Common New Year’s Resolution with a Simplicity Twist

In 2010, I want to lose the five excess pounds that have been with me for several years thanks to too much travel, too many business meals, late-night pizza at the office, not enough sleep, and, of course, stress.

“Well that sounds vain and self-centered,” you might be thinking to yourself. Well, yes, it would if my motivation was simply to look better in a bikini. A flat tummy would be nice, but I actually have some good reasons for wanting to get back to my normal weight once and for all.

Reasons to Lose Weight

1. I bought most of my clothes when I was one size smaller than I am now. I can still squeeze into most of them, but it doesn’t feel good. And I definitely do not want to go out and buy a new wardrobe. The responsible thing to do is to eat less and use the clothes I have.
2. Because my clothes don’t fit just right, I am constantly reminded about the fact that I need to lose weight. It takes up a lot of brainpower that I’d rather free up to think about more important things.
3. Eating less is more sustainable and gets me closer to taking only my share.

The Plan

Here is my simple plan for how to reach this goal:

• I’m not waiting until the New Year. Rather, I’m taking advantage of staycation and doing 90 minute workout sessions instead of the typical 60 minutes to boost calorie burning.
• I have a new plan for how to handle sweets (my weakness). I will eat sweets only on designated special occasions. The next special occasion is New Year’s Eve. After that, I will look forward to my birthday in mid-January. This way, I can enjoy an occasional treat without the guilt.
• I am going to cut out processed food (more on this on New Year’s Day).
• I am going to be mindful when I eat, chew slowly, and savor the moment.
• I am going to eat enough. No more, no less.

“In eating, a third of the stomach should be filled with food, a third with drink, and the rest left empty.” ~The Talmud