the cases could rise. ama: dr. roshni mathew from stanford children's health, thank you so much for your insight today and we wish you the best in the new year. we are all hoping for some improvement. we needed. dr. mathew: thank you and have a happy new year. ama: losing weight is a popular new year's resolution but it might be time to rethink that and we will tell you why.

ama: new year's eve is tomorrow so we have to ask, have you made your resolution yet? we polled the abc seven news room to see what some of our

colleagues are up to -- the number one answer is to lose weight or start a work on -- workout plan. here is the dr., thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. ama: i could go five hours on this with you. so let's jump right in. i will probably be passionate. weight loss for a new year's resolution -- can that harm health? >> i think, first -- first of all, how many of us have resolved to lose weight, the resolution that keeps giving and somehow we never get the fact that if all the things we were doing work, we would never have to make this resolution again. and i think that for me, when we resolve as individuals to try to lose weight, it comes from a place of shame and stigma and

often, it does not come from a place of concern about health. what you said at the beginning was that your colleagues were interested in both losing weight and starting a workout routine. and i think part of the problem is that we see those two things as related. or as inherently related. weight and health are inherently related. to me, resolving, though i don't make resolutions in the traditional sense either, but looking to be more physically active, wanting to be more healthy in a variety of ways that are within my control is not a bad goal. it is not a bad thing. but, when we resolve to lose weight, we set ourselves up to fail. i always say that if the weight loss industry worked, whatever we call it, wellness, weight

loss, it would be out of business. ama: and they want our money. they are banking on us failing because they know it won't work and that is why it is a multibillion dollar industry. >> it is heading into the hundreds of billions of dollars in what is interesting is 95% of diets fail over the course of time and most people gain those pounds back and then some. we often hear these huge headlines about how americans are among the fattest people in the world or the most overweight and obese people in the world. well, i don't think it is random that we are also the people in the world most likely to diet. if every time we diet, 95% of the time we are going to gain back weight, we are going to mess with our metabolism, we are going to do all kinds of things that are not healthy including lapsing into a lot of self-hatred when we fail and

messing ourselves up economically, for sure, it makes sense to me that americans are some of the heaviest people in the world because we are also the ones most likely to diet. we are a society in which the country in which we spend the most money on trying to lose weight. ama: and we are lose -- and we are learning that weight cycling is sometimes more dangerous than carrying a couple of extra pounds on you and let's talk about the fact that weight does not you will health. you were quoted in an article written by another doctor who said someone far outside the normal bmi is perfectly healthy. the markers are great. what someone looks like on the outside does not translate into what their health is. >> right, and i would also note that i don't think we need to view health as a moral imperative. there are plenty of people with health problems that are utterly deserving individuals as well but if we are talking about

health, you cannot tell someone's health status by looking at them. you cannot tell their health status by a number on a scale or a bmi number. and more importantly, if we know that we cannot make people smaller over the long term, and there are plenty of critics of the measure of bmi out there, then what can we do to make ourselves and our society healthier? that is where the health at every size perspective comes in. how can we encourage a sense of health and healthful activity but also broaden our definition of health so that it includes living in a society where we have access to health care, where we have economic security, where we are not seeing the intersection of weight stigma with things like racism and sexism and classism. that when we boil health down to this individual bmi number or

individual diet plan or workout, we lose the idea that health is about a lot more than our individual behaviors. and yet still individual behaviors cannot are. i tell my kids, i am always bugging them to eat more vegetables and get out and run around. but that does not have to be tied to a weight and i think we do ourselves and others a disservice when we do that. if we started exercise plans in january with the idea that we were going to do more physical activity to feel better, to improve our mental health, to improve a particular health issue, it would probably last a lot longer rather than joining the gym in january and being out in march because we did not see the scale botched. ama: and then blame ourselves.

when a diet does not work, we blame ourselves. i could go on with you for days. we are out of time so much for joining us. >> thank you. ama: happy new year. up next, we are going to talk about mana (son) fixed. no charge. ah, that's my son. he always takes care of his mama. ooh, what's up with granny's casserole? (mom) it's for after your uncle joe's funeral. my brother didn't have a life insurance policy. i hear there's a collection to help aunt adele. (mom) yeah. a funeral costs north of $9,000 these days. that's a hefty bill for family to pay if there's no life insurance check to help. wow. makes you think, doesn't it? (mom) which reminds me, i've been meaning to tell you, i got that 995 plan from colonial penn. i'm on a fixed income, so price is important.

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now, don't forget, wear your good suit tonight. and please call about the 995 plan today, while it's on your mind, okay? call now for free information. (soft music) ♪ ama: hard to believe, but we are nearly two years into the pandemic and besides our physical health, it has taken a toll on our mental health as well. each development brings new concerns and more stress. how can we manage it? joining us to talk about that is a stress scientist and psychiatry professor. thank you for joining us. let's be honest, it seems like everyday there is a new headline or worry what the pandemic.

how do we handle all of this? >> like you said, we have learned that the future is uncertain. there is always something we cannot predict or control. and that is information for us going forward. we do not have an end date for the pandemic but we know it won't be sudden so asking when it is going to end creates more stress and anxiety. rather, embracing this new reality we have of not knowing and not knowing -- and not knowing and embracing that we won't know the headlines for tomorrow and we will do our best together to cope with whatever the world has in store for us. it is a real time of buckling down to what matters most to us and focusing on what we can

control and what we can do today. ama: i think not being able to control something or see the outcome is really hard for a lot of people. it is definitely hard for myself. the topic of coping with stress is such a popular one, cdc has a section devoted to it. what does it tell you about what people are facing? >> i think we are experts at living in the pandemic now. it is, as you said, it has a long shadow on our mental health. there are a lot of lessons and things we can do. number one, everyone is struggling. you are not alone. this is a particularly confusing day with the peak of omicron. having talks about mental health so we don't stigmatize ed further and seeking help and support with each other.

i think the holidays are an important time to reach out to others, text or call because a lot of people are alone. it is a hard time to be alone during the holidays. ama: it really is. i think a lot of people just try to mask the stress and toll it is taking because you don't want to bring anyone else down. that person seems fine so i will move on and pretend. i know there are a lot of days that i am not ok but you put on a happy face and make like everything is ok. is there any way to tell that someone could use a little bit of extra help and that they are struggling with stress? >> i laugh when someone asks how you are because it is such a qualified answer. well, in the midst of a pandemic, i still have this or that, so focusing on what we do have and what is going well is helpful. but asking again -- as you said,

the first answer is the automatic come autopilot, socially expected answer which is, things are fine. but asking, no, how are you really? what has been hard? is there anything i can help with? those are the kinds of questions that usually get honest answers and maybe even tears because taking the time to really listen to someone is a gift rather than talking about the latest news. really just asking, what has this been like for you and what is the hardest part? it has been a time when people have become more genuine. and i think there is less small talk. it is the common humanity of being in the same boat together. ama: what should parents be looking at for kids? >> our biggest worry is kids and

youth and their mental health. for kids, we need to have a resilient new mindset. and what is resilience? flexibility. having plan a, plan b, and plan c and going with the flow because it is easy for their expectations to get set on something like a birthday party. and to be so disappointed when things are being canceled, etc. really, the lesson is, the world is full of surprises and we don't control them but we get to choose how we respond when things shut down, when things don't go the way we want them to, what do we do about that? anger is not a helpful response. it is natural to feel that. but focusing on what we can control -- for kids, it is important for them to talk about

their frustrations, disappointments, and fears. asking, listening, and using play to have them express their fears, and being in nature. ama: kids and adults. great advice. thank you so much for joining us today to give us some tips and insight on the stress that we are all trying to manage and move forward with. happy new year and thank you for

ama: and we thank you so much for joining us on this interactive show and we will be here every workday at 3:00. on air and on livestream

answering your questions. world news tonight is coming up next and stay with us for abc 7 news at 4:00. we will see then. tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. life-threatening wildfires sweeping through parts of colorado. late today, the governor declaring a state of emergency. reports of multiple injuries, burn victims rushed to the hospitals. high winds fueling the flames. tens of thousands of people in the denver suburbs told to get out right now. evacuations under way throughout boulder county. powerful gusts downing power lines. transformers exploding. store customers rushing for the exits. the area expecting snow tomorrow, but it may not come soon enough. rob marciano standing by with the fire conditions and severe weather threats ahead of the new year. also tonight, the highly contagious omicron variant surging across america. the national case average climbing to an all-time high. 6,