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Dotti's Newsletter |
April 06, 2008 |
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Issue #045 |
Welcome Good morning everyone! Our weather here in the Northwest is beginning to look like spring. Al will be talking with you today and he has put together a wonderful topic of discussion. Enjoy your chat with him. Let's find our comfy chair and get settled in for a nice visit.
Don't forget your tall glass of refreshing water
and your beautiful SMILE. 
THE LESSON OF THE PEAK Crater Lake's Moral By Al Coon Reaching for the Sky...Oops! About 2,700 years before the builders of Stonehenge began laying out its foundation, and the Egyptians started to build their very first pyramid, Mount Mazama was the tallest mountain in the area now known as Oregon. It stood around 12,000 feet in height, and looked down from its lofty peak upon all that surrounded it. Below the surface lay a huge chamber of magma made up mostly of rhyolite, and if that had been allowed to cool, Mt. Mazama would be sitting safely atop a pile of sturdy granite today. But that was not to be. Through a process of steam turning the magma to pumice, the magma bubbled out of the volcano and flowed out across the area surrounding the mountain, like a stovetop disaster. The part of the magma that didn't flow, erupted! Mt. Mazama cut loose with an event that was over 40 times more powerful than the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980; huge amounts of ash and steam were blown high into the air, with some of it to fall in significant quantities several states away. In just a day, everything had changed for this once magnificent peak. Within only a few short hours after the eruption began, the magma chamber beneath the mountain had been emptied, and it left the peak of the mountain standing there a bit like Wile E. Coyote hanging over thin air, before looking down and discovering that he was unsupported and about to fall. The stone that had formed the peak of Mt. Mazama fell from its lofty perch of 12,000 feet down into the cavern created by the departed magma, where it lies to this day. As if falling deep out of sight were not enough humiliation, the once high rising stone was further covered over the next few centuries by nearly 4.5 cubic miles of water, and finds itself today submerged by nearly 2000 feet in some areas, and by an average depth of over 1,100 feet. Copious amounts of rain, and an average of 550 inches of snow each year created a beautiful lake at the site of this great eruption, and its surface sits at an elevation of 6,178 feet, only about half of the elevation that the, now very wet, original peak once enjoyed. Looking down from space, the once mighty Mt. Mazama looks more like a big wet circle 5 miles across than it does a mountaintop. As a final insult, what is left of that mountain is named after the lake and not the mountain it once was. If you go there, you will find that you can visit Crater Lake, but there are no signs for Mt. Mazama at all. The Failure Built Into a Diet Crater lake is an astoundingly beautiful place to visit, as Dotti and I have done more than once. It is a true wonder  of the world. It is also a very good example of what goes wrong when you are on a diet. If Mt. Mazama's goal was to be the tallest mountain in the Oregon Cascade range, it failed miserably, because by the time Oregon became a part of America, the rocks that once formed Mt. Mazama's towering peak had been soaking in Crater Lake for 7,500 years. It did succeed for a time in pushing up high into the sky. However, it had been supported by liquid rock, which later left it far less high and far less dry. The mighty peak is still there, but as a lake bottom and not a spire to be seen from afar which could have filled the distant traveler with awe.
A diet is based upon that same type of foolish foundation. You can lose weight on a diet. You might even reach your goal weight on a diet. But you will fall into the pit of failure when the transient support of a diet decides to do its natural thing and leave you looking down, and knowing that you are going to fall, with nothing at all left there to catch you. Mission Difficult, Not Impossible Building your successful journey—instead of going on a diet—is possible, but it is a big challenge. Let's compare it to getting ready to run a marathon, and say that you have decided to run the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon, as soon as you can get ready to do it. It may appear otherwise at first, but there really are only two things that can stop you from doing that:
There are many things that you cannot simply build up to doing, because they require innate talent as well as work. For example actually winning the Boston Marathon is based upon genes as much as it is on hard work, and you have to be an exceptional natural runner to even get close to winning the race. We are not all going to be able to be supermodels or movie star knockouts because of our successful weight loss journey, and we will almost certainly not be coming in number one in our marathon; but that is not our goal remember. Our goal is to simply run the marathon all the way to the end. Steps to the Finish Line What must we do in order to make this happen? To start with, we have to have bones and joints that can handle this long run with the weight they will be supporting. We start very slowly and only move as far and as quickly as our bodies will allow at first. We begin to eat things that will increase our health, our endurance, and support our goal of being able to move farther and faster. We invest the time it takes to walk at first, and then later jog short distances. We use this effort to help inspire us to eat better still. As time passes we find that we can begin to run a bit, and then a bit more. We grow in endurance, and we find that our weight is dropping as our general fitness increases. As long as we hold our goal up and focus on that everyday, we continue to move towards it. We eat better, exercise more and more, increasing our endurance and our ability to run longer and longer distances. One of the most important parts of this is to get books and ideas from other marathon runners as to how to prepare for such a long race. By informing ourselves about the mistakes others have made, we will be acting smartly rather than just using trial and error, and maybe causing injuries that will set us back in reaching our goal. The Clear Path When you first start out, right up until the day you run the race, you have a very clear path of action laid out for you. You know that you must adjust your physical activity in a very well defined way. (You can find books on marathons that are very good about laying this out for you.) You know what you must do for your eating and how much time you must invest each day on your goal. You have to put this right out there "on the front burner" of your life, letting it have primary focus as you work through it. In the end, you will run in the Boston Marathon and complete it, if you follow the steps you need to complete to get ready for it. It is not a magic course, or a superhuman feat. It is something that ordinary people—just like you—do all the time. It is something to be proud of once you have done it, but it is not Mission Impossible, only performed by those blessed by the gods. It is a task that is completed by doing the necessary steps. Don't Get Lost in the Maze! It is easy, far too easy, to get caught up in the mad noise of weight loss commercials and products. "Take this pill and you will lose X number of pounds in X number of days." "Buy my diet program and you will be bikini-ready for summer, even if you are 100 pounds over weight in May." It is deafening to hear this cacophony of disinformation every day. Most of us have fallen victim to one or more of these lies and half-truths, and instead of "running a marathon" we have ended up like poor Mt. Mazama, with our dreams lying in ruins. There are clear steps to take in order to successfully prepare for and run a marathon, and there are clear steps to take in order to run a successful journey. In each case we must start by understanding that there is no "quick fix" method for accomplishing our goal, but at the same time there is a way, clear and sound, that we can take in order to reach our goal. We must take the necessary steps in order to succeed. No cheating, no pills, no magic foods to eat or avoid, and no incantations will ever give you want you want. Only walking the right path, and doing the right things will make you ready to successfully run your race, figuratively to goal, or literately to the finish line in Boston. And remember, even though a marathon is a race, it is not very much about speed, in running the race itself, and especially in preparation for the run. Except for the elite runners, time is far less important than completing the course. And for all the runners your time for the race is far more based upon the work you put in before the race than anything that you do on the day of the race. If you have laid the groundwork for a good race, you will run a good race. If you have not laid the groundwork, then you will not run a good race. So it is in your weight loss journey; speed is even less important here than it is in a marathon. You are not getting to goal as quickly as you can, but as surely as you can. You want to make sure you succeed by doing the right things, not hurry along and reach the peak only to have it collapse into ruin a short time later. If you are building a mountain, Crater Lake is a symbol of complete failure, even as beautiful as it is. In terms of geological time, Mt. Mazama was built in a hurry, grew tall, but paid the price. You can do better than that! Get Ready, Get Set... There is not enough space here to go through all the steps to goal, but you probably already know them. It is more a question of implementation than of understanding for most of us. (That is certainly the case for me!) If you want instructions on how to lose weight, Dotti and I both highly recommend the Weight Watchers program. They spend a lot of time building good ways to lose weight that are healthy, safe, and sane, and you can take advantage of that if you like. You may prefer another program or to build your own, and that is fine. Just remember this about your program:
Wishing you the very best,  PS. You also might find a few useful ideas on running your journey on my Essay page. VitaliciousTM Vitamin-fortified, delicious, better-for-you baked goods  Note from Vitalicious Try VitaliciousTM muffins today! They come in at 1 point on Weight Watchers and are the perfect snack.
Come Join the Fun!  Do you want some extra support during your Journey? Would you like to have a place you can call "home," where you can be yourself? Our Message Board is just the place. It's home to all our Zonie friends who share their Journey experiences and are always willing and ready to offer support, laughs, friendship and  ~ 24/7. Our DWLZ Message Board is at: http://www.dwlz2.com/forum/. Don't forget to register if you haven't already done so.
For some extra energy going into that meeting try snacking on one of the foods below: --1 or 2 slices of whole wheat bread with nut butter and jam or lowfat cheese. The superfoods listed below may help you think clearly and focus more intently on that tough exam coming up. --Fish, grilled, sauteed, poached or canned ~~~Get a Real Food Life by Janine Whiteson, M.Sc., with Marion Rosenfeld Penny's Low Fat Desserts PENNY'S---THE NEW COOKIES, MUFFINS and MUFFIN TOPS---GREAT REVIEWS!
Nothing artificial and we use the best ingredients---lots of real chocolate and fruits! Cookies have 7g of fiber, they're big, moist, and have lots of chocolate and oatmeal! Here's what Dotti and Al had to say... "Penny, your new cookies and muffins were delicious. I love, love the cookies and of course the Almond Poppy muffins were a winner for me! Al loved the chocolate chip cookies & looks forward to a peanut butter cookie in the near future." From a new Penny's customer... "Just got the cookies today. MMMMM MMMM good. Almost like a muffin. I love both oatmeal (without raisins) and chocolate chips, so this is perfect for me. I'll be back for more!!"
TO ORDER: http://www.PennysLowFatDesserts.com/ NEWSLETTER: http://www.PennysLowFatDesserts.com/newsletter TESTIMONIALS: http://www.PennysLowFatDesserts.com/testimonials.asp EMAIL PENNY: Penny@PennysLowFatDesserts.com or call (866) 221-5109
And simply knowing that seasons will pass and We can always do more than we "think" ~~~Chasing Away the Clouds by Douglas Pagels
Makes 6 servings 3/4 cup cut-up strawberries Place strawberries in blender; cover and blend until smooth. Place the 3 cups fruit in medium bowl; gently toss to combine. Spoon fruit into cones. Drizzle with strawberry puree. If desired, top with coconut. "Enjoying Weight Loss" As many of you know, I use Dr. Roberta's Enjoying Weight Loss Hypnosis CDs as one of my "tools" on my lifelong Journey to a healthier me. They continue to be an irreplaceable part of my Journey back to goal. In addition to offering their excellent hypnosis line of helpful programs, the Hypnosis Network now has a free E-Book available called Scientific Weight Loss Secrets: Tips from the Psychological Research, written by Roberta Temes, Ph.D. The book is filled with weight loss ideas and it is completely free to you. Just Click Here, and when you arrive, move to the bottom of the page and click on the appropriate link to download the book. The Hypnosis Network is continuing to offer Dr. Roberta's Enjoying Weight Loss Hypnosis CDs for $97. For anyone who is "hypnosis-friendly" (about 90% of the human population can derive some benefit from hypnosis) the money could not be better spent. If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Roberta's Enjoying Weight Loss Hypnosis CDs you can read our review at http://www.dwlz.com/hypnosisreview.html. I would not recommend them if they hadn't of worked for me. Here is what the Hypnosis Network says:
3 Easy Payments! The folks at Hypnosis Network have been receiving a lot of positive feedback about their new program of accepting 3 equal payments for these CDs. They rightly feel that your decision should be whether or not the product is right for you, and not about whether you can afford it. Click Here to go directly to their site and find out more about the Hypnosis Network, and how you can order your CDs.
Planning
Getting Started and Random Tips
Software You Can Use! — And Now Available Online! Weight CommanderThe Weight Commander is an awesome program for your Journey. I highly recommend it to all those who are on a Journey of their own. It is a wonderful program to track your progress on any weight loss program you are using. You can read My Review of the Weight Commander or go straight to the source and check out this great software by following this link to Weight Commander. He has many tips and ideas throughout his program which will help you to be successful on your Journey. And for those who don't feel comfortable downloading software, or who cringe when Windows gives them another unnecessary warning about running perfectly safe software, Michael has created a wonderful online version of Weight Commander, where you can always access your information with privacy, with no worry about trying to transfer it from computer to computer when you switch. You can of course still get the software version (which continues to work very well, even on my Windows Vista computer), but the online version of Weight Commander is a wonderful new option! You make the choice, but you win either way. 
Food Finds I love finding new foods to try and am amazed at the variety out there. Here are a few more of my food finds. Enjoy!
Pour all ingredients over ice and shake. Garnish with a slice of cucumber, lemon and celery stalk. Healthy Perks: Lime juice has flavonoid compounds that have anticancer properties. Lemon juice is high in vitamin C. Tomato juice can reduce the tendency toward blood clotting. Wasabi prevents ulcers and can temporarily clear your sinuses. Juice three fresh limes over ice. Pour in vodka, Pom juice and white grape juice. Shake, strain and garnish with a lemon or lime rind. Healthy Perks: Limes are an excellent source of vitamin C, which is vital for a strong immune system. Limes have flavonoids, which have been shown to stop cell division in many cancer cell lines. Pom juice helps protect you from free radicals (which can lead to disease). Shake all ingredients together with ice. Strain and garnish with a slice of celery, a cherry tomato and a slice of jalapeno on a toothpick. Healthy Perks: Jalapeno peppers are a good source of folate and vitamin A. Tomatoes are a good source of beta-carotene and lycopene. Lemon juice contains Vitamin C. Muddle berries in shaker; add vodka, maraschino liqueur, fresh sour mix and ice. Shake and strain. Garnish with more berries. Healthy Perks: Cranberries can help prevent or treat bladder infections. Dark-colored berries (such as blackberries and raspberries) are high in antioxidants. Strawberries and blueberries have been shown to have anticancer properties. Berries with seeds have lots of fiber. Pour all ingredients over ice and shake well. Strain into martini glass and garnish with a mango slice. Healthy Perks: Green tea can lower your cholesterol and even out the ratio between good and bad cholesterol. Green tea has cancer-fighting antioxidants. Mango juice has beta-carotene and can reduce your risk of cervical and colon cancer. Unforgiven Concord (Minka Kelly) Pour all ingredients over ice and shake well. Add fresh cucumber slices and garnish with a mint leaf, if desired. Healthy Perks: Pomegranates have three times more antioxidants than green tea. Resveratrol, found in grapes, can help prevent heart disease. Pizza Fit'n Free Note from Pizza Fit'n Free
Comic Relief HE WAS ONLY A CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE... I LOVED HIM I met him at a party. There he was at the end of the buffet....a loner; the last one on the plate. He had a certain something...a sweetness, a sensuality. He was one hot cookie. I felt as if I'd always known him...hungered for him. When he looked at me with those warm brown eyes, I melted. Before I knew it, I had my hands on him, my mouth on him...in public. After that night, we were inseparable. With him I could be myself. he didn't seem to care what mood I was in, how I looked or even if I gained weight. Together we had the recipe for happiness. No one satisfied me like Chip. THEN THINGS CHANGED My friends said he was no good for me. He started to give me heartburn. I felt crummy, but it had to end. Now we've gone our separate ways. I hardly think of him anymore. Oh, if I see a certain TV commercial, a particular magazine ad, a coupon for cents off...that old longing returns. And when we run into each other in the supermarket, we nod. We're friendly. But it's OVER! Baja Bob's Cocktail Mixes ~ Home of the Original Sugar-Free Margarita Mix Note from Baja Bob's Try some Baja Bob's Sugar Free Cocktail Mixes today - What a great way to enjoy an occasional cocktail without any guilt! Enjoy and stay on your program! Enter Code dotti10 when ordering and receive a 10% discount...
Enjoy a cocktail and stay
on your Program
Did you know...? Our Journey is not just about weight loss; it's about constantly learning new things... I'll wager you didn't know these interesting facts. Although Nash cars are no longer made, they did establish a milestone in auto safety. Nash was the first automobile to include seat belts, in 1950. Originally called Blue Ribbon Sports, Nike was later given the name of the Greek goddess of victory. The first TV commercial ever aired during a sports event was an ad for Ivory Soap. It was broadcast during the first televised Major League baseball game, in 1939. For the record, that game was between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York. Soaps are made up of molecules that attach themselves to dirt and germ particles, and hold onto them until water rinses them away. Albert Broccoli is the producer who brought the popular James Bond series to the big screen. And, yes, the vegetable broccoli was named after his family as well. Albert Broccoli is a descendant of a prominent Italian farm family that created the cruciferous green vegetable. They modified cauliflower to produce broccoli - and named it after themselves. ~~~Strange & Fascinating Facts About Famous Brands by "Dr. Knowledge" Charles Reichblum Al's Essays on Weight Loss and Maintenance Al has written many in depth essays on Weight Loss and Maintenance and they are now available on the website! You can find Al's Essays on Weight Loss and Maintenance at: DWLZ Cookbooks One and Two Have you ordered your DWLZ Cookbooks yet? These cookbooks are filled with recipes that are Zonies' favorites, dishes that are delicious but on program, with nutritional information listed. This is two books in one package: DWLZ Cookbooks Volumes One and Two. The recipes are easy to make and don't use hard-to-find items. They are together in one PDF file, viewable in your free Acrobat Reader (Version 5 and higher). These make wonderful gifts. Philly Swirl
Every day is a good day to stock up on some great tasting Philly Swirl's Sugar-Free, Fat-Free Swirl Pops! They are delicious and only 10 calories. Keep your freezer stocked with these great 10 calorie pops which can be enjoyed anytime throughout the year. If you are interested in learning more about the Philly Swirl products please visit them at http://www.phillyswirl.com/ and drop them a line. They would love to hear from you. Psst...don’t forget to pass the word! We want to see these awesome Sugar-Free, Fat-Free Swirl Pops remain available to all of us on our Journey. Let's take the power we have to make a difference by passing the word about these awesome pops and keeping them available to us in the future. Side Note - Philly Swirl has corrected their Sam's Club Pass so that it is now good thru May 2008. I'm so sorry for the confusion for those visitors who went there and found the coupon had expired. DWLZ Website Updates Lists
of all my updates can be found on the Message Board
in the DWLZ Website News & Updates forum at: US restaurants updates can be found at our Restaurants TOC page at: Canadian restaurants updates can be found at our Canadian Restaurants TOC page at: Goodbye Until our next visit, always keep in mind you are never alone on this Journey. We are all here with you, right beside you, rooting you on. Take care until next time... Dotti
Newsletter Sign Up If this newsletter was forwarded to you, you can sign up for it yourself at:
Dotti's Newsletter Subscription Page -
http://www.dwlz.com/eletter.html (You can also unsubscribe from Dotti's Newsletter there.) Dotti's Weight Loss Zone And please don't forget to come and visit DWLZ!  If you are not already a regular visitor, it is time for you to come and make yourself at home at my web page, where you will find lots of tips on losing weight, and help in picking out good things to eat at your favorite restaurants, while still remaining on program. We have motivation, success stories, and much more. It is a lot like Disneyland: you'll have lots of fun, and you could never see it all in just one day! However, unlike Disneyland, Dotti's [ http://www.dwlz.com ] is open 24 hours a day, every day. Copyright and Disclaimer Copyright © DWLZ, Inc. - 2008, all rights reserved. This document may be reproduced freely as long as it is always reproduced in its entirety, including this copyright message, and the disclaimer below, and as long as it is always distributed free of charge. Disclaimer - This newsletter is not meant to be a substitute for any professional advice, guidance, or counseling. We are not doctors. Any information contained in this email reflects our own opinions and experiences. It is not intended in any way to serve as or take the place of medical advice from a physician. *Whenever possible, I calculate ALL my Points on my Offline Points Calculator in the Half Points Mode, which rounds UP to the nearest Half Point. This keeps my site consistent. All point values shown in BLACK are calculated with the 10 gram fiber cap [Original 123 Success Points]. When there is a difference with the 4 gram fiber cap calculation, I show the points value for that in RED. Note: Points® is a registered trademark of Weight Watchers International, Inc. The Points® values displayed are not intended in any way to show an endorsement or sponsorship of any product or organization by Weight Watchers International, Inc.
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Al and I have had a couple of really nice days out in the sunshine.
