THERESA: "Fifty percent of women are on a diet at any one time. Strike a blow for independence!" So writes Mary McHugh in her new book "Eat this! 365 Reasons to Stop Dieting," a fun little volume you might want to pick up as you're enjoying post-holiday snacking this weekend. Here are a few inspiring reasons she mentions in her book: No. 3: "Marilyn Monroe was a size 12." No.257: "Creamy , sugary cappuccinos are much tastier than black coffee." No. 260: "Extra weight is good for extra traction in winter driving conditions." No. 275: "Oprah Winfrey looks fantastic fat or thin." No. 313: You're healthy, you feel terrific and you love the way you look. End of story." And No. 361: "There are now women sumo wrestlers, and you can be one if you put on a little weight."

Before we all get into New Year's Resolution mode, can you come up with good other reasons NOT to diet, girlfriends? And everyone else who comments this week will be entered in a drawing to win any item you choose from our Girlfriends Online Store and a copy of McHugh's book, too!

APRIL: Reason number 1: Your mom is making a seven-course holiday dinner, and you haven't had these foods all year...ahh, clams casino, yum!

ELLEN: Reason No. 2: I once heard that Jackie Kennedy said on her death bed something about how she wished she hadn’t worried so much about her looks and she wished she had eaten more ice cream.

She was considered one of the sexiest and most admired woman in the world and she had everything she wanted - except enough ice cream.

Pass that egg nog.

JENICE: I think dieting is a BIG mistake. You screw up your metabolism by making your body think it's starving. And most times, you gain more weight in the end. It's all about finding what works for you and sticking to it FOREVER. Not just for six weeks or however long you plan to diet. Am I right, girlfriends?

THERESA: Amen to that!

APRIL: Yes you are right. If you change the way you eat, you learn to eat like that all the time and get used to not eating some of the bad stuff.

LAURIE: Here's a more serious take on the uselessness of constant dieting. It's from a great article on New Year's resolutions in the Yoga Journal by Phillip Moffitt: "Opening to the possibility of change is healthy, for like plants the old parts of yourself have to fall away, lie fallow, or die so that what wishes to emerge can do so. When an impulse to make a change arises, the first question to ask yourself is always: What is your motive? Is it wholesome? ... A simple example is weight loss, something a lot of people think about this time of year, yet seldom handle skillfully. For many, losing weight is a worthy goal because it promotes good health and ease of movement. But these health reasons are seldom the motivations behind dieting, which instead tend to be vanity or the desire for social acceptance. Therefore, the effort put into losing weight is actually reinforcing the very longings that are throwing you off balance in the first place. Organizing around unwholesome motives in this manner will not help you move into a healthier relationship with yourself and seldom unifies your efforts to change, so you fail to sustain your intention and never achieve your goal."

JENICE: Reason No. 3: Nobody wants a bone but a dog. Curves are in. Thanks J.Lo!