It all started with Thanksgiving, a day that shall forever live in gluttony.

It all started with Thanksgiving, a day that shall forever live in gluttony. Then it was a string of Christmas parties, at work perhaps, or with some friends or neighbors but we partied on right up until Christmas day when we indulged even more. So as we see the beginning of a New Year most of us will make solemn declarations we call our "New Year's Resolutions" which we will typically violate very soon in the New Year. These are always great and important promises yet it is almost a sure bet we will violate them. So does this mean we should just stop making New Year's resolutions? No, absolutely not we very much need to engage in this process but with a real plan for carrying them out.

The very first step in that plan is to make resolutions that can in fact be done. Resolving for example to make this New Year the year you buy an 80 foot Bertram Yacht and ocean front property in Hawaii is a foolish resolution should your reality be that you are an assistant manager at a local grocery store. But beyond making blatantly unattainable resolutions the other almost always bad habit is to make sweeping resolutions with no attention to the detail necessary for the execution.

For example, one very common resolution is to "lose weight" in the New Year. Great – but how exactly do you plan on doing that? Perhaps you plan on joining a gym in January but the absolute truth of the matter is that when the surge of new gym memberships takes place every January by the end of March most of the new members are no longer showing up at the gym. So what you end up with is less money, the same weight and yet another broken resolution.

But does this mean you should just give up and don't even bother with the resolutions? Not at all, even the best Quarterback in the NFL throws an occasional interception and he doesn't just walk off the field when he does. What any good Quarterback will do is just focus a bit harder on the next pass and that is exactly what you need to do.

The gym didn't work out but so what. The bottom line if weight loss is your goal is that exercise while very important is only 20% of the weight loss equation.

The other 80% is the food you eat; what kind and in what quantity. Focus on getting that right, set realistic goals and keep an accurate record of your progress and you really will achieve most of the weight loss resolution. So it isn't ever an all or nothing proposition. Make your resolution but you must also develop a reasonable plan to make it happen and then constantly monitor your plan making adjustments as necessary.

While I have been focusing on weight loss this same approach is valid for pretty much any resolution you will likely make for this New Year. It is always necessary to make a plan in reasonable detail and the monitor that plan regularly throughout the year. Do that and you will accomplish something most folks never accomplish; you will achieve those important resolutions be they financial improvement, weight loss, better health, career advancement or anything that is important to the quality of your life in the New Year and beyond.

Back to the weight loss plan allow me to suggest two great books that can be immensely helpful to you in achieving that objective. One is "Dr. Neal Bernard's Program for Reversing Diabetes" by Neal D. Bernard MD. Don't let the title throw you off. Yes it is focused on defeating diabetes but the tools that wonderful book provides are equally as viable for the goal of weight loss.

I absolutely guarantee that if you get and read that book you will learn far more about the food you consume than you ever thought possible and in the process you will learn the right and effective way to achieve your goal of a healthy weight and avoid even getting diabetes in the process. You can get that book right here: https://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107.

The other book is from little ol' me and it is extremely powerful for anyone truly serious about achieving and maintaining healthy weight. That book is succinctly titled: "Love Live" and is available here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/ron-irwin/lose-live/paperback/product-22328851.html. Get those two books now. Read them and follow what they teach and you absolutely will achieve your weight loss goal for this New Year.

As for those other important resolutions I can only advise that while you may start with a sweeping goal such as make more money, or strengthen your relationship, or advance in your career if you truly want to accomplish your resolutions you will need to move beyond the sweeping statements and develop detail plans and then follow those plans every single day making such adjustments as may be required. Do that and promise yourself to never ever under any circumstances quit and this New Year will very likely really and truly become the best year of your life. Happy New Year! Just 365 days, make the most of each and every one of them. Now let's sit back and watch USC do their best to defeat Penn State.