As our resolutions wane with the passing months, our determination gives way to disappointment. The responsibility of daily living moves our resolution lower on our to-do list. Old habits die hard.

Are you finding your New Year resolutions fall by the wayside year after year? It may be time to change your goals into something more sustainable. For any goal to stick, they need to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-oriented— in other words, a SMART goal.

Do your resolutions sound like this? I want to lose weight; I’m going to join a gym. I want to eat healthier; I’m going on a diet. I want to get in shape; I’m going to lift weights. Each one of these goals is a generalization and is not targeted for success. They don’t take your individuality or lifestyle into consideration. Busy lifestyles are the norm. A generalized goal that isn’t thought out usually becomes a moving target that loses its strength as time goes by.

By breaking down goals into separate components that can be tracked over time, you’ll increase the probability of success. You’ll create new action steps when done over time can turn into habits that lead to concrete lifestyle modifications. Let’s break down what a smart goal is:

• Specific: Choose a clear action. Define it well. If you plan to go to a gym, what programs do you want to participate in that you’ll enjoy for longevity? If you want to eat better, in what ways will you change your diet? If you want to get increase your body fitness, what specific exercises will you do?
• Measurable: After you’ve chosen your specific activity, you’ll need to measure it. How many times a day, week, month, or year will you perform the actions toward your goal?
• Achievable: Will this action fit into your lifestyle? Is the goal doable without becoming too much to handle all at once?
• Relevant: Are these goals realistic based on your current health and ability? Will they fit into your schedule?
• Time-oriented: When do you want to achieve your goal; does it have a deadline?

By turning your goals into something clear and easily definable, it will be easier to determine the action steps to move closer to achieving them. Here are the initial resolutions as SMART goals:

• I will sign up for spin classes 2 times a week for 3 months to improve my endurance.
• I will include a fruit or a vegetable with each meal 5 days a week for the next 2 months to eat more foods that are high in vitamins and minerals.
• I will engage in whole-body resistance training 2 times a week for 6 months to increase my body’s muscle mass.

If you are ready to make long-lasting changes in your life, a series of SMART goals (including the 5 components mentioned above) that correspond to your nature will help give you a better direction toward success. Write down your action plan to hold yourself accountable. Update it regularly. When you look back on what you’ve written after a year or so you’ll see how far you’ve come.

RD Tip: Consider refraining from choosing a weight loss goal if you’ve been dieting for some time. You’re not alone. Just as life is often unpredictable so is our body’s weight range. Let it go. Reorient yourself to take focus off the numbers on the scale. Select a goal that keeps your overall health in mind. Remember it’s a set of repeated behaviors that will move you toward better health, not weight loss. 

DISCLAIMER: The Green Apple Dietitian blog provides nutrition information for education only and is not intended to offer medical advice or cure any health conditions. The content should NEVER be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment of any health condition or problem. Any questions regarding your diet and health should be addressed to your specific healthcare providers. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this blog.

Green Apple Dietitian makes no warranties expressed or implied regarding the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, comparative or controversial nature, or usefulness of any information posted or shared on this blog. Green Apple Dietitian does not assume any risk whatsoever for your use of any information contained herein that was posted or shared on this blog in the past, present, or future. By accessing this blog, you agree that neither Green Apple Dietitian nor any other party, to be held liable or otherwise responsible for any decision made, or any action taken or not taken, due to your use of any information presented on this blog website.

The gluten-free diet (GFD) has grown in popularity but is only medically necessary for a very small segment of the population. Diets that require people to cut out a significant variety of foods should never be recommended for people who are generally healthy. When it comes to the GFD, only about 1% of the population has a diagnosis of Celiac Disease,^[1}. Scientific research for non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is not reliable. Folks who decide to switch a GFD believing it’s a healthier option make come to realize that this diet can be costly, difficult to follow and over time actually compromise balanced nutrition.

The scientific literature for non-celiac gluten sensitivity is inconclusive

Celiac Disease should be ruled out, along with any possibility of wheat allergy, lactose intolerance, or inflammatory bowel disease before going gluten-free. Symptoms of bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain, brain fog, and fatigue can occur for various reasons. There’s not enough conclusive evidence for NCGS as it continues to remain mostly a self-diagnosed condition or a diagnosis from alternative health practitioners ^[2]. It’s not clear in many cases of NCGS whether symptoms are caused by gluten or by other components of the grains that are consumed ^[1}.

The problem with self-diagnosis

Folks who decide not to seek advice from a health care practitioner for GI symptoms may be more likely to self-diagnose. People who self-diagnose do not have the resources that qualified health professionals do to form an educated opinion regarding food intolerances and allergies and how to treat them. Self-diagnosing can lead to obsessive thoughts around health concerns that can otherwise get answered during a routine health screening. Going on a strict diet as a treatment after self-diagnosing a proposed health condition without guidance from a trained health professional can raise the risk for unhealthy weight fluctuations and vitamin/mineral deficiencies. A diet that is difficult to follow won’t help improve the quality of life and may only serve to increase anxiety and depression around the supposed health condition.

How is your stress level?

Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are often misdiagnosed when people are feeling high levels of stress. As stated earlier, GI symptoms can occur for a variety of reasons, including psychosomatic illness. Anxiety and depression often are the source of headaches, backaches, stomach and digestive issues. When the source of reported pain or discomfort isn’t found through traditional testing methods, stigma can result when symptoms aren’t caused by a physical reason. Psychosomatic pain is real and should not be dismissed as it’s all in your head ^[3]. Just like any chronic or acute illness like diabetes or a heart attack, it should be taken seriously and treated by qualified health professionals.

With eating disorders on the rise since the turn of the century ^[4], it’s worth a mention here. People who suffer from this illness can also experience a wide array of GI symptoms. Restricting food for a certain period can cause stomach upset, constipation and diarrhea. A stomach that isn’t digesting food regularly loses muscle mass. It’s only when a normalized eating pattern returns, stomach issues often resolve themselves. Eating normally keeps stomach muscles in shape to digest our food. People who regularly skip meals can have unexplainable stomach issues. People who have a fear of gaining weight or have heightened anxiety around health may choose to restrict certain food groups as a way to cope with how they are feeling.

Limitations of the Gluten-free diet

In a research study to determine if GF diets were more nutritious, it was found that people with celiac disease who followed a GFD consumed lower amounts of protein, vitamin E, folate, magnesium, potassium, and sodium compared to gluten-containing diets. Intake of dietary fiber was considerably low due to decreased consumption of grain products and the diet was associated with higher energy and fat intake. It was concluded that GF diets were not nutritionally superior except for sodium intake and may not be heart healthy ^[5].

Even with the increased availability of gluten-free foods in the marketplace, there’s still fewer choices which make it difficult to find foods to stick to the diet. Gluten-free foods on average cost 2-3 times more than food in their original form ^[1}. In a restaurant setting, it’s virtually impossible to avoid contamination with gluten foods unless the restaurant has a separate gluten-free area for food prep.

Despite its popularity, there’s no distinct clear-cut medical reason for going gluten-free other than for Celiac Disease. The existence of NCGS is still up for debate. Common sense would dictate unless someone is sure gluten is causing a health issue, why spend more time and hard-earned dollars to adhere to a diet that is hard to follow and can lead to nutritional deficiencies? There are many other ways to eat better without breaking the bank or giving up certain foods.