As the new year begins, many people are setting resolutions to eat healthier, stay active and manage their weight through dieting.

Dr. Donald Hensrud, a Mayo Clinic physician specializing in nutrition and the editor of "The Mayo Clinic Diet," offers some thoughts on weight management.

"Don't set too lofty a goal, and don't focus only on weight," he says. "I see people who understandably want to lose 50 pounds, but an example I use in financial terms is that trying to lose 50 pounds is like saying, 'I want to make a million dollars' without having a good financial plan to do it. The process of how to do it is much more important than the outcome."

Watch: Dr. Donald Hensrud offers dieting tips for 2025

Journalists: Broadcast-quality sound bites are available in the downloads at the end of post. Name super/CG: Donald Hensrud, M.D./Editor/"The Mayo Clinic Diet"

Focus on the process of lifestyle changes in diet and physical activity, and that will best help to achieve the outcome of weight loss. Start small with changes you can sustain long term. Practical, realistic and enjoyable steps are key. Avoid drastic plans you can't keep up with, like exercising two hours a day, which often leads to burnout.

"This doesn't have to be drudgery. Eating healthfully, living a physically active lifestyle and managing weight can be an enjoyable process," he says.

Where to start? 

Dr. Hensrud says there are many programs available, and he encourages people to find one that promotes health and weight loss.

"If people ate only 500 calories from jelly beans, they'd lose weight. But obviously that isn't the healthiest way to do it," he says.

Dr. Hensurd supports the Mayo Clinic Diet, which is available as a book and an online program. The program focuses on sustainable lifestyle changes, including eating more fruits and vegetables, getting regular physical activity, and building healthy habits over time.

"Our online program has many different tools and resources to help people lead a healthier and more enjoyable lifestyle, such as tracking diet and physical activity habits, ideas for recipes and meal plans, social support, and others," he says.

The program also offers group coaching and integration with fitness devices.

"It's a lifestyle that anyone can do, and it can be effective in helping people manage weight and improve their health," says Dr. Hensrud.

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