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Resolution Solutions

Should auld acquaintance be forgot And never brought to mind I'll take a cup of kindness, dear And lose my big behind In a tradition as long-standing as Dick Clark, noisemakers, and ralphing in a cab on the way home, many people start each new year with the solemn vow to lose weight, "and this year I'm really gonna do it!" Before the confetti is even swept away from Times Square, supermarkets begin stocking their freezer cases with frozen boxes promising the American dream of weighing less than one's own IQ. Reliable favorites share shelf space with gourmet mini-meals branded with the latest trendy diets. They tempt us with exotic sounding names like Chicken Basilico, Butternut Squash Ravioli, and Grilled Whiskey Steak. Yet somehow, eating them over the sink in stained sweatpants, they all manage to taste like Beefaroni. It's 2007---hasn't technology given us a better way?Of course it has! Now all those boxes are backed by comprehensive websites teeming with tips and tools, information and inspiration. I put four of them to the test Lean Cuisine:   Tips  -    Ask a Nutritionist  - Recipe Search Tools -          Meal and Fitness planners -          Personalized Nutrition Assessment  Information -          Store Locator  -        Nutritional Details  -        Weight Watchers POINTS  Inspiration -          E-cards  -          Hawaiian Vacation Sweepstakes  -          Success Stories  Sample Meal   - Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce Healthy Choice Tips -          Interactive Food Pyramid -          Nutrition Facts 101  Tools -          Health Calculators -          START Making Choices (registration required), includes personalized daily meal plans, activity plans, logs, trackers, and a free 30 day membership to Bally Total Fitness  Information -          The Healthy Choice Shopper, an interactive product guide -          Nutrition and Fitness articles -          Recipe Finder  Inspiration -          Hawaiian Vacation Sweepstakes -          Success Stories  Sample Meal -          Beef Tips Portobello Smart Ones Tips -          Online Coupon -          Recipes  Tools -         Food Style Personality Quiz  -   Search by POINTS Values  Information -          Product Guide -          POINTS Values  Inspiration -          None, other than the trusted brand recognition of Weight Watchers.    Sample Meal - Turkey Medallions with Mushroom Gravy South Beach Diet Foods from Kraft Tips -          Recipes   Tools -          South Beach Diet Online (paid registration required)  Information -          Product Guide  Inspiration -          Online Community (paid registration required) -          Miami Meet'n'Greet with South Beach Diet Creator Dr. Arthur Agatston (paid registration required)  Sample Meal -          Garlic Herb Chicken with Green Beans Almondine  Of course these aren't the only spots on the InterTubes where a girl can steel her resolve to de-tubbify.  Sites like iVillage, SparkPeople, and Discovery Healthare great resources for nutrition, fitness, and the encouragement to get into head-turning shape for Valentine's Day…er, Easter…er, Bathing Suit Season.