New Year – New Habits

I would have been in about grade 8 or 9 when I placed an order from the back of a comic book (I believe). They were weight-loss vacuum pants and were supposed to reduce inches from your waist, hips, thighs, etc. At this time, I probably weighed about 85 pounds.

Here is how they worked. You put on these plastic neoprene pants that had a cap where you hooked up a vacuum hose to these pants. The vacuum would suck them tight against your body, and you were supposed to exercise while the vacuum was running. You were pretty much limited in what kind of exercises you could do while hooked up to an Electrolux vacuum cleaner hose – not a great idea when you actually think about it.

One day while I was exercising with my vacuum pants my dad came in and stopped the whole operation immediately. He told me I was going to blow up the vacuum cleaner if I continued with this nonsensical way of exercising. When I think back about this I can only laugh – and yes, my mom saved these wonderful pants and I still have them today. HAHA

Here are some more diets that I have heard of or have tried over the years. Weight Watchers has always been a constant in the diet industry. Changing their program with the times. When they were doing the “Points” program you were allowed so many bonus points per week, depending on your weight loss goal. I was allowed an extra 18 points per week.

I could have some sweets, extra food, eat out at a fast-food restaurant, french fries or …. a 12 pack of my favorite beer. Guess which one I chose? Of course, you weren’t really supposed to have alcohol while dieting, but ….. when you are 20 and dieting, alcohol is part of the diet! Over the years, I am sure I have been on Weight Watchers 8 or 10 times. And like many of us, I’d lose the weight only to put it back on a year or two later.

What are some of the famous diets people have tried? I googled to see what I could find. Dr. Atkins was very popular in the ‘90’s for many people. The Atkins diet promoted rapid weight loss by severely restricting carbohydrates and encouraging high consumption of protein and fat. It is still popular today and is seen as more flexible than the stricter ketogenic (keto) diet.

Some of the popular franchises over the last couple of decades have been Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, UWeight Loss, The Diet Centre, SlimFast meal-replacement shakes, and others. Some required daily weigh-ins and regular measurements—a lot of work to lose both weight and money! There were also cleansing diets with no solid food at all—just liquids mixed with some kind of “magic” powder to cleanse the body.

And then there was the Cabbage Soup diet? Lots of cabbage soup, fruit and bananas. t was popular for losing eight to ten pounds in a week—but the weight usually came back quickly.

So where am I going with all this? I think most of us know a healthy lifestyle plays a big part in lasting weight loss.

The best way to stay healthy and lose weight is to build habits you can maintain—eating real food, moving your body regularly, managing stress, and giving yourself grace along the way. Some key points to remember are:

* Focus on habits, not diets

* Eat real, balanced food – vegetables and fruit, lean protein, whole grains and healthy fats (olive oil, nuts, avocado)

* Move your body in ways you enjoy and are age suitable. Don’t destroy your knees thinking you can be a runner / jogger. Walking is one of the best fat-burning activities

* Get proper rest and sleep and don’t underestimate the power of chronic stress – it does more harm to more parts of your body than you may realize

* Staying healthy includes mental and emotional well-being

* And remember to be kind to yourself

As I move forward into 2026, I’m trying to improve my own overall well-being—eating more protein, exercising more, and stretching. I’ve found a free YouTube channel called Fabulous 50’s that offers short workouts you can do at home, even in a confined space. She started a 28-day challenge in mid-January, and so far, I’ve stuck with it. We’ll see what the rest of the year brings—today marks Day 21

Take care of your own personal well-being, whatever that may look like for you.

Now for a song. What kind of song should go with this message today? I had to think about that for a bit. I’ve decided on a Fleetwood Mac song—Don’t Stop. They’re a favorite band of mine, and this was a major hit from their album Rumours, which has sold over 40 million copies. The whole album is absolutely worth the time to listen to.

Enjoy the rest of the winter and let’s hope this milder weather stays with us vs the -50 below wind chill days! Until next time – peace out!

Merle Lee Ann Pratt – merleleeannskitchen.com Email: merleleeann@gmail.com

YouTube: @merleleeanskitchen

Note: Parts of this blog were written was the help of Co-Pilot in Word (AI)

This column is sponsored by MacKenzie Funeral Chapel and Crematorium – We will be there when you need us.

130 9th St. E, Prince Albert, SK

Phone: (306) 763-8488 – https://mackenziechapel.ca

by Merle Lee Ann Pratt – Merle Lee Ann’s Kitchen, author of “A Baker’s Dozen”

New Year – New Habits

What's Trending