Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Sun Lite for Jan. 5, 2004

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, Jan. 5, 2004 | 8:13 a.m.

Eat less, laugh more

The holidays are finally behind us, and gone (by now, we hope) are all of those decadent holiday treats. Of course, depending on how heavily you indulged during the season, it may seem that they're still on your tail, so to speak.

If you're like millions of other post-holiday heavies who resolved to shed some pounds this year, humorist Judy Gruen - author of "Till We Eat Again: Confessions of a Diet Dropout" (2003, Champion Press, $13.95) - hopes before diving headfirst into your New Year's diet, you'll first pause with her to tongue-in-cheekily reflect on some of the worst get-thin-quick schemes 2003 had to offer. Among her nominees:

Portable treadmill?

Speaking of careers, business travelers know it's not easy to stay fit when they're forced to snack frequently on those teeny bags of airline peanuts. Meanwhile ridiculously lengthy meetings leave little time afterward to hit the hotel gym.

For these harried corporate cogs, there is Body To Go. Designed by TV personality/fitness instructor Jessica York, host of "New Spaces" on HGTV (Cox cable channel 64), the 90-minute fitness DVD can be followed on a laptop computer screen - in, say, an office or hotel room - and offers cardio and upper- and lower-body workouts, as well as "core conditioning" and stretching exercises, at a cost of $34.95.

Upgrade to the "VIP package" ($99.95) and receive a workout bag that includes something called a "hideaway shoe tunnel," a cosmetic/shaving bag, a pocket in which to store a plastic water bottle and a nutrition guide to help make wise meal choices while dining on the road. It's available at www.bodytogo.tv. Chewing the F.A.T.

You probably won't feel the burn, however, by simply lugging a DVD from place to place. And, let's face it, in desperate times those peanuts can be pretty tasty. Given these obstacles, the buff bods behind www.ontrackfitness.com know that often what dieters crave most (besides a giant chocolate shake and drippy cheese pizza) is moral support.

The Vancouver-based company recently launched its Fitness Accountability Trainer (F.A.T., for short) service, which will call and e-mail members - who pony up $19.99 for one month's worth of notices - a personalized, daily reminder of why they've committed to and should keep pushing forward with a diet and/or fitness program. Memberships are also available for three months ($59.99) and six months ($107.99), and include a "Fitness Goal Planner & Tracking Journal."

Imagine hearing this from your office's receptionist over the intercom: "Ms. Brady, your F.A.T. is on the line, calling to further drill into your psyche the blubberball' taunts you endured throughout fifth grade. Should I take a message?"