Last week there was a story in the media about how President Obama was in Savannah Georgia and stopped into a restaurant to enjoy some traditional southern cooking.  The president sat down at a table in Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room and was fed fried chicken, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, baked beans and potato salad.

However, Obama told the members of the press who were in attendance that he didn’t want to hear any grief from them about his choice of food.  “I don’t want to hear any lectures about my cholesterol.  Don’t tell Michelle,” he said.  By the way, that sounds deeeelicious!

With all of the attention – much if it misplaced – on America’s weight problem shouldn’t the president be at the forefront of the movement to eat better?  The same week the president basically said what he eats is his business, public health officials were pushing the results of a study by a group of researchers who say taxing pizza and soda will help people reduce their weight an average of 5-pounds per year and New York City – the home of the leader of the Food Police branch of The Nanny State Mayor Michael Bloomberg  – floated the idea of banning the use of salt in the cooking of foods in every restaurant.

Or maybe President Obama has finally taken a position that will resonate with the majority, in that American citizens should be allowed to eat what they want without the fear of being brow-beaten, badgered and otherwise bothered by all kinds of butt-in-skis.  The president smokes, he drinks beer, he loves to eat good food and doesn’t want to be lectured by his wife and other people.  I think that makes a lot of sense.

Let’s hope the president’s candor on this subject affects the so-called public health officials and other advocates who keep trying to tell the rest of us what we should eat and drink.  People who work hard should be allowed to eat, drink and smoke if that’s what gives them enjoyment.  For that matter, anyone should be allowed to eat, drink and smoke.

So we can let the president’s protestations inspire us to do the same and fight back against the oppressive forces of the food police or just sit back, do nothing and take solace in the fact that even our Commander-in-Chief can’t eat a great meal in peace.

I hate New Year’s Resolutions.  They aren’t inspirational or motivational and there isn’t anything magical about January 1^st that can make anyone start exercising, change eating habits, stop smoking or bring about change in any aspect of life.  If anything New Year’s Resolutions are a recipe for failure and disappointment.

So don’t make one.

The big box gym that I belong to has their personal training staff wearing shirts that say, “I’m your New Year’s Resolution,” or “Make Me Your New Year’s Resolution;” whatever the exact wording is, it’s trite and embarrassing.   This message represents the ultimate in combining a hollow gesture with the New Age laziness that seems to be all around us these days. Just let someone else do it, worry about it, work on it, etc.

Slogans and resolutions are meaningless.  The old cliché that action speaks louder than words is never truer than when aimed at these annoying annual pledges. Hearing someone’s plan to change for the new year is as annoying as listening to people talk about “getting in shape for the summer” scant weeks before Memorial Day.  Exercises in futility, are both.

And another thing, the more people talk about what they are going to do, the less likely it is that they will follow through. Over the years I’ve had New Year’s Resolutioners come in looking to, “make a big change in their lives,” and talk about being committed to changing everything they do. These folks mean well, but they never really have a chance to be successful.

I think people make grandiose plans for change as way to deal with the unhappiness associated with being in a state of mental and/or physical disrepair, kind of like a security blanket.  And the more a person talks about their blanket, the more insecure they are.

If you are going to make a resolution – besides the resolution to NOT make a resolution – keep it simple and keep it to yourself.  Don’t set out to make massive, wholesale changes to your eating and exercising habits.  Crawl before you walk, walk before you run and all of that one-step-at-a-time stuff.

Oh, and Happy New Year!