It's been a year since my last New You checkup with CNN. I'm delighted to say that my health has steadily improved; I've maintained my weight loss; and not once did I feel deprived. Finally I realized that prescribed diet plans don't work. When you start a diet, somewhere in the back of your mind is a plan or point in which you will stop. That is why it's important to make lifestyle changes.

Eating healthy is not all salads and chicken breasts. Nor does it mean you won't be able to eat your favorite foods. As the desserts editor for BellaOnline.com, I test recipes and review products, so learning to eat sweets in small portions was crucial.

Of all the good things I've experienced since my New You, I'm most thrilled about not having to take prescribed medication for my arthritis. When the program started, I took a leap of faith and tossed it out. (I don't recommend this to anyone. Always check with your primary care physician about any medication concerns) The arthritis is still there, but it is manageable with over-the-counter medication. How cool is that!

That's not to say it has been smooth sailing all along. This is life we're talking about here, and stuff does happen. At the onset of my lifestyle makeover, emotional eating was a big issue; well I've had several tests to see if I could hold out and I did. My son Casey recently found out that he is being deployed back to Iraq in November. That was a tough one. Emotions and common sense tugged at me, and common sense prevailed.

Exercise has been my saving grace. That along with sharing my fit tips with anyone that will listen. The most important fit tip is to approach wellness from the inside out. When you make optimal health your goal, the changes you want to see on the outside will emerge. Keep a few things in mind when formulating your goals:

Make a promise to yourself that you will totally love and accept yourself just the way you are. Not every body is destined to be a supermodel body.

Exercise is essential to successful, long-term weight loss. However, be real about what you can and cannot do. Don't be a weekend warrior, take it slow and easy.

Don't allow stress to interrupt your goals. Everyday living comes with a certain amount of stress that can't be avoided. Seek effective ways to deal with it. Remember the Serenity Prayer. Change what you can, accept what you can't, and have the wisdom to know the difference.

Don't be the Lone Ranger; a support system can make all the difference in the world. If you don't have a family member or friend who will back you 100 percent, there are online communities that will virtually hold your hand and pat you on the back.

Now allow me to share with you what has worked for me:

Have an eating plan that allows a variety of foods, eat well and often. Enjoy eating, food is not the enemy.
Get in the habit of keeping a food and activity journal, it increases your attentiveness, and is crucial in tracking your progress.

Wear a pedometer, it's a wonderful motivator.

Learn to read labels. The difference between what you think and the actual serving size can make or break an eating plan.

Increase your water intake. It helps your kidneys perform at their peak and also helps to keep you feeling full.

Exercise and cross train consistently. One workout a week does not make a fitness plan.

We have the capability and time (believe it or not) to create and implement a fitness plan. Out of 1440 minutes a day you can find at least 30 minutes of intentional or incidental exercise. Break it into 10 minutes 3 times a day if you have to. Your hunger for fitness has to be stronger than your desire for nachos and cupcakes.

Always allow some "Me" time. Need I say more?

10) If you make a plan to eat less and exercise more, and stick to it -- it works. Discover what you like, what suits you, and do it.

9) The fact Cheetos contain real cheese and are packaged with a snappy tiger ain't all that.

8) When you go off the healthy diet and workout wagon, get back on. Action this day!

7) It's important to go off the wagon now and then to remind yourself you're not missing anything that important. Like steak au poivre washed down with a little shiraz.

6) A 40-year old can finish a two-day, 150-mile charity bike ride (www.msandyou.org) or plausibly enter the Army Ten Miler run (www.armytenmiler.com) if one trains and doesn't eat everything put before him at restaurants.

5) Supportive family and pals make life better, and keep you from becoming obnoxious about it.

4) Redirecting the junk-chow budget towards new clothing that fits the New You does rock.

3) Time spent exercising creates energy that makes the rest of your day more productive. Thus a healthy person who wants to succeed can't afford not to exercise.

2) Will and judgment suffer when you are overtired. Notwithstanding scientific findings that coffee is a healthy life-giving ambrosia, it is not a complete substitute for a balanced diet and exercise.

1) If by the grace of God a lobbyist can do it, a human being can, too!

What a wonderful experience! What an interesting experience! What wonderful and interesting people I've met and what life enriching "aha" revelations I've had -- in the course of less than one year!

As I've stated time and again, the best thing fused into my lifestyle is being mindful of mindless exercising -- Taking my body and routine up a notch, incorporating different ways of moving that'll include my entire body, simply tightening my stomach and gluts or breathing consciously, even while simply strolling through the mall, all make measurable differences.

Am I the only one? For years, I did not believe it was necessary to work on the total being -- at the same time. As long as I was working on something -- anything -- that was OK. I noticed how diet fads, gurus and equipment gadgets targeted unsuspecting desperate 'dieters.' Because their superstar spokesperson swore by its effectiveness, it was suppose to be so.

Not long ago, I'd assumed that if I were dieting -- i.e. no carbs, the cabbage diet, the shakes etc. -- there was no need to exercise too. And I'd still expect to lose the weight.

Or, if I joined a gym, parked farther away from my destination or bought a new gadget from an infomercial, then I didn't have to watch what I ate -- and I would still lose weight. Dang it! It ain't true! At least not for me.

Total body health and feeling great takes a total mental makeover

If you weren't raised to eat only when hungry, work to a sweat doing chores, partake in routine family outdoor activities of any kind and were not taught what your body actually is and what each organ and tissue is used for, expecting to pick up the total mind and body makeover as an adult has its difficulties.

It's kind of like growing up in a household, on a block in a community where every last person is grossly overweight. How are you going to know if you are overweight? A diet to this person is adding a SlimFast to their scrapple, egg and cheese sandwich on buttered potato bread and mayonnaise (for dipping) on the side.

And will drive to a job that is a mere eight walking blocks from the house. Or 249-lb Aunt Tiny's lying on the couch as she does everyday after work, with the remote in one hand and a diet soda in the other and an empty carton of Snackwells proclaiming this to be the first day of her diet. How and where does a child acquire the knowledge and engrain the habit into their total being?

So folks, my metabolism isn't the way it used to be where I could hit the club and dance the carrot cake right off. My body has told me that I've got to exercise its lungs through cardio; stretch and utilize its muscles w/ strength building; and since I'm determined to eat what I want -- when I want to eat it -- at least pay attention to the portion size.

I said I'd quit smoking after I finished school; I thought I'd lose weight first then quit smoking. I tried one week of weight training only and slacked on my morning run. There was a stint where I even slipped back into my Krispy Kreme and egg-fu-yung habit, believing the daily run would at least "balance" me out.

Folks, it isn't called a total mind makeover for nothing. It's an essential piece of the whole me, that, to be honest, I haven't fully embraced. But thanks to New You; my pair, Frank Purcell; and the many well-wishers & bloggers, the journey toward knowing what it takes for me was quite an investment yielding life enriching returns. And knowing is half the battle.

So if you decide to purchase that shiny miracle Ab Lounge -- don't stop attending your Weight Watchers meetings. OK? See you on the dance floor!

OH! I almost selectively forgot. The pairs did a weigh-in update and I bought my scale in from home. Apparently, I'm finding out for the first time that my scale has blessed my ego with a 5-7 pound reduction. It seems every scale in my house gave me a sustained weight of 150 pounds. Anywho, New You wanted to weigh us again at the gym where they believed the scales would be accurate.

Ladies and gentlemen, I will go to my grave protesting the gym scale. I believe they inflate the scale by 5 pounds to make the member believe they need to continue their memberships. So we're at the gym ... on both the digital ... and the [sniffle] old fashioned scale, I weighed 159. But that was w/ my clothes on, the braids in my hair and the .04 lb microphone thingy. And who really weighs themselves at home w/ clothes on. Not me -- NEVER! IT'S A CONSPIRACY! But I've decided I'm going to leave my scales just the way they are and live in blissful ignorance. Besides I'm sexy with or without those conspiratized 9 pounds.

Peace, Stars & Butterflies

It has been nine months, and I am hard pressed to answer the question: How ya doin'?

The diet has been going well -- a few slips and falls -- but I am eating healthy, avoiding potato chips, French fries and my other favorites, but I could have been doing more with exercise. Yes, I have the standard excuses: I am too exhausted to go to the gym: It is too late; It is too early -- too this, too that.

This summer, we remodeled our kitchen, and we ate out more than usual. And the highway department is replacing a bridge in front of my house, making it much longer for me to get to the gym, so I have to really want to go. Hey, there's no excuse for not using the treadmill in the basement, but it looks good for the story!!

I know I have to stop the excuses, so I am asking the assistance once again of my New You buddies, and the CNN community to jump start me again to exercise. I really notice the difference when I exercised from when I haven't.

I look forward to working with the next generation of "New Youer" -- just as the past has worked with us.

It has been six months since the official end of filming of the New You program on CNN, and nine months since it began in January 2006. Old habits, of course, die hard, and diet and exercise routines are no exception.

What has really helped me maintain a reasonable weight (which is not necessarily my ultimate weight) has been continuing to work with my trainer, Jennifer Winston.

Case in point, I took August off, spent some time at the beach, and promptly put back on a couple of pounds -- you know, boardwalk fries and all. Even though I continued to exercise at the beach, riding my bike with the kids, and jogging (and sucking in my gut for the benefit of the bikini-clad natives), I found it difficult to maintain the routine of push-ups, dead lifts, sit-ups, and squats (Jennifer definitely loves squats) without Jennifer being there. So, it seems that exercise is not a natural activity, and you definitely have to continue to work at it.

It helps to keep an ample supply of fruit in the house and near the office (peaches are my favorite). In the OLD days, if I wanted something "fruity" I might have some jelly beans or Starburst, or something like that. Now, the best "fruity" thing is, well, fruit. I also drink a LOT more water these days, and that seems to help. Portion control is also important, and I have been trying to take more HUMAN portions (supersize fries means supersize Mark).

I have recently joined a program in Washington D.C. called "The Sergeant's Program" at www.sarge.com. I was in this program many years ago, but ended up leaving after the sniper was shooting at everything outside. I recently rejoined the program.

About a dozen people in each group meet at 6 a.m. (yes, 6 a.m.) in a parking lot for calisthenics -- push-ups, sit-ups, and long, long runs. There is almost no break between exercises, not even to catch your breath. It is perfect for anyone who thinks of wind sprints as fun. There are a lot of hardcore people in the group (can you say "one-handed push-ups?") but a lot of normal everyday people with normal everyday body shapes. Many of the people have been in the program for years and do this every day at 6 a.m. Dedication! I am decidedly one of the ones in the worst shape, but I have managed to keep up with them... so far. It does get you out of the house!

Overall, losing weight, dieting, and exercise is a struggle, and there is no magic bullet. It mainly comes down to calories in and calories out. I am still fitting comfortably in my "skinny" jeans, but am not yet down to my college weight (what did I weigh in college, anyway?). By the end of September, I hope to be there.

Welcome back to the New You Resolution.

You'll remember our three couples, who were hoping to get healthy and counting on the "power of pairs" keeping them on track.

The lobbyists: When Donna Watts-Brighthaupt enrolled in the New You Resolution, she enlisted her boss, Frank Purcell, too. Working long hours together meant they knew the others unhealthy vices: a love for fine foods and unhealthy treats and in Donna's case, smoking

The military couple: our husband and wife team from the National Guard in Wyoming, Denise and Pedro Rampolla didn't want to lose weight. But they did want to be healthier and bring some order in what Denise calls "organized chaos" for themselves and their four kids.

The twins: Mark and Stuart Rasch may live in different cities and have different jobs, but they had the same health issues. A little too much weight, high cholesterol and blood pressure and a penchant for not-so healthy food.

When we left them after their eight-week program back in March, each pair was successful in reaching their goals.

Now it's time for their six-month checkup. Did they keep their new, healthier habits or did they have some setbacks?

Joins us and find out how their doing.

All week long we'll catch up with each couple and we'll show you how they're doing now.

You can also hear from them here in this space, directly from their own blogs. And you can tell us and them, what you think about their progress. Did they inspire you to start you own "New You Resolution?"

Let us know what you think, we want to hear your comments.

We all have done the eight weeks, and have survived, as today is the tommorrow we worried about yesterday, and it is the first day of the rest of our lives. I know that I was challanged to do this by my fellow New You'ers, and the other half of my pair, Mark.

It was a lot of hard work, for all of us. Hopefully we have been an example for others to try. I know I have used my example to advise my patients of the "can do" ablity of the human endeavor, that they can lose weight or start training, and stop smoking, and drink less, and take the medications, and...and...If they put their mind to it.

I want to thank everyone else who helped. First and foremost, my wife Carolynn, who put up with my major mood swings, as well as my kids, Erica who I often didn't get to see before she went to school because I was at the gym, and Scott, who was told to be even more quiet when he got home from kindergarden, because "daddy didn't get much sleep" again.

To my trainer,Jeff, at Nyack Fitness. I didn't think swinging a kettle ball could do so much in only 8 weeks, and thank g-d, I missed!! Thank you for pushing me.

To all the staff at Nyack Hospital Emergency Department, who were so good natured about putting ALL the food out in the "doctor's room" so it could sit in front of my face while I chewed my carrots, while all the cake and pizza and "real" food was tempting me. But they understood when I told them to "take that crap away"!!

To all the EMS workers, EMT's and Medics who made the midnight coffee run for us, and DIDN'T get me a doughnut!! (That goes for the Police Departments as well!!) That must have saved me about 30000 calories over the past 8 weeks.

To the producers at CNN who stuck with all of our busy schedules to "invade" and get on tape each of us in our "natural habitat."

To the "on air pair" who stayed with us, even if we didnt find out how THEY did this year.

To the make-up and camera people at CNN, thank you for making me look taller and thinner.

To my fellow physician, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, we learn by teaching, and teach by example.

"I've found if you just eat in moderation, it's OK." Though "to many, total abstinence is easier than perfect moderation."

After years of diet this, fad that, this shake, that video, I’ve found what works for me.

In some ways, I was living unconsciously.

Though I ask if I actually like living unconsciously -- or maybe its just that Calgon moment I long for. Anywho, for me, it goes beyond driving the same route to work for years -- not conscious of what steps it took for me to get there. Or going to Target for Q-tips and not understanding how I spent $100. At least I'm aware of this and knowing is half the battle right?

Living unconsciously filters over to my wonderful groove-inspired mindless morning walks that kept me moving but produced little results. So no more 'mindless' exercises for me. I'll need to continue incorporating those core-building planks, weights on one foot, and butterflies.

Living unconcisously also filters over into how I eat. If I have a large bag of chips while sitting in front of a great show, I'm not counting chips. That bag will be empty by the first commercial. Therefore planning, measuring and recording is key for me. If I don't record what I eat in the course of the day, I forget I had that thick bacon with the chewy rhine [selective memory] and go full throttle at night. Even though I refuse to deny myself the better indulgences in life, planning and recording has helped tremendously. I will "be moderate in everything, including moderation."

Indulgences of choice are personal to some, but a camera sure can do wonders to turn that around. I couldn't have done better than to choose Frank as a New You Pair. I am both proud of him and inspired by his success. And through Frank's temperment and patience, "it speaks volumes for a person that when placed in quite different situations (like a media spotlight), they display the same spirit of moderation." Thank you Mrs. Purcell!

Thanks to my girls Breezy and Olivia for having the courage to snatch the Reese Cups out of my hand and running out of harms way of my wrath, the CNN Blog producers for editing my threads, keeping it clean and legal and the many New You Bloggers whose comments, letters and contributions made it all worthwhile. Oh and Tasha our trainer knows full well that I don't hate her -– there that's my thanks to her.

I must also remind myself that "the best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time."

I hope to hear from you at our 6 month check-ups!

Trivia: Can you guess the authors of the quotes above?