As the holiday season and year come to an end, we have a wonderful opportunity for a new beginning. Make this New Year a year of wellness that will last a lifetime. The most popular resolution made, and broken, each year is the resolution to lose weight. Let's look at a simple framework to help you keep your resolution. Don't overwhelm yourself by creating unrealistic timetables or grand goals. Instead approach your year using this gradually increasing tempo during your first four weeks.

Week 1: Be honest

Write down your answers to these five questions. Answer them one at a time or write a narrative in journal form.

1. Why is losing weight and being healthy important to you?

2. What has caused you to be at your current weight?

3. Why have past attempts failed?

4. When do you want to eat and when do you overeat?

5. How will you feel once you have reached your goal?

It's important to assess your honest feelings, and once you've done this, it will be easier to increase motivation and face your past mistakes.

Next, weigh yourself once and record that weight as your starting weight or baseline. Do not weigh yourself any more for the rest of the month. Our action plan for this first week includes cutting out all sodas and to stop eating at least three hours before bedtime.

I believe sodas are the biggest contributor to empty calories throughout our day. They are filled with sugar and sugar-free soda still has sweeteners that will keep you craving sweets. As for no eating before bedtime, we simply don't need calories when we're not going to actively burn them.

Week 2: Carb control

Let's continue our prior week's changes and add a little more. Our action plan now includes decreasing food portion sizes and avoiding white or simple carbohydrates (this includes white bread and pasta). Always eat breakfast and aim for five equally-portioned meals throughout the day. Roughly 20% of your calories for the day should come from each meal. Think of white carbohydrates as sugar. Change to whole grain breads and pasta and increase your intake of fruits and vegetables.

Week 3: Move it!

While continuing with changes you made during the weeks past, let's now add some activity. Your action plan now is simply to add motion to your life. Take the stairs, walk daily, jog five days a week, speed-clean the house or take dance lessons. What matters here is that you increase your activity level. The change is meant to be simple and enjoyable so that you'll keep it up.

Week 4: Evaluate & celebrate

Add to your action plan a celebration of your accomplishments and prepare to put all of these steps together into your life of victory. Honestly evaluate the time you are devoting to yourself and your goals. Are you giving yourself the attention you deserve and need to accomplish your goals? Are you maintaining each small change of the first three weeks? These changes are the foundation to greater accomplishments in future months. As author Barbara Kingsolver says, "Small change, small wonders -- these are the currency of my endurance and ultimately of my life."