Monday, January 31, 2011

Puppy Caption Time

Time for some puppy captions. Put your caption in the comments. I will add it to this blog later. Today the puppies turned three weeks old.

 Photo A. (Bessie)

Perfecting the nose pose. by Donna Donahue 
Photo B. (Hazel and Flash)

You don't think this outfit makes my butt look too big, do you? by Nick Stagg

Photo C. (Kima and Jam)

Shhhh --- just whisper in my ear. by Donna Donahue

Photos: Diane.



Two Butt-utiful! by Donna Donahue

Sunday, January 30, 2011

The Greatest Gift

Our dogs give us the greatest gift and yet we fail to acknowledge it. It is the gift of  their heart, their passion, their loyalty and their love. What do we give them in return?

Her slow rhythmic breathing was soothing to me, almost like the lapping of water across  the bow of a boat. Her nostrils flared in and out. I could see the gentle rising of  her chest. Tess saw me looking at her and gave me a half-hearted thud of her tail and burrowed her gray muzzled into my hand that lay next to her head. I did not move my hand  and she nudged it again, perhaps to let me know that I needed to pet her. I looked down at her and her old wise eyes stared back at my eyes and then at my hand. I gently stroked her head and soon contended sighs came from her and she feel into a deep sleep that was interrupted occasionally by her front legs stirring, as if chasing a ewe in flight.

I bent over, looked at her aged body in detail, and noticed items that I had missed. Her tail and hindquarters were shot through with grey. There is a new hollow above her eyes and her paws that were beginning to splay outward. Her coat was thick and luscious and her ear were still pricked but full of white hairs. I began to massage her front legs and she stirred, opened her eyes and smiled and soon went back to sleep. I massaged her back legs and discovered one was very tight and work on it until it was loosened. Perhaps that was one of the reasons she was a bit off on her stride. I made a mental note to myself to have her adjusted in the next few days. After I was done with her massage, she awoke and nudged me to pet her some more.

I then lay next to her and we gazed into each others’ eyes. I saw into her soul. I saw the depth of her love and kindness there. Her pink tongue whipped out and tickled my nose. I laughed and she wagged her tail heartily on the leather couch, making a heavy thumping sound. We snuggled for a bit then she fell asleep, her loud old dog snores soon filled the room.

I began to remember all the gifts that she had given me over the years. I wondered if I had returned her devotion in kind?

Our dogs give us so much and we often take it for granted. When we train, we drill or expect them to understand and do it right. Do we realize that we might be part of the problem? We can have a bad day, the tone will carry in our voice and the dogs will react to it. We expect them to perform just as well as the day before or better, not realizing they might not be feeling well or just off. Being angry at the dog on the field only adds frustration to the training and is a roadblock. If you do get angry, put the dog away and then work another time when your head is clear.

Perhaps they do not do the tasks at hand because we are not conveying the message in a clear enough way for them to understand. More than likely they are feeling the pressure of the sheep or environment that we do not see?

For example, one trial, I sent Tess on an outrun and she stopped short. I whistled her around to no avail and she walked straight into the sheep instead. The lift was gentle and she brought them online. I was mad at her at the turn and scolded her and her shoulder dropped a little and I could see the hurt in her eyes, but yet she continued. We finished the course but I was still upset at her for not going to the top of the lift. Later that night at the handler’s dinner, I sat next to the setout crew. They told me that Tess was the only dog to stop in the correct position for the lift. The sheep were drawn to the setout pen where the lambs were crying for their moms. She stood between the sheep and the pen then had a perfect lift.

Why hadn’t I seen that? It was because in my mind I thought I was right and she was wrong. I failed to see her point of view. In spite of my failure, Tess carried on and  did excellent on that run. As I went to sleep, I cuddled my little faithful dog to my chest and cried in her fur. She licked the tears from my face and I never doubted her again on her lift.
There have been other times when I tried to flank her on the drive, she then stopped and  turned her head and gave me a scathing look. It was the look saying, “Hey dummy, IF I took that flank, WE will miss the panel?” I quickly realized that I was wrong and would give her a walk up which she would do with gusto. While she was not a flashy dog, she was a good, honest steady worker. Give her a job and she will do it right. Shut up and she will do it better.
Tess was a penning specialist. Open the gate, shut my mouth and then close the gate was all that I needed to do. If I would give her too many commands and she would look at me in disgust. She would lean slight to the left or right, turn her head, take a step, all without a word from me and the sheep would ease into the pen. I remember many trials where the sheep were impossible to pen and she would sneak them in, making it look easy.

Of course, her skill as a penning dog didn’t happen over night but over countless hours at the farm, during lambing, moving sheep from pasture to pasture, from good old-fashioned work. Maybe I took her work for granted.

Her gift to me was to give me her heart and teach me how to handle a dog. Not to train a dog but to handle a dog. Her steady nature was a delight to me.

At home, she did anything I asked of her, no matter what the job.

We frequently get major floods in the winter and sometimes the sheep get stranded. Tess will swim out to the island, get them off, and push them towards dry ground, all without commands from me. She has dragged chickens that were floating away in the floodwaters without injuring them. One time, a major flood came up in the middle of the night. The local dairy farmer’s barn was under water, but he got his calves out in time and rushed them to my barn. Soon after, we had over four feet of water in our driveway and at midnight most of my fields were flooded.

My sheep were stranded on a small bank and soon would be swept away. The valley was a huge lake, many miles long and I didn’t want my sheep to drift away. Tess gamely swam out to the island but the sheep fought her, wanting to stay on the rapidly disappearing ground. She used teeth and fine cutting moves and had them swimming in the water.

Unfortunately, they turned and were headed out to the miles of water and not towards the barn. I gave Tess a come-bye flank and she swam strongly to the come-bye side and turned them. I had no idea if they would swim away in the darkness and not return. Soon, they all appeared and she put them into a stall. It was pitch dark and I used a huge flashlight to see what was going on. The rain was coming down in sheets and it was difficult to see anything.

The chicken coop was filling up with water and was past my hips, so I sent her into the coop to bring the chickens out. She grabbed chickens and brought them, and we snagged the rest as they floated by. The flood was the worse in history and came up quickly, Tess worked much longer moving sheep around and once all was settled, we dragged ourselves to the house. It was called the “500 year flood”.

She didn’t complain as I dried her off as she was definitely exhausted. She leaned into my arms as I toweled her dry and fell asleep standing up. I carried her to the bed and put her on my pillow. She gave me her all and I blessed the generations before her for this wonderful dog.

The working ethics were bred into her and proved true. She never questioned me that night but did as I asked. It was a gift of “it needs to be done.”

Have you looked at your dog and seen what blessing he or she has given you that you may have overlooked? They give so honestly and freely, and all without question. I really was blessed to have Tess in my life and her devotion is the best gift that was ever bestowed upon me. If you should ever have a true deep partnership, I hope you will realize what a special gift it is, and cherish it. It’s a special bond and we often can communicate without words; we just know. If you have a bond like that, it is the greatest gift you can ever have.

 Her snores soon brought me back to reality, I stroked her head again and she gently stirred. My gift to her now is to make sure in her twilight years she will be spoiled as much as she has spoiled me. I can only hope my gift to her can show her how much I truly love her.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Exreme Sheepdog Herding

I have this application on my iPhone. I spend hours wasting my time doing this but I sure have a lot of fun. I am terrible at this but who cares. You can also download this to your iPad also.


Get it and have fun during the dull, boring winter hours.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Dog Cartoon to start the weekend

Today is the day for some good dog humor! 













Thursday, January 27, 2011

Kate

Kate joined out team back in October. I've been meaning to blog about her but been lame. So finally, I am getting around to it. Kate is from Bonnie Block. Her dam is Ellie Mae. Ellie is a daughter of my Nan. Ellie's sire is Imp Drift. Ellie is the full sister to Faye that I run in PN. Bonnie bred Ellie to Nap, owned by George MacDonald. Nap is the son of Alasdair's Nap. So Kate is very well bred. We hope she will do well by us.


Kate has a lot of attitude.

She has a mind of her own. We told her "No, don't go out on the frozen pond"

Sigh....she is gonna be a fire cracker!

But that's OK, I have had a lot of experience with Taff, Roo, Tait, Nan, Sleat among others.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Dynamite 180 Weight Loss Protocol - First Mid week results

Some of you know that I went on a Dynamite 180 weight loss protocol. I gained weight after the  heart surgery, which is fine but a few pounds more than I wanted. I tried and tried to get rid of the last few pounds but they wouldn’t leave. I was stuck at 132 lbs and had gone down from 136 lbs. I want to get down to 122-125 lbs or so. My ideal would be 122 lbs. Imagine packing around an extra ten pounds, which is what I was doing. I could feel it when I ran up the field when I was working dogs. The worse part was I no longer fit into my size 6 clothes and my size 8 was snug too. I had the dreaded muffin top, which really sucks. Middle age spread, muffin top, whatever you want to call it…it hung over the top of my pants.

I am a distributor for  Dynamite Specialty Products. My dogs are on the Ultimate dog food (RAW) and on the Super Premium Kibble. They are on the Showdown supplement, which is the vitamin supplement. I see a huge difference in the coats, physical and mental alertness. I take the human vitamins also and that has helped me also.

Recently Dynamite offered a weight loss protocol. They tested it on the employees first. Many people have had success with this program. You take the 180 supplements (drops) three times a day before your meals. You are also on a diet program and must take vitamins and drink the water amount.

I decided to try it to see it if worked. If it did, that would be awesome and if it didn’t, I would be bummed. Either way, I would let you know the results to see if it is viable product. I got a food scale to measure the weight of the food. I have seen a decreased craving for my daily candy bar and ice cream. I no longer have the urge for bread products near as much. I keep a daily food log of what I eat. I also keep track of non-water items.

I have been pretty good about following the protocol, however I still add  my half-n-half and Almond flavoring to my one cup of coffee a day. I make fruit smoothies with the fruit, ice  and lactaid free, low fat milk (1/4 cup). I drink zero calorie or decaffeinated pop. I will also eat Lamb even though it is not on the plan.

On Sunday, I took my measurements. I am only going to list my hips, waist and weight. Those are the areas that I am concerned about the weight loss. At the end, I will list all of my measurements. They suggest you take a photo but no way. I have enough photos  in my blog to remind me of my rounded rear end and muffin top. The rest of my body did not need to lose any weight. I will take photos of the new me when I reach my goal. I will do this update about every three days.

Sunday:
Waist: 34”
Hips: 37”
Weight: 132 lbs

Wed:
Waist 32”
Hips: 35”
Weight” 125 lbs

Once I reach my goal of 122 lbs, then I go into the Lock-In phase. At this point, I do not take any more 180 . Then I go into the Maintenance Phase and again, no more 180 . You take the 180 until you reach the desire weight. One bottle last for 18 days. At this rate, I think I will reach my desired weight by this weekend.You need to take the 180 for at least 18 days, even if you meet your goal in that time.  If you reach your goal before 18 days, simply eat the same food protocol, just add a little more protein so you don't keep losing.  THEN do the lock in.  The 18 days minimum is necessary on the drops in order to help set your new weight.  and can move to the Lock-In phase and quit taking the drops.

I have tried other diets before and they did not work in reducing my muffin top. I lost weight elsewhere but not in the waist area. Now I can look down at my waist and it is not roly-poly! I know some of you are laughing at me, since you think I am pretty skinny but in fact, my waist area is not. The rest of me is skinny though.

The cost is reasonable too. You can order from my site at the regular price. Or you can join to become a distributor at Dynamite and get it at cost. Dynamite does NOT require you to buy a certain amount to stay a distributor.  


If you want to be a distributor, here is the link. Go to the bottom left of the page.


Here is some info from Dynamite on the 180 . I didn't put all the info in so if you want the product info, email me and I can send you the info.

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Congratulations! You have just taken a huge step toward better health by beginning the 180™ protocol. It has changed my body completely and I can’t wait for you to see the results as well.

I want to take a moment to discuss the scope of the obesity problem and why Dynamite has chosen to get involved in this issue. We are in the midst of an obesity epidemic. In 2007, 74.1% of adults in the United States were overweight or obese, with related medical treatments costing an estimated $117 billion. These figures have doubled an tripled in the last 15 years. In fact, a U.S. Department of Defense report notes the military must recruit about 15 percent of youth, but only one-third are eligible. About one-fourth of college aged individuals are obese, making them medically ineligible to serve in the military.

For more than 28 years, Dynamite has been a supplier of fine vitamins and minerals, with the intent of providing every living being the highest quality of life through proper nutrition. This idea has been our family’s focus for generations and will continue to be so. Addressing this problem is part of our mission as a company.

It was for this reason we began investigating human chorionic gonadotrophin for weight loss. As we dug further, we discovered a better, more complete product. Dynamite’s 180™ was born!

The results have been amazing. In October 2010,  Dynamite’s operation manager, and I began the testing process and results proved to be fantastic. Both he and I were active before, running and doing other exercises, but just had fat we could not burn off, almost as though our bodies locked the fat deposits and wouldn’t release!

Obesity is not a disease. It is a curable condition to the addiction to unwholesome foods. This is why we are introducing Dynamite’s newest product, 180. 180 was developed to break the cycle of food addiction, cleanse the body of food toxins and reintroduce a clean, healthy diet.

One final note:

Do not ignore step one of the protocol. Step one instructs you to take measurements and pictures. You will quickly begin to see dramatic changes in how your body is shaped and waiting even a few days will prevent you from capturing the full record of your success. This is critical because 180 protocol will change your physical shape but has the potential to create a real opportunity for business as well. You can lose weight, look great and get paid to do so! Your friends, family, and coworkers will see the changes first hand but soon people will only know the skinny you and the record of the old you will prove to be your best sales tool!

As an advocate of good health, I urge you to join me and look at what you are eating, cleanse your body of its toxins and join us in the fight towards good health.

Modern farming practices have left the food supply with little or no mineral or trace mineral value, yet the body desires food to fulfill the nutrients it needs. This becomes a devastating losing circle: we eat for nutrients, the food lacks the nutrients so we crave more and are left with calories to burn without the proper nutrition.

Most people and their animals are chronically mineral deficient as a result. The 180™ program will help you lose weight, but do not neglect the other aspects of health as they all tie together. In fact, some experts suggest that one cause of obesity may be our instinctive impulses to eat more food to address these deficiencies!

Dynamite’s primary goal as a company is to address this issue in all animals, people and soil, as well. Along with 180™, be sure to take your full regimen of the basic program for humans, including Dynamite® for Adults and Children, or Dynamite Plus™ along with Tri-Mins™ Plus and Elixir™. These three items help to support the body’s natural cravings for the vitamins and minerals it needs, allowing it to crave less food and properly utilize what it does have.

The 180™ program is real and it works to produce results in the majority of adult individuals. With commitment to the program you can expect to see significant results in your health, weight and overall quality of life. We encourage you to follow the protocol entirely for maximum benefit.

Rest assured 180™ helps stave off any hunger pangs that a restricted diet may cause. With the introduction of 180™, thousands of extra calories begin to flood the system from the abnormal fat being metabolized. The 180™ program is based off of Dr. A.T.W. Simeons’ 1950’s research that concluded there are three different types of fat in the body:

•Structural (visceral) Fat found in and around the muscles, cushioning organs, padding of bottom of feet, etc.

•Normal (dermal) Fat found is directly under the skin’s surface and provides the soft cushioning between the skin and frame of the body.

•Abnormal (adipose) Fat found under the dermal fat and not available for use by metabolism until the other two kinds of fat are used.

Abnormal fat can be viewed as “famine fat.” It is stored by the body for emergency famine. Yo-yo dieting contributes to the storage of this type of fat because the body begins to question the availability of fuel (food). When calories are restricted, the body stores all the fat it can to save up for the lean times!

Dr. Simeons’ research produced a plan that results in an average weight loss of .5 to 2 pounds a day of abnormal fat when accompanied by a VLCD (very low calorie diet).

Most calorie reduction plans will not produce the best results for those individuals with an abundance of abnormal fat stores because their bodies will begin burning the wrong kind of fat. When a low calorie diet is introduced in the system, the normal reserves of fat are used up first. As a result, most people look gaunt and drawn after a reduced calorie diet. When the normal reserves of fat have been reduced, however, the abnormal fat remains intact. Without using 180™ in a reduced calorie diet plan, the body will burn structural and normal fat.

180™ works to release the abnormal fat stores and make them available to be used as fuel. By following the protocol precisely the body will “burn” the abnormal fat, while preserving muscle, normal fat and structural fat.

Regaining health isn’t all about restricting calories and losing weight. The body needs to heal emotionally, as well. That is why 180™ contains an array of herbs and roots to aid the body as a whole.

•Larch Flower Essence has shown to give a person a feeling of greater potential, confidence and a release from self-limiting behavior and beliefs.

•Borage that enhances feelings of encouragement and balance.

•Eleuthero Root to assist in reducing inflammation and support the liver as it eliminates toxins.

•Burdock Root to aid the body’s filtering organs: liver, kidneys, and lungs.

•Red Clover Herb is used for conditions related to the heart, lungs, liver and blood.

•Guggal Gum to aid the thyroid in overall function, and with respect to metabolism. In Eastern medicine, its uses consist of aiding in cleansing blood vessels, inflammation, obesity, easing joint pain, thyroid problems and digestive disorders.

•L-Carnitine has been proposed as a therapeutic treatment for many conditions because it helps reduce oxidative stress. In addition, L-Carnitine is a nutrient that helps the body turn fat into energy.


180™ will help to release the abnormal fat reserves in the body, but commitment is what keeps the extra weight off. Commitment to all phases of this plan will retrain the hypothalamus to be the food/fat gatekeeper it is meant to be and help break the addiction to refined carbohydrates, sugars and other problem-causing foods.

Re-Setting the Hypothalamus

The hypothalamus is located just above the brain stem. It is known as the master gland and is the supervising center in the brain that links the body’s two control systems; the nervous system and the endocrine system.

The hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, blood pressure, heartbeat, gastric reflexes, maternal behavior, blood pressure, immune responses, carbohydrate and fat metabolism. The hypothalamus is responsible for the control of food intake!

It may sound amazing, but it is the hypothalamus’ job to make the body salivate for an apple, rather than a piece of chocolate cake. If the hypothalamus is working normally, then a person will be more inclined to crave a nutritionally, well-balanced diet. Food that is void of nutrition will not have the same pull or crave-producing impact.

This is why some people can have one bite of their chocolate cake, push it to the side and say, “That was enough.”

The hypothalamus is much like peripheral vision. When driving on the highway, even though the driver’s peripheral vision assists him in making the tiny steering adjustments to keep the car in between. The hypothalamus, when functioning normally, works in the same way. It assists the body by steering the appetite and promoting more effective metabolism to keep the body at a certain weight, or “set-point,” just like the lines on the highway.

For those who have a hypothalamus that is not functioning properly, it is like their peripheral vision has become distorted. The lines on the highway, so to speak, become wider and wider, or not visible at all. The body’s hunger becomes more and more intense, more food is craved and eaten, more fat is consumed and stored. Now, the body’s “set-point” has risen on the scale to a new high and isn’t coming down.

Using 180™, it is possible to lower the body’s “set-point” and retrain the hypothalamus to make the necessary adjustments and keep it there, forever!

There is another piece to the intricate puzzle:

In the body, there is a hormone called leptin. Leptin is like a messenger between the hypothalamus and the fat stores. When your body gets to the point where is has stored enough fat, leptin runs to the hypothalamus to tell it to stop collecting the fat.

In a normally functioning hypothalamus, it would understand leptin’s message and stop storing extra fat on your body. When the hypothalamus is not functioning properly, it is as if it does not hear or understand what leptin tells it. So the hypothalamus thinks it still needs to store excess fat. And it does. It keeps storing and storing because it has not received the message that there is already enough fat stores. This is called Leptin Resistance. The more important part of this equation is that leptin is produced by the abnormal fat.

It is clear why it is so crucial to rid the body of the abnormal fat. Once the pounds of fat begin to reduce, the amount of leptin can begin to return to normal levels. This will start the process of healing the broken system of communication between fat stores and the hypothalamus. When the communication is restored, the hypothalamus will once again prompt the body to decrease food intake through appetite and increase energy output to burn up any extra calories eaten.

It is for this reason that most weight reduction programs fail their participants. If the body doesn’t get rid of the abnormal fat, the high levels of leptin in the body will keep the hypothalamus confused. In its confusion, the message is to continue to store fat and keep the appetite elevated.

Begin taking 180™ three times daily, 15 minutes before each meal by dropping 0.5 ml under your tongue. On these two days, eat as much food as possible, especially food that is high in starch and fat. Suggested food includes butter, ice cream, chocolate, cheeseburgers, nuts, bacon, etc. Be sure to eat nutritious food, also.

If you are not hungry and have already been dieting, you may need to “force feed” yourself. This step prepares the body for the weight reduction program and allows time for the drops to take effect and cut your appetite, bypassing the possibility of hunger pangs in the future.

If you gain weight during these two days, do not worry, this weight is replenishing your normal fat stores and preparing your body for the next phase of the diet. Do not be tempted to skip this phase in order to prevent weight gain. If you do, you will feel hungrier during the next phase of the diet and you may not lose weight as quickly.

Eat three meals daily, consuming about 650 calories per day. If you feel too full to finish a meal, yet feel hungry in between meals, spread out your consumptions of food and fruits during the day. This will help maintain focus and steady blood sugar level. Don’t skip food and go below 650 calories. This could cause your body to go into a “starvation mode” and slow your weight loss.

*If you drink coffee or caffeinated drinks, wait 20 minutes after taking the drops to drink them. Caffeine will destroy that  particular dose.

You may rearrange your food choices to fit your needs (You may eat one fruit between breakfast and lunch and the other after dinner.) Do not eat the two fruits at the same time. No items can be saved and eaten the next day. Do not combine foods from two meals to be eaten at the same time.

Step One: Take pictures of yourself! Take pictures of yourself from the front, back and both sides. You may not want these pictures now, but they are vital to show your personal improvement.

FRUIT
Mid size Apple
Orange
One Handful Strawberries
1/2 Grapefruit
Tomato
Pear
One Handful Blackberries
Nectarine
1/4 Cantaloupe
Plum
One Handful Raspberries
Fresh Pineapple
Peach (Limit 4 Weekly)
One Handful Blueberries

VEGETABLES
Radish
CucumberCelery
Fennel
Cabbage
Tomato
Onion
Spinach
Lettuce
Chard
Asparagus
Bean Sprouts
Egg Plant
Cauliflower
Leafy Greens
Mushrooms
Sauerkraut
Zucchini
Yellow Turnips
Brussels Sprouts
Beet Greens

PROTEIN
Bluefish
Catfish
Clams
Crab
Haddock
Lobster
Monk fish
Ocean Perch
Oysters
Shrimp
Tilapia
Tuna
White Fish
Filet Mignon
Lean Ground Round
Roast
Sirloin
Veal Chops
Pork
Chicken
Turkey
Elk
Whey Protein
1 Egg + 3 Whites

Daily Meals

Breakfast:
First Choice: One egg cooked without fat with one 40 calorie slice of bread. You must eat the bread with the egg, not alone or with any other food. Most bread slices are about 80-100 calories. If this is the case, eat only half of the slice.

Second Choice: 1/2 cup skim milk with 1/2 cup cereal or 1 cup of puffed rice. The calorie level should be 110 calories per cup. If you are required to eat a different kind of cereal due to allergies or diabetes, carefully read your labels and calculate to fit the protocol.

Lunch:
3-5 oz. protein from the list OR 1 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 cup cooked/ raw vegetables from list or a salad*
1 fruit from list (or use fruit for a snack between meals)

Dinner:
5 oz. of protein from the list
1 cup cooked/ raw vegetables from the list
PLUS a salad*

*A salad consists of a large handful of mostly leafy greens (NO ICEBERG LETTUCE) and your choice of a couple slices of veggies from the list.

Salad dressings:
Use only sugar free and fat free dressings. You can also make your own dressing by mixing Dynamite® Super ACV with lemon juice. If you purchase salad dressing, read the labels carefully to be sure there are not added sugars or fats.

Cooking Sprays:
Use water, chicken or vegetable broth or a spray with 0 calories

Special Occasions:
If you know you are not going to be able to follow the protocol on a holiday, birthday or other special occasion, return to the protocol as soon as possible afterwards. Your progress may be impeded, but it is possible to get back on track.

If you stall for more than three days, do one of the following:

Steak day: Take 180™ as usual. Eat nothing until the evening meal. Eat an 8 oz. steak and a salad. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Return to the regular protocol the next day.

Apple day: Take 180™ as usual. Eat only apples thought the day (as many as you would like). Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Return to the regular protocol the next day

When you reach your goal weight, after completing, step one, no more drops are required and you are ready to begin the lock-in phase.

Days 1-3 LOCK IN PHASE

Continue to follow the same diet without 180™. They will stay in your system for those three days and in smaller amounts for 7 to 12 days. If you start getting hungry before the three days are up, drink water or eat a LITTLE more of the allowable foods.

Days 4-23

•Eat all of the protein and the vegetables you want from the food lists but don’t gain weight.
•Limit yourself to two fruits daily
•There is no calorie limit on these days
•Do not add sugars, starches, carbohydrates during these 23 days
•Correct amount of water per day
•Weigh daily and record your weight to maintain your loss. If your weight goes up, reduce your food intake. It is very important to keep your weight within 1-2 pounds for this 23 day period. This allows your body’s “set point” to reset itself at your new weight and your body will not seek the old weight. If your weight goes down a little, it is okay, but if it continues to decrease you are probably starting in starvation mode and you should eat more. Your new body “set point” should be “locked in.”

After completing the lock-in phase, you can begin to SLOWLY add starches, carbohydrates, sugars and fats to your diet weekly. If you go back to eating “Thanksgiving” or fast food everyday, you can drive your set point up again. You will notice those cravings you once had are no longer there. Your body has been cleansed; it will be hard to return to your old ways.

•Drink as much herbal tea as you want (This counts toward your daily water intake)
•Drink black coffee (This does NOT count toward daily water intake)
•Any sugar free gum or mints
•Sugar free Jell-O (one serving daily)
•Any seasoning that does not have sugar in it
•As much Dynamite® Natural Trace Mineral Salt you want
•Eat as many as two pickles, peperoncinis or jalapeno peppers WITHOUT SUGAR ON THEM
•Any condiment that does not have sugar or fat in it

Water Intake
Take your current weight and divide that number in half. The resulting number will be how many ounces of water your body needs each day. Not drinking this amount will inhibit weight loss and in some instances result in weight gain. You may have as many as three diet drinks daily. These are not encouraged, due to the artificial sweeteners, but will not impede the program. Caffeinated drinks DO NOT count toward your water intake.

Fiber
Due to the reduced amounts of food passing through your system, you may experience reduced regularity or feel constipated. Try taking 2 tsp of psyllium husks or 10 capsules of psyllium with 10 ounces of water to aid moving food through your system. It is important to drink plenty of water. Psyllium husks can be found at any health food store and sometimes in bulk at grocery stores.

If you choose to use another form of fiber or laxative, be sure to read the label carefully, as many contain sugar and should be avoided.

Prescription Medications
Taking medications might slow the losing process to only 2-3 pounds per week, but don’t let this discourage you. Continue taking all medications and talk to your doctor.

Supplements
Continue taking your daily Dynamite® supplements as you were before beginning 180™. You may want to add in Herbal Green™ to your daily regime to further alkalize your diet.

Exercise
If you exercise frequently or do hard physical work, you may need to increase your calories, but ONLY on the days of physical work. An extra egg or a couple ounces of additional protein will be necessary.

Weighing
It is crucial to weigh yourself each morning, after you have used the bathroom and without clothing. Record your weight each day. If your weight loss seems to have stalled, verify your daily intake by recording everything you eat and verifying portion sizes.

Food Diary/ Journal
Journaling is a very important part of this program. Each day make note of your weight. Write down everything that you eat and the portion sizes. Even if you slip and eat a peanut, write it down. This not only helps you track your calorie input during a day, it helps you realize how certain foods impact your weight. Some people like to track their feeling and exercise each day, too.
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DeltaBlz Billie at 2 week

We wanted to keep a black and white female from this litter. Since Nan decided to only have ONE black and white female, the choice was easy. Getty names the pups that we chose to keep so he named her Billie. Her coloring is very unique with lots of sharp corners. At first, I  wasn't too enamored of her flashy colors, but she has grown on me.

She is not a bold pup but a smuggler. She does the monkey paw grab like her grandmother, Tess. She has faint tan on her cheeks and under her tail. Her tri is like her moms which is very faint. Her eyes were one of the first to open.

See the faint tri spot?

She is pretty quiet but will come running if you talk to her. She loves to be held.

 A nap time on the couch.

Here she hears my voice and is making a move to come to me.

Just got done nursing so it was time for a nap.

We look forward to  Billie taking over her mom's shoes in a couple of years. She will be a great addition to the household and no doubt will be spoilt as well!

DeltaBlz Bessie at 2 weeks

This cute red tri female is the other pup we decided to keep. Getty named her Bessie. I guess the two females we are keeping not only have a musical theme but names start with the letter B.  Last pup we kept was Rainey and that was over three years ago. It's been a while since we had a litter here. I forgot how much joy the fat little puppies bring to you when you snuggle them.

Bessie is a red tri and her colors are quite striking.

She is the mellow pup. She never complains and is quiet.

She jumps up to greet you and loves to be snuggled.

A pretty puppy yawn!

All wore out so time for a nap. She is the calmest one of the pups so no doubt she will be hell on wheels on the sheep. Either way, we love her and she will be a fine addition to the gang!

DeltaBluezKima at 2 week

Kima is going to Donna. Donna is one of the nicest handlers in the world. She got four dogs from me and has managed to kick my behind with them. Not only she is a good person but one heck of a handler.  She picked the pup that I really liked so that is great. Kima is a dead ringer for her sire, Roo. I see a lot of Roo in her at this age. She is bold and fearless.

She will let you hold her but fusses a bit then calms down. This is so like Roo...he tests you then is pliable. She is a female carbon copy of Roo.

 She has a tremendously good nature about her. Not reckless but inquisitive. Not shy but bold. Listens to what you say and then runs up to you at full speed to check you out.

 Kima even has Roo's white swirl on her ear. I call it the racing stripe.

Her color is a nice red. Her blaze is wide. I look at her and think of Roo as a baby....it brings back many memories. We sure hope she is like her sire on the field.

 Isn't this the cutest face, ever!

Kima has the perfect home. She will be loved and cherished. Donna and Jim are some of my favorite people and I am glad they got Kima. This way I can see "Little KimaRoo" grow up and follow in her father footsteps.

DeltaBluez Jam at 2 week

Jam is going to my home State of Texas. I believe he will get a ten gallon hat...well, probably for now a one gallon hat and as he grows up then he will get a ten gallon hat. Joy will have her hands full with this thinker and spunky pup. She has run several dogs in Nursery so this will be her next upcoming star.  Jam opened his eyes and hurls himself in a direction at full speed. he is not shy.
Cute red tri.

Some bits of chrome on his body. A splash of white on his hip.

He heard my voice and came dashing over. We grabbed him before he went over the edge of the sofa. His little ears swirl at noises and then his goes forth. He likes to snuggle and talk like his mama!

He is going to be a good dog with a zeal for life. He will push his siblings about to get the choice spot at the milk bar. he doesn't fuss when you pick him up but looks intently at you.

He is going to a nice looking dog when he grows up. Joy will have her hands full with this red Ferrari. Hope she knows how to work some brakes!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

DeltaBlz Hazel at 2 weeks - FOR SALE

Hazel is one of the smaller pups. She is a snuggler and very talkative. She is uniquely marked and will turn heads. She just started walking a lot more steadily last night. She got up on her legs and raced across the whelping box. her brakes didn;t work too well as she crashed into the side. She got up and raced the other direction. It didn't phase her.

Someone will have her hands full with this one. She has no issues pushing her siblings aside to get the best part of the milk bar. She digs her heels in and shoves.
Her beauty queen pose, "I am cute, you can adore me"

See the cute red tri on her cheek.


Her eyes are starting to open.

She is a talker like her mom. No barking but a steady stream of soft chatter.

OK, she had enough of the photo session and decided to leave.

She is available to a working/trial home.


DeltaBluez Rex at 2 weeks

Rex is gonna be a star for a star. His new owner, Kim is a star in her own right. We hope that Rex and Kim soon will be another star team. Rex focus on you when you talk to the pups. he waddles on his fat little legs as fast as he can go.  He is very amiable to being handled.

A cute sleeping pose.

 His eyes are starting to open and he really fastens on you, trying to figure this all out.

He is more thoughtful and doesn't rush at you. Once he identifies the noise, then he goes forward with gust. He has some very unique markings.

Such an angel pose.

Waking up and on the go. 

The pups are really starting to get some personalities now. They are at the super cute stage.  Tomorrow, I will feature the rest of the pups, Billie, Jam, Bessie and Kima.