Teri Boggess, former N&O sports copy editor, writes:

Losing weight will get me a tax deduction.

Well, not directly, but close enough.

Shrinking my waistline has resulted in many of my clothes being simply too large.

I had to face that reality when I was showing a visiting cousin downtown Raleigh and found myself walking along the Fayetteville Street sidewalk trying to look inconspicuous while holding up my very favorite cargo pants.

I have since borrowed back my favorite belt from my husband's closet. A long time has passed since that belt fit, and now it does - second notch, too.

So, as the season changes, I'm looking at my fall and winter clothes. Some local charities will be getting donations of the garments that can't be altered.

Even an unworn pair of casual shoes will go into the box. I had really been looking forward to wearing them this fall, but now they're just too big.

Now, I have a bit of a shopping quandary.

The other day, I stood in front of a sales rack marked down a hard-to-resist 70 percent and thought about next summer and needing new shorts.

And then I thought about not having a paycheck at the moment. So, I passed on the sale.

I'll buy only the clothes that I must have for whatever job I find in my post-newspaper life.

And next year, I'll spend some of my tax refund on shorts for summer.

A size or two smaller, of course.

Happy New Year! Starting a diet today? You're in good company.

Nearly half of American adults vow to change on Jan. 1 -- diet and exercise are two of the most popular resolutions. Seventy-five percent stick with their resolution for a week, and between 40 percent and 46 percent are successful at six months, clinical psychologist John Norcross of the University of Scranton told an NPR interviewer on the eve of 2009.

Think you might fail? Take heart: Norcross says those who make resolutions have a success rate 10 times higher than folks who want to change but don't make a formal resolution.

He recommends setting realistic, not grandiose goals. And don't give up when you slip. That common-sense advice helped me lose 66 pounds last year.

This year I'm resolved to keep that weight off and to be more faithful about exercising, especially on business trips. I hope this blog will keep me accountable.

What's your resolution? How will you stick to it?