On careful examination, religious tradition offers a model for behavior modification from which anyone can benefit. It's time-tested, effective and one needn't be a believer for it to work. Master these principles and you too can heighten your awareness, change your relationship with food and enrich your life.

Selflessness

People don't give up bread for Passover, chocolate for Lent or daytime meals for Ramadan simply because they want to lose weight. They make these sacrifices for spiritual or cultural reasons. The effect is a weightier sense of responsibility: If you cheat on a diet, you're only letting yourself down. But if you "cheat" on your culture or religion, you're doing something far more serious. Or are you?

The trick here is to remember that losing weight is not a frivolous or selfish goal. Wanting to be your best can be a spiritual undertaking and losing weight a true voyage of discovery. As you work to understand the root of your behaviors, your weaknesses and your strengths, you will find that food and exercise are not nearly as important to your efforts as heart and soul. Transgressions against your self, therefore, are no different than "sins" against a group. The same principles are at stake.

Never Say Never

Giving up a favorite food forever is almost impossible. Contemplating "never again" for even a few minutes is enough to shake even the most determined will. Giving up a favorite food for a finite period of time, however, is not too daunting. Passover lasts eight days, Lent lasts 40 days and Ramadan is observed for a month.