Hello again! I’ve taken far too much time off from this blog, and I truly miss the mental stretch of writing. Since it’s resolution time, I’ll make one now: write once a week in this space. Let’s see if I can do it. You have permission to publicly razz me for any lapse.

It is worth mentioning that I have kept one resolution for about six weeks now. What with all my commuting (up to two hours a week day), I was getting a little…paunchy. Even with semi-regular exercise. So in mid-November, I decided it was time to take arms against my personal demon: The Snack.

When hungry, my first impulse is to eat something “bready” or fatty, and it’s not uncommon for me to eat a half box of Triscuits if it’s in the cabinet. Really. So I launched a nutritional experiment: denying myself gluten, sweets, and all of Jane’s leftovers (pizza, pasta, mac & cheese, cake, etc…). Ouch.

Recent psychological studies have shown that our willpower is actually a finite resource, and I fully expected to backslide. Yet against all odds, I seem to have tapped a supernaturally plentiful vein of internal strength. I’ve even managed to keep this deal  in the face of the holiday season’s gastronomic temptations.

I suspect several factors have abetted my determination:

• Lori has fully supported me on this. Since she went gluten-free before me, she’s removed many of the worst offenders at home and loaded our larder with all sorts of unusual flours, good veggies and alternative snacks.
• My co-worker Troy can’t digest gluten, so I’ve learned quite a few strategies on how he makes it work.
• I work in Boulder, where every restaurant has a gluten-free menu. Surprised?
• I’m not traveling for work, so I can surround myself with healthy choices like breakfast smoothies and veggies.

The upshot after six weeks: I’m feeling far better, less bloated and just lighter, even though I doubt I’ve lost that much weight. Lori’s noticed the change, and she’s not a needless flatterer, so there’s that. I do have the occasional nibble of cookie or draft beer, but those are small transgressions. I’m excited to see how far I can take this.

And with that, a happy new year to you all! May your 2015 be a year of good health, may your resolutions be easy to keep, and may we meet again soon. But please – not for pizza.