rest of my life. He made it sound almost like I would be putting my life in danger if I tried to stop. No one ever told me before that I needed to take medication forever. I left his office very confused and upset. Any thoughts on my situation?

- "Perplexed"

Dear Perplexed;

Notice that I used the words “belief” and “assume” in the previous paragraph. There is no question that some people do have a chemical imbalance, and need to take medication on a long-term basis in order to stay well. However, there are many people who recover successfully from depression and eating disorders and do not need to take medication continuously in order to function at a high level. Even if they relapse, they may only go back on medication for a limited time, and discontinue once they achieve a level of stability. At present, it is impossible to know which group you belong to.

It would not be wrong if you were to take the conservative approach your physician has recommended and remain on medication indefinitely. However, there is also nothing wrong with attempting to stop your medication, provided you do so under medical supervision. If you approach it as an experiment, the results will tell you what the best long-term course of action will be for you.

I think it will be worth a trip back to the psychiatrist who originally prescribed the antidepressants, to hear his or her thoughts on how best to discontinue the medication. I think that having your psychologist help you monitor your symptoms afterwards is a particularly good plan. Between the two of them, they should be able to help you evaluate the impact of going off the medication, so you can decide what is best for you in the long run.

Send your questions for Dr. B. to info@myselfhelp.com. You will remain anonymous if your question is printed in an upcoming newsletter. We regret that we cannot answer every question we receive.

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