Kick Start! I do love my Vitamix.

I considered starting the year off with another juice fast. We did a 3-day one from Dr. Oz last spring and it was fantastic. It got us started on a very long health kick and I lost about 10 pounds, but my husband lost almost 40 pounds (and maintained most of that).

However, I realized what I'm really seeking is that energy boost from all that fresh fruit and veg. So instead of juicing, we decided to do all fresh veg, fruit and lean proteins for a 2-week kick start.

We'll use our Vitamix for this. A green juice in the morning and a Vitamix all-vegetable soup at night, plus a salad for lunch and various fruit or lean protein snacks. The Vitamix has definitely been well worth the cost as we use it almost every day, even when not eating super healthy.

I also decided to join Weight Watchers, as I pretty much always have to be held accountable by tracking what I'm eating. Turns out they have a 2-week introductory program called Simple Start which has a very similar concept, except a bit less limiting. In addition to the fruit, veg and lean proteins, they allow you some carbs. Things they consider "power foods." Then they also give you 7 bonus points a day for a little splurge.

So we ended up doing a version of Simple Start, except without the carbs, plus with that 7 bonus points, we give ourselves one piece of dark chocolate at the end of the day.