We are at that time of the year again…
“Balik alindog program na naman!”
Many are carrying that “holiday weight” from all the lechon, cakes, ice cream, and fruit salad helpings from past Christmas parties, reunions, and New Year celebrations.
I’m sure you’d want to shed all those extra pounds.
And you’d want to keep them off for good and not spend 2025 cycling from being trim one minute, and ballooning a few weeks later.
So, how do you keep the weight off and maintain your ideal form? That’s what this article is all about.
Let’s talk about mindsets that’ll keep you healthy all year round.
Mindset #1 Calories Are Currency
Let’s keep things very simple.
Think of your body like a bank account where calories are the currency. Every bite you eat is a deposit, while every movement you make — from walking to exercising to simply breathing — is a withdrawal.
If you consistently deposit more calories than you withdraw, your body saves the excess as fat. If you withdraw more than you deposit, your body taps into those fat stores to make up the difference.
In short, you gain weight when there’s an excess of “deposits” in your body–that is, when you eat more than you burn.
So in order to lose weight, you have to have a “calorie deficit” where you have more “withdrawals” than “deposits.”
With this mindset, you can begin to be more mindful of what you’re eating and have realistic expectations of your weight journey.
Mindset #2: Nothing good about a crash
There are 12 months to 2025 and you don’t need to finish the work in the first week.
While crash diets might seem like an appealing shortcut to weight loss, they almost always bite back in the long run.
Crash dieting backfires and often leads to people regaining the weight.
Here are four reasons:
1) Your body adapts and becomes more efficient.
When you drastically cut calories, your body interprets this as a signal of starvation. In response, it slows your metabolism to conserve energy. This means that even when you consume less, your body burns fewer calories than before—making it easier to regain weight (often even more than you initially lost!)
2) Crash diets usually lead to a loss of water weight and muscle mass rather than fat.
Muscle plays a key role in maintaining a healthy metabolism, so losing it makes it even harder to keep the pounds off. It’s like you’re shedding the very things that are helping you keep off the weight.
While you may see the scale drop initially, this approach wreaks havoc on your metabolism and energy levels, ultimately making things harder.
3) Crash diets are unsustainable.
Crash diets are so restrictive, so they’re unsustainable. And the moment you “give in” to a craving or return to your usual eating habits, the pounds come back quickly. It’s the rebound effect or yo-yo effect of crash dieting. It leaves people feeling frustrated and defeated.
4) Crash diets create an unhealthy relationship with food.
Deprivation diets set up food as a source of guilt or shame. This often triggers a cycle of bingeing and restriction — a surefire way to yo-yo between weight gain and weight loss. Someone who avoids all carbs on a crash diet may find themselves overeating pasta, bread, or sweets once their willpower inevitably breaks.
So instead of falling for extreme measures, focus on small, steady, and sustainable changes.
Go for the long game and aim for a moderate calorie deficit, balanced meals, and regular physical activity. These sustainable habits impact your lifestyle more and create more lasting results without putting your body or mind under unnecessary strain.
Little things like swapping sugary drinks for water, incorporating some vegetables into your meals, and committing to short walks can lead to gradual weight loss that’s easier to maintain.
Crash diets may promise instant gratification, but all they really deliver is lasting frustration.
Mindset #3: Exercise Wise
You’ve probably experienced this before: You’re too gungho to start the year right, so you got on a tough exercise routine that blows those holiday pounds out of the water. But then, after a few grueling days, you skipped a session…and then another. Before you know it, your routine is gone, but the pounds are still there.
You might think that more exercise is always better, but overexercising can be just as counterproductive as crash dieting.
Yes, physical activity is an essential part of health, but pushing your body too hard can lead to burnout, injuries, and even weight (re)gain in the long run.
Overexercise is unsustainable. Someone who starts running five miles every day might initially see weight loss but soon face fatigue, joint pain, or even injuries. As soon as they scale back or stop altogether, the weight can come back just as quickly.
When you overexercise, your body perceives it as a form of chronic stress—triggering the release of cortisol, a hormone associated with fat storage, particularly around the midsection.
High cortisol levels counteract your weight loss efforts, leaving you feeling stuck despite hours at the gym. Additionally, overtraining exhausts your muscles and drains your energy, making you more prone to overeating and reaching for high-calorie comfort foods to “recover.”
How Do You Know You’re Doing Too Much?
Here are the signs to watch for:
1) Constant fatigue—If you feel drained even after a full night’s sleep and lack energy throughout the day, it could be a sign that your body isn’t getting enough recovery time between workouts.
2) Lingering muscle soreness—Occasional soreness is normal, but if your muscles constantly ache or take days to recover, it’s a red flag that you’re pushing them too hard without sufficient rest.
3) Increased irritability or mood swings—Overexercising can elevate stress hormone levels, leading to anxiety, irritability, or even depressive symptoms. If your workouts leave you feeling emotionally unstable rather than empowered, it’s worth reassessing.
4) Difficulty sleeping—While regular exercise promotes better sleep, overtraining can have the opposite effect, leading to insomnia or restless nights due to elevated stress hormones.
5) Frequent illness or injury—A compromised immune system and recurring colds, as well as persistent injuries like shin splints or joint pain, could indicate that your body is under too much strain.
6) Decline in performance—Instead of getting stronger or faster, you may notice a plateau or even a drop in your workout performance, which can be a symptom of overtraining syndrome.
7) Disrupted menstrual cycle—Excessive exercise and insufficient rest can lead to hormonal disruptions, including irregular or missed periods, which is a warning sign of overtraining.
Just as it is in eating, your exercise routine should be sustainable. It’s about consistency, not intensity. An exercise routine you can stick to for years will outperform any regimen that burns you out in weeks.
Incorporate a mix of cardiovascular activities, strength training, and flexibility exercises into your routine, but listen to your body and prioritize rest. For most people, 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five days a week is sufficient for overall health and weight maintenance.
Mindset #4: Sleep Is Slim
Filipinos have this picture of “Juan Tamad” as someone who sleeps around all day.
And when it comes to burning calories and keeping our weights in check, we have a natural tendency for action and movement. We believe that sleeping is lazy, conserves calories, and makes us fat. So it’s often overlooked in discussions about weight management.
But sleep plays a critical role. A good night's sleep is not just about feeling well-rested but is vital for hormonal balance, appetite, and energy regulation.
When you don’t get enough sleep, your body’s hormones become imbalanced in ways that encourage weight gain. For example, insufficient sleep increases levels of ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates hunger, while decreasing levels of leptin, the hormone that signals fullness.
The result is intense cravings and overeating—especially for high-calorie, sugary, and fatty foods. You might find yourself raiding the fridge late at night or reaching for a sugary coffee to stay awake during the day.
Sleep deprivation also disrupts insulin sensitivity, making it harder for your body to regulate blood sugar levels—leading to increased storage of fat and a higher risk for type 2 diabetes.
So prioritize sleep in 2025. Treat it as a non-negotiable part of your routine. You’re not being lazy, but practicing one of the most effective ways to manage your health.
Aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.
Keep these sustainable and healthy routines for the rest of the year. With these four powerful mindsets, you’re not just able to manage your weight but are set to have your healthiest year yet.
BloodWorks Lab wishes you and your family a healthy 2025.
As always, we are your partner in health and well-being—the one-stop shop for all your blood test needs—offering check-up packages as well as a wide range of tests and medical assessments.
As one of the country’s premier medical testing outfits, we were the first in the country to offer the Anti Acetylcholine Receptor (lgG) Antibody Test and the Anti N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor (Anti NMDA Receptor) Antibody Test.
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