We know not to say the “F-word” but the new word NEVER to say is the dreaded “D-word”
Yes, friends, we must not ever say the word DIET.

Okay, I am exaggerating just a bit, but you and I both know that dieting, or even saying you are on a diet, is so very OUT that you simply must not do it. Going on a diet is bad, bad, bad. We never say it or do it. You know I am right. To prove it, I will just ask you to stop for a second and think of all of the synonyms you can think of for the word DIET.

Taking care of yourself is not a new concept, but it is a hard one to grasp. Please allow me to bring something different to the table—let’s talk about who you are in the great scheme of things.

All right, I guess we all know that love is not really all you need. I mean food, clothing, a house, a car, friends, a glass of wine all are pretty important and I could go on and on. Honestly though, love is not a bad place to start, especially in February with Valentine’s Day and all. They say love conquers all, and I think there is a lot to that. However, I would like to dedicate some thoughts to not just love, but also to a few related things that make life better.

All right, no falling asleep now.  No nodding off either. This is a very important column and you really should read every word very carefully. Who is that snoring out there?  It better not be you or you will miss out on some very valuable information about—you guessed it—sleep.

Last month I shared a couple of lifestyle tips, and interestingly enough, I had several email questions about the little piece I shared dealing with sleep as a health issue. I will expand on that since there is interest, and also since there is a variety of new research about the benefits and drawbacks of sleep. Yes, believe it or not, there are actually as many drawbacks and health issues surrounding the concept of too much sleep, as there is about too little.

Yes, your mother used to say it, and so did mine. In general, this is good advice, but in my case, not so much. I grew up on a farm with everything from cows, sheep, pigs and horses to chickens and guinea fowl. It was not all that safe to play outside if you know what I mean. You really had to watch your footing. The air was not all that fresh either. Again, you catch my drift?

So, dear ladies, this is how you know the resolution business has taken a real downward turn: you dig out your notebook to make your resolutions and see that you have had the same ones five years in a row. How many times can you promise to lose 10 pounds, call your friends more often, eat a healthy diet, and be nicer to people? Well, I finally got on to the fact that these sorts of things were not only not working for me, but were actually making me quite depressed. What, you say? Never any better even with all of this resolving and reevaluation? Well, no more. I am about to share the secret of how to actually keep some resolutions and do it easily.

So, dear ladies, this is how you know the resolution business has taken a real downward turn: you dig out your notebook to make your resolutions and see that you have had the same ones five years in a row. How many times can you promise to lose 10 pounds, call your friends more often, eat a healthy diet, and be nicer to people? Well, I finally got on to the fact that these sorts of things were not only not working for me, but were actually making me quite depressed. What, you say? Never any better even with all of this resolving and reevaluation? Well, no more. I am about to share the secret of how to actually keep some resolutions and do it easily.

When I read this wonderful quote by Winston Churchill, I was so inspired I sent it to one of my old weight loss fatty buddies in California to let her be inspired, too. We have been doing the diet ballet together for many years, and even now that I live in the Lowcountry and she is still there, we email each other food journal entries, share recipes, and lament over those pounds that always seem to hang on to your hips, no matter what you do.

Dumbing down has become such a big catch phrase lately, I thought we, as responsible readers of Pink and “Skating Uphill” should look at what this means. Not only for us as smart, cool ladies, but as (OMG!) people who might be doing it to ourselves. By this I mean, girls, how actually awful is it to be that little 20 lbs over weight, or to make up a phony excuse for being late or not doing something we said we would do? I honestly think that this sort of thinking has invaded many aspects of our lives. I also am going to go out on a limb here and say that I do not think this is always a bad thing—so there. Yes, I have joined the Dumbing Down Hummers!

Every month at the bottom of this column I ask for reader questions and feedback and I actually get quite a bit. I have some nice compliments that really make me feel as if I am doing something to help sisters along the path of life. I also get a few (very few, thank God, because I get my feelings hurt very easily) that are negative. All in all, I love to get feedback. This month, I will address some of the comments I have received.

It is July now, and we’ve all had on our bathing suits and gasped in shock. Most of us have toughed it out at the beach or sandbar, anyway. July is peak season for getting motivated, but what exactly does it take to get us off the sofa and out of the air-conditioned house to actually get moving and burn off those wine coolers and ice cream? (Perhaps, you can tell, by the previous sentence, that I’ve been indulging in wine coolers and ice cream.)

All right, ladies, last time I promised you something HOT for summer and here it is. The hottest thing about summer is, of course, the sun. I love to get a tan; I think I look great with a tan. I have done it for years. I grew up in a very hot climate and I was young and foolish. What teenager sits in her room reading about the dangers of tanning while all her friends are at the beach? No one, and you know it!

Yes, ladies that is true. Poop poop poop on those who are too skinny, too tanned and too well dressed. How can they possibly be happy? Ha, Ha, we know they must secretly be miserable, right?
Well, if you do not think so, listen to this: France, the fashion capital of the beautiful people, has just passed a law that models cannot be too thin or have their photos air brushed to make them appear too thin. In order to model now in France you must have a BMI that insures you of good health. I do not know what that is, but I assume it means you will not pass out on the runway at the Isaac Mizrahi show or be sick all over your dress at the Ralph Lauren event.

We all know that living a healthy lifestyle is not just about food. Not by a long shot.
It is a very involved process that brings many feelings and emotions into play.

Pushy, aggressive people have been known to say: 
“Lead, follow or get out of the way.” I say that is a big crock. 
How much better is it to “march to your own drummer” in the parade of life?

All right, so if New Year’s resolutions do not really work, what else can we do? Read on for some really NEW thoughts. Remember, you saw it here first!

As “Gone with the Wind” opens, our very slim heroine Miss Scarlett O’Hara 
is being urged to eat a stack of pancakes with gooey syrup on top so that she won’t appear hungry or greedy at the upcoming lawn party. Actually, that is not such a bad idea.

Well, sisters, November is a time for harvest, gratitude and self-evaluation.
OK, I know that harvest and gratitude are not really conducive to self-evaluation,
but now is as good a time as any, especially with all of the yummy food
coming our way as Thanksgiving approaches.

We have heard it a million times: The only way to lose weight is through diet and exercise. However, recent studies tell a slightly different story. Exercise is, in fact, not really
an essential part of a “weight loss” plan. It is not possible to exercise off excess weight without proper nutrition, nor is it possible to keep eating a poor diet and maintain
a healthy lifestyle, even if you exercise. There it is, folks, and it is true.

Ha, Ha, just kidding, but not really. Sugar is a very serious subject and getting more so all of the time. Sugar is also very complicated—not just a complicated set molecules—but a complicated health and dietary problem, as well. I cannot go into all of the medical ups and downs of sugar and its effect on the body.

Is this a fabulous summer or what?
Last time, I promised to do a Q-and-A, as I get many questions about the things I write and mention in the classes I teach. I hope one of these questions is something you wanted to know.

Is this a fabulous summer or what?
Last time, I promised to do a Q-and-A, as I get many questions about the things I write and mention in the classes I teach. I hope one of these questions is something you wanted to know.

Last month I promised to review a few books for you. I hesitate to use the term diet books because many so-called diet books currently on the market are not really about weight loss, but are more a collection of charts and recipes. Not that it’s bad. Other so-called diet books are actually exercise manuals and food charts. That's not bad either. You will also find the healthy lifestyle type of diet books that can be very good. Books like Wheat Belly (Rodale Press Inc.) are a whole different genre and are meant to be warnings about avoidance and should only be taken as such.