Every year

At the end of the year, make up a new year's supply of blank daily log sheets. Excel users should simply repeat the procedure used to make the first batch (see page ). When the new WEIGHTxx.XLS worksheet appears, copy the last trend number from the previous year's log (the Trend entry for December 31st) and enter it in the Trend column of the new year's log on the line above the January 1st entry labeled ``Trend carry forward.'' This lets the trend for the new year continue right where it ended the previous year. Once that's done, save the blank log worksheet for the new year and use FILE PRINT to print the logsheets for the next year; file them in the ``Daily Log'' section of the logbook. Be sure to make a floppy disc backup of everything in the WEIGHT directory and save the backup in a safe place. Should your weight records fall victim to a hard disc disaster, you need only reload the most recent backup and re-enter the data for the subsequent days from the logsheets.

If you're keeping records manually, just copy some more blank log sheets for the new year and continue to carry the trend from the last day of each month onto the new month's log as before.

The end of the year is an excellent time to sit back and review the charts for the preceding twelvemonth. Looking back over the changes in your weight over that time, whether quick loss as you removed weight, minor fluctuations after achieving stability, or an upward creep when something disturbed the balance, and reflecting on the events at those times, how you felt, and how you reacted to the changes, will increase your understanding of how weight affects you and, more importantly, how you can affect it.