Instead of a New Year's resolution, Sandy Tulino needed a wake-up call. And in late 2013, she realized, at 180 pounds, enough is enough.

"I had no control over my life," said Tulino.

"Once I realized that, losing weight and exercise was part of putting me in charge again. Having control of myself was the key. I never dieted. I changed my lifestyle."

The 60-year-old Atlantic County resident shed 75 pounds. This is what determination will do for breaking bad habits.

Not everyone has that kind of motivation. Still, a new year often brings resolve to turn over a new leaf.

According to Sean Duffy, associate professor of psychology and director of the graduate psychology program at Rutgers–Camden, research shows roughly a third of Americans make New Year's resolutions.

"By far the most common is to exercise more, followed by eating better, then reducing the use of alcohol or tobacco," he said.

New Year's Day is a good marker to set a resolution, Duffy added. Drag the last cigarette or scarf down the final burger before the ball drops on New Year's Eve.

But how long does resolve last?

"The gym I go to is always packed in January and February; in the spring, not so much," said Dr. Jay Schmulowitz, who runs the Life Counseling Center in Stratford.

"Most individuals do not follow through. There's no such thing as a quick fix. It takes time to break habits."

Only a quarter succeed in achieving their goal, whatever that is, Duffy noted.

Efforts to break bad habits are unsuccessful because they involve a large commitment to changing behavior problems, said Tulino's physician, Dr. Greg Taylor, a family medicine doctor and medical director of the Kennedy Health Alliance in Turnersville.

Despite the high failure rate, the act of making a resolution makes people feel better about their lives, explained Charlotte Markey, professor of psychology at Rutgers–Camden.

The thing about breaking habits is they are not just a New Year's thing.

"I see them throughout the year," said Marcy Rabinowitz, of South Jersey Nutrition, in Cherry Hill.

Lots of reasons lead to failure, Duffy remarked, including setting the bar too high, underestimating the difficulty of self-control, underestimating the influence of friends with bad habits, setting too many goals, goals too far into the future or ambiguous goals.

So, what's the recipe for success?

"People with unhealthy habits must unlearn many years of bad behaviors. Engaging others in change helps because others may keep you accountable," Duffy said.

And that's where groups like Weight Watchers, Alcoholics Anonymous or Smokers Anonymous come in.

"Exercise programs work if you set a realistic regimen," Taylor remarked. "If you say you will go to the gym every day for six weeks, you will fail. But if you say you will do 30 minutes a few times a week, you can see success."

Folks can make relatively easy dietary changes, Markey stated.

"For example, people can stop drinking their calories — giving up regular soda, drinking alcohol in moderation," noted Markey, author of "Smart People Don't Diet" which is about doing what you can live with and what will work for you.

Success in anything depends on taking small steps and small intervals. "Do not just set a goal of 90 pounds in a year or you'll get discouraged. Set intervals like one to two pounds a week in the next two weeks," Taylor said.

"And don't get depressed if you slip up, as it is easy to just give up," added Duffy.

Be realistic or you set yourself up for failure, exclaimed nutritionist Sean Inselberg, of the Nutritional Wellness Center of South Jersey in Palmyra. Write down your goals, he explained. "Subconsciously, if it's on paper it's a good starting point."

Schmulowitz uses three steps in dealing with weight loss:

First, come up with a competing response. When you crave a certain type of food, play a computer game till the craving passes.

Second, reward yourself for not indulging for an entire week, like treating yourself to a movie.

And third, have a consequence for doing a bad habit. For example, give money to a friend to donate to a cause you oppose.

"It's very hard to break a habit that you get satisfaction from. There is a release of tension when you do this habit," Schmulowitz said.

Mark Anderson got so exasperated by his inability to lose weight, he went to see Rabinowitz.

"Weight was always a problem in my family. I used to be a school teacher and very active. But I am genetically predisposed to turn everything into weight," explained Anderson, of Merchantville.

When he did the Atkins diet, he shed 35 pounds only to see it come right back.

Going to the nutritionist last May made a huge difference in understanding his body. When his fat turned to muscle and the scale said he lost very little weight, Anderson was disheartened until he understood that it's not just about what the scale says.

Anderson, 63, now weighs 237 pounds. His weight has been as high as 260 — but his goal is to crack 200 and move closer to an ideal weight of 185.

Rabinowitz does a body composition reading.

"You may be losing the wrong kind of weight. Losing fat pounds is important. Sometimes you can see in clothing how they are doing even if the scale does not show it."

Saying you are going to exercise or eat less is not enough, she noted.

"You need to find a reason why people became heavy in the first place. There can be all kinds of reasons. Is it hormones or medications? Sometime there are multiple causes."

Don't stop till you get results, Rabinowitz added.

"If someone is not moving forward, we tackle anything getting in the way. It's more a problem that the patient gets frustrated and stops because they do not see what they hope to see."

It may require a change in what is eaten. "Certain foods lower metabolism, weakening the digestive system," Inselberg said.

The answer may lie in finding foods with specific vitamins and minerals to strengthen digestion. "Remember, any goal means putting some effort and effort equals rewards," he added.

Amen to that, Tulino said. She went from a size 18 to size 0.

"Most people do not recognize me. My weight loss took 20 years off my life. When you are thin, you feel good about yourself inside and out."


How to break bad habits

Take small steps

Set specific and realistic goals

Write down the goals

Seek counseling

Consider a trainer

Don't stop till you get results

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