THE CLEANSING DIET
It has been nearly four months since I began a serious attempt to reduce my weight and improve my overall diet. Although I have been walking for 2-3 hours, five-days-a-week on a regular basis and have been on the low end of beef and general meat-consumption, I had trouble losing weight and I struggled with my overall wellness. I began at 220 lbs and lost weight rapidly, utilizing the Atkins reduced-carb approach. I successfully reduced to 186 lbs using a combination of Atkins and through gradually increasing my walking from 2 to 4 hours, 5 days-per-week, but was dissatisfied with the amount of meat, cheese, eggs and salt that is typically eaten on this diet. Seeking guidance, I have read more than 20 diet and health books since beginning this regimen, and most of them recommend a more-or-less vegetarian approach.
Natural Hygiene is explained in one of these books as another way to cleanse and reduce weight, so I began this cleansing diet after remaining on Atkins for 40 days. Basically, the Natural Hygiene diet is a method in which nothing but fruit is eaten upon arising and after that, eaten freely until lunchtime. Then after an hour or so, in the afternoon, you discontinue eating fruit and begin eating fresh salads, garnished with unprocessed, unroasted, unsalted, fresh seeds and nuts and olive oil, and you continue eating these small fresh salads freely until 8pm. Other vegetables are also permitted, but they should be eaten as fresh as possible, including fresh sprouts and other uncooked varieties, being careful to avoid adding salt and harmful commercial supplements. Because I began on the Atkins Diet, I had already eliminated bread from my diet, but I have now slowly begun to add in unprocessed whole wheat and sesame flatbread as well. I have found that I am not nearly as thirsty as I was on the Atkins diet, and that I have more energy.
Natural Hygiene is a vegetarian diet which had its origins in Europe several centuries ago and began to be spoken of and written about in this country beginning in about 1830. This diet plan has many adherents in this country, including physicians, health practitioners and educators. I am particularly interested in the cleansing aspect of this diet, as well as the improved energy which it provides. By eating fresh, living, vegetarian foods, which have about 70% water content, your body is able to cleanse itself beginning with the digestive tract and proceeding through your system at the cellular level and continuing to cleanse the liver, kidneys, intestines and colon. The more closely you adhere to this diet program and avoid meat, eggs, dairy and salt, the more quickly you will see beneficial results. After beginning this diet, I continued to lose about 3 lbs per week for 3 weeks to 177 lbs, and then I slowly regained to 186 lbs, where my weight has stabilized for the past 3 weeks. I plan to write more about this program later, when I have more information to share with you, but so far I am pleased with what the Natural Hygiene diet has done for me. If you are feeling run-down, have elimination problems, are seeking to lose weight, or are otherwise confronting other wellness issues, I recommend that you try the Natural Hygiene dietary approach.
Mark Overt Skilbred
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
SOLUTIONS FOR UNEMPLOYMENT
SOLUTIONS FOR UNEMPLOYMENT
A well-known politico commented recently that she did not know any economists who are against continuing extension of benefits to the unemployed. This is because there is historical evidence of the efficiency of this particular form of economic stimulation, which pumps money into the system quickly and avoids the greater harms caused by allowing the unemployed to slip closer to the edge of economic and health disasters such as bankruptcy, malnutrition and exposure. There has been some question about the logic of the Senate’s rejection of the most recent unemployment benefits extensions. Perhaps they are concerned that any efforts to relieve the suffering of the unemployed will be viewed by some as an unnecessary increase in the national debt. It is more likely that Republican senators are more concerned about reelection than about anything else. Still other economic voices argue that without this crucial economic stimulus, we will enter a secondary phase of recession which diminishes our recovery efforts and further prolongs the misery and frustration of those who are most in need.
In an effort to stimulate job creation, banks have been given access to $15 billion in funds to make cheaper loans to small businesses who will agree to the creation of more jobs in exchange for lower interest rate loans. This is a step in the right direction, but will take longer because of the reluctance of small businesses to incur debt in such an uncertain business climate. Another approach which could be tried is to reduce payrolls nationally by 10%, and use that same 10% savings to hire the unemployed, which now represent about 10% of the nation. Employees who complain about the reduction of their income to 90% could be encouraged to show the same compassion for their unemployed neighbors as they would like to be shown to them under the same circumstances. If this logic fails to convince them, perhaps offering them an opportunity to exchange places with their less-fortunate neighbors would be more appropriate.
Whatever solutions ultimately prevail, this continues to be a learning experience more keenly felt by those recipients who have had the least to gain and the most to lose, through no fault of their own, since the Great Depression. Rather than bemoaning our sad fate as a nation, why not find a practical way to move forward and turn our dilemma into a fair solution which works now and sets a good historical example for generations to come?
Mark Overt Skilbred
A well-known politico commented recently that she did not know any economists who are against continuing extension of benefits to the unemployed. This is because there is historical evidence of the efficiency of this particular form of economic stimulation, which pumps money into the system quickly and avoids the greater harms caused by allowing the unemployed to slip closer to the edge of economic and health disasters such as bankruptcy, malnutrition and exposure. There has been some question about the logic of the Senate’s rejection of the most recent unemployment benefits extensions. Perhaps they are concerned that any efforts to relieve the suffering of the unemployed will be viewed by some as an unnecessary increase in the national debt. It is more likely that Republican senators are more concerned about reelection than about anything else. Still other economic voices argue that without this crucial economic stimulus, we will enter a secondary phase of recession which diminishes our recovery efforts and further prolongs the misery and frustration of those who are most in need.
In an effort to stimulate job creation, banks have been given access to $15 billion in funds to make cheaper loans to small businesses who will agree to the creation of more jobs in exchange for lower interest rate loans. This is a step in the right direction, but will take longer because of the reluctance of small businesses to incur debt in such an uncertain business climate. Another approach which could be tried is to reduce payrolls nationally by 10%, and use that same 10% savings to hire the unemployed, which now represent about 10% of the nation. Employees who complain about the reduction of their income to 90% could be encouraged to show the same compassion for their unemployed neighbors as they would like to be shown to them under the same circumstances. If this logic fails to convince them, perhaps offering them an opportunity to exchange places with their less-fortunate neighbors would be more appropriate.
Whatever solutions ultimately prevail, this continues to be a learning experience more keenly felt by those recipients who have had the least to gain and the most to lose, through no fault of their own, since the Great Depression. Rather than bemoaning our sad fate as a nation, why not find a practical way to move forward and turn our dilemma into a fair solution which works now and sets a good historical example for generations to come?
Mark Overt Skilbred
Friday, June 18, 2010
NBA STANDINGS FOR JUNE 17, 2010
NBA STANDINGS FOR JUNE 17, 2010
Well done, Lakers! Well done, Phil! Congratulations to Lakers fans everywhere on your 16th NBA Championship! As you enjoy your celebration and a much-deserved rest, take time to count your blessings and give yourselves a chance to heal from all of your many injuries. We look forward to another championship in 2011, and the only way that can happen is by having plenty of recovery time. Thanks for a great season, and we’ll see you again in the fall!
Mark Overt Skilbred
Well done, Lakers! Well done, Phil! Congratulations to Lakers fans everywhere on your 16th NBA Championship! As you enjoy your celebration and a much-deserved rest, take time to count your blessings and give yourselves a chance to heal from all of your many injuries. We look forward to another championship in 2011, and the only way that can happen is by having plenty of recovery time. Thanks for a great season, and we’ll see you again in the fall!
Mark Overt Skilbred
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
NBA STANDINGS FOR JUNE 8, 2010
NBA STANDINGS FOR JUNE 8, 2010
As we look forward to game 3 of the finals in Boston, it is safe to say that all of those doom-and-gloom predictions about the Lakers were undeserved. I’ve been a Lakers fan for 33 years and I haven’t seen the Lakers play better basketball than game 1 against the Celtics. All of you played like a team, with the hearts of true champions, and I am confident that you have what it takes to bring home Championship #16. So here is wishing you all a great and successful road trip in Boston, and we look forward to the Lakers closing out the Celtics here at home when you return!
Mark Overt Skilbred
As we look forward to game 3 of the finals in Boston, it is safe to say that all of those doom-and-gloom predictions about the Lakers were undeserved. I’ve been a Lakers fan for 33 years and I haven’t seen the Lakers play better basketball than game 1 against the Celtics. All of you played like a team, with the hearts of true champions, and I am confident that you have what it takes to bring home Championship #16. So here is wishing you all a great and successful road trip in Boston, and we look forward to the Lakers closing out the Celtics here at home when you return!
Mark Overt Skilbred
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
NBA STANDINGS FOR MAY 10, 2010
NBA STANDINGS FOR MAY 10, 2010
WESTERN DIVISION
Round 2
Lakers swept the Jazz in 4 straight.
Suns swept the Spurs in 4 straight.
EASTERN DIVISION
Round 2
Magic swept the Hawks in 4 straight.
Celtics and Cavaliers all tied at 2-2.
As the divisional playoffs move toward their final round, things are all tied up between Boston and Cleveland as game 5 opens in Cleveland tomorrow night. Some are already saying that we may see a repeat of last season in several ways. In the meantime, the Lakers, Suns and Magic are enjoying a welcome break before round 3 begins. It is looking as though all that worrying about the Lakers was not really necessary after all, and that all will finally be well again in our Lakers universe. Here is wishing all of you players, coaches and fans the best of everything as we wrap up another season! Be safe in the games that still remain and have a great summer!
Mark Overt Skilbred
WESTERN DIVISION
Round 2
Lakers swept the Jazz in 4 straight.
Suns swept the Spurs in 4 straight.
EASTERN DIVISION
Round 2
Magic swept the Hawks in 4 straight.
Celtics and Cavaliers all tied at 2-2.
As the divisional playoffs move toward their final round, things are all tied up between Boston and Cleveland as game 5 opens in Cleveland tomorrow night. Some are already saying that we may see a repeat of last season in several ways. In the meantime, the Lakers, Suns and Magic are enjoying a welcome break before round 3 begins. It is looking as though all that worrying about the Lakers was not really necessary after all, and that all will finally be well again in our Lakers universe. Here is wishing all of you players, coaches and fans the best of everything as we wrap up another season! Be safe in the games that still remain and have a great summer!
Mark Overt Skilbred
Thursday, May 6, 2010
THIS POOR MAN CALLED
THIS POOR MAN CALLED
Have you noticed how the Psalms are great summary statements for the issues of the heart? They express our inmost thoughts, teach us thankfulness and praise and they contain some of the most wonderful promises anywhere in the Bible. Some of our best moments are spent absorbing God’s Word as expressed in the Psalms. Read some of them every day!
PSALM 34
I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems His servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him. NIV
Mark Overt Skilbred
Have you noticed how the Psalms are great summary statements for the issues of the heart? They express our inmost thoughts, teach us thankfulness and praise and they contain some of the most wonderful promises anywhere in the Bible. Some of our best moments are spent absorbing God’s Word as expressed in the Psalms. Read some of them every day!
PSALM 34
I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems His servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him. NIV
Mark Overt Skilbred
Friday, April 30, 2010
DIETING FOR HEALTH--Where Is All Of This Leading Me? Many Questions Remain...
DIETING FOR HEALTH—Where Is All Of This Leading Me? Many Questions Remain
Now that I have initiated lipolysis using the Atkins approach to reduce my carb intake below 20 carbs per day, in fact just slightly above 8 carbs per day as a 21-day average, I ask myself whether to continue on this low-carb flush-and-purge juice fast until I am at my target weight of 180, or should I continue well past that first goal to match my marriage weight of 160, or still further to 155, to match my high school athletic weight, or even further on a cleansing fast to surpass by one pound my previous adult low of 139? And what is accomplished by each of these objectives? At 180, I equal the weight I most recently reached in 1993, but only maintained briefly. Although the charts say that with my 6’3” height and medium frame, my ideal weight is 180, I tend to dispute that figure because I still had a slight potbelly at that weight that couldn’t be accounted for by lack-of-tone alone. At 160 I would at least equal my marriage weight at age 35 and be able to wear my wedding suit for the first time in 25 years. To attempt to complete my cleansing by finishing at 138 seems a bit ambitious for a 59-year-old, given that I completed that fruit fast when I was 33. There have been greater accomplishments than these, I am sure, but right now nothing comes to mind. I have begun to settle into a workout routine that incorporates walking and jogging into the same workout, with jogging gradually replacing walking by Christmas Eve, one-minute-at-a-time. If I am able to accomplish that, it will be my first time to consistently run since I was 31. Once the goal of jogging for 3 hours is accomplished, I will set my sights on improving my pace from a slow jog to a medium and then a fast jog. If all goes as planned, I hope to run for 3 hours per day, five days a week. Today I jogged for the second time in 28 years and was surprised how out-of-shape I felt to be running. Even after walking 2-3 hours 5 days per week for the past 27 months, I was still not prepared for the extra effort involved in jogging. I was feeling pretty down about it until I remembered that I was attempting the equivalent of jogging 2 city blocks while carrying a heavy suitcase. I am still over 200 lbs and attempting to regain my former training weight of 155 pounds. In high school I ran the 100 yard dash in 11.6, not fast enough for a medal. In the 220 yd dash, I ran a 25.1 in the relays and won a couple of medals. In the quarter-mile I did a little better, running the first lap of the mile in 56 seconds. I did still better in the half-mile, running a 2:06 when I was 25. I haven’t dared to dream of regaining those accomplishments, but it would be fun to try and see what I can do with a little determination, effort, and a closely and carefully-constructed incremental workout plan. My wife just bought me a membership at LA Fitness, which will encourage me to limber up, improve my overall posture and weight training, and offer me welcome relief from the hot sun of midsummer and some of the cooler and wetter days of winter. I cannot emphasize enough how important it will be to maintain a constant vigilance on my weight and fitness regimen, if I am to accomplish this ambitious plan by Christmas. I encourage myself by realizing how far I have come so far in toning and improving my overall conditioning. It does take a long time, just as it took a long time of inactivity and poorly-regulated diet to reach the bottom. Now, a slow, steady and sustained effort is needed to counteract the negative results of poor health choices. Once begun, however, every day becomes another day of improvement that brings me closer to vibrant health. Every improvement builds on the next one and is vital to the entire program. This mountain can definitely be moved, even if it has to be one spoonful at–a-time. The hardest thing of all is still the daily choice to keep moving forward or to allow myself to do nothing at all but maintain the status quo, which is the same thing as moving slowly backwards.
Mark Overt Skilbred
Now that I have initiated lipolysis using the Atkins approach to reduce my carb intake below 20 carbs per day, in fact just slightly above 8 carbs per day as a 21-day average, I ask myself whether to continue on this low-carb flush-and-purge juice fast until I am at my target weight of 180, or should I continue well past that first goal to match my marriage weight of 160, or still further to 155, to match my high school athletic weight, or even further on a cleansing fast to surpass by one pound my previous adult low of 139? And what is accomplished by each of these objectives? At 180, I equal the weight I most recently reached in 1993, but only maintained briefly. Although the charts say that with my 6’3” height and medium frame, my ideal weight is 180, I tend to dispute that figure because I still had a slight potbelly at that weight that couldn’t be accounted for by lack-of-tone alone. At 160 I would at least equal my marriage weight at age 35 and be able to wear my wedding suit for the first time in 25 years. To attempt to complete my cleansing by finishing at 138 seems a bit ambitious for a 59-year-old, given that I completed that fruit fast when I was 33. There have been greater accomplishments than these, I am sure, but right now nothing comes to mind. I have begun to settle into a workout routine that incorporates walking and jogging into the same workout, with jogging gradually replacing walking by Christmas Eve, one-minute-at-a-time. If I am able to accomplish that, it will be my first time to consistently run since I was 31. Once the goal of jogging for 3 hours is accomplished, I will set my sights on improving my pace from a slow jog to a medium and then a fast jog. If all goes as planned, I hope to run for 3 hours per day, five days a week. Today I jogged for the second time in 28 years and was surprised how out-of-shape I felt to be running. Even after walking 2-3 hours 5 days per week for the past 27 months, I was still not prepared for the extra effort involved in jogging. I was feeling pretty down about it until I remembered that I was attempting the equivalent of jogging 2 city blocks while carrying a heavy suitcase. I am still over 200 lbs and attempting to regain my former training weight of 155 pounds. In high school I ran the 100 yard dash in 11.6, not fast enough for a medal. In the 220 yd dash, I ran a 25.1 in the relays and won a couple of medals. In the quarter-mile I did a little better, running the first lap of the mile in 56 seconds. I did still better in the half-mile, running a 2:06 when I was 25. I haven’t dared to dream of regaining those accomplishments, but it would be fun to try and see what I can do with a little determination, effort, and a closely and carefully-constructed incremental workout plan. My wife just bought me a membership at LA Fitness, which will encourage me to limber up, improve my overall posture and weight training, and offer me welcome relief from the hot sun of midsummer and some of the cooler and wetter days of winter. I cannot emphasize enough how important it will be to maintain a constant vigilance on my weight and fitness regimen, if I am to accomplish this ambitious plan by Christmas. I encourage myself by realizing how far I have come so far in toning and improving my overall conditioning. It does take a long time, just as it took a long time of inactivity and poorly-regulated diet to reach the bottom. Now, a slow, steady and sustained effort is needed to counteract the negative results of poor health choices. Once begun, however, every day becomes another day of improvement that brings me closer to vibrant health. Every improvement builds on the next one and is vital to the entire program. This mountain can definitely be moved, even if it has to be one spoonful at–a-time. The hardest thing of all is still the daily choice to keep moving forward or to allow myself to do nothing at all but maintain the status quo, which is the same thing as moving slowly backwards.
Mark Overt Skilbred
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