32 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY january 26-february 1, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com If you’re one of the estimated 40 percent of Americans who made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight this year, forget every weight loss advertisement you’ve seen since the start of January. Weight loss companies have been promising results through cutting calories, counting points, eating premade meals or medications. Not only are they not effective for long-term weight loss, they’re more about separating people from their money than actually losing weight, says Jim Annesi, a health psychologist who joined YMCA Central Coast in 2021 as the vice president of health initiatives. Annesi has the data to prove his point. He’s spent his career researching weight loss, exercise and what motivates people to make healthier choices. He’s led or been a part of over 200 peer-reviewed publications and translated those into over 100 professional articles and chapters, plus four books. He’s held research positions at various universities and health organizations, currently on the adjunct research faculty at CSU Monterey Bay’s College of Health Sciences and Human Services. For 20 years he worked for the Atlanta YMCA, during which time he researched and wrote several evidenced-based health programs across different age groups, from age 3 up to adults, that teach self-regulation, goal-setting, exercise and nutrition. He estimates 5,000 people have participated, with their feedback helping him to refine each program. “The YMCA is my living lab,” Annesi says. YMCA Central Coast CEO Amy Grames convinced him to move to Monterey County to continue his work promoting health initiatives among not only YMCA members, but also in the surrounding community. “Why is an academic like me sitting in a YMCA? I’m not interested in educating people, I’m interested in getting them to change their behavior. Unlike 99 percent of weight loss programs out there that seek to educate people for rapid weight loss, we’re looking to deal with self-managing the barriers so people can sustain the weight loss,” he says. The data he’s compiled over 25 years of research show that the most effective way to make long-term healthier choices leading to sustained results is through developing self-regulatory skills. The process includes breaking down long-term goals into achievable small-term goals, receiving feedback on progress followed by setting new short-term goals. “Informing people of what they need to do physically or on an eating level has nothing to do with whether they will do it or not,” Annesi says. Helping people learn how to self-regulate and promote positive feelings around exercise and helping them work through barriers and setting new goals is much more effective. Those positive feelings reinforce people’s efforts. American diet culture blames people for not having enough willpower. “I would never blame a human for acting like a human,” he says. Unlike most weight loss programs, Annesi’s YMCA programs don’t start with diet. Based on his research, it’s more effective to start with exercise first and look at diet later. His program being offered for the first time at both the Salinas Family YMCA and the YMCA of the Monterey Peninsula, “M4H: Move For Health,” spends two months on exercise with no change in food intake. Also unlike most weight loss programs which have a high dropout rate, M4H’s dropout rate is under 25 percent. The self-regulatory skills learned by focusing on exercise are then carried over to eating. Participants get six individual appointments over six months. After a few appointments, group nutrition meetings begin, every two weeks for 20 weeks. Participants are asked to track their food. “If they can’t do that, they likely won’t succeed at weight loss,” Annesi says. And while exercise is important, weight loss won’t happen without adjusting caloric intake. When participants hit a plateau, as everyone does in a weight loss journey, says Annesi, a maintenance goal is set and participants are told not to lose any weight for two months. At the end of two months, if they want to lose more weight new goals are set. The idea is to not feel discouraged about a plateau but rather see it as part of the overall process of losing weight. Another program used in YMCA after-school programs, “Youth Fit For Life,” focuses mostly on physical fitness through games, with some time spent teaching self-regulation skills and nutrition. In all programs, there’s a goal to get participants to increase their intake of fruits and vegetables. “As behavioral psychologists, we’re happy not when people feel great but when the behavior is changed and we get the health-risk reduction,” Annesi says. “I’m not in the health care business, I’m in the behavior change business.” Data Diet YMCA’s health and fitness expert says his research is clear: exercise first, diet later. By Pam Marino Issue Health & Fitness 2023 “I would never blame a human for acting like a human.” Tipping the Scale If you want to be successful in losing weight, follow these tips based on health psychology. By Pam Marino The key to weight loss is acquiring self-regulatory skills around exercise and diet. The programs Jim Annesi has developed for the YMCA begin with goal-setting for exercise and supporting participants in achieving those goals. 1: Start with small goals first and build on each success, moving on to the next goal. 2: If for some reason you fall off on a goal—for example you don’t meet a goal of exercising three times a week due to illness or some other reason—restart as quickly as possible. The faster you resume the habit, the better your chances of continuing. 3: Once you’ve established an exercise routine, set goals around adjusting your eating. Annesi says one of the goals of the YMCA programs is to spur participants to eat more fruits and vegetables, which is a good place to start. 4: Write down everything you eat. Annesi’s research shows that the people who are consistent about doing this are the most successful in losing weight. 5: If you hit a plateau, know that it’s normal and not a failure. The Y’s M4H: Move for Health program counsels participants to focus on maintaining their current weight for a couple of months and then reassess if they want to continue losing pounds or stay where they are. If they want to continue, set new, small, achievable goals and proceed from there. 6: Having a buddy or support system increases your chances of success. The M4H program includes a consultant who meets with participants monthly for six months. After a couple of months in the program, participants join a small group that focuses on nutrition. Jim Annesi developed an exercise and weight loss program based on over two decades of research that shows what works and what doesn’t. It’s now available in two YMCA locations, in Salinas and Monterey. Daniel Dreifuss
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