Happy New Year!

I just want to thank everyone who took the time to send me those
lovely notes and emails over the holidays.  It was so neat to
open an in-box full of cheery greetings!  Thank you! 

Along with those greetings were some amazing testimonies of
weight loss in 2007.  I think what encouraged me the most is that
every single person who lost weight said things like:

"It was so easy!  Didn't feel like dieting at all."
"All I had to do was make a few simple changes."
"I'm so happy about my weight now--I feel like a different person."

And maybe best of all:  "My husband (or wife, or family) have
started eating like me and they're losing weight, too!"

These people are "getting it".  "Real People Don't Diet" started
as a simple book for friends and family to outline how my husband
and I lost weight in 2006 and 2007--without dieting.  But now it's
become somewhat of a crusade for me.  I want people to stop
dieting!  Structured eating plans, counts, special (and expensive)
diet foods are NOT something the average person can keep doing
the rest of their life! 

Know what else?  Typical New Year's resolutions to eat right and
start exercising usually fall by the wayside, too, reinforcing the
perception I think a vast majority of us have:  that it's
impossible to eat right, lose weight and be healthy!

How do I know this?  Because I was part of that "vast majority"
up until very recently.

But that perception just isn't true.  You CAN lose weight.  You
CAN eat better.  You CAN be healthier!  And you don't have to be
miserable doing it.

Making a few simple changes can make a huge difference.  You can
likely serve the same meals you serve now, with just a
few minor and inexpensive adjustments.  At least, that's what we
did.

All I know is this...Chris and I finally lost weight after years of
trying, and it was one of the easiest things we've ever done.
We've managed to keep it off for well over a year, through holidays
and vacations and regular daily life for a young and busy family of
five.

So if we can do it, we know you can, too.

Make a resolution to STOP dieting in 2008!  Blow off all those
diet books, diet centers and $10-a-day diet foods.  (That's $300
a month, folks!)  Give "Real People Don't Diet" a try.

But do me a favor and DON'T think of it as a diet.  I'm sometimes
disheartened by people who write in and complain that RPDD isn't
structured enough, or they need more detailed counts and
nutritional information.  These people missed the point.

RPDD is about losing weight WITHOUT having to do all that stuff.
I don't know what you like to eat or how you live.  And who wants
to be bothered living by labels and counts?  Not only that, when
you go out to eat, how do you know the counts in what you're being
served?

Get real...stop dieting...enjoy what you eat...and watch your
weight go down naturally!

http://www.realpeopledontdiet.com

***

My solutions for some other resolutions you might be making (at
least, they're all on my list!):

Resolution #2:  Getting my schedule organized. 

 

This one on your list, too?  Try using my friend Tammy's daily Bizzi2Go planner.  It's compact, but features fold-out pages gives you tons of space to write stuff.  It also has plenty of room for lists.  I can't live
without mine.  Even my dad has one.  They're on sale for 2008!

http://www.bizzimom.com

Resolution #3:  Start a home business.  Make extra money.

I've been doing this consistently since 1998, when I quit my
corporate job.  I did medical transcription, Google Adwords
arbitrage and was a virtual assistant for a bit.  But the
absolute best and most consistent source of in come for me has been
content websites (which provide a nice place for "Real People
Don't Diet" to live, of course!).

If you know something about anything, you have the ability to share
that knowledge online.  You can put up a website, generate helpful
content, and earn extra money by giving others the information they
need. 

The best place to get training on how to do content sites, training
on how to build a website that will be found in the search engines,
AND all the "stuff" you need to host a website (building it,
tracking it, marketing it, improving it) can be found at
SiteBuildIt!.

Take time to research this. It's not get-rich-quick by any means.

http://buildit.sitesell.com/budgetbuild.html

Resolution #4:  Get out of debt.  (Boy, is this one on my list.)

Don't fret over why or how you got into de bt.  Life can throw you
some twists and turns at times.

Instead, make a plan to get it out of the way once and for all.
My friend Leo has a great plan he's been sharing online since
1995.  This is what we use each year.

http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=341299

Resolution #5:  Get my filing under control.

Maria Gracia at GetOrganizedNow.com is has finally launched
her "Oh-So-Organized Filing System".  And if you don't already have it, her
inexpensive "Finally Organized, Finally Free" Home Edition is a
gem:

http://budgexpert.getorgnow1.hop.clickbank.net

***

Whew!  That was longer than I originally planned.  Thanks for
sticking with me.  I hope one or all of these tools helps you
get on track for 2008.  Let me know how they worked out for you!