{"id":3736,"date":"2025-06-18T15:54:43","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T19:54:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/fammed\/weightmanagement\/?page_id=3736"},"modified":"2025-10-16T14:09:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T18:09:16","slug":"getting-started","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/fammed\/weightmanagement\/weight-management-education\/getting-started\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Started"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Preparing For Long-Term Success<\/h2>\r\n<h3>Taking the first step toward a healthier you is an empowering decision. You don\u2019t have to do it all at once. This page will help you understand the key building blocks of effective, sustainable weight management and what to expect from this process.<\/h3>\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-940\" src=\"https:\/\/tarheels.live\/weightmanagementeducation\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7407\/2025\/06\/pexels-mart-production-8846270-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"837\" height=\"558\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"color: inherit;font-size: 24px\"><br \/>What to Expect<\/span><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color: #e6f4ea;padding: 30px;border-radius: 10px;margin-bottom: 30px\">\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" style=\"margin: 0\">\r\n<li>This site is designed to support you with science-based, practical tools.<\/li>\r\n<li>You can go at your <strong>own pace<\/strong>, whether you\u2019re just starting or restarting.<\/li>\r\n<li>You\u2019ll learn about nutrition, movement, mindset, and goal setting.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h3>\u00a0<\/h3>\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Common Myths and Realistic Expectations<\/h3>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Myth:<\/strong> You have to be perfect every day.<br \/><strong>Reality:<\/strong> Small changes over time matter more than perfection.<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Myth:<\/strong> Weight loss is all about willpower.<br \/><strong>Reality:<\/strong> It\u2019s about support, environment, and strategies that work for <em>you<\/em>.<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Myth:<\/strong> I am going to lose weight fast and keep it off on my first try.<br \/><strong>Reality:<\/strong> Sustained weight loss takes time for most people, and often several attempts.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"border: 2px solid #000000;border-radius: 10px;padding: 20px 30px 30px 30px;margin-top: 40px;margin-bottom: 40px\">\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tips Before You Begin<\/h3>\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong>Be kind to yourself.<\/strong> This is about progress, not perfection.<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Start simple.<\/strong> One small change at a time is enough.<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Track what matters to you.<\/strong> That might be energy, mood, sleep, or inches. Not just pounds.<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Think long-term.<\/strong> You\u2019re building habits that last.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What You\u2019ll Need<\/h3>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"emoji\" role=\"img\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/svg\/2705.svg\" alt=\"\u2705\" \/>\u00a0A notebook, app, or other way to track your progress<\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"emoji\" role=\"img\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/svg\/2705.svg\" alt=\"\u2705\" \/> A willingness to reflect on what\u2019s worked in the past or hasn&#8217;t<\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"emoji\" role=\"img\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/svg\/2705.svg\" alt=\"\u2705\" \/> A bit of time each week to engage with your support resources and work on your goals<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"emoji\" role=\"img\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/svg\/2705.svg\" alt=\"\u2705\" \/> Support: from here, other resources, health professionals, or whatever else works for you<\/div>\r\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color: #dbeaf3;padding: 40px;border-radius: 10px;margin-bottom: 30px\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-text-color has-background has-link-color\" style=\"background-color: #dbeaf3;padding: 30px;border-radius: 10px\">\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"color: #000000\">Ready to Set Your First Goal?<\/h3>\r\n<p style=\"color: #000000\">Let\u2019s turn your motivation into action with a goal that\u2019s <strong>Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"margin-top: 40px\"><a style=\"background-color: #ffffff;color: #000000;padding: 12px 24px;text-decoration: none;border-radius: 6px;border: 2px solid #000000;font-weight: bold;margin: 10px\" href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/fammed\/weightmanagement\/weight-management-education\/smart-goals\/\">Take The First Step!<\/a><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Preparing For Long-Term Success Taking the first step toward a healthier you is an empowering decision. You don\u2019t have to do it all at once. This page will help you understand the key building blocks of effective, sustainable weight management and what to expect from this process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58241,"featured_media":0,"parent":3732,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-3736","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","odd"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Getting Started - UNC Weight Management Program<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/fammed\/weightmanagement\/weight-management-education\/getting-started\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Getting Started - UNC Weight Management Program\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Preparing For Long-Term Success Taking the first step toward a healthier you is an empowering decision. 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