In western civilization, New Year's Resolutions are a big deal.  A new year means a new opportunity to meet goals - and losing weight is a popular one.

But do they work?  People binge like crazy during the holidays and heavy people were not eating moderately before that. So dieters are already in the hole, weightwise.  And eating less food is hard.

Writing at Policy Mic, Cameron English says 80% of all dieters fail to lose weight, and one-third even gain additional weight but their health loss may be psychology's gain.  The big question they want to address us: Why is willpower so useless when it's most needed?

Why So Many New Year's Weight Loss Resolutions Fail by Cameron English, PolicyMic.com