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Mark C. Taylor, noted philosopher, scholar, professor of religion and Chair of the Columbia University Department of Religion, has published a glowing, often super-real and sometimes surreal collection of essays on the human condition.  "Field Notes From Elsewhere: Reflections on Dying and Living" from Columbia University Press is a must read.

Writing in an alternating dyad of daylight and nighttime entries, Taylor gives us 365 short essays that take us on a roller coaster of imminent demise and cheated time.  We're hurled about, shifted, dropped from high ledges, scooped up resurrected, then tossed again into the abyss.  What do we learn upon our return?  What the hell do we do when the ride is over?  Or is it ever really over?

The amount of detail, thought, and personal life story here is remarkable, and not something you've ever seen the likes of before.  Fasten your seatbelt, the ride begins with Taylor at the top of his career falling ill, saying goodbye to his wife on an ordinary day. Ordinary, but not so well. Taylor had felt ill, dizzy, and not himself all weekend but that morning he had to go to work, some 150 miles away. His wife had already driven halfway back home when she got an alarming call - Taylor was on his way to an emergency room.  Taken too ill to make his own entry that morning, she writes, "When we returned to the ICU, we were not prepared for what we saw: tubes, electrodes, and wires connected to Mark to monitors that registered a steady flow of numbers...In a few minutes the doctor who had accompanied us from the ER came in to talk with us, 'May I speak with you alone? ...Your husband is very, very sick.  He is in septic shock, and his vital organs are in danger of shutting down...'  We asked some questions because we are all used to a world in which information gives power, comfort, and control.  Finally I summoned the courage to ask the question I had been dreading, 'but he is going to be OK, isn't he?"  No, he wasn't simply going to be OK.  His life would never again be the same.

Surviving that episode, but not ever fully recovered, the kinds of life threatening illnesses he's gone through one never quite recovers from, as Taylor points out.  To recover is to return to the same person that one was in the first place.  Taylor finds himself in the category of survivor, yet reinvents the term into an entirely new reality.  He fully lives the fragile existence between finitude and infinitude that is our predicament.  We cannot escape death, yet we cannot fully live without embracing it; we cannot not live if we choose to live and that brings us to a mystery which is never fully solved. Taylor firmly, resolutely, chooses life.

He grows ideas. He plants gardens. He harvests concepts and post-modern, existential seeds of being and its first cousin, non-being. "What we most long for is elemental.  Earth, Air, Fire, Water.  The elemental is the original, the first principle, the ground of whatever is whatever is not.   It is the underlying substance without which nothing can be.  As such, the elemental is that from which everything emerges and to which all eventually returns."  He is, we are, that dirt he digs.  That we dig.

Taylor writes about splitting his time between city and country.  For 35 years he has lived in western Massachusetts, high on a hill, in the middle of forest and small-town intellectual life as a professor at Williams.  Now, with his appointment at Columbia University, he divides his time between the wilds of nature and the chaos and culture of New York City.  He finds the two both similar and starkly different.  Always one to embrace technology, be it shovel, pick-ax or trowel - computer, cell phone or matrixed network, Taylor seems to be at home anywhere.  He's rooted in past; planted in present; futuristically comfortable.

"Though steel and glass remain, the arcades have become digital, and the commodities virtual.  In the city, place is transformed into the space of anonymous flows.  When technologies shift first from steel and steam to electricity and then to information networks, currents are redirected and the rate of change speeds up.  Mobility, fluidity, and speed intersect to effect repeated displacements in which everything becomes ephemeral and nothing remains stable or solid.  In this world, faster is always better and speed becomes an end in itself.  For those circulating in these currents, there is never time to pause and ask, 'Faster and faster but for the sake of what?'"

The tension between life and death, the speed and uncertainty of "last" times is ever-looming throughout Taylor's essays.  The last lesson, the last visit to a relative, the last moment of lovemaking, the last laugh, the last goodbye of a son or daughter is forever on the cusp, unbeknown to us until it's happened. Then it's the past.  We scramble for meaning, and to learn something applicable to our own living and eventual demise. Taylor talks about his mother's strokes and ultimate cerebral hemorrhage that ended her up in a hospital with life support.  He gave her a kiss, feeling the warmth and perspiration on her forehead, thinking of what the neurologist had said shortly before this last good bye, "her brain just exploded."  By now that must be a family metaphor in the Taylor family of teachers, writers and professors.

Taylor reminisces: "Ever the teacher, in death my mother had a final lesson for me: every moment is the last moment or, in terms I would later read elsewhere, the last time returns eternally.  This awareness need not weigh us down, rather, it can lift us up by helping us to realize the infinite value of what is always passing away."

Recovering from, or rather surviving his struggle with septic shock and a constant life-threatening severe diabetes, while co-teaching "What is Life?" a course on philosophy and biology with a friend from the science department, Taylor received news of a biopsy.  It was positive for cancer.   "Nothing, absolutely nothing prepares you for the words, 'I'm sorry, you have cancer.'"  Taylor, the philosopher draws a distinction between recovery and survival, the latter moves you into a new sphere; a dance between what was old and never before possible, into a valuation of life's fragility. "For survivors the acceptance of life's fragility can actually be liberating.  If the future everyone dreads has already arrived, there is no longer any reason for it to hold us in its grip.  Once you realize that the end is near, even when it seems distant, time unexpectedly slows down.  There is no longer any need to rush because whatever you think must be done quickly doesn't really matter."  Not quite joy or happiness, for sure, and never anywhere near a painter of rosy scenarios, Taylor still manages to embrace the intimate relationships formed among cancer patients in waiting rooms and chemo suites.

Now in remission, Taylor makes the point that as a survivor, he is never fully "cured," there is always some scar or remnant from the original trauma or repair.  His serious case of incurable but now manageable diabetes is an example.  Taylor's pancreas does not manufacture insulin, so he is hooked up to a computerized insulin pump that has a tube embedded in his leg.  Still partially manually operated, he dreams of the day that it will be fully automated, in effect transforming him into both human and cyber-being, monitored by a net connection. "The mechanical and digital devices that now function as my pancreas are, in other words, nodes in this worldwide web, and my body has become a prosthesis of a prosthesis... We become both metamind and metabody--cells in an intelligent global organism whose lifeblood is information.  The networks that sustain life are the current embodiment of what once was named the divine Logos.  In today's divine economy, to be is to be connected and to pull the plug is to die."  Here is an elegant example of Taylor's stark and complex humanity: a mix of philosopher, metaphysician, and medical theologian.

A lot of this book I honestly find to be quite difficult yet satisfying in a strange and unexpected way.  This is no lightweight read.  Filled with haunting memories of those gone, chased with bitter pills of our limitations and eventual demise, there are glimmers of hope and happiness to be found.  Taylor is aware of the challenges he's placed in front of the reader.  "Happy eras, we are told, are the blank pages of history, and so it would seem - of books.  Perhaps it is because it takes more courage to write about happiness than unhappiness."  He points us to his favorite joyous writer, Nietzsche who is himself in a desperate mode.  "Intense unhappiness becomes bearable by imagining that things might be otherwise elsewhere.  The writer must write this elsewhere to get through the night and the darker the night, the better the writing."

It is in this "elsewhere," as the title leads, this vivid point of real and unreal playing together, where, or rather elsewhere, that Mark C. Taylor both uncomfortably and comfortably resides.  


Order it from Columbia University Press - here.

Q: I wonder that God doesn't have enough to do without hearing about my weight problem. So many crises, so much death and turmoil in the world, so many real problems to deal with. How can I possibly ask for help for something I have done to myself?

A: First of all, I could never for a second presume to speak for God. But I also would never set my own limits on what is important to God or diminish the awesome gift of my life to say or think that I am not important enough (as a child of God) to ask Him for help. I agree with you - I caused my overweight problems. I own them, and acknowledge I "did it to myself." It was an innocent self-abuse, though. I couldn't stop myself from overeating and being sedentary. I honestly didn't have the power to help myself.

Most importantly, the biggest mistake I made was to rely on something material for my sense of self, and satisfaction. I cheated myself by believing that food was my safety and salvation from the pain of living. Put it in one way - I worshipped food as a graven, false image, instead of God. I put desserts and second-helpings in the way of my connection to my Creator. Isn't that a real problem? It sure was to me. I was near death; I was in a major crisis. I was dying. I was eating and smoking myself to death. I was committing slow suicide.

Was I not important to God? Did He not want to save a life, and bring one lost soul to His side? God did save me. I did ask for help in desperation, and got infinite grace and peace in abundance. Was I wrong to do it? I leave that to God to decide. But now I sure want to honor the gift of life I have been given - I do it by helping others, and continuing to look to God for everything in my life. And God continues to help me, and others, in amazing graceful generosity - no matter how big or small the problem - God is here, right now and ready. Just ask.

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Want to Know God?  Let's ask for help together at my next retreat, "The Divine Experience" at Kripalu in western Massachussets.  Sign up today, spaces are limited.

Beliefnet's Holly Rossi (Fresh Living) has just written a new gallery of ideas and great photos.  It's called 21 Simple Ways to Be Healthy.
 
This is a good list, of easy, simple, free ways to either get healthy or stay that way.

I have a lot of ideas to add: keep your weight at a minimum, be sure to have lots of vegetables and some fruit every day, take warm soak baths with bubbles, trade massages with your spouse or friends, enroll in a healthy class or retreat (many are free or low cost) such as dancing, yoga or a spirituality workshop.  Those are just a few -- keep coming back everyday for more, please!

Do YOU have some ideas and practices to add to this fine list?  Please comment below!

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Please join me at my upcoming "Experiencing the Divine" weekend retreat in western Massachusetts, at Kripalu Yoga and Health Center.  Let's give our problems to God, together, in Kripalu's peaceful and lovely atmosphere of joy and happiness.


While on a car trip the other day, we stopped at a gas station and my friend went into the adjacent convenience store and bought a small bag of nuts and yogurt-covered raisins.  It looked really good.  I wanted some too.

I was about to buy myself a pack, but I decided to look on the nutritional facts label first.  A couple of handfuls of the nutty mix was 720 calories!  That's almost a full day's worth of calories for someone who is on a weight loss program (if you're on a 1,000 calorie-a-day program)

There was a high fat count, too, some 21 grams of fat in that little package.

I have always thought that nuts are a good snack; a healthy choice.  Nuts carry protein, have unsaturated fats, and are crunchy-chewy and delicious.  They are, however, high in calories.  Many little pre-packed bags of nuts don't carry a nutritional facts label, I was glad this one did. (Interesting the word "nut" is buried in the word Nutrition, huh?)

So the lesson for me was to just have a taste of my friend's nuts, not eat a whole bag.  It's too easy to down a bag in a couple of gulps.  I would have been too easy to eat so many calories.

REVISED, Sunday, Nov. 15 -- Thanks, commenters!  I do occasionally have some nuts, and agree they're pretty healthy in small quantities.

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Please join me at my upcoming "Experiencing the Divine" weekend retreat in western Massachusetts, at Kripalu Yoga and Health Center.  Let's give our problems to God, together, in Kripalu's peaceful and lovely atmosphere of joy and happiness.


For years I thought it took will power to make major changes in my life, such as getting healthy, finding a job or losing weight.  In the middle of doing it, though, and falling flat on my face a bunch of times, I've discovered something else.

My mother always said, "Just put your mind to it, buckle down, and get it done."  Try and try again, that never seemed to work.  With all the power I could muster up, it still wasn't enough.

I went on crash diets, stuck with them with all the will power I could rev up, but they would only last a few days.  I went to Weight Watchers meetings at 12 years old with mom, only to not lose much and be humiliated on a weekly basis.  I tried diet pills with great personal determination, and they didn't stick either.  It all added up to my weight of 400 pounds at 17.

After years of will-power failure, at 32 years-old, I gave up.  That was the key.  I gave my life and all my problems to God, in desperation. I just did not have enough will power to accomplish good health on my own.  I had always believed in God, but had never really spoken to Him, much less asked for help.  I talk about this at length in my book, "The Joy of Weight Loss," so I won't cover my back-story here.

What I discovered in the act of surrender, is that my health and recovery was not entirely in my hands, and that I just did not have enough will power, if that even exists at all.  One can "will" all they want, but if God and His universe don't want it too, it doesn't happen!  That's the true "Secret."  The point is that I had to unite my will into God's will.  I had to ask for help, and pray regularly, in order to discover and be enabled to follow His will for me.

That, my friend, I discovered is not will power, it's dedication and discipline.  I am dedicated to God, and from that love and praise, I am able to be disciplined.

Not that I gave my life and all my problems to God, in awe and honor, I am privileged to enjoy the God power that He provides.  I am fully dedicated to being the best I can be, ever trying my best to unite with God.  It's God Power, not my little or non-existent Me Power, or personal will power that has helped me lose 160 pounds and maintain it over 17 years now.

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Please join me at my upcoming "Experiencing the Divine" weekend retreat in western Massachusetts, at Kripalu Yoga and Health Center.  Let's give our problems to God, together, in Kripalu's peaceful and lovely atmosphere of joy and happiness.

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What's your family genetic history? We all have good genes, and not-so-good genes. It's best to be informed and aware, so that you can make choices to have the best, longest life possible. Knowing your genetic tendencies allows you to...

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In New York City, we see the amount of calories posted on all menu items in restaurants.  How about 1,440 calories for the Quesidilla Burger at Applebee's?   Or would you like 1,570 calories in the guise of the Fried...

My favorite comment this week is by Pam."I met J5 and spoke with them briefly when Michael was around 11/12. I was impressed with how soft spoken and well mannered they all were. Although I did not care for the...

Have you ever believed that turkey makes you sleepy? Or that if you drop something and pick it up within 5 seconds there are little bacteria gathered?  Or my favorite, going outside when it's cold can give you a cold?There's...

There I was at the vacation hotel breakfast bar with the crowd of morbidly obese Americans.  I was having breakfast with them, embarrassed, doing my best to eat very slowly and having a very small amount of food.It was hard...

I was totally shocked at a hotel breakfast bar last weekend.  More than half the customers were morbidly obese, and having plate-after-plate of food.  One couple who could barely fit into their seats was particularly sad: the man had four...

Coming up soon in the US is our Independence Day, otherwise known as the 4th of July.  I know that there are lots of readers in other countries, who also celebrate Independence Day at various times, for various independences and...

Some people do well in gyms and health clubs, but most of my clients and readers do not.  Most people I know who have zealously joined gyms have gone for a few days and then stopped, wasting tons of money,...

Florence Serecka wrote a very inspiring comment awhile back, commenting on my blog, "Lose Weight with God."  It stuck with me, and stayed with me for a month now, and I want to share it with you.  I wanted to...

I understand how it feels when you're not at your best. Perhaps you feel flawed, unworthy, or hopeless. Maybe you feel sick, drained of energy, listless, or depressed. Or is it that you just feel so fat and ugly, and...

A lot of readers have been asking why the lost weight comes back, despite diligent efforts.  While I cannot answer everybody's specific problems, and it would be inappropriate for me to do that, I do often try to generally address...

A couple of our readers shared their love of cooking fish for us. Merk, shared two recipes for fish last month.  These look great.  See if you like them.Blackened Tilapia INGREDIENTS: 4-6 Tilapia Filets2 Tbsp paprika 2 tsp salt 2...

One of the simplest ways to save money on food is to eliminate impulse buying of foods you don't need or aren't good for you.  The way to only buy what you need is to take a little time to...

A way to quickly save money is to immediately end the bottled water habit.  This will help with the budget, and also help save the earth - it's a totally "green" way to go.Plastic bottles are expensive.  Eliminating a daily...

Here's another idea to add to this month's collection of ideas and ways to save and lose weight at the same time.  Today I want to suggest a healthy cooking party!Invite a few friends over, say 3 or 4, and...

Sonya A. said it all, "For the majority of my life I "chose" to imprison myself with food, low self-esteem and weight issues, it was not until recently with a much renewed connection to All Mighty God that I am...

At any moment, it's easy to be tempted to fall back into old overeating habits. Try some brand new habits instead.   Instead of more expensive meats, junk food, snacks and prepared or packaged foods, eat more vegetables and fruits.If you...

A way to save a lot of money and lose weight, is to buy generic, or store-name foods.  Often, the same manufacturer or packager makes all the food, but puts different labels on it.  Same products, different labels.You are not...

If you want to lose weight, eat healthier food and use your body.  Don't bother buying expensive vitamins or "appetite suppressants," or magic weight loss pills or formulas - I don't think they work.  Some are harmful.  Read what I...

This is strange, but true.  The more you eat, the more you want, the more you end-up eating!Why do you think they call them "appetizers?"  Extra food sparks your appetite.  They make you have an increased "appetite" or make you...

Not long ago I wrote about how to "Lose Weight with God."  It's my favorite topic! God, that is, not just weight loss!   Here's the article: click here.Marie wrote an absolutely beautiful comment awhile back,"I have battled weight all my...

If you always need or want something more than what you have, or worry or obsess about food and dieting--consider giving to others, and less about yourself.  Take the monetary and financial aspects out of the picture. Here are some...

Having trouble staying with a healthy food plan? Tempted by foods you want to binge on? Losing control over snack foods or desserts? Get away from them. Don't buy them, and you'll save a lot of money. Don't stock them...

Yes, it is possible to eat out at a restaurant and save money (and calories too).  The trick is to only order one thing - an entree.Skip the appetizer; they are often expensive, too big, and have lots of calories.Skip...

Eating more whole grains and bran helps you feel more full from less food and less money.  Baking your own bran muffins is a great example.  It doesn't take long, it's easy, and gives your digestive system a helpful, healthy...

Awhile back I wrote about cutting portion sizes as a way to save, and a way to lose weight without dieting.  It's a method that really works!  All you do is have half the size portion of what you would...

I frequently write about my recommendation for eating 3 meals and 3 snacks per day. If you have a little, you're less hungry, and that can save money and calories.  In other words, instead of the classic 3 (big) meals...

Do you really save money buying food and supplies in large quantities?  The answer is yes.  There is a difference in places to buy food in bulk, though, so do your homework.  Basically, when it comes to savings there are...

Many of my clients have told me that they go to fast food restaurants fairly often.  One person I am working with says she goes everyday after work and has a couple of burgers (make that 4).  She also told...

I have a surprise for YOU!  This entire month, I will be offering you ways to save money and lose weight at the same time.  I'll offer new recipes for cooking healthy, low-cost meals and snacks; ideas for filling yourself...

Melinda wrote awhile back, "I keep a daily log of my food intake & activities. I love doing this because I get to see EXACTLY what I am eating. It also forces me to THINK - BEFORE I eat (which...

You can probably imagine, I get a lot of questions.  I love it that people ask, although I cannot answer every one of them.  This one gets to the point, and a lot of people ask it on a...

Two reader's comments struck me this morning as being on-target. One about mysteries of self-abuse, the other about the power of spiritual practice.  Not a direct problem and answer counterpoint, but somehow, these relate.  I hope they will for you,...

Here is a great sugar-free and lower-fat pie treat that's easy to make, with exotic sweet fruit and no artificial sweetener.  The fruit is so sweet you don't need additional sugar. You can use a frozen piecrust, or make one...

This week I wrote a lot about workouts, that dirty word "exercise," and the motivation to just get up and do it.  It starts with the mind, and the body follows along.   This is the link to my original article,...

The "few little bites" you eat while cooking or preparing for lunch or dinner, may actually be the equivalent of a whole meal.  Tastes of dishes being cooked can also add up.  Be careful!A couple handfuls of crackers and 5...

How do you lose weight with God?  Simple, just ask Him for help.  A lot of readers have asked me to write more about this.  Funny, that's what I've written about the most in the last 9 years!  I fear...

Lucy asks: How often should I weigh myself on your program? My advice is that you weigh yourself once a month, on the same morning every month, before you've eaten anything, and preferably without clothes and after voiding. Keep...

Are you making sure to be active every day? I don't mean vigorous exercise (although that's great if you're in a regular habit you've built up to)...I mean at least walking for a minimum of 10 minutes per day. Start...

Comparing yourself to others can backfire.  Be sure to appreciate the good things about yourself, and acknowledge your hardships and efforts, too.  This is an important point.  I'm glad that an anonymous poster commented about this, this week, in response...

Find yourself tense, stressed, muscles all tight?  Worried about something? Fearful of what is next?Here is what I do when I'm in that dark, deep place:-- take a deep breath.-- tell God I love Him.-- ask Him to show me...

I wrote about bacon the other day, a recipe for a lower-fat method of cooking by baking it on a rack.  Lots of folks responded, and I'm so happy about that.One reader, Joe, blasted me: "hey doctor norris, how can...

Think about what holds you back. Is it fear? Worry? Think about the fears that bother you on nights you can't sleep - or days you're feeling anxious. What are you afraid of? Is it real? Is the fear necessary?...

There's an interesting article about cheap beef, with recipes by Jane Sigal, in the New York Times, take a look here.You may not have heard of beef chuck deckle, or beef chuck seven-bone steak; I haven't. But this article makes...

Did you see the article on apples from the other day?  Take a look here.   Here are some further ideas, from our fellow readers and posters!  Please add your favorie apple recipe to our collection.  Remember, "An apple a day...

This week, salads are hot!  Here are some variations of the recipe for salad I wrote last week, from folks who commented.  To see my original recipe for salad, click here. Please add your ideas and recipes for more variations,...

A Q&A Day!At our kid's school the typical menu is fried chicken, French fries (or some other potato) and sometimes salad. Peanut butter and jelly is available every day. Dessert is served every day. The kids are not allowed to...

Do you remember that old expression, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away?" It's true, you know! Eating fruit every day gives you vitamins, minerals and fiber - all good for your body - muscles, organs, and digestion. It...

I've discovered this great little take out place, not so far from where we live.  They have only one item on the menu - baked falafel sandwiches in whole wheat pita bread.  You can then help yourself to vegetable "toppings"...

From time-to-time, I like to share a prayer.  This one is in honor of my Father-In-Law who passed away yesterday.God thank you for everything, but that's so much.Thank you for the limits, the specifics, in my life.I appreciate the wonderful...

This week brought lots of deep and insightful comments, particularly from last week's article, "What I learned from Easter and Passover."  Please take a look and add your comment to it.So many people opened up and shared their pain, heartache...

Listen to the birds chirping. See them flying. In the day, they're out in the air and sunshine. At night, they perch on a limb. They gather food when they're hungry. They eat what they like; as much as feels...

Please tell your friends about our online conversation about fasting, and fasting every other day.  Email them the URL, please, if they are thinking of fasting.  Please add your experiences and opinions, too, to the comments below.I would like to...

The next time you are about to overeat, just stop. Stop and remind yourself that you're about to overeat--something that you really do not want to do. Be conscious. That's the first step in stopping the problem right in its...

We have all been told that comparing ourselves with others is not such a great idea.  When we look at others and measure ourselves comparatively, we often come up short.  If we see or think that they have what we...

This season, the lesson to be learned for me is that less is more, and that sacrifice to God brings freedom and life.  This worldwide recession is forcing us to make sacrifices - spend less money and make more, or...

There's a lot of talk these days about eating less, calorie restriction and fasting.  Not just because of Lent, but finding easy, or easier ways to have less food so that weight loss and weight maintenance can at last be...

What makes you happy?  Is it losing weight and keeping it off?  Having a lot of money, lots of cool stuff, and living a rich life?  Is it that happiness depends on being famous or well-known?  None of the above...

Be careful when weaning yourself from one habit that you don't pick up another. It's a natural tendency, especially for those of us who tend to use food to fill emotional gaps. Just because you may not be eating so...

A great way to understand what's going on in your life, in your habits and actions, thoughts and needs, is to write about it. Keep a journal or diary. Write what you're thinking and doing. Talk on paper about what...

Losing weight, being healthy, straightening up finances, healing and mending troubled relationships -- all are about making changes.  Living life, being satisfied with what is, and what we have, not always questing for something out-of-reach.  Loving what there is and...

I just love the breath of fresh air that I felt when I read Cheri's comment this week, in response to the column I wrote on "Hope is Grace,"  and I featured it in a "Dr. Norris Chumley Satisfied Life"...

In order to lead a healthy, happy life, focus on positive things. Make a list of at least three details of your life that give you happiness. Go ahead, take five minutes right now to think about what gives you...

I'd love to know if you meditate or practice silence every day.  Please post a comment below, and tell me and our readers about how you're solving stress through silence and meditation.If you are an emotional overeater, or if you...

Cindy put it all in perspective when she wrote, "To me, a satisfied life means enjoying everyday, spreading joy, believing, looking forward and not worrying."That feels like a breath of fresh air for me this morning. Thanks so much Cindy. ...

Overeating is a form of self anesthesia. What we're trying to do is find other non-destructive methods to feel better. Here are some other, less self-destructive ideas for managing the pain and difficulties of living: Try moving. Flexing your...

Q: I thought that we are supposed to eat when we are hungry and stop when full. Is it is OK to go all day long without eating? What if you don't get a hunger pang all day? A: Everyone...

You need to eat less than you were eating in order to lose weight. But don't diet! The idea is to eat moderately, from all five food groups (including a small amount of fats and sugars). Eat three small meals...

How do you simplify your life?  Yes, it's become a cliché, but it's really a good thing to do, especially in these days of complexity, materialism and debt.  Join the online conversation and post, please, about how you are taking...

What does having a "satisfied life" mean to you?  Join the discussion and tell us.Given that the spirit and substance of this daily column is a "satisfied life,"  my editor, Holly, suggested it would be a great idea to start...

Oh my, yesterday I just did not want to go to the 4th of a 6-week yoga intensive class.  I'd had a big lunch with a business client, and truthfully, a couple of glasses of wine.  I felt too full. ...

Again this week, you all have really been terrifically interested and involved, posting some excellent comments.  I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.  Here is one from Chris, who discovered that what she thought was a little...

Here's a question from a regular reader, Can I safely lose weight fast? A:  No, you cannot lose weight quickly and maintain your health. 2-3 pounds per week is the most anyone should lose, according to most doctors and researchers....

It's vitally important to drink enough water throughout the day, to insure your health and weight management. Drink at least three large (12 oz.) glasses a day, and preferably six. This can be in the form of tap water, bottled...

Very interesting article by Tara Parker-Pope in the New York Times about home cooking and how the person who is the cook at home determines the nutrition in meals, take a look here.  Lots more people are cooking at home...

I highly recommend that you confide in someone today.  Telling someone your problems can really help you feel relief, and also get a fresh perspective.  Please tell us your problems, anonymously if you like, by posting below.  We are in...

Forgive me, but I'm just so happy that a childhood favorite of mine is coming back into popularity.  The whoopie pie, a chocolate (or pumpkin!) set of soft cookies with frosting in the center, purportedly from Pennsylvania, the Amish, and/or...

Did you know that by making one small change over time, there can be big results?  You can apply this rule to weight loss.  I know, I do it all the time.  I've suggested this to many of my clients,...

This week is absolutely amazing in terms of comments!  We've set a record!  Never before have we had more comments on a subject.  They are all truly interesting and amazing - and I cannot pick just one to feature today. ...

What blessings are there in your life?  What's really going well and right that you are thankful for?  Please tell us below by posting a comment.  I have found that counting my blessings and sharing them with others really helps...

You know there sometimes comes a time when you need to stop planning, thinking about, and worrying about what needs to be done.  There comes a time when you just have to start.Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, "Whatever you can...

Today let's do a Question and Answer, which I like to do from time-to-time.  If you have a question for me post it in a comment. Occasionally I will answer general questions as best I can, especially ones that most...

It's an old adage, but it's true. Time heals all. There's no problem that won't get better with passing time, and some care and attention. Give your problems time, especially when it comes to losing weight. You did not develop...

I can't help feeling and thinking that I am on the verge, like most of us these days.  On the verge, or edge, of a lot, good or bad.  It's an uncomfortable and tenuous position to be in, like "on...

What do you believe when it comes to God?  Do you belong to or attend a church, synagogue or temple -- if so, which one?  Please post a comment below right now and tell us.  Let's do our own little...

This has been a wonderful week, although difficult in many ways, wonderful here as so many people are in our community, and posting really inspiring, encouraging words.  Two of the most commented upon had to do with troubled times, fear,...

My wife brought home a small jasmine tree last year.  The whole family loved its beautiful green leaves and heavenly fragrances.  It spent springtime happy as can be on our kitchen windowsill.  Then in the summer it resided outdoors, thriving...

Even though you may be struggling with life problems as all of us are, please remember that all is not lost, nothing is impossible, and hope lives.  Why?  There is hope because we believe in and love God.You may have...

Now that money is tight, many people are spending less money on everything, including food.  Eating out in restaurants, and buying take-out food is no longer affordable for many of us.  At the same time we're working harder and time...

Every morning I begin my day with some coffee and the news.  I've done this for decades.  It is my morning wake-up routine, and I am used to it. What's really news is that I am starting to see that...

This past week has been a very active one on this website, and I for one am impressed and inspired.  There have been quite a few comments posted, especially in response to my articles on Scales, Fasting, and the major...

For many Christians, this is a time of great awareness, a time in the year called Lent, a preparation for Easter.  It's the annual time to be aware of our beliefs and faith, to love the many gifts that God,...

This morning I was all flustered because I had to pay bills.  Gosh, those expenses are high!  It's an exercise in stretching, moving money from one place to another, shuffling, leaping and moving forward.  Kind of like dancing: you stretch,...

I've been saying this for years, no matter how you do it, lowering carbohydrates and increasing protein, lowering fats and preferably non-saturated ones, eating less of anything is now clinically proven for weight loss.  There is a recent and major...

This morning I jumped on our bathroom scales, as I do every month.  I like to check to see what I weigh, to keep my 160-pound weight maintenance on track.I only weigh myself once a month, because I know that...

This comment from Dino just reached out and grabbed my attention:For me, the big change in my thinking came one day. I realized I was a creation of God; made in God's image. What I had been doing was trashing...

We've now gone through a long period of economic woes, and we are making it through.  Yes times are hard, harder than we've ever known or experienced.  It's true it is not over, but there is hope and we're going...

Have you, too, been the victim of weight loss quackery? Have you tried "miracle diets" and "magic bullet" quick-fix products or schemes? Did you buy any of those "revolutionary" exercise machines or appliances from TV infomercials? Did you buy any...

Sometimes everyone needs a little break. Perhaps you need to take a day off or do something different with your weekend. Recharge yourself; do something invigorating, restorative, or restful. Take an afternoon to go to a history museum and check...

Alas, the meal is done.  I've reached my limit and it is time to stop eating.Pity it is.  A sad moment that I dreaded would come with each bite, but I ignored the inevitable in favor of flavor.Now it is...

Thank you's to everyone who read this blog regularly, and big thank you's to those who posted this week.A lot of people ask me questions; too many for me to answer here although I will from time-to-time if it seems...

So you slipped off your food plan, and had a few ice-cream sundaes, or a bag of chips or cookies. I know you regretted it! Use this episode and learn from it. Study how you felt afterward:Did you feel stuffed,...

Did you make a mistake? No problem. No surprise. Everyone makes mistakes. Admit it. Correct it with God's assistance. Learn from it. Mistake gone. No problem. Problems arise when we cling tight to OUR way, not God's way, or fail...

A lot of folks commented recently here about what's working and what is not in their lives, in order to be their healthiest.  Lori wrote, "At reaching 60 you can imagine I've tried every diet out there over the years. The...

(revised -- thanks for the comments and questions!)Nothing says "I Love You" more than taking good care of yourself and the one you love.  Here's a menu, shopping list and some recipes for a special, romantic dinner that's also very...

A tip of the hat to all of you who visited and commented in this blog this last week on several subjects: New Year's Resolutions, being with God, exercise and going to the gym, and Janice and my first online...

Spring is almost here, and love is in the air!  Valentine's Day is upon us, hooray!Valentine's Day, as we know it, is a celebration of love.  Love is itself a celebration of others.  To love one another is to treasure,...

I'm finding Janice Taylor and my online blog conversation very, very revealing!  Janice and I have gone in just four little days from hunger for weight loss, brownies, to diets, carbohydrates, to grandmothers and mothers, to hungry, starving people that...

There are really no coincidences in life, God has everything planned, I've been told, and sometimes it seems true, like today.This morning I was reading Janice Taylor's contribution to our online conversation and there was an ad on her blog...

Hello.  This is Day 30 of my 30 Tips to start your New Year.  Of course, it's only a beginning!  You don't need the beginning of a new year to make resolutions to be healthy and happy.  I suggest you...

Do you forget from Who and where everything in life comes from?  It comes from God.  Do you forget the good things you have, and about the good things that you are?  You are very worthy of some recognition, being...

Just as we humans are made up of a lot of different parts, our digestive system is too.  If we don't use every part of ourselves, we short-change ourselves from experiences and opportunities.  Just like in digestion if we don't...

Yesterday I wrote about cutting your portion in half immediately when served at restaurants and taking it home.  Eat the remaining half very slowly, and enjoy every bite, along with the atmosphere and your companion's company.  Then take the other...

A lot of people are looking at life dramas these days.  President Obama wants "no drama,"  and Mary K. Blige says "No More Dramas" in her song by the same title.Are you in the middle of a drama?  Is life...

I know from working with many weight loss clients, individually and in groups, helping with diet, nutrition, exercise, emotions and spiritual practices - that a lot of overweight and obesity problems are greatly relieved through relationships.  If you're happy and...

I know it's sooooo 80's, but do you remember those exercise videos you used to workout in front of the TV with?  Jane Fonda? Richard Simmons? Dancercize?Why not get them out, dust them off, and give them a spin again? ...

Here's my tip for your day today, to help you lose that weight. If you have cereal for breakfast, have only 1 cup.  You could also add some fresh fruit, and a half a cup of no-fat milk, too, if...

There's something about a hot cup of tea after dinner, a couple of hours before bed, to help you feel full.  Just be sure it doesn't have caffeine to keep you awake, and not have it later than 2 hours...

If you are an emotional overeater, or if you eat to change moods such as feeling upset, stressed, or a bit down - try giving yourself some peace and comfort by meditating.  What is meditation?  There are many forms, some...

This country was founded on the principle that we are "One Nation, Under God, Indivisible."  To me that means we work together and celebrate each other, our individuality, independence, and interdependence.There's a really cool, new initiative a lot of us...

It's simple: go for the complex carbohydrate, not the simple one!  Some carbs are actually healthy, contrary to some popular fad high-protein/low carb diets.  The point is to choose one that is healthy; one that offers some nutrition and not...

Got a sweet tooth?  Crave something sweet, especially for nighttime eating, but don't want a lot of calories or fat?  Are you a carbohydrate craver?  Want to lose weight -- I've got an idea for you.  Try unsweetened applesauce for...

Sometimes, it's easy to get all wrapped-up in your problems.  You may be thinking a million thoughts: things you have to do, problems weighing on you, people to see, work, family, friends, your own misery and suffering, finding energy to...

This was a great week for comments!   Yeah and yippee for all of us!  Please keep reading, returning daily, and posting.  THANKS.So many of us wrote comments on Breakfast, a post from a few weeks ago, that I thought it...

Have you ever thought that the excess weight you're carrying may be due to something very heavy that's weighing on you?  It's not just the fat.Have you ever really, truly, told someone about your true feelings and needs when they...

After years of dieting, failures, crash or fad weight loss plans, deprivation, you name it, I did it, I discovered that I need to continually feed myself and never allow myself to get hungry or ravenous.I learned to eat every...

When I lost the last of my 160 pounds, I liked to say, "I danced it off."  It's true!  I had enrolled in a hospital program for overweight people, a behavior modification technique oriented class.  Part of it was a...

This little book, "The Soulmate Secret," written by Arielle Ford (January 2009, HarperOne), could bring miracles in your love life, as it did for her and her BIG LOVE soulmate, Brian Hilliard.The ancient Law of Attraction is at play here...

As much as we need food to nurture our bodies and minds, we need emotional and spiritual food for the psyche and soul, too.  It may seem odd, but to lose weight and maintain healthy changes, make sure to nourish...

In my Joy of Weight Loss: An Easy Guide to Fitness book, and in my work with clients and workshop participants I always begin with making a journal of what's eaten, along with physical activities, time, place and emotions.Journals or...

I just loved this short, simple little comment.  It meant a lot to me.  It's by Patricia L. Mitchum, who wrote on the subject of New Year's Resolutions:"Remember to not let people bother me or discourage me. Feelings should not...

In my Joy of Weight Loss program, either self-guided or with me, I recommend that people eat every 2-3 hours.  Keeping yourself fed and nourished, in balance, is important so that you will never, ever find yourself ravenous and need...

I want to encourage you to begin a regular "physical re-creation" schedule.  The hardest part is getting going.  Hopefully, you've had a recent and complete checkup with your medical doctor, before beginning any activity or making changes to your diet...

If you are trying to lose weight and be healthy, being conscious and mindful of your diet (what you can eat), and being thankful to God can really help.Before eating, take a few moments to be silent.  While sitting at...

I love the comments everyone made this week.  So many great thoughts and experiences on detoxing, fasting, sugar addiction, nighttime eating, Spirit, Reasons for the Season, and on and on.  Wow!  We have such a great community here.  Please return...

If you overate yesterday, I have some suggestions.Appreciate: Say thanks to God for your life, and for your family and beloved friends.Have enough: Appreciate what you have, the gifts you gave and ones you received. Be enough:  Know that you...

As snow begins to fall and the deep freeze of winter sets in, we again gather with family and friends, singing and dancing around the Christmas tree or lighting the menorah or Kwanzaa candles. All will be well as we...

I continue to be completely delighted with our community and all the really great comments.  Many thanks!  We are soooo cool and connected!This week, my hat tips to Bobbie, for the comment written in last week's "Comment of the Week." ...

Try this meditation today. It's very peaceful. Do it BEFORE you overeat. Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Focus your mind's attention on your breathing: in and out, in and out. Do this for as long as you can. End...

There is only so much you can do well. You may want to be perfect, or do everything in the whole wide world, but alas--there are limits. Since there are only 24 hours in a day, don't try to do...

I want to give you my eclectic list of recommendations for great books on religion, spiritual practice, and health. In no particular order, just a short list of books that came out or that I discovered this year, 2008, that...

I just had a little lunch with an old friend.  He reminds me of the way things are in the world right now - we're lucky to have what we have.He said he was worried he was about to lose...

There's been a lot of interest in my articles on nighttime eating, and many people have written comments about it I thought I'd take a moment to get back to the subject.I love the suggestions that several of you made: ...

I am SO delighted today.Not just because I am alive again today (yes, God woke me up this morning and I thank Him).  Not just because it is a beautiful day.  Not just because I am so lucky to be...

Instead of a big lunch or dinner, have only one sandwich or small plate of food. Then use the extra time to get full from something else -- like being in nature or having a good conversation with friends. Or...

Life is really very simple. Love God with everything you've got, in every way, and stop worrying. That may sound too simple, but if you test it day by day in your own life, as I have, you'll find that...

First, I would never be so presumptuous to claim that I know God, or am with God.  In an attempt to honor Him and to remain humble at the same time, I acknowledge God's grace in my life, and I...

How do you experience, or know God?  Or perhaps you don't feel you do.  Please tell us in a comment by posting below.Perhaps you pray out loud, or in silence. May be you know God in church, or at home,...

Announcing my new endeavor.  Each week on Monday I'll pick the COMMENT OF THE WEEK from the previous week.The weekly most insightful, experiential, authentic posting by you, our readers!This is a badge of honor, a place of distinction for helping...

I am really "fed-up" with being only thought of as a "consumer!"Here we are with years of world financial problems that we're trying to solve, years of massive "consumer" spending and over-spending, debt and mortgage crises, foreclosures, people losing jobs...