Rocky's Friends July 2004

[Lazy Daisy]

The Moment of Choice

Every day, each of us makes many choices that impact our life. Some are minor and will only impact the next few seconds, minutes or hours and others will completely change the direction of our lives. Some lead us to success, and other will bring us face to face with failure. What's imperative for us to know, is that no matter how big or small, easy or difficult, each choice alters the direction of our life.

If you want your life to be different, it's easy. All you have to do is make different choices. If you are going to reach your goals and create the life you desire, you will have to make new choices that will lead you to to new actions.

Commitment to a healthier lifestyle:

The next time you have a decision to make about a food choice or maybe you've decided that you really are too tired for that walk or exercise class STOP and ask yourself the following questions:

Will eating this peice of chocolate or cancelling that walk or class help me reach my goals of losing weight or getting fit or keep me tied to my past?

Will eating this empower me or disempower me?

Will going to exercise class empower or disempower me?

A moment of perfection comes when we give ourselves the gift of an empowering choice--a choice that is conscious, a choice that is consistent with our deepest desires. Each of us has the ability to create a lifetime of perfect moments simply by asking one or more of these questions. then we can rightfully expect to arrive at the destination of our dreams.

And you my friends all deserve and are worth that!

[Lazy Daisy]

Happy Birthday Bar Belle!!!!


Hope you have a couple for me!!!

[scobee]

Hey, i'm baaaaaacccck!!! (Said in my best Jack Nicholson voice) Had a great vacation, till it rained and we got a little cabin fever. SPent the first week at our favorite site on the west coast of Michigan- PJ hoFFMASTER State park- you camp in the cool shade, but hike over the dunes and spend the days on the beach. There are great golf courses nearby- scores were way too high, but it is just good to be out there. On Friday, we drove up to Traverse city for the cherry festival- saw an air show, picked cherries, visited a cherry farm and an art/craft show. Did great with food till today- they had all these cherry products you could taste at the cherry farm- should have stuck with the cherry flavored coffee- why is is that free food makes you want to cheat? Getting on the scale tomorrow may be tough....

LazyD- Liked that thing about choices- too bad I didn't read that before I tried all that cherry stuff...Don't I remember that you are into rocks? Have you ever seen a Petoskey stone? Saw some this weekend and thought of you- amazing what a difference the polishing makes!

GreenGal- Happy Belated BDay!!!!

LadyT, ZUkpr- hope you had good luck fishing!

Super- saw a great little shop called the Amazing Moose and thought of you- maybe I will get to check it out when we go back up there later this summer.

LATER LOSERS!

[green gal]

Hi guys. Well Im still being the evil influence in the thread. I managed over 24 hrs being good and then life happened and hit me over the head as usual and I crumbled and bought take away. We really had better get this house completely finished before my skin explodes.
Scobee that holiday sounds like so much fun. Would you believe we actually have cherries in the shops here at the moment Yup American cherries. But dont worry Im sure that FREE things dont count.
LD did I have a couple on my birthday. Was I breathing?? Of course I did. I loved your piece. But I think that probably explains my bad actions lately. Im so buried that Im just not making good decisions In fact if I can help it Im not making any decisions at all. But not to worry I will emerge from the dark side soon. I did manage to make it to one gym class last week but I figure that mixing concrete and hauling dirt and grass etc etc count as work out too. But Im not in Lady Ts league.
SUsan I hope everything is going well with setting up the new Moose. We look forward to more pictures

Oh stupid me I almost forgot the most important thing. We have a new family member. Well if no one claims her in 6 more days we do. She is a Silky terrier who has been abandoned up near the new place . People have been leaving food out for her but couldnt catch her. The other day I was fencing and managed to step in something disgusting and I guess that she just thought I was divine and when I opened the car door up she just jumped in. And now after a brush and wash she looks gorgeous. We are a bit worried that she might be pregnant and she was hanging around witha big dog earlier and as we dont own her yet we cant take her to the vet so we are in a nasty catch 22 situation. She is following us around like a little shadow. Only the cats are as jealous as H**l. They are tormenting her/ Finally they decide that they can get along and they have formed a pack of 2 and they stalk her and trap her in rooms by lying across the doorways. Argghhhhh! SO fingers crossed for me that we get to keep her and that shes not in the family way.
Keep on being good and I'll try and live vicariously through you all.
KAThy

[LadyTexun]

HHHEEEELLLLOOOOO!!!!

Actually I can't say that out loud, I'm so hoarse I can barely speak above a whisper

Had a great time over the weekend, spent the last 2 days helping my sister nurse 3 cooked teenagers (well they're almost teenagers, all are 12 years old). Those kids spent every spare moment in the water. (more to come)

First: Zukpr.... what's this about strange looking lights in Montreal??? PICTURE REQUEST!!!!

LazyD.... nice piece!! uhhhh I mean the article

GG... evil??? nah!! just "temporarily misdirected". Just remember, you've done so well before, when you get your motivation back you'll be better. AND it looks like I may have a new member in my household too. NO It's NOT a MAN!!! My sister told me about a lady that has a registered blue dobie, well her son raises registered cats.... and.... the dobie has developed a "taste" for kittys. She said if they can't find the dobie a new home they are going to have her put down. I really don't want to bring a new dog in because the fence isn't repaired yet and my Misty likes to "take walks" (so to speak) but I CAN NOT allow them to put down a perfectly good dog just because it likes to eat cats (no offense to any cat people LOL). Soooo, I'm getting a dobie. My brother gave me 200 feet of cyclone style fencing, I'm going to put up a 50' X 50' "kennel" to keep both dogs in until Abbie gets used to being around.

Scobee... so funny about the cherries, my sister bought a big bag of them over the weekend, I resisted and only ate 1!!! But I really wanted a lot more LOL.

Now, I could write a book about the weekend but I'll try and stick to the highlights.

First... my Misty is an official "water dog" (pictures to follow later this week). We are all playing in the water, when she just couldn't handle me not being right next to her any longer, and she just jumped right in, off the end of the pier. She spent a couple of hours riding in a floaty with me. The next time she just ran in from the shore, no jumping. She couldn't stand for me to be in the water without her.

The boat worked great, for about an hour, then the fly wheel got loose and it wouldn't start. Saturday my brother pulled it, reset it and we got to use it. I pulled in the first (and only) fish into the boat Sunday morning, a catfish about 6" (yes I said SIX INCHES), then only other "catches" were fish sticks!! I caught a couple of small bass off the pier, on spinners, and a couple of crappie, on minnows. Needless to say, there will be no fish fry It's OK though, we still had a good time.

More to come (as I think of cute or funny things that happened)

OK, back to work (for awhile )

Later losers

P.S. I lost 1 1/2 pounds over the weekend, I sure hope it doesn't find me again

[zukpr]

Wow!! it is so nice to see so many posts! --relatively speaking.

Susan--Where are you!! I think that the Moose on the Loose should be an internet cafe.

Lazy Daisy, is food for thought legal? would it taste good if it was? I thought of you actually this morning at the Tim Horton's drive through. I was thinking about a bagel with strawberry cream cheese. I only though about it - I did not get one. I thought about how good you look 'cause you've been good. Darn it - I'll just have to be good. I was good last year and then I lost the " eye of the tiger". Must find it, or buy an eye patch for the kitty.

Scobee, nice thing about cabin fever -- Scrabble.

Lady T, Did you fall in? Watcha catch?

Green gal, Hope you get to keep you dog. There are few things more rewarding in this life than a faithful dog. Her name would be?????

Got to go,

Catharine

[zukpr]

We must have posted at the same time Lady T -- the traffic lights in Quebec are horizontal and not vertical like Ontario's and the States. Takes getting used to.

Catharine

[Lazy Daisy]

I'LL say they take some getting used to....those darn lights; those french people just like to do it differently....

I'm on my way out of town....again. Leaving in a couple of hours and will be back on Friday.....

Food choices going good, exercise is going good, and everything else is just peachy

Wishing i had more time to post but gotta get this but in gear or i'll never get out of here. Taking Mom and Jess with me on this road trip instead of Norm....should be fun.

And yes, Catherine, it's amazing when you stop and ask yourself the questions how easy it is to say NO.....sounds silly and stupid but it works, for me anyhow....and you look great you silly thing. I can hardly wait to put my arms around you and give you a great big ol' hug!

Take care ladies, and remember those questions!

Later losers!

[zukpr]

awwww shucks ( toe in dirt)

Have a great trip.

Catharine

[green gal]

Well it should be interesting in the house today Bobs gone off to work Mels got a temp job til 2.30 and Im gone from 1 - 6 Wondering how the dog will cope. We've had a few "accidents" which Im not too happy with. And unfortunately she has to stay inside as, remember Bob killed the gate when he reversed my car into it.
As to a name. Well I actually like Pitiedeg and so does she I think because it sounds like prettydog. But the overwhelming census seems to be Daisy. And because she loves going in the car we can be driving....... I dont have to finish it do I. Sick arent we. But the name suits her. Only thing is Im missing my cat cuddles. Dogs need to learn to purr.
Hey I do like it ..temporarily misdirected. ANd its good to know that when Im at work today I will be good for a whole 6 hours in a row.
I want to go swimming too I want Summer back whah whah whah.
Okay Im off to try and organise myself. Have a lovely day everyone.
Kathy

[scobee]

Hey, can somebody pull me out of this pile of laundry??? Been washing all day long and still not done- also trying to get the camper unpacked so we can take it back to storage as we have a 48 hours per week limit in our sub and we are leaving again on Thursday. We of course needed groceries and the mail picked up and now I am beat! Still stuck, in fact I gained a few, but did an hour of Tae-Bo this AM and have been good all day foodwise. Sure wish i could figure out how to lose again....

GreenGal, Lady- congrats on your new pups- what is the origin of that prettydog name?

LazyD- thanks again for that opening bit- I thought about that today as I walked PAST the pantry...

Z- Scrabble! Knew I forgot a game for the camping list!

Quote for the day-
If nobody is giving you any compliments, pay one to yourself! Mark Twain

Later!

[scobee]

WAAAAAHHHH! Where is everybody- it's lonely in here! After another day of laundry and weeding and neverending cleaning, i want someone to talk to! Back down to 159 today- maybe some of what I thought I gained while camping was water weight- did not get nearly enough water while camping. Have to do better on the next trip- we are going to Cedar Point Amusement Park for a few days, then back up north to the top of the "mitten" in case I don't get a chance to post tomorrow- hope you guys are enjoying your summers and passing me up weightloss-wise, though I may have figured out something with fitday- I entered a bunch of meals and kept changing stuff so that they work out to the 60/30/10 ratio. I figure if I stick to those basic meals, I can possibly start to lose again...
Later!

[zukpr]

So sorry Scobee, I tried to post yesterday but I lost it and did not have time to re-do it. If you took your laundry down to your pond and beat it with a rock, like the pioneers did, that's gotta count for exercise, no?

I've found the weight you've lost!!!

I'm now tipping the scales at 175!!! that's up a whopping eleven pounds from my lowest weight last year of 164

The gloves are off. I'm back to serious business. No more decaf with cream and Splenda instead of Green tea. No more soft cheese instead of hard. No more Atkins bars ( they don't tast that good anyway) .....and the hardest of all.............I'm laying off the fat content. i.e. mayo

Yoo hoo Whoosh Fairy????? c'mere

[zukpr]

P.S. The instant decaf that I thought was a freebee -- I read the label this morning -- 2 Carbs a cup. It adds up. Unfortunately it shows up too. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Catharine B.A. ( Buffets Anonymous)

[LadyTexun]

Me too Zukpr, I'm up a little and I'm sure it's water weight (waaay to much salt in my diet lately). I'm going shopping this weekend and starting strict induction on Monday to get back on plan. I'm sticking real well to strick lo-carb, but my portion sizes and sodium intake are getting out of control. This is ridiculous!!! I know better!!

If you're like me you don't have the time to work Fitday properly, but starting Monday I'm going to find the time no matter what!!

OK, now I feel better

Scobee, congrats on your loss (gosh that sounds funny )

Hey where is everyone else???

Linda, give us a "hello" at least, we know you're busy but say HI!! anyway.

Super, you must be swamped. Don't cha know the computer and internet hookup at the new restaurant is the most important thing you had to do first??

GG, how's Daisy?? I haven't heard anything about the dobie yet, maybe that's good. I haven't had a chance to unload the new fencing, let alone get a kennel ready.

OK, time for me to get some work done... payroll day again.

later losers

[zukpr]

Dobie? .as in Pincher? Do tell!

They are great dogs that do not deserve their bad reputation. and they are very clean.

Catharine

[LadyTexun]

Yeah, I've had Dobie's before (yes as in ...Pincer). I love the breed.

My sister knows a lady who's registered blue Dobie is killing her son's registered cats so if they can't find the Dobe a home they're going to have her destroyed. I told my sister I'll take the dog!! But!! my Misty likes to wander when I'm not home, so I'm going to have to put in a kennel (or something) to keep the Dobe from wandering with Misty.... soooooo... just get the fencing my brother gave me unloaded and installed and I'll be ready LOL.... sounds much easier than it's going to be.

[zukpr]

Scobee, perhaps you would be so kind as to post some of those meal plans you've been working on?

Catharine

[LadyTexun]

So!! everyone is getting too busy to even say HI??? Hmmmp!!

Not me............... HI !!!

[zukpr]

BACK TO ATKINS APPROACH MAIN ARTICLES MENU

Why Can't I Lose Weight?
An Article by Atkins Center writer Sheila Buff.

Experts at The Atkins Center Offer 12 Secrets to Help You Get Off a Plateau:

You've done everything right and lost weight steadily following the Atkins Nutritional Approach... But now the scale won't budge. Or perhaps your progress has slowed to a crawl. What gives? You've reached a plateau — when weight loss slows or even comes to a stop. Or maybe you've faithfully followed the Induction phase, but can't get off home base. Many of the reasons that people hit a plateau explain why others can't even begin to lose weight.

Before you get discouraged and lose your commitment to long-term weight loss, understand that plateaus occur in any slimming-down process. Stick with the program and your weight loss will kick in again. "You may stay at one weight for a month, then suddenly drop three pounds," says Colette Heimowitz, M.S., director of education and research at Atkins Health & Medical Information Services. But it is also important to ascertain whether there is another reason.

First, says Jacqueline Eberstein, R.N., director of medical education at The Atkins Center, figure out if you really are on a plateau. "The scale is the least reliable reflection of fat loss," she points out. "Look at other markers. Are you feeling better? Do your clothes feel looser? If you're losing inches but not pounds, your fat cells are still shrinking. Also, check whether you are in still in lipolysis/ketosis by using ketone strips. You're only on a plateau if there's no change at all for more than four weeks."

Hitting at least one plateau is normal and to be expected. It's most likely to happen, and most difficult to break through, if you've come to Atkins after years of yo-yo dieting. "We often find that a patient will plateau at the same points he or she always used to reach on previous diets," says Eberstein. "These are the weights at which you naturally start to resist weight loss."

For many people, even those resistant to weight loss, breaking through a plateau is often a matter of making simple dietary changes. In other cases, an outside cause may be the culprit. You may need to modify your lifestyle and consult with your health-care practitioner. Here are 12 items to consider:

1: Look for Hidden Carbs:
The first step is to examine your diet more closely. As Heimowitz explains, "Hidden carbohydrates are everywhere, and you can end up eating them without realizing it." Be especially careful when it comes to foods marketed as low-fat. Manufacturers often make up for flavor in the missing fat by adding high-carb fillers and sugar. Also avoid candies and cookies labeled sugar-free. The products may not have any cane sugar in them, but they may still have at least 5 grams of carbohydrates per serving. Sugar, thickeners such as cornstarch and fillers such as milk solids are found in all sorts of processed foods, including many canned and dried soups, salad dressings, sauces, gravies and frozen vegetables in sauces.

Watch out for condiments, too. Barbecue sauce, ketchup, and sandwich spreads often have added sugar. For example, there are nearly 3 grams of carbohydrates in a tablespoon of teriyaki sauce. When you're food shopping, read labels carefully to find hidden carbs, and stay away from them. Remember that other seemingly innocuous foods also contain carbs that should be included in your daily tally. For example, a tablespoon of lemon juice includes a gram of carbs, as does a tablespoon of skim milk or balsamic vinegar. And even a tiny sweet gherkin pickle packs a whole gram. While seemingly insignificant on their own, these can add up fast.

To determine if you're being sandbagged by hidden carbs, Heimowitz suggests keeping a food diary for a few weeks. That way you can easily judge if your carb intake is higher than you realized.

2: Stop Consuming Aspartame:
If you're sure you're not eating any hidden carbs, take a closer look at other aspects of your diet. An observation at The Atkins Center has been that when certain people discontinue their use of aspartame, their weight loss resumes. The artificial sweetener is marketed under the brand names of NutraSweet® and Equal®. To eliminate aspartame from your life, give up most diet sodas, especially colas (many of which also contain caffeine). Instead, use sweeteners such as sucralose, marketed as Splenda®, or saccharin, marketed as Sweet'n Low™. Again, you also need to examine the labels of all beverages, particularly sugar-free ones, to make sure that aspartame is not an ingredient.

3: Don't Skip Supplements:
Dr. Atkins recommends everyone supplement his diet with vitamins and minerals to make up for deficiencies in food resulting from overprocessing, depleted soil and other environmental assaults. Taking Atkins® Basic #3 Multivitamin Formula, Atkins® Essential Oils Formula, and Atkins® Dieters' Advantage Formula in combination ensures adequate intake of all essential nutrients. The trio also includes certain nutrients that aid in weight loss, including chromium, pantethine, selenium, vanadium and biotin to help stabilize blood sugar and metabolize fat. Once you are on a balanced nutrient-supplementation program, you should experience a decrease in appetite and your metabolism will likely operate more effectively. The result will be renewed weight loss.

4: Overweight or Overgrowth?
After years of eating a high-sugar diet, it's quite possible that your digestive tract has an overgrowth of an organism known as Candida albicans. When that happens, the beneficial bacteria in your intestines get crowded out. Candida (also known as yeast) overgrowth also provokes food intolerances, headaches and immune-system weakness, and keeps you from losing weight by causing unstable blood sugar and major carbohydrate cravings. Once your practitioner has diagnosed a yeast overgrowth, you'll need to eliminate some foods from your diet until it clears up. Typically, the first food to go is sugar. Candida thrives on sugar, so a sugar-free, controlled carb approach will starve it out. It's also important to eliminate yeast and fermented foods such as sourdough breads, pickles, beer, wine, vinegar and many cheeses. Also omit nuts, which can contain mold.

5: Move Your Bod:
Exercise is another way to help break through a plateau. Increasing your activity level burns off fat and restores muscle mass. But don't overdo it and don't expect to see results immediately, cautions Eberstein. "If you're just beginning, start with some easy aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking for 20 minutes or so. If you have not been active, check with your health-care practitioner about what your cardiovascular system can tolerate. The effect of exercise is cumulative. It could take several weeks before you start to get off your plateau." If you already engage in an exercise program, increase your frequency or level of activity.

6: Review Your Medication:
Weight-loss plateaus are often caused not by what you eat but by prescription drugs. Drugs for high blood pressure, especially diuretics and the drugs known as beta-blockers, can make your body extremely resistant to weight loss. A lot of cardiology patients who come to The Atkins Center are taking these drugs. They can't lose weight while they're on them, but being overweight is a big reason for their high blood pressure.

Natural substitutes for SSRI drugs include the herbs St. John's wort and kava kava or inositol hexanicotinate, a B vitamin. Warning: Never stop antidepressants on your own — you need to taper off these drugs slowly — and that there can be interactions with alternative remedies. Don't forget to consult your doctor. Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs also keep you from losing weight and they're potentially dangerous as well. At The Atkins Center, we stop statin drugs immediately. Our low-carbohydrate eating plan alone will improve blood lipids.

7: Forget the Java:
Excessive caffeine has the same weight-loss-inhibiting effect as aspartame because it can cause low blood sugar, making you crave carbs. Caffeine is found not just in coffee and tea but also in chocolate and many soft drinks. Switch to decaffeinated coffee and tea, experiment with flavorful herbal teas or stick to plain, pure water. You may miss caffeine or even experience withdrawal symptoms at first, but, as Eberstein points out, "We often see weight loss start up again as soon as patients remove caffeine and aspartame from their diet."

8: Are You a Diabetic?
The most fattening of all the hormones is insulin. Diabetics who have to inject insulin find it almost impossible to lose weight. Oral drugs are almost as bad. According to Dr. Atkins, "The majority of oral medications for diabetes have a weight-gain effect. Even drugs that don't stimulate insulin have this effect. The one drug that does help diabetics control their blood sugar and lose weight is metformin, marketed under the brand name Glucophage®. At The Atkins Center, physicians often prescribe this for diabetic patients when they start the Atkins program. Once they've been following it for a while, their need for the drug almost invariably disappears."

[zukpr]

9: Get Back to Basics:
If simple dietary changes and some exercise don't get you off your plateau, it's time to go back to basics. As Dr. Atkins explains, "Because people lose weight so easily on the program, they tend to start sneaking in some extra carbohydrates. That makes weight loss slower, but you still keep losing. Add just a few more carbs, though, and you've exceeded your Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing [CCLL]. That's what has happened when you hit a plateau. To get off it, go back to the Induction phase for three or four days. You should start losing again. Then slowly add back a few carbs, being sure to stop just below your earlier CCLL. That will establish your new CCLL." Stick with it, he adds, and you have an excellent chance of avoiding more plateaus as your weight loss continues.

10: Is Your Food Fighting Back?
Unsuspected food intolerances can be a major roadblock to weight loss. Many patients at The Center, for example, turn out to be allergic to wheat and wheat products. Other common allergens include soy, milk, cheese and eggs. People with food intolerances often have gastrointestinal problems, along with joint pain, anxiety or depression, and other symptoms. Your practitioner will use a process of elimination to uncover any food allergies. It takes time, but it will be worth it when your weight loss picks up and your overall health improves.

11: Check Out Your Thyroid:
Whenever a patient at The Atkins Center has real trouble losing weight, the physicians always check for other medical problems. The one that comes up most often is a sluggish thyroid gland. As you age, it's not unusual for your thyroid to stop producing enough of the hormones that control the speed of your metabolism. When that happens, your whole body slows down; you gain weight and can't get it off. Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid, is easy to diagnose, even though it doesn't always show up on standard lab tests. Working with your doctor, keep track of your temperature, taking it orally four times a day over several days. If your average temperature is lower than 98° F, a sluggish thyroid is probably the cause of your plateau. Other symptoms of subclinical hypothyroidism are dry skin, brittle nails, hair loss, sleep disturbances, depression and lethargy. The treatment for hypothyroidism is straightforward. As Dr. Atkins explains, "I use the therapeutic trial for thyroid. After examining blood-test results, I start patients with a very low dose of a prescription thyroid hormone replacement and build up gradually and very carefully. In most cases, when we reach the right dose patients start to feel dramatically better. They have a much better sense of overall well-being, with much more energy and vitality. Best of all, they start to lose weight again."

12: Reconsider HRT:
After insulin, Dr. Atkins believes that (HRT) is a leading offender in terms of inhibited weight loss. Menopausal women who take estrogen or an estrogen-progesterone combo have a lot of trouble shedding pounds. In fact, weight gain, water retention and skyrocketing triglyceride levels are well-known side effects of HRT. "There are better, more natural ways to treat menopause symptoms," Dr. Atkins says. "Folic acid in prescription-strength doses, for example, helps minimize many symptoms, as do other nutrients, such as boron, soy isoflavones and herbs such as agnus cactus and dong quai." Also, consume moderate amounts of soy products.


NutraSweet and Equal are registered trademarks of the NutraSweet Company. Splenda is a trademark of McNeill PPC, Inc. Sweet'n Low is a registered trademark of Cumberland Packing. Prozac is a registered trademark of Eli Lilly & Co. Glucophage is a registered trademark of Bristol-Meyers Squibb.

















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[zukpr]

Good morning mes amis,
I'm down three pounds! tra la la la la!
Thank you Whoosh Fairy

and how's life with the rest of the world?

Catharine