I'm dreaming of a succulent fruit of the sea crepe. What could be more delicious this New Years Eve?

Imagine a flute of bubbly with an exquisite first course of thin French crepes filled with Gulf Coast Shrimp, Scallops and Stone Crab, accompanied by an indulgent drizzle of Saffron Beur Blanc.

Now I simply need the perfect partner...

Why is that not quite so easy to cook up? CDL training

What is with the sense of entitlement, I wondered. Isn't that something one outgrows, one matures out of? I suppose some people never do. I suppose some people ALWAYS expect things from others, as they did when they were young children regardless of how old they get or who they are with.

So what do you do when you encounter such a soul? Do you say something or do you simply accept the person for who he or she is?

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Should we or shouldn't we take diet pills?

Side effects? Health issues? But are they safe? These are concerns that I have always had about popping diet pills.

At times I've rationalized ... but are the consequences of being overweight more unsafe?

It's time to start all over again. I suppose we all are given some cross to bear. For some of us, that cross might have to do with dieting and weightloss. I know that this is the case with me.

Dieting and maintaining an agreeable size is an ongoing challenge and certainly the biggest battle I face.

If I could just keep tight-lipped! But I simply love to eat! I love to cook!

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One strategy for losing and/or maintaining a healthy and sexy weight is scrapbooking! it is true, when we take the time to scrapbook our lives, we find more of an incentive to want to look our absolute best. Pictures don't lie and when we have more weight than we should, the pictures reflect this and usually in an unflattering way. Have you ever noticed how someone who you nbever considered fat... looks fat in a camera lens?

There is really no excuse for putting on weight, at least no truly acceptable excuse.

With so many healthy alternatives readily available, how is it we can get so fat?

Do we simply not care? And if we don't care... what has happened in our lives to make us not care about taking care of ourselves? Shouldn't taking GOOD CARE OF OURSELVES be our first priority?
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Every business owner should have an exit strategy. Even if you are not planning to retire for 10, 15, 20 or more years- it just makes good sense to have a good sound strategy.

So many times, business owners are so wrapped up in the every day details that long range plans are put on a back burner. Before you know it, the revenue has all been eaten up in the cost of doing business, taxes and payroll.

My dad, a sharp business man always said, "Pay Yourself First!"

To be honest, I never really understood what he meant until one day I realized that for everything I had worked so hard for, I had very little to show. Oh sure I had more equipment, supplies, and more STUFF than I would ever need... but I didn't have any real financial security because I had failed to understand the true essence of paying yourself first.

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I was at a party on Thanksgiving night and one of the guests was telling me about a detox diet.

Everyday for a week the dieter is suppose to drink a concoction of water, lemon juice and cayenne.

I've often done this first thing in the morning as a good flush, but had never thought about doing it all week long.

Perhaps I shall give it a shot. It is suppose to flush away all the cravings and dependence on things like sugar, to which I have become terribly addicted.

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The coincidence of the first day of the month falling on a Monday makes for a great starting point to embark on a diet.

Sure, anytime is a great time to go on a diet if you are in need of losing a few pounds... but to my way of thinking there is something very special about embarking on a weightloss journey when the first falls on a Monday.

Today, Monday December 1, 2008 is a perfect day for such an adventure! Leptorexin

Too Busy To Cook Your Holiday Meal, Tallahassee?

Too Busy To Cook Your Holiday Meal?

Canopy Rose Catering offers the best of all worlds with it's fabulous Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner-To-Go Program. Canopy Rose Catering even offers special food for dieters in the Tallahassee area by special request.

Why go out to a restaurant- when you can have a great catered feast in your own home! You provide the setting- Canopy Rose Catering will provide the food! You'll even get the best part- LEFTOVERS for midnight snacks!

Canopy Rose Catering has brought back it's delicious Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinners-To-Go / Catering Services!

Please call Kathi at 850-539-7750 to check on availability.

The Thanksgiving menu includes such classic tried-and-true favorites as:

Holiday Sliced Turkey

Traditional Southern Cornbread Dressing

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Sweet Potato Souffle

Green Bean Casserole

Yellow Squash Casserole

Mixed Greens with Fresh Fruit ~ Sweet & Jazzy Dressing

Tuscany Cheese Spread

Pumpkin Cheesecake and a whole lot more!

Please visit http://www.canopyrose.com/ for more holiday menu ideas or call the offices of Canopy Rose Catering at 850-539-7750.

There is always a great sense of accomplishment when we come to the final stages of a project, especially if that project was a challenging one with it's own share of fits and starts.

Dieting is a major accomplishment that offers a bevy of benefits to the ones who are successful.

Even if your past success has been limited... rememberthis- today is a new day. Today is a beautiful day to start anew! You can still be successful one day at a time!

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We have to be able to say, "NO" to the things in life that just don't work for us!

Many of my generation and earlier were taught that we shouldn't say no, that maybe it wasn't polite or maybe it wasn't the Christian thing to do.

When someone asked something of us, we should try to accomodate them.

Well, that seems like some bad advice!

A good decision making tool is the divine triangle.

The divine triangle has three points.

We ask ourselves first of all is this decision glorifying to God.

Is this decision for the good of others?

Is this decision in my best interest? Or will doing so cause my triangle to get skewered?

The world is full of things that will bring glory to God, but is something God is asking me to do ?????

Let your own personal relationship with God be your compass and you'll never go wrong!

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Every dime counts when you are struggling to make ends meet.

It never ceases to amaze me how often people will ask and expect others for donations for their pet causes- maybe a starving child in a third world country, to help bankroll their mission trip or some other cause that God has placed on their heart. These are all excellent causes.

But the problem is when these people are so blind to the needs of others within their own circle of influence. They see that someone is struggling and yet they still ask for help.

One woman in my church called me almost daily for business donations to her causes, even though I told her I was going through a very lean period. She didn't care. Her objective was making her donation quota.

This woman who is actually quite wealthy, has the power to bankroll her own mission trip... why, oh why, is she begging for donations from someone who is struggling to get by? It is beyond the scope of my imagination... but as you can probably tell, the whole scenario disturbs me!

Call me once, fine. Call me twice, maybe. But call me more than that and you can write-off my support and FORGET IT!

I have my own God-ordained calls on my resources, I do not need to be innundated with YOURS! funny t-shirts

Tomorrow, I embark on a new journey. I have said adios to the one who became my stumbling block, the one who was another red herring.

Why is this world full of red herrings? Do they serve a useful purpose in the overall scheme of things? Perhaps they serve as a traffic control of sorts, slowing us down while God works out the timing of his divine orchestration.

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Tallahassee caterer, Canopy Rose Catering offers delicious and innovative heart-healthy solutions for holiday catering.

Just let us know that you are interested in "light catering" when you call, since all of of our foods are not low-fat!

We are always hapy to tweak any recipe to be more diet-friendly!

A full list of our menus and services can be be found at www.canopyrose.com

Want to be on our mailing list? Send your contact info to canopyrose@aol.com

Carrying around extra weight takes a real toll on the body. Sometimes we just get use to the extra weight and feel a strange sense of comfort with it's presence in our life. Perhaps the fat is like a security blanket of sorts, protecting us from things.

I don't really know for sure. But I have my suspicions.

Granted everyone usually wants to be thin... they want to look great, they want to feel great.

So what is the problem? Could it be a problem that is so deeply rooted in one's past with issues all their own?

Is a weight problem more aligned with the need for the assistance of a mental health counselor than for a weight loss counselor? Or should both be part of the solution?

Why can't I just do it on my own? I'm smart! I'm savvy! I'm beyond CAPABLE! I have accomplished things in my lifetime, far beyond what I could have ever dreamt possible...
I am continually astonished by the brilliant and creative brain I've been blessed with... so why does this weight problem continue to interfere with my life?

Plantar Fasciitis

My treadmill will probably last a thousand years at the rate that I'm using it. It is so easy to use it... so why then do I avoid it?

Maybe I need to do something creative... something out of the box about using it.

Oh I've tried. I have a VCR player hooked up near it and sometimes I'll pop in a video to keep me busy. Boring!

I need to invest in some more high tech toys maybe or even simple cable might do the job.

treadmill

It is not like I'm really hungry. It is rather like I just want to crunch.

This has truly got to be a food addiction or compulsion.

How can we break free of these destructive tendencies that can literally kill us?

When I get in the munching and crunching mode, I'm hard pressed to get out of it.

There must be some strategies that can be successfully implemented.

Why this stupid desire to pour food into the body- food that the body simply does not need.

Why can't I just treat my mouth as I do the fuel cap on my car???? Opening it only when it truly needs a refilling. I should pray on this! appetite suppresant

Real power steering comes from a source far greater than self. I can steer all I want, but what I've discovered that no matter how much I try to steer the course of my life, it pales in comparison to the divine course that understands my purpose for existence and will ultimately steer me towards that divine direction that will bring me home.

power steering rack

It is never too early to start planning your Thanksgiving celebration.

Last year I was up to my eyeballs in boxes and moving during Thanksgiving, so unfortunately any special celebration to mark the day simply didn't happen.

I had several wonderful offers to spend the day with different friends, but when you are on a tight, tight, tight schedule like I was - the very notion of spending a leisurely day stuffing oneself just doesn't compute.

Now this year is another story! I intend to do Thanksgiving up in style! Thanksgiving recipes

Find Tallahassee Caterers For Dieters

Tallahassee caterer, Canopy Rose Catering offers delicious, heart-healthy fare for dieters and others who are on restricted diets.

Either call the offices of Canopy Rose Catering at 850-539-7750 or visit the tallahassee catering website at www.canopyrose.com

Since not all of the food is light, please make sure to request items from the Canopy Rose Light & Luscious Menu.

"You are not going to major in philosophy!" My dad declared. "It would be a useless degree in the real world."

I had found a subject matter that rocked my boat, but the minute I shared my desire to be a Philosophy major with my authoritarian father, he shot the idea down.

"It's not going to happen."

There I was trying to figure out my way in a confusing world and one of the few subjects that touched me on the deepest level was unacceptable to the bill payer.

And thirty years later, I still have that fire in my heart for the ancient philosophical discourses that I was first introduced to in an Introductory college Philosophy course.

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When we grow up time seems to fly.

Where does the day go? Where does the month go ? Where or where does the year go?

One day we look back and it's not the days or the weeks or the months or the years... but it's the decades gone that befuddles us.

Did we use our decades in ways that delight us or did we spill our time in ways that shed deep, dark rays of disappointment through our inner most soul.

Perhaps it is time to take stock, pull out the sheaths of inventory and the ink of honesty.

"What if" ... we ask ourselves. What if our chosen path had been different? Our choices become our life. A right choice ... will it lead to inner delight and the wrong choice... will it lead to inner disappointment?

Or do all our combined choices, the good and the bad... all wash clean in the washing machine of life?

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As a business owner, I'm always interested in knowing about effective low cost ways to keep my name in front of my customers.

Calendars, notepads, pay per click google ads, radio advertising, newspaper ads, regional glossy magazines, promotional pens... I've tried my fair share.

Any number of combinations are likely to work. The important thing to remember is that you should design a strategy that you will truly implement. There is nothing worse than finding a drawer or box full of expired calendars that obviously never got distributed! Ouch!

Plan you work THEN WORK YOUR PLAN! And like anything that is strategically implemented day after day- you will see RESULTS!

With autumn quickly approaching, my tastes turn to harvest foods, roasted meats and rich and deeply nurturing flavors.


As I write this a chicken roasts in the oven, sending delicious drifts of aroma through the building.

On the top shelf of the oven, a small pan of Minnesota Wild Rice bubbles away.

Lunch today will be a Wild Rice Salad with Chicken, Diced Apple, Mandarin Oranges and Pecans.

Yum! Diet?

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Let's weigh in on cream cheese. Everyone knows that to make a dish lighter we can substitute fat-free cream cheese for the full-fat variety.

But is it worth it? Should we do it? Should we sacrifice the exquisite flavor of a special dish by using substitutions?

Personally, I do not like the taste of most fat-free ingredients, with cream cheese being right at the top of the list.

On the other hand, whenever I buy something such as cool whip or other non-dairy whipped toppings, I always reach for the fat-free. Same with ice cream and frozen yogurt... I love the fat free variety.

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Bye Bye Fat!

They say the more water you drink, the easier it is to flush the fat from your body.

I've been putting away so much water, I nearly feel I could float away!

But believe me I am not complaining one inch! In fact I am ecstatic that I'm chugging away! The only thing is I can't get too far away from the potty...if you know what I mean. Flush, flush flush! Bye bye fat!

Plenty of water is great for my complexion, too. My skin always looks especially pretty and glowing when I get lots and lots of clear H2O. blemish acne cream

I'm sold on nutritional supplements. For about the last 5 months I stopped taking all the vitamins and nutritional supplements.

Boy what a huge mistake.

I've really learned my lesson, BIG TIME!

Not only did I pack on the pounds because I was constantly hungry, but I had zero energy. Exhaustion would meet me at the breakfast table and worsen as the day progressed. In the evening my heart would burn, just like it did before I started the program.

Now, I've only been back on the program for a few days and

1.) I have amazing energy

2.) I feel like a million bucks

3.) I'm drinking a ton of water

4.) Whatever that bout of depression that was hovering over me has disappeared

5.) I'm OK about my relapse and all my gained weight. I'm just going to pick myself up and start again!

At first when I started putting on the weight I didn't want to see anyone. But all that did was make matters worse. So finally I said I'm coming out of the closet on this weight gain and I am confident that this is the best thing in the world for me!

What is done is done... and today is a new day! Today is the day to reach towards one's dreams! weight loss pill

Don't you wish you could eat anything your little heart desired and not gain an ounce?

I know I do.

Unfortunately, for most of us the calorie equation doesn't work like that. We have to pay a price for our calories, fat grams and sugar.

I think this is one of the concepts I have not been able to grasp in the way I should. Of course in my head I understand this concept. But somewhere the connection is faulty.

Somewhere there is a disconnect between that ice cream that calls my name and what I want to achieve. I certainly do not want to achieve obesity, health issues, diabetes, and an unattractive body that doesn't look good in clothes and looks even worse in the buff.

Why I ask, do I get these moments of deep hunger when nothing else seems to matter, except feeding that internal beast. funny t shirts

Good Morning Tallahassee!! Let's See How Much Weight We Can Lose By Christmas!!!

Finally! (I say as I catch my breath.)

You always know that sooner or later, if you've gone hog wild following a diet, you are going to have to face the music!

Today was that day for me.

After being totally disgusted with myself for packing on the pounds over the last few months, I returned to Winner's Weightloss Center to start again.

With a new school year about to start, this seems like a perfect time to get back on a regime that will help me to be the best possible version of myself.

The last year was very hard for me. I went through some stuff that tested me to the limit. While this should not be an excuse, the truth is that I am an emotional eater and when my world is a bit crazy, I find solace and comfort in food.

The good part of this is that I recognize what is happening, but the bad part is that sometimes I simply don't care, especially when I'm stuffing a second bowl of ice cream down my throat.

When we do this, we really need to go within and try to find out what it is that is causing us to want to over-inflate ourselves.

What are we hungry for?

I believe a chief thing that I was hungering for was all the nutritional supplements that I had become accustomed to while on the Winner's Program. These supplements provided nutrients that my body craves and they also helped to tame my unhealthy cravings.

Tomorrow will be my first day officially back on the diet. I'll try to log online and share my journey with you and if any of you in the Tallahassee area want to join me... come on board and let's see how much weight we can lose by Christmas!!!

The Winner's Weight Loss Program is a great program for losing weight. Any failure is entirely my fault. Ultimately the success or failure of weightloss rests with the participant.

If I had not allowed my own life stresses to become stumbling blocks, I would be 127 pounds today. But in two hours, today will be history, it will be the past. When I wake up on Thursday morning, a new hope will greet me and lead me into another leg of this fabulous journey where I will try once again to win my ongoing battle with emotional eating, compulsive eating, sugar addiction and carbohydrate addiction.

My Wishes Sent Out Into The World! Yahoo!

In recent years I've gotten very good at shopping for the best buy.

Perhaps I'm getting a little bit of help from my ancestral line. Perhaps now that same ancestral line can help me to beef up my bank account.

Next time I post in this blog... I want to be richer and thinner! In fact every time I sit down in this office, I want my wealth and my good health to sky rocket!

I've read that if you send your wish out into the world... it will be manifested. So I tried it and guess what? It worked!

A fluke? Maybe. Maybe not!

On 5/18/08 I posted my wish on an index card. My wish was to go and stay at a great beach house this summer. Two hours ago, I just returned home from my THIRD beach weekend this summer. My cost= 0 On three separate occasions I catered a Friday night event and the other nights were furnished to me by my client.

Why did this happen? I suppose it might be a case of the Law of Attraction... a law that says that we attract what we are looking for in life.

So I'll just put it out into the world right now...

My wishes as of August 10, 2008 are:

1. To get excited about exercise, eating right and taking good care of myself.

2. To get my column nationally syndicated.

3. To write and publish BESTSELLERS.

4. To win a Pulitzer Prize for my writing.

5. To once and for all get to 127 pounds and maintain for the rest of my life.

6. To buy my own fabulous house at the beach and to have plenty of money for the rest of my life.

7. To meet, fall in love and eventually marry my true soul mate.

8. To live every single day in the full manifestation of who God created me to be.

9. To make a positive difference in the world.

10. To leave something of value behind down here when I eventually go to Heaven.

My new clothes are too tight. My old clothes are fortunately too baggy. But my weight is dangerously heading in the wrong direction. Helllpppppppppppppppppppppppp!

What is a girl to do? I could start by keeping my hungry mouth closed!

Why am I so ravenous anyway? I need to get to the heart of this.

Is it because I don't read the Bible like I once did? Is it because my heart has been wandering away and my spirit has drawn drafty?

Is it because I took all that I was learning to heart, and then sadly discovered that my heart was too naive, and that so much of what churches proclaim is merely lip service.

I think what I have seen and experienced over the last 7 years has hurt me and while it shouldn't... it does. I can't help it. It is the way I'm wired. But somehow I have to get better at separating my God that has never failed me from the God of the churches. Of course, the problem is... this is the same God.

I want my naivety back. I liked me better when I took everything I read in the Bible to heart. I liked me better when everyday started and ended with that extraordinary online connection to the best power source of all.

So I guess the fault lies with me... lies with me disconnecting from the power source because I let my jumbled up ideas get in the way.

I thought if a church proclaimed the word of God, their actions would manifest that.
But what I failed to understand was that every person who walks throuh the doors of a church is at a different place in their spiritual journey... and it is ok. In fact it is better than ok! It is beautiful!

It is time for me to return to the heart of worship. Who knows... maybe that deep hunger will once again be quenched by the best food of all... food for the soul!

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I play around way too much with this diet. It is often said that diets don't work.
Diets work... it is not the diets that don't work. It is the dieters that don't work.

We get tired of the same ole, same ole. We get fed up with the deprivation. We lose interest and we often go back to our old ways...the ways that packed the pounds on in the first place.

How is it that a person who is genetically predisposed to being overweight can once and for all conquer the battle of the bulge?

If there is a way I want to know about it.

But I'm almost certain that the answer ultimately sits within that space between the ears. For in that space we can make the defining choices that will impact the rest of our lives.

Ok... so a diet can give us the vitamins and supplements our body might need. A diet counselor can give us the pep talk to keep us on track... but until we get our head on the right track... we are spinning our wheels in the sand.

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I am usually thought of as far younger than my chronological age. While I have never been the least bit disturbed by my age, I must admit that for the first time in my life, I have experienced a new sense this summer about this whole aging process.

There are things that frighten me, health things and cosmetic things.

Even though we can not turn back the hands of time, ( and who would really want to anyway!) we can make smart choices.

From the skin care products that we purchase to the nourishment we select to enrich our bodies, minds and souls.

The exercise equipment is calling my name.

"Kathi! Oh Kathi, where are you?"

Now how come ice cream's call is better followed?

I can't figure that one out. Especially since the exercise will do far more for me than a big bowl of frozen fat ever could.

This shifting of priorities is a never-ending struggle.

Why can't I simply be thin, rich and beautiful? Is that too much to ask? Surely not!

Let's Make Business Cards

Ok, everyone here is a fun little activity! This site is set up to custom create your very own business cards... how cool is that?

I simply love the idea of an interactive site where I can play with my promo materials before I drop a dime. For me it usually takes awhile to put together a PR Kit that really works for me in the way that I hope it will.

So I surfed on over and I hope you'll do the same and give this nifty little program a shot!

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All of a sudden one day, I bacame empowered to change the framing on a few things.

I had written down my three most important goals:

1. To lose weight

2. To become financially solid

3. To become a best selling author

I needed a picture frame to house my goals. Without any empty picture frames, I realized something.

Some of my old pictures no longer needed to be showcased in their frames. I could frame my goals, which are certainly much more important to me than a photo of , say, my brother and his ex wife... So on that day I became empowered to remove many of the photos that hold little to no importance for me.

I took back control of what things were really important to me to have framed. picture frames

I have a coupon for a free week at the neighborhood gym. But for some reason, it never gets used.

When I want to use it, I'm too busy. When I have the time to use it, I'm too lazy!

Lazy???? The truth is I am NOT a lazy person until it comes time to exercise.... go figure!

I'm trying to stay consistent with my home exercise equipment... sheesh it's paid for and I don't even have to go out in the rain to use it.

But even that goes unused far more than it ever gets used! strength equipment

On rainy days like today I love to brew up a big crock pot of home-made soup. I start with some stock, then add some chicken with decent sized bones, onions and garlic, a potpourri of chopped fresh veggies and a good sprinkling of seasonings.

Within an hour or so, a delicious and mouthwatering aroma perfumes every room of my home and I feel very pleased because I know that I will eat well for many days.

The nice thing about crock pot soups is that you really do NOT have to add any fat, if you are dieting.

While a couple slices of butter and a swirl of cream, add a lovely rich, smooth velvet-like texture to a pot of soup - it is not essential.

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Just how much flexibility should we allow for in building relationships?

Should we build a romantic relationship with another whose interests are far different from our own?

Several years ago I bought the book, "Look before You Love."

This is a great book! It has truly impacted me far more than I could have ever realized.

It has taught me to look at the lifestyle of a man I might be interested in. It has also taught me to consider my own!

It can be all too easy to get caught up in a blurry haze of romantic stirrings and flat out ignore red flags.

I already knew that a certain man wasn't the one for me... but when he said he was watching wrestling on tv on a Friday night... I knew with certainty that I could never imagine a life with a man who watched wrestling on tv on Friday nights!

There is nothing whatsoever wrong with someone watching wrestling. I applaud them for being true to their interests and spending their time doing something that they enjoy, whatever that might be.

But for me.... there are other things that I like to do on a Friday night... and somehow these things seems totally incompatible with the idea of a tv set or a wrestling match.

Do you think I'm a tad bit inflexible or that I'm smart to LOOK BEFORE I LOVE?

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"To thine own self be true..." Polonius's celebrated words, which he speaks to his son Laertes before Laertes's departure for travel abroad.

Are you being true to yourself? Are you being true to the innermost beat of your own soul?

Are you living a life of true authenticity?

The only way we can answer these questions is by traveling inward, moving away from the distractions of others and of the world. This is not so easy to do in our hectic paced lives and yet it is perhaps one of the most important things we MUST do if we are to become true to ourselves. I believe that by becoming true to ourself, we become true to a better version of ourselves, to a version more aligned with who we were created to be.

No one else can tell us! Our parents, our spouse, our significant other, our pastor, our teacher, our friends, our weightloss counselor... NO, they can not tell us. They can encourage us and love us. They can celebrate our victories and sympathize in our losses... But they can not tell us what is "right" for us.

Fortunately, discovering what is right for us is closer than many realize. While some have traveled the world to find themselves and others spend their entire lives looking everywhere except inwardly, some have discovered that their personal treasure map is actually situated right in the center of their own heart. By going to this center, they will discover all the answers they need in order to live a life that is filled with relevant authenticity, and the pathways to paradise. pool floats

Call me corny, but I love square dancing.

Now here's the tough question... if we supposedly love doing something, why do we not do it?

Square dancing is one of those activities that I will dosey-doe into the opportunity to do...if the opportunity presents itself. But square dancing has never been something that I went out searching for.

Was it that I thought it was corny and outdated, perhaps something best reserved for the occasional hoe-down or barn dance?

It Is Never Too Late!

It is never too late to start eating right and exercising your body.

Have you departed from a healthy regime? I'm sure most of us do from time-to-time.

The variety of reasons for this are surely as complicated and complex as the people themselves.

While we could pin the tail on the donkey, it is far wiser to own up to whatever the reason is and get back on track. Laying blame doesn't accomplish anything of any real merit. But what does is ... the taking charge of our lives, our health and our well-being in proactive ways.

So yesterday after feeling like I was closer to 91 than 51, I forced myself to exercise, drink plenty of water and eat right.

Now 24 hours later I feel like a million bucks! The human body is truly extraordinary! We have the power within us to transform our quality of life, by the choices we make. Choosing healthy food and physical exercise is so easy when we get deliberate about it. For support it never hurts to include your desire for a good diet and fitness program in your prayers.

When he said those things, clever comebacks came to me, comebacks that could cut him to the core. Yet, that sane inner voice whispered, "No Kathi."

So I spoke, not.

I would not stoop to that level. I would not lower myself to casting negativity in his garden.

Matching negativity for negativity does nothing to improve anyone's life. It only draws more darkness into an already dark world.

We can not be beacons of light if we spread darkness. Won't you spread some light today?

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I realize what I did wrong and yet I find it hard to turn the tide.

You see I let someone into my life, who began sprinkling seeds of negativity. I was doing great. Losing weight and feeling empowered to reach my goal.

But he started making comments about my weight and his words were not helpful to me.

The positive and the encouraging self-love tapes that had helped me to lose the weight got silenced, and the station got changed. Now the only words I heard were:

Rolly Polly

Fat

Your Underarms!

On and on!

While I know that I can not attach the blame to anyone but myself... I am angry at me. I am angry that I opened the door into my life to a person who sprinkles words of negativity. I am angry that I allowed his words to have a clear channel.

Now I have a tough job. I have to turn off that channel. It is harder than I thought. I have to return to my own channel of encouragement and self-love that says, "You are beautiful and thin!"

I have to discontinue ALL further association with this man, because association with him is toxic to my serenity and disastrous to my physical and emotional well-being.

And then maybe I can begin the job of erasing all the "fat" things he said to me.

We have to be very, very careful who we allow entrance into our lives. We need to be certain that they are "safe people."

A safe person is positive and affirming and sees us as a better version of ourselves. This gift they offer has the power to pull us forward into a better version of ourselves. They say, " you are beautiful" and before their very eyes we manifest into a more beautiful version of ourselves.

But if they say you are rolly polly, how can we not manifest into a more rolly polly version of ourselves?

Words... are they not more powerful than just about anything in lifting up or tearing down the spirit?


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It is good to be on a diet and lose weight. But what happens when you go off the diet? What happens when you go off the supplements that helped with the weight loss?

Are we forever doomed to popping pills?

I hate pills. Oh I know hate is a harsh word and that I should never say "I hate" anything.

But I do! I hate dieting! I hate popping pills to stay thin. Why can't I just be pencil-thin on my own?

Everyday I say, "today, today I'll get back on the program." But then I meet some food that taunts me and tempts me and today never comes.

Of course, it is my fault. I can't blame it on the food. That is foolish. How can a food make you do something? We are a silly lot at times- giving things like food powers to control us.

One day I'm going to stop letting food run the show. One day I'm going to learn to say "NO" to all the nods of immediate gratification. One day I'm going to grow up... and realize that I am in control of every morsel that enters my body and on that day I will say no to anything and everything that is not filled with vitamins and minerals and antioxidants.

NOW needs to be that day! Phentermine no prescription

I told a little fib. I didn't mean to, it just sort of happened.

It was one of those fibs that the person doesn't forget.

See it all happened when I casually told this guy that we had the same birthday, for reasons that might only make sense to me. Now the thing is he usually forgets just about everything I say so I didn't think it would be such a big deal. I'd already told him the date of my real birthday... but naturally in all his self-centerered splendor, he forgot. In my book forgetting equates, to "I don't give a d_ _ _ !

Really, any guy worth his salt doesn't forget his girl's birthday. Does he? Or do I just expect too much?

So now I have a little predicament. I might need to take his name off my birthday invitations list!

What is with these guys looking for a sugar momma?

I can not believe that there are guys out there that expect a woman to take on the dominant role!

I've seen and heard it all... at least all I plan to hear!

From the rich guy who lets his mom supplement his income to the one who said he wants to be my caddy! Let me tell you... I want an equal partner. I don't need a caddy! I want someone like me, someone who stands on their own two feet, someone who isn't afraid to take a swing and hit the ball out of the ballpark.

I want someone who takes his life mission and his career serious and isn't focused on becoming a barnacle on someone else's back.

I don't mind paying my fair share at times, but I'm not about to spring for his share of the bill! It goes against my grain, it goes against everything I believe a man should be!

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Fifty is the NEW 35! You've got to love this, especially if you are either in or nearing the FABULOUS FIFTIES!

I turned the big 5-o last summer and have not looked back once.

But here is the disturbing thing...there are people who have totally screwed up thought processes and are not happy unless they are dragging somebody else down.

We have to stay away from people like that! They are TOXIC!

I'm referring to people who come to plant seeds of hopelessness, doubt or despair in our gardens.

If a friend tells you that fifty is too old... who needs enemies?

Fifty is a great age. In fact I think life begins at fifty. So what if we are wearing bi-focals and investing in thebest acne treatment?

Reminiscent of a 1940's love story....

the verbage captured my imagination.

The brochure had arrived in last week's mail, with the glorious shots of shell-strewn beaches and barefoot lovers walking hand-in-hand, on a wet and sandy beach.

The compelling photo tugged at my heartstrings.

"I want that!" My heart cried out as I made the decision not to toss the direct mail advertising in the trash. No instead I placed it smack dab on the coffee tables mosaic surface.

I'm Happier When I Eat Pasta

It's true ... I feel happier and more satisfied nutritionally when I keep pasta in my regular diet.

What is up with this?

Almost every weight loss program I've ever been on has labeled pasta a bad food choice when trying to lose weight.

Trying to get a read on this, I went surfing the internet and was pleased to find the following information from the Canadian Diabetes Association.

"Insulin resistance appears to affect a small percentage of Canadians and is most common among overweight individuals. It is related to a form of diabetes called Type II diabetes.

In an insulin-resistant person, the pancreas produces too much insulin after he or she eats sugars or starches. Additionally, cells in insulin-resistant individuals' bodies may not respond to insulin, causing their blood sugar to stay abnormally high after a meal or a snack. - The reality is that being overweight causes insulin-resistance.

A high-carbohydrate diet does not make an insulin-resistant person overweight, nor does it cause insulin-resistance. - Adopting a high-carbohydrate diet actually enhances insulin function for most people by lowering insulin levels. Carbohydrates are converted to glucose in the body and insulin helps cells utilize glucose for energy."

With a history of diabetes in my family and being at an age where one starts to recognize the potential for declining health - I'm very interested in the research provided by diabetes associations.

So maybe there is a nutritional reason that I feel better after eating a well-prepared dish of pasta. Maybe the pasta is performing an important function in my body.

I'm looking forward to researching this more. I'd also love to hear your thoughts! Please feel free to post relevant comments on this blog!

I've been working on a special menu- a menu designed to help support anyone who is trying to eat right.

While it is a cinch for me to dream up amazing ideas for foods that are unrestricted in fat or calories, it is quite another thing to dream up foods that are low-fat, yet delicious.

Why did God let the things that add depth and richness, be loaded in fat?

I suppose I shouldn't blame him! He did give us an extraordinary garden of fabulous fruits, vegetables and herbs!

Everything we need to live an abundant life was provided in that garden.

Perhaps we should return to a more plant-based diet, a diet free of inferior man-made foods.

If we could eat fruits and vegetables as close to their most natural state, we could probably eliminate much of the obesity and much of the illness in our world today.

Yikes! I finally stepped back on the scale a few minutes ago. Not good! I've gained about 25 pounds since the holidays.

So I've made the decision to get re-dedicated to this weight loss journey. I've drank more water this morning already than I probably drank in an entire week's time in the past several months.

The water is so critical. It really helps to flush out the toxins.

During my time freelancing as a weight loss counselor, I discovered that the patients who drank liberal amounts of water (at least a minimum of 64 ounces a day), visited the center regularly and kept a true accounting of their daily food intake were the most successful in their quest to lose weight. While those who drank little water, failed to visit the center on a regular basis and did not record a daily food diary ... lost very little weight at all and even in some cases- gained weight.

So much of this is just plain old common sense! It is not all that much different than when we were in school. If we read the assignments, did our homework and put forth a serious effort - we would get good grades. If we blew off the assignments, the homework and the effort - we could pretty much be assured relatively unsatisfactory results.

It is about what is more important to us. It's about just saying " NO "to the short term desires that interfere with allowing us to accomplish the more important long term desires.

We have to decide what is more important to us and to our lives.

We have to be able to intelligently weigh immediate satisfaction over a future goal.

Do we want to see our goal realized? Or do we want to trade off our goal for immediate gratification that could lead to all sorts of health issues? Is that sugar worth the damage it can do to both health and well being?

I write about this because this is my daily challenge. Too many times in my life, I've elected sugar fixes over a greater goal. In the process, I've compromised my health and the dreams that are in my soul.

So once again, I pick myself up and try again to avoid the sugar, to drink the water, to keep the food diary, to make smarter choices concerning what I put in my mouth and to exercise this divine temple that I was entrusted with to partake of a human experience on this planet.

I don't want my experience to be any less than what it was destined for when the Creator decided that I should be created.

Is anyone even following this blog? After blogging for some time a blogger begins to wonder... does anyone even care what I have to say? Has anyone tried some of the recipes I posted in the earlier days of this blog?

Diet With Kathi has certainly been on a journey. Unfortunately, I never reached my ultimate goal. Now this is not to say that I won't. Because in time I shall. But the truth is, this dieter got tired of eating the same basic food over and over again.

I missed being able to eat several fresh fruits a day. I missed cooking with olive oil. I missed baked potatoes and I missed my pasta!

There was nothing wrong with the diet... it was an excellent diet. But I'm just not an excellent dieter! My taste buds want more freedom.

Eventually I will return to the weightloss program, but for now I just want to celebrate FLavor once again more than I want to celebrate restriction.

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Let us not be blind to our differences, nor to the similarities that unite us.

There are far too many comments made in this world that offer no value or hope to the human condition. Why do people say things that are hurtful to others?

The comments made that pertain to the overweight are uncalled for as are the derogatory coments made in reference to any human struggle.

Struggles with sugar addictions are not really all that different than struggles with other addictions. Is one more acceptable than another?

Everyone of them presents a detour of sorts, keeping the addicted from being able to fully experience their true purpose in life.

The similarity that we share is that we all, regardless of who we are or what our station in life might be, have been placed on this planet with a divinely appointed purpose. The difference is the beautiful uniqueness of each life's purpose. The combination is what makes this world the most extraordinary mosaic.... and the kind words are the light that shines through and illuminates the human mosaic, making sense of what would otherwise be a dark, lost and hurting world.

Won't you let your words - be words of light? drug rehab

I will go to my deathbed praising God that I was born in a country that values freedom of speech.

As a blogger spinning out my quirky creatives, I often realize just how blessed we are in this nation.

In other places, freedom to say what one desires is not a possibility. Sometimes people are even killed for speaking their mind. How utterly unthinkable and how utterly barbaric!

Sometimes though, even in this nation, people are afraid to say things that need to be said and to stand up to the tyranny of the times.

No, it shouldn't be this way! We should all feel confident to speak out against injustice.

Recently, I heard a disturbing tidbit about some regulations that could be coming down the pike for bloggers in an attempt to rein in what a person can post on a blog. But since I don't know the full story, I will suspend judgement for the time being until I can make an intelligent and well-balanced commentary. Won't you do the same? espresso machines

It is encouraging to see that Florida will soon be offering affordable health insurance options for the state's millions of uninsured adults.

Will this really make a difference and will it give Florida residents a policy that has some real coverage?

I've had some "affordable insurance" in the past and to be honest it didn't give me diddly squat! When I needed it to cover me, it didn't. So in essence my hard earned money went to line the coffers of the insurance company and the pockets of the slick salesman who promised the world and gave me - - - -.

So I wonder what sorts of regulations will be enforced to protect Florida's citizens from being ripped off by unscrupulous insurance vendors.

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Yes! Yes! Yes! Now that my trusty ole' pc is zipping along once again... I would be delighted to take on some I-Strategy work!

I am still in the market for a new computer ... but hopefully I'll be able to hang on a couple more months.

There are always far too many places for my income to go and never quite enough of the green stuff to cover all the bases. You would think that by living in a bank, I would have an endless cash supply. Ha Ha Ha! I wish! Perhaps that is why I splurge on the calorie budget!

But I truly suspect that all of this is a-changing as I turn the corner for a prosperous new season.

Come .... won't you join us for the journey? Orovo

Yippity Do Da!

Yippity Day... My, Oh My What A Beautiful Day!

For the first time in many weeks, I'm completing my queu of assignments on time before pay day!

My computer had been presenting one issue after another, creating a long annoying string of unacceptable, yet unavoidable excuses.

No completed assignments... no money! Not a pretty picture! Why, it is enough to cause one to break out in an anxiety rash! acne treatments

I don't feel like buying any lingerie right now!

I suppose if I had simply said, "NO" to the desserts today, my tummy wouldn't be feeling so bulgy!

What is my problem? I have such an ongoing weakness for all things rich, chocolate and decadently sinful!

Somehow I have got to get my will aligned with the savvier parts of my brain!

When you live the European way, above the shop or behind the shop, in the urban quadrant of the city, as I do ... it is not unreasonable to miss the pleasures of the garden.

My present garden is limited to a postage-stamp sized plot of soil, just barely large enough to hold a tree in one square and a rose bush in another.

Yard work takes a good fifteen minutes every now and then, to pull a handful of weeds or clip the dead heads off the rose bush. Sweeping in front of the store could easily become a daily chore, as the Florida winds seem to deposit a good dusting of sand and soot to my curb. We are not all that close to the beach... why then is there always such a collection of sand to sweep away?

Is this the result of beach erosion? Do the winds deposit sand inland this far? I never imagined they could, but then I'm always finding out all sorts of things are possible that I previously didn't think were possible.

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I'm getting ready to go for a walk. Just need to drink up my zipp fizz, first.

Today's walk should be especially entertaining. I'm taking a different route than usual for reasons perhaps I'll share at a later date.

Let me just say my change in route has something to do with a new friend :)

New friends are a great thing, especially if a new friendship can include fitness in the mix!

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Well I don't need a magnifying glass to see that I've put on a few pounds.

Why is it that diets only work up to a point?

A suppose the real answer is that THE DIETERS ONLY WORK UP TO A POINT until we get bored or burned out with the deprivation and then go back to our old patterns.

The reality is that we need to truly want one result over the other. So we need to move beyond the immediate gratification that comes with taking our short-lived pleasure today and casting our sights further down the road to the long-life pleasures of tomorrow.

Why can't we just have our cake and eat it too?

Where does the blame lie? We seem to live in an age where it is commonplace for the wrongs of life to be shifted to innocent parties. When are we just going to start owning up to the simple fact that we are responsible for the state of our own lives? We need to quit blaming someone and something else. It is not the government's fault, it is not societies fault, it is not your parent's fault, it is not your spouse's fault... look in the mirror and lay the real fault in the correct place.

We have an extraordinary amount of control over our destiny, we can choose to seize hold of the life we want or we can wallow in the misery and shift all the blame to something else. The choice is ours and the time is NOW! mortgage lenders

"An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity." - Sir Winston Churchill

Through the art and practice of positive thinking, extraordinary things are breathed into existence. Look at all the great inventions of our world that entered through the heavy door of what was initially a problem.

It takes spiritual muscles to push through that door and to engage in positive thinking. Positive thinking requires faith in believing in something that is not yet a reality. The best place that I've found to develop and exercise one's spiritual muscles is through an honest one-to one relationship with our creator. By believing in HIM, AMAZING things are possible.

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The major special event of the year! At Last! America's most famous special event designer tells her own story!

Major Advertising! Major Promo! Author appearances coast to coast! First printing 500,000 copies! Already puchased for a major film starring ...

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Forget the rules! Arouse the senses! Imagine the fun of wearing a pair of sable leather thigh high boots, then fling the doors open and say, "I've arrived!"

Sometimes one needs to change their paradigm and break free of the shackles that bind.

Memories preserved in delicate detail- everything.

The taste, the scent, the sight and most especially the emotion ...all locked away in a secret compartment, ready to spring to life with just the right combination of cues.

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Benefits and Features of Hi-Energy Supplements

The hi-energy supplements that I get from Winners Weightloss in Tallahassee have been one of the keys to my weight loss success.

Here are some of the benefits:

1. Satisfies sweet cravings

2. Tastes good

3. Versatile

4. Can be used in cooking

5. Stimulates metabolism

6. Essential for hair and nail growth

7. Satisfies psychological cravings

8. Regulates the body's water balance

9. Major source of building material for the body

10. Aids in formation of antibodies

11. Promotes healing process

12. Important in process of blood clotting formation

13. Needed for formation of hormones

14. Proper amounts of protein can reduce fatigue and the lack of stamina often experienced during dieting.

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There is a joy that comes in pushing oneself beyond one's prior limitations. Our limitations vary from person to person, situation to situation.

It can be too easy to give up and accept defeat. Diets are a perfect example of this. In order to be successful we have to push ourselves to places we often don't want to push ourself too.

And yet when we do it, we have the potential to achieve the uncommon. patch panel

Every other Sunday I seem to make a mad dash to complete my assignments before the cut off on Monday morning.

I don't know why I wait till the last minute. This is a trait that has demonstrated itself repeatedly in my life. I suppose it has a great deal to do with priorities.

We often do those things that are high on our list of priorities before we do the tasks that are not quite so high.

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Time is money. I'm not sure why this little nugget of truth has been hard for me to grasp hold of.

I have often treated both time and money as if there was an unlimited supply of each, only to awaken to the rude reality that both can easily be squandered if one is not careful.

Why can't life be easier? Perhaps a life of ease would remove all the adventure from the journey. Isn't the journey all the better when we meet the depth of our own strength?

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Sometimes we over indulge in food because we are unsatisfied in other areas of our lives. We are looking to be filled up, yet we are not necessarily choosing the right filling station.

We think what we are feeling is hunger. In certain respects it is. But just maybe it is not a physical hunger, but rather it is a spiritual hunger.

A spiritual hunger can not be filled with food, wholesale fashion jewelry or worldly things - it must be filled with the living presence of our creator.

Be on the look out for a Diet With Kathi workshop later this spring. In this class I'll be spilling some of my secrets for losing close to 100 pounds.

As a foodie, good tasting food is about as important to me as fresh air. I can't live without either.

I'll be sharing how I've managed to create wonderful dishes, while staying within the guidelines of the Winner's Weightloss Program.

We all know that diet food usually doesn't taste all that satisfying and perhaps that is the chief reason diets often lack both the short term and long term statistical results that deem them successful.

What if you could learn some dynamic flavor principles that would forever change your kitchen paradigm?

For more information about this class and other great classes, call the Canopy Rose Culinary Arts Studio and Catering Company at 850-539-7750.

Did you know that you can sponsor postings on our blogs? It is very simple! We simply add a text link to the bottom of our posting with the sponsors website.

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One of the perks of losing weight is being able to wear a more interesting collection of clothing. Let's face it- dressing up or down just isn't much fun when your body is covered in excess baggage. Isn't that sort of what obesity is... visible and unhealthy baggage of brokeness.

I'm looking forward to an Atlanta buying trip this spring. I can't wait to give away the rest of my double digit clothing and get back to the single digits- the low single digits! corsets

If a memory foam mattress is anything like a memory foam pillow, I would one day like to get one!

My friend has memory foam pillows at his house and I never would have thought that I would like them. But actually I like them even more than my white goose down overstuffed king size bed pillows.

There is something very nice about them!

It's not like I've been on holiday or anything. Actually I've been consumed with transition for many months. I hope to get more regular with my postings on this blog.

I think I'd like to go in a different direction on this blog for 2008. However, that direction has not presented itself to me yet.

So consequently you hear from me when I 'm working on an assignment. This assignment is for Nike golf.

Now that is an idea I could get into...maybe a golfing weekend in PebbleBeach!

It was Christmas time when the box of two wines arrived. Being in the middle of moving, I immediately moved them to the kitchen in my new residence, anxiously awaiting a special occasion to open the bottles and partake of some fine wine.

So one afternoon as my friends who helped me move and I sat down to a simple lunch, I suggested we try the wine. They were thrilled!

We were about to turn a meal into a celebration, thanks to the gift of wine.

They were very favorable about the wine, but for some reason I just wasn't crazy about it. Perhaps my taste buds were off that day. Perhaps the wine was a bit too dry for my taste preferences. I'm really not sure what it was. Perhaps I was too stressed with my move to enjoy a truly fine wine.

There was a bit left in a bottle and I shared it with a client a couple days ago. She also, like my other friends, gave this wine the thumbs up. I guess I need some instruction on understanding good wines. So it is for that reason that I would like to join a wine of the month club that my teach me how to appreciate a good wine.

Why pay retail prices if you don't have to? The Internet has made it a breeze to find exactly what we are looking for with the added benefit that any savvy shopper can usually find anything they want at a price that they are willing to pay. Standard mark-ups are way, way too high on most products. That is why you need resources like directbuy on your rolodex.

Yikes! I didn't realize so much time had passed since my last blog posting. My days have been consumed with first the sale of my house, then the closing, packing and moving and now getting settled into my new home and business. I wish that I could say that through it all, I was victorious in my weight loss. While I didn't put any weight on through this journey, I also didn't lose very much... at least not as much as I should have lost. Hopefully now that I am beginning to get back on an even keel, I will get refocused on losing the rest of my weight. To date I've lost close to 100 pounds! But lately I'm really struggling with sugar and chocolate cravings. One night I ate an entire pint of chocolate fudge frozen yogurt. I couldn't help myself. I just kept eating until the carton was empty. This is truly a sickness! It is really no different than any type of addiction...alcohol or drugs or nicotine. Fortunately a sugar addiction isn't illegal or cause one to have impaired judgement, but it still is self-destructive and it still sets up an unwelcome outpost in the head that tries to control one's decisions. I'll never really understand what it is that happens in the mind that causes an addictive substance to take over. But I will continue to battle this in the best way that I know how. Maybe the center should install a hidden spy camera in my kitchen, ten everytime I deviate it will catch me in the act!