Back on New Year’s Eve 2012 I posted a story about the New Year 2013, and making resolutions. Personally I resolved to be more patient, and to be kind & compassionate this year. Then in the comments below I said I would also try to be practical and lose 5 lbs by the end of January. Click here for previous post.

Well, it is now January 31, and happily I can report that I have lost 5 lbs and I’m feeling much better.

How did I do it? I used the bathroom scale of course to verify results, but I mostly just set my mind to:

1) eating less or half portions
2) cutting back on sweets/desserts
3) exercising more (walking more, even up stairs in buildings instead of using elevators, and bicycling more)
4) trying not to eat past 7 p.m. at night (but I did fail & ate some left over spicy Asian chicken one evening which caused me heartburn & a sleepless night, so I will avoid that behavior again)

Additional tip: if you’re trying to lose weight, start small (with just 5 lbs, which is easier to attain) than to attempt to lose 20 lbs. immediately. And now I have to resolve to keep that extra 5 lbs off my person.

As for being patient, I failed that one two weeks ago by being somewhat impatient with a friend in playing mah jong. I will do better next time. Patience is definitely a virtue.

And I’m still working on being kind and compassionate throughout this year.

Let me know how you’re doing with your resolutions, for those of you who made them and remember what they were. Good luck. It takes perseverance and a positive attitude.