Now that it's January, the magazine publishers are hoping we feel enough guilt over having enjoyed our food "too much" over the holidays to buy their product. No doubt they will lead us to believe that there is some new magic bullet out there that we can only discover in their pages. Have you noticed yet that this is an annual event? Have you noticed yet that there is nothing new under the sun in the world of weight loss-as--big-business? And that there never really is?

It seems like the holiday season brings us face to face with our ambivalence about food. Many of us, women especially, suffer this pattern: enjoyment leading to guilt and self-blame, followed by rites of purification and penance (read: Diets and Depression in January).

Actually, dieting is counter-intuitive as well as counter-behavioral. Our natural instinct is to feed ourselves and to do it well. We are not programmed to starve ourselves. In fact, a major reason why people experience weight-loss plateaus while dieting is that the body is trying to protect itself from starvation, so it slows down the metabolism as a survival/coping mechanism, to conserve body fat. And by the way, body fat, in moderation, does have a purpose.

I would like very much to discourage people from "dieting" altogether, and to give up the concept of healthy eating as an Big Event. It is not an event, it is a process. The only approach to weight control that will really work is a gradual adjustment of our lifestyle in the direction of health. And this is not nearly so overwhelming and unattainable (or unpleasant) as it may seem.

Over the next few months, I'll be writing more articles about this subject, alternating with some fun cookbook reviews, here on the Monthly Message page. I'm hoping, over time, to inspire you to gain a healthier, happier body (and self) though enjoying food more, not less. Your joy will keep you healthy, and your health will open the door to joy.

For this month, here is a to-do list. Please try to follow it, thinking of it as "a series of small changes in your daily habits and overall attitude," instead "a diet." AND DON'T FORGET TO BREATHE DEEPLY AND GO EASY ON YOURSELF!

List 1: Try to do all of the following:

• Allow the "bad" foods twice a week. Let yourself have the bowl of ice cream or the piece of cheesecake. One caveat: Have one serving, place it in or on a dish, sit down, breathe, and eat it slowly. You must enjoy it! Please do not disobey this rule. Don't feel guilty for eating it. Only feel guilty for not loving it. Got it? This might be the hardest thing on this list.
• Understand your reason for wanting to lose weight, and only do it if the reason is coming from inside yourself. Please don't try to lose weight to please someone else.
• Move more. Even a little bit more. You don't need to join a gym. Just use the stairs, sweep the floor, park a few blocks from your destination, stretch.....you get the idea. Become a mover.
• Eat fewer junk calories. Substitute with quality calories. Begin by replacing just one "white starch" with a serving of whole grains per day. Eat more fruit/vegetables/beans/good oil calories (like olive oil, nuts, nut butters).
• Drink lots of water. Guzzle it all day! Try replacing fruit juice and soda (even diet soda) with water. You can do it!
• Look upon these adjustments as a deep, gradual change for the rest of your life. Simple as that.

I'll be back with more encouragement on this subject in the March message. Next month, some cookbook reviews.

Wishing you all a HAPPY, HEALTHY NEW YEAR FULL OF LOVE AND JOY!

Mollie