It is now January second. You are finished with the parties, the leftovers are gone and the dishes are all put away. You are just getting out of bed (unless you forgot to feed the cat-oops). What is the first thought that comes into your head? Your New Year's resolution, of course. And I bet it goes like this: "today I start the (fill in the blank) diet, and THIS time it is going to work!"

Before you get started, may I make a rather unusual request? Why not make your new diet a "non" diet? That's right; why not give up dieting for the New Year? After all, you have been on and off diets so many times you've lost count. You have never been able to keep the weight off which makes you feel lousy about yourself, right? So why not try something new this year? How about making your New Year's resolution discovering how to become "at peace with food"?

Perhaps I should explain a bit.

Let's face it-diets do NOT work. Or, looking at it slightly differently, all diet work: while you are on them. The dilemma is that once you START dieting, ultimately you STOP dieting, and the weight just comes right back, correct? So, think about what would happen if you stopped dieting? Relax, take a moment to think about this.

Is it scary? Probably. You are so used to following a diet, being told (by a piece of paper, a television personality or the latest diet book) what to eat, and when to eat it. Now, you have to throw all that away. What's going to happen?

It is possible you may gain some weight. Why? Because you are so used to depriving yourself of the foods you love that when you take away that restriction, it's all you want to do. But guess what? When you understand you can eat dark chocolate (OK, my favorite, not necessarily yours) anytime you want, you find yourself reaching for it only when you are truly hungry for dark chocolate. You won't be grabbing it because you are angry, or depressed, but because you are really hungry for-dark chocolate. But more significantly, you discover you are satisfied with less chocolate.

One of the many problems with dieting is that you have been depriving yourself for so long that you are afraid to trust your own judgment about what is right for you. You have developed such a difficult relationship with food that you no longer know what it feels like to be hungry.

Becoming "at peace with food" is a journey that involves developing a new relationship with food. Instead of being marked by frustration and disappointment, by fear and competition between you and the food you eat, food takes its place as one of the many activities in your life, along with family, friends, working and being active. And, like these other activities, it becomes pleasurable.

Becoming at peace with food is learning to trust yourself again-to make the right choices for yourself. It results in no longer fearing food, but loving food and all the activities related to cooking, eating, and living.

Let's start this New Year by accepting ourselves, becoming at peace with ourselves, and at peace with food.

Have a wonderful holiday season and a happy New Year.