...Does this Pan Make my Butt Look Big?

Have you given up on not gaining weight this holiday season? Have you made up your mind that you'll just "lose it after the holidays?" Statistics show that most diets started in January fly right out the window by February. And before you give me a lecture on how statistics can be manipulated...C'mon! This time, you know it's true!

What should you do about it? If you start with baby steps, you will be on a roll by the time Christmas is over. And I don't mean a buttered roll!

Why don't diets work? Because they are "all or nothing", you are on them or off them. There is no accounting for real life. Plus, we don't like change. If you make small changes, one per week, by the end of a month, you will have made a big change in your life, and it won't seem like such a shock.

Pick one of these things per week. Then the next week, do the one you picked the week before and add a new item. You'll be on your way to a successful plan before the new year. Everyone else will be making New Year's Resolutions, while you are looking great at the New Year's Party!

1. Accountability. Every good plan starts and ends with accountability. If you don't have someone to do this with, chances are you won't stick to it. Get a group of friends, online or "in real life" and dare each other to stay on track! I am thankful for my Team Central group. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today!

2. Tracking. No matter what system you use, keeping a food journal is vital! Having to write down what you eat will make you think about it before you put it into your mouth. I keep mine on a computer spreadsheet to make it easier Because I am boring and eat the same foods from day to day and week to week, I can just cut and paste.

You should take this on in two parts. One week write down everything you eat and evaluate it at the end of the week. Then the next week, change what you eat or when you eat based on what you learned from the journal.

3. Water. Drink 10-12 glasses a day if you want to lose weight. And coffee is not water. Water is water. I am very annoying about water. Just ask any of my friends.

Want some "water science"? Sure you do. Here's an interesting fact. Fat tissue has less water in it than lean tissue. Muscle tissue is about 75% water. Brain tissue is about 70% water. Men are composed of 60% water, while women are composed of 55% water. The more fat tissue you have, the less water you have in your body. Each day humans must replace 2.4 litres of water, some through drinking and the rest taken by the body from the foods eaten. Check out your average store bought water bottle. That's right, it only has .5L of water in it!

What does all this water do for you? You mean besides becoming the mechanism for transporting carbohydrates and proteins that your body is metabolizing as food in your bloodstream? Or transporting waste material out of your body?

4. Exercise. This is often the hardest thing for moms to add. We don't have the time. We don't have the money. It's too cold outside now. The list goes on and on. Here's my advice. You make time for the things you like. So find something you like to do and do that a couple of times a week. Do you like to walk around the mall? Bring the strollers and briskly walk around the mall with a friend. Start slow. If you have more than 40 or 50 pounds to lose, it's going to be tough to start something. But you can do it.

I don't like to shop. But I love to swim. My husband got me swim lessons at the Y. I know, he's the best. He knows that I will go and do that. Do you like tennis but you are afraid to start again? Go hit a ball against the wall of a building for 20 minutes each week. Someone in your neighborhood will watch your kids for that short a period of time! Trade "babysitting" time with them. We all make excuses and call them reasons. I do it to. But you know in your heart, that like the Nike commercial said, you need to "Just do it!"

Don't make me come over there with my whistle!

Thank you to my friend Lisa W. in Maine, turkey farmer extraordinaire of Whit's End Farm, for the picture! And to my friend Beth G. in Texas for the great timely reminder on the need for coaching this time of year!

Yes, I cheated because I have already listed both these ladies as "not my Secret Sister". Here's today's hint...this was dedicated to Sharon in S.C., a nurse, who gives great advice!