London, December 31 (ANI): Just like learning to play a musical instrument, losing weight requires behavioral changes and a certain amount of discipline, says an expert.

"People need a motivation to lose weight and the New Year is an opportunity to start fresh," said Dr. Jessica Bartfield, internal medicine and medical weight-loss specialist at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, part of the Loyola University Health System.

Bartfield is part of the Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery and Bariatric Care that offers non-surgical as well as surgical weight loss programs for patients. Patients in both programs benefit from a dedicated team of medical professionals in psychology, nutrition, exercise physiology and more with an expertise in bariatrics.

"Behavior change is the cornerstone of healthy, successful weight loss and it takes about three months to establish a new behavior," said Bartfield.

"Just as you learn to play a musical instrument from a skilled teacher, you need to learn how to lose weight from professionals. You need to practice and make mistakes until you get it right," he asserted.

Despite a huge, billion-dollar weight-loss industry, it's estimated only 20 percent of Americans who try to lose weight successfully keep it off after one year.

"Changing behavior is tough - it is actually a skill and needs to be approached that way," Bartfield said.

"When you learn to play the piano, you expect that you will hit the wrong notes a couple times and are prepared to try again and keep playing; you need to have the same expectation with weight loss and to plan accordingly," he added. (ANI)