Here are my suggestions for some New Year’s resolutions that, if kept, will lead you to feel healthier, happier and more productive in the New Year and beyond!

1. Carry a water bottle with you whenever possible. Drinking water will eliminate much of the confusion of hunger versus thirst, properly hydrate your system, plus  your skin and hair will look healthier and you’ll feel great!
2. Bust your worst vice. Identify the very worst thing you are doing on a regular basis and then stop doing it!
3. Find some form of physical activity that you enjoy and make doing it non-negotiable. I don’t allow family events, travel, work or anything else interrupt my regime.
4. Lend your time to help further a cause you are passionate about.  Getting involved is a lot more positive and productive than wasting your time counting points, combining foods, journaling every bite you eat or obsessing over your physical condition.
5. Become more aware of your actions and their ramifications. We mindlessly do so many things without ever stopping to realize the significance of what they are doing to our mind and body. Awareness coupled with a change of habit can lead to dramatic results.

I also invite you to resolve to join me on my mission to help one million people lose weight for free.

If you’ve ever been on a diet, then you are probably familiar with food cravings. In this video, I explain how PGX is a natural way to help you manage the fluctuating blood sugar levels that can cause food cravings. Try joining best-selling weight loss author Julia Griggs Havey, who wants to help one million people lose weight for free using the PGX Program. Here is how you can join her mission!

Arya M. Sharma, MD posted some interesting blogs last week on sustaining weight loss. In his easy-to-understand reviewing of the DIOGENES Study, he explained that eating slightly more protein and slightly fewer high-glycemic-index foods may make it easier to keep weight off. He also discussed the paper published in last month’s European Journal of Clinical Nutrition which shows how PGX can delay the glycemic response after a meal.  As he put it, “Obviously, simply sprinkling PGX over your food or taking PGX capsules is very unlikely to have all of the benefits of actually eating low-glycemic-index foods (which tend to be healthier for many reasons other than just their glycemic index). But, when food choices are limited, PGX may well provide a practical solution to dropping the glycemic index of a meal.” The complete study is on our website at http://www.pgx.com/ca/en/articles/a5/the-science-of-pgx. Dr. Sharma is well-qualified to help you win at weight loss. He is Professor of Medicine & Chair for Cardiovascular Obesity Research and Management at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. He is also the Medical Director of the Edmonton Capital Health Region’s interdisciplinary Weight Wise Program. Here’s a link to Dr. Sharma’s blog. We encourage you to follow his work! http://www.drsharma.ca/obesity-fibre-supplement-can-decrease-glycemic-index.html

You can’t ring in the New Year without first singing out the old, so here’s to the old—“ Auld Lang Syne” that is!

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And days of auld lang syne? And days of auld lang syne, my dear, And days of auld lang syne. Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And days of auld lang syne?We twa hae run aboot the braes And pu'd the gowans fine. We've wandered mony a weary foot, Sin' auld lang syne. Sin' auld lang syne, my dear, Sin' auld lang syne, We've wandered mony a weary foot, Sin' auld ang syne.

We twa hae sported i' the burn, From morning sun till dine, But seas between us braid hae roared Sin' auld lang syne.Sin' auld lang syne, my dear, Sin' auld lang syne. But seas between us braid hae roared Sin' auld lang syne.And ther's a hand, my trusty friend, And gie's a hand o' thine; We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet, For auld lang syne. For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne, We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet, For auld lang syne.

And now, let’s get on with the new you! In what has become a very twisted tradition, here is yet another of my seemingly endless renditions of a timeless classic:

“Oh, my Bigger Behind”

Should old binges be forgot, and bigger is my behind? Should old fad diets be forgot, And days of my growing behind? And days of my growing behind, my rear, And days of my growing behind, Should old fad diets be forgot, And days of my growing behind? We tried to eat the cabbage soup, And bought the TrimSpa line. We’ve wondered why we don’t lose weight, Sin’ of my growing behind. Sin’ of my growing behind, my rear, Sin’ of my growing behind. We’ve wondered why we don’t lose weight, Sin’ of my growing behind Did lunges until sported I' the burn, From morning sun till dine, But sense my hunger pangs still roared Sin' of my growing behind. Sin’ of my growing behind, my rear, Sin’ of my growing behind. But sense my hunger pangs still roared Sin' of my growing behind. And here’s a hand, my dieting friend, And gie's a hand o' PGX; We'll tak' a cup o’ healthy food yet, For my shrinking behind. For my shrinking behind, my dear For my shrinking behind. We'll give PGX a try yet, For shrinking my behind! Okay, enough misery! Although, it is a bit catchy if you sing it to the tune of the original. For a guaranteed healthier New Year’s Eve, I have some useful tips to close with:

• Drink mostly water. Unhealthy, sugary drinks will pack on the pounds in a hurry.  This means limit your alcohol intake, too. So, stick to water: Remember, your body is two-thirds water so it should be at least two-thirds of what you drink!
• Avoid or limit appetizers and desserts.  Most people get more than a meal’s worth of calories from appetizers and desserts alone, so make a commitment to limit yourself.
• Be sure to include exercise in your schedule – Get an hour of movement in before the party begins and burn off those extra calories that you may consume.

Have a happy and healthy New Year! Carpe Diet! Julia

There probably isn’t a more difficult time of the year to try and stick to a diet than over the holidays, but the good news is that there also isn’t an easier time of the year to easily identify the things that pose a diet danger. So, without further ado, let’s identify the dangers lurking around the diet corner so you don’t pack on the typical seven pounds over this holiday season that most Americans will.

1. Eggnog. Think with your noggin on this one! One serving will set you back around 460 calories. It’s not really an egg, which can be healthful if prepared correctly, and what is a nog anyway? Webster’s says that it’s a strong ale from England. I say: Leave it there instead of wearing it on your hips after just a few sips! Make it your rule that you will only eat egg whites or egg beaters, and since alcohol doesn’t make for good omelets, opt for a wine spritzer if you feel the need to indulge.
2. Cheese Balls. Great balls of lard! A typical nut-covered holiday cheese ball packs 421 calories—350 of them from fat! If you would like to look better in a swimsuit come Memorial Day 2011, you had better toss the cheese ball off your plate and pick up something from the veggie tray instead!
3. Pecan Pie. It’s just plain nuts! At a whopping 500 calories per slice, this dessert is sure to keep the cardiologists busy cracking—rib cages open to perform bypasses, that is!  A handful of roasted almonds is a much healthier alternative, or if you’re in the dessert mode, try a heavenly slice of angel food cake with some fresh berries.
4. Sweet Potatoes. They really aren’t that sweet for you! One cup of candied yams will destroy your diet intentions. Rather than soaking up 400 candied calories, opt for a baked potato and save yourself around 300. Or do without either: that would be sweeter! And, for the love of all things healthful, don’t ever put marshmallows on a perfectly good vegetable! Just one tablespoon of sugar lowers the immune system for up to six hours, so why add sugar to anything?
5. Cranberry Sauce. Leave it with the sugar plums—dancing in your head, instead of on your plate! A tiny half-cup serving of canned cranberries has 200 calories. Besides that, do you really want to eat something that keeps the shape and markings of the can it comes in? Not to mention it has zero nutritional benefits! Take a bit more time and make a fresh cranberry mold. Not only will you impress your family, you will also be treating yourself to the antioxidant feast that is found in fresh fruits.
6. “I’m stuffed!” How many years have you said that after a holiday meal? Well, this year, ‘stuff it’ right! Gizzard-infested stuffing is pure junk and tastes horrible compared to stuffing made with crisp celery, onions, raisins and apples! Try a healthy, homemade alternative and go easy on it! “Stuffed” should be left to the turkey, not you!
7. Roll with it! Passing the rolls isn’t going to ruin a healthy holiday dinner as long as you stick with hearty whole-grain varieties. Find a local baker and splurge on real bread!
8. Talk Turkey! Ham and duck are traditional holiday favorites, but as long as it isn’t fried, turkey is still your best caloric option. Make sure to choose white meat and take the wishbone, not the legs.
9. Giving! I realize that we don’t usually think of giving or doing for others as a diet tool, but I promise you this: if you put in some time helping other people this year, it will put your weight loss journey and its challenges in a much more productive light. One Thanksgiving, my husband Patrick and I took our children to a homeless shelter. We cooked trays of green beans and healthy sweet potatoes the night before and brought the food to the shelter. We served the meal and spent a few hours talking with and getting to know many of the wonderful people who were there that day. My daughter summed it up perfectly when she said “they are just like us.” Yes, we are all the same, and we all need the same things in life: health, happiness and hope.
10. Football! Hey, I love America’s pastime as much as the next woman, but seriously now? Hours of sitting on the couch and watching other people exercise will do about as much good for your midsection as watching someone else win the lottery will do for your bank account! Try adding a little Kennedy to your holiday and get outside and toss the ball around for awhile. That will make longer lasting holiday memories than whoever scored what touchdown in whatever ball game, anyway.

I wish health, happiness and hope for you in this holiday season. Just avoid the pitfalls and trappings of the ‘typical’ holiday and I promise that yours will be anything but typical! Carpe Diet! Julia Sign up for Julia's program today!