Beyond Resolutions: Why Lasting Health Doesn’t Start on January 1

By Dr Marianne Pinkston- Mueller | As Seen in SAMonthly Magazine

Every January, we participate in the same hopeful ritual. We declare resolutions, commit to dramatic change, and promise that this year will be different. Gym memberships surge, diets trend, and motivation runs high but comes to a grinding halt to the tune of the following statistics:

Facts Failure Rates Over Time

   •   About 80% of resolutions are abandoned by February(within ~6–7 weeks). 

   •   Only around 9% of people successfully stick with their resolutions over the long term. 

   •   Only about 25% stick with resolutions through the first 30 days, and fewer than 10% accomplish their goals by year’s end. 

By February, most resolutions are abandoned. This isn’t because people lack discipline. It’s because New Year’s resolutions were never designed to work in a society built around instant gratification, chronic stress, and constant dopamine stimulation.

In San Antonio and across Texas, the stakes are high. More than two-thirds of adults in Bexar County are overweight or obese, mirroring a national obesity rate now exceeding 40%. Obesity is no longer simply a matter of knowledge—it’s the predictable outcome of biology colliding with a modern environment.

The Resolution Problem

Research consistently shows that roughly 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February, and fewer than 10% are sustained for the year. Resolutions tend to be short-term, all-or-nothing, and outcome-focused—“lose 20 pounds,” “cut carbs,” “work out every day.”

They rely heavily on motivation while ignoring the underlying systems that drive behavior: sleep, stress, hormones, blood sugar regulation, emotional health, and our increasingly overstimulated nervous systems.

In other words, resolutions ask us to overpower biology with willpower—and biology usually wins.

Dopamine, Distraction, and the Health Cost of Instant Gratification

Modern life trains our brains for fast dopamine: social media scrolling, notifications, endless novelty, and ultra-processed foods engineered for maximum reward. Each swipe or sugary bite delivers a quick neurological hit.

Over time, this rewires the brain to crave immediacy and makes slower, health-promoting behaviors—like cooking, exercising, or planning meals—feel disproportionately difficult.

Studies now show that excessive social media use alters reward pathways and attention regulation, increasing compulsive behaviors. These same dopamine circuits are activated by refined carbohydrates and processed foods. The result is a perfect storm: diminished attention span, heightened cravings, and reduced tolerance for consistency.

When patients say, “I know what to do, I just can’t stick with it,” this is often the missing piece.

Diet Culture and the Yo-Yo Effect

Quick-fix diets promise rapid results, but they often deliver long-term consequences. Repeated weight loss and regain—commonly known as yo-yo dieting—has been associated with loss of muscle mass, increased fat regain, worsening insulin resistance, inflammation, and higher cardiometabolic risk.

Each cycle teaches the body to defend its weight more aggressively, while the brain becomes more sensitive to food rewards. What appears to be “failure” is often metabolic adaptation.

Chronic dieting doesn’t heal metabolism—it strains it.

Is Overeating Addictive?

A growing body of research suggests that ultra-processed foods can trigger addiction-like behaviors in a significant subset of the population. These foods are engineered for rapid absorption and hyper-palatability, hijacking reward pathways in ways that whole foods do not.

For these individuals, moderation isn’t simply a mindset—it’s a neurobiological challenge. This reframes obesity not as a character flaw, but as a health condition influenced by environment, physiology, and nervous system regulation.

An Integrative Alternative: Health Beyond the Calendar

Instead of resolutions, integrative medicine emphasizes systems—small, consistent practices that lower physiological stress and make healthy choices easier to sustain.

1. Replace Motivation with Structure

Choose two or three daily non-negotiables for 90 days:

   •   A protein-rich breakfast to stabilize blood sugar

   •   Consistent sleep and wake times

   •   Daily movement, even 10–20 minutes

Consistency changes the brain faster than intensity.

2. Practice Dopamine Hygiene

You don’t need a digital detox—just boundaries:

   •   Silence nonessential notifications

   •   Avoid scrolling before meals

   •   Move ultra-processed foods out of your home environment

   •   Replace fast dopamine with slow dopamine: walking outdoors, music, strength training, morning sunlight rituals, journaling and gratitude, meditation or prayer, etc 

3. Stabilize Blood Sugar to Reduce Cravings

Cravings are often biochemical, not moral.

   •   Eat protein, fat, and fiber at meals

   •   Avoid skipping meals

   •   Hydrate and replenish electrolytes

   •   Front-load calories earlier in the day

4. Heal From Dieting Instead of Repeating It

If you’ve dieted for years, your body needs safety signals:

   •   Build muscle through resistance training

   •   Eat enough protein and calories to support metabolism

   •   Prioritize sleep and stress regulation

   •   Support gut and inflammatory health while also looking at thyroid, sex hormone and adrenal health

5. Treat Addictive Eating With Support, Not Shame

Behavior changes best with compassion and structure:

   •   Coaching or therapy

   •   Address sleep disorders, insulin resistance, mood issues

   •   Use medical therapies thoughtfully when appropriate—as part of a comprehensive plan

It is my wish that you have some understanding of how to manage your wishes for permanent change. I know it is a difficult issue to desire change but meet the same feeling of failure each year. The truth is you can take control of you understand how your body and mind works. Don’t just make empty resolutions but make a stand for everlasting change into the new year and beyond. I wish you a Happy New Year and abundant peace and blessings. 

Marianne Pinkston Mueller, MD