Want to reach your weight loss goals in 2025? Start now.

CHARLOTTE, NC: If weight loss is on your list of New Year’s resolutions, Dr. Neema Hooker of the Charlotte-based telemedicine company Revolutionary Health & Wellness wants you to start adapting a healthier lifestyle before the year ends.

“Far too often, we don’t think that we can simultaneously enjoy the holiday festivities while making healthy lifestyle changes. However, these two things can co-exist,” says Hooker, a licensed primary care physician.

Instead of making drastic changes on January 1st, she suggests that people should start their new journey now with these small lifestyle changes:

Get SMART
Hooker advises people to set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goals ahead of their weight loss journey.

“We’re bound to lose weight anytime we make a change to our diet in a positive direction. The issue is sustaining that weight loss. Making small changes sets you up for long-term sustainable success,” she says.

Hooker recommends trying to check off one health goal per day, whether it be sleeping 8 hours a night, or adding more whole foods to your diet.

“An example of a SMART goal would be: I will only drink two designer coffee drinks per week, instead of the five I usually have and have them put half the amount of syrup in it for the next month.”

Find your tribe
Throughout her career as a physician, Hooker has observed that one of the biggest challenges people face in adapting to a healthier lifestyle is a lack of support from their loved ones.

“Wide bodies of research show that people experience greater weight loss success with support groups. I recommend that people start building their network of supporters while setting their health goals for the new year,” said Hooker.

This support group should include your healthcare provider, ideally one that’s well-versed in lifestyle changes, obesity medicine and nutrition, who you can see on a regular basis. Your support circle should also include like-minded individuals who share a commitment to developing a healthier lifestyle.

“You have to have someone to lean on that can motivate you, educate you, or help you stay accountable,” says Hooker, adding that this is why collaboration is the cornerstone of her telemedicine company. “Having a consistent group that meets regularly will help you stay on track.”

Adopt a positive attitude
Accepting excuses is another major barrier for achieving sustainable weight loss, warns Hooker.

“Instead of rising to the challenge of improving our health, we rationalize reasons for giving up,” says Hooker. “Many diseases don’t actually run in our families; it’s bad habits that are being passed down from generation to generation.”

A study published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics highlights this connection between setting positive expectations and weight loss. The more weight that participants in the trial expected to lose, the more weight they actually lost one year later.

“Our journey to becoming healthier starts in our mind first. We must start viewing eating healthier foods and exercise as a rewarding investment in ourselves, instead of a punishment,” says Hooker. “This is the perfect time of year to adopt a mindset that leads to success.”