Diet and the New Year

Dieting seems to be the most common New Year's Resolution. I guess some people need a target date to implement their goals. While I have nothing against a weight loss program, I have a big problem with fad diets and those who expect miraculous results.

I believe there is only one way to lose weight and keep it off. It's called torture. Torture involves a disciplined exercise regimen and ignoring the taste buds. Drinking three glasses of water before a meal for that feeling of fullness won't cut it. After all that water my taste buds are screaming for something good.

My daughter Allison and I were discussing diets recently and she told me about a comment Rosie O'Donnell had made. Rosie had baked Tollhouse cookies and offered them to her then new girlfriend, Kelly. Kelly refused the offer, stating she wasn't hungry. Rosie wanted to know what hunger had to do with it. I can so relate. It's not what is going on in our stomachs that makes us want to eat. It's those tiny, annoying buds on our tongues that demand to be satisfied. I'd have to splurge to the point of misery before food would no longer appeal to me. Even then, it would be a brief fast.

I'd like to report that I have complete control over my taste buds, but I'd be lying. Like millions of other people in the world, I give them full reign. Even during those times when I try to eat a healthy diet, I know how to wreck the health benefits of vegetables with cheese and fruit with pie crust. My favorite source of protein is Peanut M&Ms. Like I said, it's not the feeling of fullness that sheds those pounds, but learning to deny the whims of the buds.

Regardless of my weight, I have to indulge in the foods I love. And because of that, I have to implement the torture diet by setting some limits. Yes, I'll eat my hamburger and fries, but half of it will go into the garbage can. I have to have pizza and savor the smaller portion I have allowed myself to have. If we were truly honest with ourselves, we'd admit that half a burger is filling. The other half is used only to keep those taste buds happy.

There is no miracle drug on the market that will instantly melt away those pounds. I am not fooled by all the claims made by weight-loss products or fad diets. The only solution is the torture diet with exercise and extreme restraint. Show those taste buds who's boss.

But if a product is ever available that numbs the buds and keeps them in a stupor long enough for weight loss to begin, I'm a customer. Until then, I'm at their mercy except for the rare occasions when I have a smidgen of control. Unfortunately, I don't have the upper hand for long.

Welcome 2007 and the dreaded torture diet.