Every January, the same ritual unfolds.

Promises to be “stricter.” Gym memberships renewed. Sugar cut entirely. A determination that this will be the year it finally sticks. Yet for many people, by March the motivation has faded, bad habits can sneak back in — and the weight has quietly returned.

This pattern is not a personal failure. It is a failure of the social system we keep returning to.

In Bermuda, weight loss can feel especially difficult. Social events often revolve around food and drink, work days are long and demanding and stress levels run high.

Add disrupted sleep, hormonal changes, emotional eating, or a long history of dieting, and it becomes clear why quick-fix January plans rarely deliver lasting results.

The problem is not effort. It’s the approach.

Sustainable weight loss is not built on restriction alone. It rests on three interconnected pillars: mind, nutrition and movement.

When these pillars are addressed together — rather than tackled in isolation — weight loss and healthy lifestyle habits becomes not only more achievable, but far more maintainable.

The first pillar is mind.

Stress, poor sleep, emotional eating and the constant pressure to “stay on track” all influence appetite, hormones and fat storage. Chronic stress keeps the body in a state of survival, making weight loss physiologically harder — no matter how disciplined someone is with food.

Without addressing stress, mindset and the emotional drivers behind eating, even the most carefully planned diet can stall.

The second pillar is nutrition, not dieting.

Nutrition is not about punishment or perfection. Extreme calorie restriction often slows metabolism, increases cravings and disrupts hormones, particularly in women. A more effective approach focuses on nourishment: balanced meals, adequate protein, blood-sugar stability and gut health. This personalised way of eating works with the body, rather than against it, and is far more sustainable than one-size-fits-all plans.

The third pillar is movement, without punishment.

Exercise should support energy and metabolic health, not deplete it. Over-training, especially when paired with under-eating and high stress, can actually stall fat loss.

Strength training, daily movement and appropriately paced cardiovascular exercise consistently produce better long-term outcomes than an intense January fitness surge that leads to burnout by February.

When mind, nutrition and movement are aligned, weight loss stops feeling like a constant battle. Energy improves. Cravings ease. Sleep quality increases. And the body begins to respond in a way that feels steady, rather than forced.

So this January, instead of asking, “How quickly can I lose weight?” a more helpful question may be: “What does my body need to feel supported and resilient?”

At Solstice, January healthy lifestyle (including weight-loss) sessions are offered using this integrated model. These sessions bring together psychological support, personalised nutrition guidance and movement strategies; recognising that weight is influenced by far more than food alone.

Our approach is designed for individuals to understand their own patterns, and to reduce stress-driven behaviours and build habits that are realistic within the context of everyday life in Bermuda.

Rather than chasing rapid results, the emphasis is on lasting change — supporting physical health while also addressing the mental and emotional factors that so often determine success or failure.

January does not have to be about starting over — again.

It can be about starting differently.

And that may be the most sustainable resolution of all.

• Nerseh Douglas is a registered holistic nutritionist specialising in hormonal balance, weight loss, and gut health, with over a decade of experience in the field. She uses a holistic approach that identifies the connections between symptoms and their root causes. Go to www.solstice.bm for more information