I have mixed emotions about New Year's resolutions. Sure, they can be great and all. I mean, who can argue that resolving to clean up your diet and fine-tune your fitness are not good ideas? I guess I'm with Karla, though -- resolutions should not be tied to the calendar (read: January 1), and they should not be short-lived, as so many of them are. Resolutions should be made on any old day of the year (I resolved to change my diet and exercise routine one year in May, as good a month as any), and they should be viewed as life-long, life-changing tweaks. Treat them as fleeting brand-new-year intentions, my friends, and what you've got is the potential for a major diet derailer.

Think of the typical New Year's weight-loss and fitness resolutions like you would a crash diet. They come on fast, deliver some swift success, then taper off, leaving life to return to its usual pattern, which often includes bags of chips, cookies, Coke and lots of channel surfing. Nothing like a set-back of this nature to send you back for another Snickers bar and another dose of diet depression.

There's nothing wrong with making resolutions this time of year. Just aim for obtainable and try to make them stick. Try boosing your odds of resolution success by practicing these 10 tips (sexy lingerie and afternoon delights make the list). Here's another 10 steps to try (sorry, not as racy). If you think timing is everything and it's just not your financial time to get fit, CNN.com tells you how to recession-proof your resolutions. And my personal favorite: AOL Health wants to help you meet our weight-loss resolutions this year. Get the scoop here.