The New Year is comfortably in the past, and so is the impulse to stick to a list of failed resolutions.

But it’s not too late to get back on track and renew those ever-distant goals. The Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce just might have the ticket to motivate with its OH Fit! program.

The idea is to promote a healthier lifestyle and encourage participation in existing services available throughout the community, said Lori Rhodenbaugh, creator of OH Fit!

Locally-owned restaurants are one such asset, she said. That’s where OH Fit! and Sweet Rice Thai come in. Now health-conscious individuals, or those who’d like to watch their waistline, can have their cake and eat it, too.

Registered dietitian Suzie DuPuis worked with Sweet Rice to modify several items on the restaurant’s exotic menu, so a night out can be socially satisfying without breaking this year’s “eat right” resolution.

Sweet Rice Thai is currently the only restaurant on board, said Rhodenbaugh, who hopes other eateries will join the OH Fit! movement.

Restaurant manager Lek Allen first met with DuPuis in November to review the menu offerings.

Sweet Rice was a good first candidate for the program, DuPuis said.

“The meals here lend themselves to the OH Fit! guidelines for their lean proteins, vegetables and overall high fiber content,” she said. Controlling sodium content was the biggest challenge, she said.

Right off the bat, DuPuis scanned the selections for a possible appetizer, entree and dessert that could be “modified” for a complete meal that’d conform to the OH Fit! guidelines: less than 1000 mg of sodium, a maximum of 750 calories for the entree and 250 calories each for the appetizer and dessert.

The menu once-over provided DuPuis with a starting point.

“That was to see what we had to begin with and trim what was necessary,” she said.

DuPuis selected the summer roll with plum sauce as the appetizer, kow mon ghai as the entree and a black rice pudding dessert. She asked the chef to record each ingredient and the quantity used for each course.

“Even that’s a hard step,” she said. “Chefs are notorious for not sticking to their recipes and not writing them down.”

The end product, an entire three-course meal, contains 808 calories and costs $14.95.

“Eating right is hard,” said Rhoadenbaugh, a self-proclaimed “junkie” for refined carbs, cheese and other food items best enjoyed in moderation.

For anyone struggling to keep this years’ resolution, the OH Fit! menu may be the ticket to dining out and slimming down.