We all make them:

a last-minute New Year Resolution three minutes before the clock rolls over and usually with a kissy-kissy, over-boozy and quickly forgotten camaraderie with fellow revelers. I am not a fan of New Year’s Eve: I prefer an elegant dinner at home with good friends, my mother’s fancy china and my mother-in-law’s wedding stemware to add to the festive feel. And of course, 2-3 bottles of good Champagne and several coveted wines that I have been hoarding to toast the eventuality of 2018. But what happens after that?

New Year: Resolved

Many of us resolved to lose weight, renew our gym membership, be less judgmental, more forgiving at the beginning of  ‘017. Remember?? TONS of ambiguousness here. Let’s resolve to remove the ‘resolution’ in our 2018 resolve. Rather, let’s set ‘goals’ for our personal, spiritual and physical improvement in 2018.

My one goal for 2018 focuses on the fact that I have gained an additional 13 pounds in 2017. I stopped going to my trainer, was traveling a lot for followsummer and resigned myself to a simple slide into the holidays after a whirlwind tour of Miami and the Islands of Guadeloupe and all the french gluttony she offers: wine, accras, bread, rum, T’Punch AND Planters Punch.  So, to steel my resolve and keep my goal to lose the additional weight, next week will mark the start of a complete Cleanse and Detox and of course a traditional Juiceless January. My colon, liver, and lymphatic systems will thank me once the 12 Day Cleanse and Diet are complete and I will also lose the requisite weight by focusing on diet, portion size, calories, and detox rather than the pounds and the gym. I initiated the same Herbal Cleanse last year to limited success: I fell off the red wine wagon with a loud crash and with a tuck and roll, continued to bounce down the road of one-small-glass-of-wine-can’t-hurt complete denial.  I am determined, in a New Year goal setting kind of way, to stick to it this time.  I remember last year being happily surprised that the recommended diet pretty much parallels what we already eat so would not anticipate any head-achy withdrawal from cheeseburgers and sodium that my research said would happen. Seems to be directed at overweight and diet-unconscious Americans, not to me. Amazon is offering a great Sale on the Wild Rose D-Tox Kit Sale! Brand: Wild Rose

Size Matters, Portion-Wise

I am also limiting my portion sizes in 2018 because portion control is a vitally important part of maintaining a healthy diet and weight. Here are ten easy ways to limit what you eat:

1. Measure accurately.

2. Learn how to estimate serving sizes.

3. Use portion control dishware: i;e SMALL plates!

4. Dish out your servings separately.

5. Make your own single-serving packs.

6. Add the milk before the coffee.

7. Measure oil carefully.

8. Control portions when eating out.

9. Add vegetables.

and finally 10. Listen to your hunger cues.

New Years Eve All Over Again

I will spend next week restocking my pantry and fridge with healthy foods including almonds, rice cakes for snacking, fresh herbs, green leafy veggies, and fish (for me at least, my husband is Veg so will deal with that as it comes)  for the ‘80% allowed to eat column’. Prior to this self-infliction, I will find myself at the St. Lawrence Market, buying hard Italian cheeses (forbidden) hot chorizo (doubly forbidden) and various brined and vinegar based (very forbidden) peppers, grilled artichokes, mushrooms and olives for an Antipasti that I am putting together for a friend’s birthday party. After a fun evening of several glasses of red wine, and Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate Guinness Cake, we will Uber cab it home and await the dawn of our ‘018 Detox and Cleanse. It’s New Year’s Eve all over again.

The Wild Rose Herbal Detox and Diet comes with a handy cookbook and is available at most Health Food Stores in Toronto. Do your research, however: The licorice root in the CL Herbal Extract should not be taken by anyone with high blood pressure. Don’t forget to consult your healthcare provider before starting the process. I did.

Detox well my friends and Happy 2018! 

Please note: This post contains product links from Amazon.ca which are affiliate links, meaning if you click over and purchase something, we will receive a tiny percentage of the purchase price (at no extra cost to you) which goes towards maintaining followsummer.com Thank you in advance!