I've decided to give up making New Year's resolutions. By the time you're in your fifties, as I now am, you either decide to do something or you don't. I've been like so many other people, vowing each January to lose weight. Somehow, it seems to meaningless to make a vow like that. It almost implies a finite period of time. Am I resolving to lose weight, or am I vowing to become a healthier person? I think the latter. I hate the word "diet" because diets don't really work. I like the words "healthy eating" because it means making better overall choices with my food instead of the usual mindless shoveling of it. For me personally, I'm pledging to work on using food as less of a comfort and more as fuel to power my body through everyday life. Food has become very pleasurable for so many of us. It does not help, either, to watch the endless commercials and view the blizzard of online food ads. It's just all around us. And, most of all, I've decided to end my resolution to "give up" my favorite foods, such as dark chocolate or oatmeal cookies. A bite here and there won't make me fat or kill me. The deprivation element of dieting is unrealistic, and THAT'S why diets don't work!