Well, it's the start of a new year already. As a kid I always thought my parents were nuts when they would bemoan how quickly time flies. Those were the days, bright sunny Summers, and not a care in the world, but I couldn't wait to grow up. Now I would give anything to be as carefree as I was back then. Since I haven't perfected time travel yet, I guess I will just make do the best that I can.

In the meantime, I think I will tackle that most common of New Years resolutions - losing weight. I guess after stretching our stomachs to the limit over the course of Novembers and Decembers gluttony, we resolve to shed the Holiday fat belt that seems to have appeared out of nowhere. Who's waist is that we see in the mirror?! So with that in mind, here are some ramblings on "Do's and Don'ts of Losing the Inches".

• Do replace the term weight loss with fat loss. After all, that's what we're really after, right? I don't care if I weigh 200 pounds if it's all muscle and my six-pack is showing (not that I ever got past a 4-pack).
• Do get off your ass and do some sort of exercise! This can't be stressed enough. Perform an aerobic activity (like walking, stair climbing, jogging, riding a bike, etc.) 2 or 3 times per week, and for 2 or 3 days between your aerobic activities, do some resistance exercises (weight lifting, calisthenics, etc.). You need the resistance exercise to retain and grow your muscles. If you neglect to do the resistance work, your muscles will be burned up before your fat!
• Do eat more often. That's right, I said eat more often. By not gorging yourself at 1 to 3 meals a day and instead eating the same amount (maybe even a little more!) over the course of 5 to 8 meals, you will be fueling your metabolism and will keep your Body burning calories even when you are just sitting on your big arse.
• Do add whey protein to your Diet. Whey protein is a great way to increase your protein intake without adding a whole bunch of calories. It can also substitute for one or two of your daily meals, assuming you increased the number of times you eat in a day. It is good in smoothies, and can be added to oatmeal (let the oatmeal cool a little bit before adding - heat is not good for maintaining the integrity of the proteins). Some people complain that it's expensive, but if you compare the cost of whey to say chicken, gram for gram the whey is much less costly.
• Do take a quality multivitamin. Men should get a specifically formulated men's vitamin, and Women should likewise pick a women's vitamin. The reason is that despite what some feminists would have you believe, men and women are different chemically, metabolicly, and physically. Men need more of some vitamins and minerals than women do, and women need more of some other vitamins and minerals. And just so no one gets any ideas that I hate women or something, I believe men and women ARE different, but equal.
  
• Do try to order sensibly in a restaurant, ask for a carry out box when you place your order, and immediately rake 1/3 to 1/2 of your entire meal into the box. Doing this you can even have an appetizer and desert (no ice cream, it's hard to save!) as long as you only eat 1/2 of them.
• Do eat the rest of your restaurant meal that you saved in 2-3 hours, or take it for lunch the next day.
• Do park several rows further away from your building than you normally do, and for 1 to 4 floors, take the stairs! You can ride the elevator the rest of the way if you like.
• Don't be a glutton. Skip going to a restaurant, ordering a diet cola, and then proceed to fill your salad bowl far beyond it's intended capacity with ham, eggs, cheese, a pint of salad dressing, and a loaf of breads worth of croutons. And then go back for seconds!
• Don't fill up your refrigerator with diet and low fat foods. These things usually taste much worse than their full calorie equivalents, and tempt you to eat more, because they are "diet". If you just cut back on the serving size you consume, you will be doing fine. There might be a few exceptions to this one - skim milk, salad dressing (Hidden Valley Ranch light is pretty good), diet soft drinks, unsweetened tea (use nutrasweet, saccharine, or best of all Splenda) are OK in moderation. Avoid any other food loaded with processed sugar. Eat better food in smaller quantities throughout the day.
• Don't go on extreme diets! Skip the pound of bacon a day diet, or the all fiber diet. Instead try eating smaller balanced meals - a protein, a vegetable, and a whole grain. Lower starch and higher fiber is best - ie use brown rice, or if you aren't crazy about that mix it with white rice by starting the brown rice first, then for the last 18-20 minutes of cooking, add in the white rice, or have some whole oats, or mix some wheat germ with your mashed potatoes, grits, or cream of wheat. Plain instant (or quick cook) oatmeal is your friend as well. Flavor it with some no sugar added preserves or jam, and make it with milk instead of water. Not to bad.
• Don't expect to lose 20 pounds in one week! Try having reasonable expectations of 1-3 pounds per week, or even better, go by your Body Fat Percentage. Over 6 months, it's possible (but not guaranteed) to lose 10 percentage point off your body fat level! For instance, you could go from 26% body fat to 11%, depending on how much effort you put into it.
• Don't be a scale slave. Check your weight once per week, tops, and if possible, get your body fat percentage checked every month. You might be burning up the fat, even if the scales don't seem to be falling very fast. Remember that muscle you were building? It weighs something too, but that's good weight!

These pointers should be enough to get you started toward a healthy new year, and help you prepare for that flesh flaunting season of Summer. There are no miracle diets that will shrink you from a 42 inch waistline to a 32 overnight. Buy some inspirational books to keep you motivated. Here are a couple I have read, want to read, or want to give as gifts. I did not include Pilates books for women, because most are designed by women for women. Click here for some results from Amazon.

For Women:

French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating For Pleasure

Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat : Secrets of My Mother's Tokyo Kitchen

Body for Life for Women: A Woman's Plan for Physical and Mental Transformation

For Men:

Body For Life: 12 Weeks to Mental / Physical Strength (Book) by Bill Phillips

PowerSculpt For Men: The Complete Body Sculpting and Weight Training Workout Using the Exercise Ball

The Complete Book of Pilates for Men : The Lifetime Plan for Strength, Power & Peak Performance

General:

Eating for Life: Your Guide to Great Health, Fat Loss and Increased Energy!

The Okinawa Program : How the World's Longest-Lived People Achieve Everlasting Health--And How You Can Too

Be patient, be steady, be consistent, and you will see results.