It’s the New Year, and this year you really, really promise to lose weight! Starting Jan. 1, you skip those Bowl Game snacks and dutifully eat your broccoli. On Jan. 2 you skip breakfast, eat a salad for lunch and a salad again for dinner. Jan. 3: cereal, soup, salad, skip the dessert. Down three pounds already! Way to go!

But guess what? At this pace, by the end of the week you’ll be eating everything in sight! So if you really want to keep your New Year’s resolution, here’s my advice to you.

Stop dieting!

There’s a better way to lose weight, and it certainly does not include starving yourself to slenderness. It’s called weight management.

We’ve been conditioned to think that if we cut our calories way back, we’ll lose weight quickly and then be able to keep it off. Unfortunately, cutting calories down to 800-1,000 calories per day can lead to unintended results.

I know you have all heard of “yo-yo” dieting. Cutting calories too far is a primary cause of this effect, where you lose weight quickly and then put a bigger number of pounds back on. The fact of the matter is, cutting too many calories puts your body into “starvation mode,” where the survival instinct kicks in and all it wants to do is STORE body fat in the midsection.

But there is a better way, and that is by managing your foods instead of dieting. There are three basic rules when it comes to food management:

1. The closer to Mother Nature you eat, the better off you’ll be.

This means eating an apple instead of apple pie. A banana instead of banana bread. Adjust your foods to include lean proteins, whole grains, and lots of fruits and vegetables and you’ll be much better off.

2. Keep the RIGHT calorie count. If you consume too few calories, you’ll burn muscle instead of fat. Too many calories and you’ll gain weight. But hit the right balance of foods within your proper calorie range, and you’ll condition your body to burn excess body fat at a very controlled rate, about 1.5 to 2 pounds per week if you do it well. As a general rule, most women do well in the 1200-1500 calorie range, and men in the 1700-2000 range.

3. Water yourself. You all know the importance of drinking enough water during the day, but when you hear the big numbers like “64 ounces,” all you can think about is lugging around a big water bottle! But if you break it into smaller, manageable amounts, drinking the right amount is easy.

Set yourself a goal of taking a water break on the hour during the business day. Get out of your chair and drink a small glass (8 ounces) at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. & 11 a.m., then again at 2 a.m., 3 p.m. & 4 p.m..

That just leaves you two more servings in the evening, and you’ve satisfied your 64 ounces for the day!

So remember, keeping your resolution is much easier when you manage your foods instead of dieting. Controlling your nutrition and calorie count within a healthy range will keep you on track will condition you to stay on course to reach your goal.