JOPLIN, Mo. — As the new year gets closer a lot of people make resolutions to lose weight. But keeping a resolution is much harder than making one.

Experts say your focus should not be on a number.

“So what I would recommend is not focusing on a number, but focus on you know, looking at habits and maybe even evaluating what’s the reason you want to lose weight,” said Susan Pittman, Freeman, Program Coordinator for Diabetes Education.

Susan Pittman with Freeman Health System recommends setting behavioral goals.

“We really recommend just looking at more behaviors and setting them as a goal versus a true number for a weight loss goal,” said Pittman.

She says fasting is often a route chosen to lose weight, but may not be the best choice.

“My concern with that would be that it’s eliminating time where you need to be fueling your body. So we recommend that when you’re up and about doing work, school, exercise, that you need fuel for your body,” she said.

For the next year, Pittman suggests that you reflect on the positive.

“So I think with New Year’s thinking of it as what maybe even reflecting on what’s working really well. So evaluate like in the past year, what have I done well. And then looking towards the new year, what are some habits that maybe would benefit me,” Pittman said.

She says just because you’re eating less, doesn’t mean you’re getting healthier.

“So what we don’t want to see is restriction that is extreme. And so if we’re eating in moderation, we’re getting the nourishment to our body that the body needs. But what happens sometimes is we think less is better. And so we have people really cutting back skipping one meal and then maybe skipping two meals, maybe even three and that is very stressful and very harmful to the body,” she adds.