It's a New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season! We had a lovely and busy Christmas and New Year, and I for one am very happy and ready to settle into a regular routine again. I stayed on 5&1 until just before Christmas and lost the weight I wanted to lose, which made me feel good about moving into the past week. Now that the holidays are over, my husband and I are cutting back for the next couple of weeks and I've already gone back to the health club.

How did the rest of you do? I've heard from several people who stayed on plan and are thrilled to have started a new year weighing less than they have in years. If that's you, congratulations! After staying on plan two years ago when I was losing weight, I know it wasn't easy - but it sure was worth it! After getting through the holidays, you are well on your way to reaching your goal sometime this year.

If you weren't on plan over the holidays - either because you planned to go off or because life happened - this is a new year. I read an article a few days ago about a tradition in New York where people get together just before the end of the year for a bonfire where they burn the things they don't want to bring into the new year. It's not too late to hold your own personal bonfire, figurative or an actual bonfire, and let go of any and all failures of 2009. Don't allow what did or didn't happen last year to influence what you want to happen this year. It really is a new year and you can accomplish anything you want to accomplish this year.

Millions of Americans put losing weight on the top of their list of New Year's resolutions. A lot of them woke up this morning resolved to lose weight but they don't have a clue how they're going to do it; many aren't thinking beyond a vague "eat better and exercise" strategy. Not to be pessimistic, but I'm guessing that the majority will make little or not real progress. What's different about everyone here is that we have a proven plan and we know that it works. We may be getting up this morning resolved to get to our goal weight, but we know exactly what to do - and we have the tools we need to do it. That gives a wonderful advantage and I can assure you that your chance of success is 100% - IF you stay with the program :-).

The choice to stay on plan, or get back on plan, is ours. As you begin this new year, I hope you'll choose wisely :-)