Maura Desimone, from the Color and Design Trends blog found a great new gadget to help you lose weight.

A New Year begins with nothing other than a new resolution! Consistently over the years, resolutions stay pretty much the same….losing weight, spending more time with family & friends, cleaning your closets, quitting smoking, renewing your spirit, whatever it may be. In the flavor of honoring perhaps the most popular resolution of all time…weight loss…I’ve found the perfect weight loss (aka healthy eating) assistant. It’s called a “Nutrition Kitchen Scale“. I have never heard of these, but after reviewing it, I wish I had. This scale has the ability to analyze the nutritional content of your food by portion size. It calculates the calories, protein, carbohydrates, total sugars, total fat, fiber, sodium, cholesterol & carbohydrates found in your food. Not only does it help you track what you’re eating, you can also save it to the memory to more accurately track your eating habits….no cheating here! And who would mind having this sleek, stylish scale on your counter top? It’s almost art. This is a great way to support yourself for a happy & healthy New Year. Click on the photo below for more info…

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Why do people make resolutions for the new year? Many use it as a catalyst for accomplishing their goals. Many take the opportunity to try something new and improve their lives. I’ve put together a list of some of the most common resolutions people make. If you haven’t made your resolution list yet, you may find some ideas here:

1. Quit Smoking. Several people I know were able to do this last year, and it is a good resolution to try and keep. There are some great resources online that can help you, and many state health departments sponsor programs as well. Here’s one – quitnet.com. You will feel better, breathe better, and your health will begin to improve sooner than you think. Your friends, family, car, clothes and computer will thank you for quitting. Those who love and care about you should support you. Good luck!
2. Lose Weight. This isn’t just about the holiday pounds. Our society is getting heavier and heavier – are you? This is one of the most common resolutions people make, and it’s a good one. I’ve been working on mine for three months, and I’ve lost twenty pounds!! With determination, you can do a lot. There are many things you can do to get started. You can join a gym, order DVD workouts, join online support groups… the possibilities are endless. A great place to start would be something like Weight Watchers. They have calculators to help you keep track of what you eat, they have message boards for support, and it is a well-known name. There’s also places like Beachbody – programs that offer many options for exercise, diet and support all in one place. Keep at it, don’t give up. After all, if you don’t have your health, what do you have?
3. Eat Healthier. Be specific in your weight loss, and be honest. You know, McDonald’s isn’t going to help you lose weight, and neither are those Christmas candies. You’d be surprised at how much money you save AND how much better you feel taking a homemade lunch to work instead of eating fast food. Make some conscious choices, and use the official Food Pyramid as your guide. Plan your menus and your meals ahead, don’t shop hungry and you’ll be pleasantly surprised how you can accomplish this goal.
4. Exercise More. This one goes along with eating healthy and losing weight. You will receive better and longer lasting weight loss results, and improve your heart and lung function. Please remember to talk to your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program.
5. Take Time for Family. Are you a workaholic? Do you remember the names of your children? What about birthdays and anniversaries – have you forgotten any lately? Life is short, and we need to make the most of it. You can’t take your job, your money or your computer with you when you die – but you can take your experiences and the love you share with your family. Make sure you let them know how important they are to you, and try to do it on a daily basis. If you don’t have children or you aren’t married, consider talking to your parents or extended family more often.
6. Return to School. Did you leave college before you earned a degree? Did life happen before you had a chance to get a higher education? It’s not too late, you can take online classes, night courses, or some type of correspondence course for many areas of study. You can keep your day job! All it takes is some hard work and dedication. You may qualify for financial aid, grants, scholarships… you never know unless you try. If you don’t have your GED, what are you waiting for?!? Step up and improve your life, and finish your high school education. If you are still young and not of age, please stay in school. Work hard, earn good grades, and they will take you far in life.
7. Stick to a Budget. With the state of the economy, I’m sure you are feeling the pinch. If you haven’t been laid off yet, you may want to think about keeping to a budget. Figure out your expenses, your income, your investments, and put them all in one place. There are applications like Quicken and MS Money, but there are also free programs that can help you too. You could also go “old school” and use a ledger book. The most important thing is to balance your checkbook and keep an eye on everything that goes in and out. How you keep track of that is up to you.
8. Change Jobs. Working at Wendy’s and want to get more out of life? Well, now is your chance! If you put together some of the resolutions above, you can accomplish this. You’ll be able to budget your money, go to school and work at the same time, and get your exercise to work off those half price meals. Check your local Workforce Services or job board for things you may be qualified for. Don’t sit back and complain – be proactive and do something about it!
9. Have Patience. Everyone could use more patience. Whether it be with your co-workers, your boss, your family, or your friends, try counting to ten once in a while instead of raising your voice or flying off the handle. Make sure your interactions with others are positive – make conscious choices to lift people up and not tear them down. Try listening to Tony Robbins or something, and improve your self-esteem. You’ll be surprised what an effect it can have on your relationships with others, your patience with them and the success you will have.
10. Help Others. As you know, Ponzi and I always try to help those less fortunate. There are things you can do too, even if you don’t have a lot of money. Your local food bank will always accept donations, no matter what time of year it is. Hungry people exist every day, not just around the holidays. Non-perishable foods are the best, because they have a longer shelf life and can be easily stored. Donate useful items that you don’t use anymore – glasses, coats, shoes, blankets, and wearable clothing.

What resolutions have you set? How successful were you last year? Feel free to share your ideas, experiences and encouragement for the new year.

Oh, and by the way – HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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After a pretty good dinner on New Year’s Eve (at Latitudes on the Regent Seven Seas Voyager cruise ship), Ponzi and I retired to our small suite for the night. We’re not really party people. Plus, Ponzi’s been feeling a bit under the weather since leaving Seattle. She’s had a sore throat, cough, upset tummy, etc. I believe all this honeymooning excitement has been hindering her body’s immune system.

We celebrated Midnight silently in each other’s arms. On New Year’s Day we’re “at sea”, so I’m going to force her to stay in bed with plenty of OJ on hand (the beverage, not the bloody glove guy).

I guess sitting on the cusp of 2006 / 2007 is just as memorable as any other New Year’s for the two of us. We usually don’t plan anything large, and I’m grateful for that. She’s fast asleep, so I’ll take this time to outline a few of my New Year’s resolutions for 2007:

• To remain close to my ideal weight (145lbs). Of course, being on a cruise ship with fantastic food is a serious suspension of any normal eating habits – but I’ve set up the exercise equipment in our new house already, and will be jumping back on the Gazelle when we return home on the 9th of January. I’ve been in that range since Gnomedex, so my lifestyle doesn’t need much tweaking at this point.
• To kick Gnomedex into a higher gear. There’s so much I really want to do with Gnomedex, and I hope we’ll be able to solidify some kind of industry partnership to bring these dreams to fruition for one and all.
• To conserve more energy and “think green.” We just watched ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ on the cruise ship’s cable network, and it’s… really got me rethinking about how I could be part of the solution instead of part of the problem. If I can, I’ll rework my Acura RL lease and trade it for a hybrid. I’m also going to go through our entire house and replace every light bulb with more energy efficient lighting. Apparently, I’m also suppsed to call the power company and ask them if they have something called “green power,” too. We already recycle, but I’m actively researching other ways we might be more proactive in curbing our expenditures and emissions.
• To extend an open line of communications with my family. For his present a few years ago, I promised my dad that I’d call or email every week (even though he says that email doesn’t count). For the most part, I’ve stuck to it – and on busy weeks, he’d call me to remind me that I didn’t call. I am going to try to do weekly emails to my family, so that even if they don’t care what we’re doing – at least they’ll know. It may be nothing more than a series of bulletpoints and minor updates, but it’s better than nothing. Having them in Seattle for our wedding was really nice, and now my family is twice as big!

There’s a small set of realistic goals for me to achieve. I’ve been wanting to pick up smoking for a few years, but I can’t seem to ignite the habit. Maybe in 2008 I can become the Marlboro gnome?

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