I have had many people ask me what my motivation was to succeed. How did I do it ? I decided that it was a combination of many factors, the most important being the input of my LC friends and listmates on the various LC lists that I subscribe to. It's safe to say that the going would have been a lot tougher if not for the advice, information and general shouting we have to do with each other to
keep being motivated. This page is a tribute of sorts to the people that have made a huge impact on my life, cheering, bullying, and dispensing needed advice. Sometimes this advice is delivered with a gentle hand, other times with a roundhouse punch.
There have been many people that have had a very positive impact on my progress. I hope to secure posts from several people. Too bad the Texas Lowcarb List doesn't maintain archives !
I have decided to include several posts from my "guru" of sorts, Lee Rodgers, who runs the Lowcarb Retreat in San Jose, California, and is the Listowner of ATKINS-NEW at Maelstrom St. Johns. This is a guy that through his own brand of toughlove opened my mind to infinite possibilities. Lee is not one who is openly willing to take credit for being a prime motivator. This is pretty much tough, as far as I'm concerned. Lee won't ever be remembered for being shy
and silent. He speaks his mind, like it or not. This is my kind of person. Say it like it is. Full speed ahead, damn the torpedoes !
I keep these on my hard drive to give me a boost whenever I feel that I need a reminder that we are ALL in the same corner. I felt that these might be a motivating factor for all of the rest of the LC'ers out there. I intend to keep adding to this page with more of Lee's and other listmate's posts that strike me as "strong" motivators. We all need that extra shove in the right direction. I intend to provide that "shove". BTW, I did get "carte blanche" from Lee to post whatever he said that I felt would be helpful to others.
This is not for the faint of heart. If you are a wimp, or are easily insulted, you can stop here. If you want to hear the truth, then you can just keep on keeping on.
These first posts are personal e-mails from Lee to myself. I didn't think to keep my e-mails to him. I never really thought I'd need them, so it's pretty one-sided. I think you (generic you) will get the idea, however.
Thanks Kathy.
I have a coffee mug with a photo of me at my worst. On
the side of that cup are the words: "NEVER AGAIN".
I have no intention of backing down or softening my
approach, using a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go
down, or any number of bromides tossed by well meaning yet
misguided readers. Those of my brothers and sisters in the
flesh who are still trapped inside the prison from which I
escaped are my first and foremost concern. I will not desert
them by acquiescing to kinder-gentler demands of a bunch of
cosmetic dieters without the first inkling of understanding
about what I spoke of. I was torn between answering the
challenges and leaving well enough alone. I chose the latter
course. Those who understand, understood. Those who trotted
out defensive platitudes aren't ready for understanding just
yet. They will come around when the time is right.
I am ashamed that so many people equate banal platitudes
and silliness as all there is to support. It is that, plus so
much more. We are the world, we are family, we are all the
same. No we are not. I will carve a place of solace and
education out of Atkins-New. It will be a 'different' kind of
mailing list. One where support doesn't stop short of pulling
the covers off of 'magical thinking' and business as usual.
This is no more than the opening salvos of a long and arduous
process. Support encompasses a whole lot more than making
people feel good. The times they are a changing. Eat Meat!
Drink Water! Sip Oil!...and move!
Take care and much love.
Lee Rodgers
Saw you in Texas. Thanks for the back up. I do get
tired of roasted troll, but it seems to be the season for it.
And where is it written that one must give up their sense of
humor to accept Jesus as their Lord? I always get mail asking
how can I write the things I write and call myself a
Christian. Easy, Christianity isn't about me, its FOR me.
hehe
You make me nervous when you remind me how often you send
things I'm saying to others. I blush and then I pray that it
is something useful to the recipient. Thats not to say, stop
sharing anything I've said that is helpful. I guess it is
saying despite all the clamor I still get embarassed when
anyone sees me as more than just a fat guy working as hard as
he can to stop being a fat guy and sharing the trials and
trbulations encountered along the way. I am no expert, guru
or anything. And if I ever do get up on my high horse its
comforting to know there are a few folk out there who love me
enough to kick me right down off of it. :-)
Take care. Many blessings on you and your house.
Lee Rodgers
The next in this series are from the LC e-mail lists that I sub to. This is where it gets rough, LOL !
Yeah, Harry. Good luck on that one. Relief from disease
symptoms, a good weight loss and fantastically improved health
is not enough. "I want what I want when I want it" reigns
supreme. Followed closely by, "You mean I have to give THAT
up too?" "I want to lose 200 pounds, I want to lose it within
6 months, and I want to lose only fat, no muscle. I never
want to experience a little hunger, any sense of deprivation
of any kinds, and I want sweet desserts after every meal.
Plus, I do not, will not do any kind of exercise to help
stimulate peristalsis, circulation or redistribution of
remaining fat. I want to eat when and how I choose, picking
from all the different plans out there and I want the pieces I
stitch together to defy the underlying science to fit MY
desires. I want manufacturers to produce artificial foods
with no food vale whatsoever that I can gorge myself on, but
they cannot cause intestinal distress or possibly cancer after
years of ingestion. Anyone who disagrees with me is a quack.
And anyone who points out my errors is abusive and
insensitive. Make reality conform to my wants or else forget
the whole thing." This has been a gross generalization. If
you see a shoe that fits in there somewhere, throw it away. No
particular individual was in mind as I wrote this. Just a
generalized response to Harry's quest to convinve anyone of
anything.
What you have convinced me of Harry is that you could
change the spelling of your last name and still spell it
correctly. :-)
Lee Rodgers
**Harry Nobel wrote:
Remember the Atkins matrix chart (DADNR page 216 Chart 17.2)
My quest is to convince people that losing 1 lb/week isn't a slow rate of loss.**
Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 09:41:14 -0700
From: Lee Rodgers
Subject: [rant alert]...was...Tortilla Debate
It is not that the manufacturer is lying on its label or
deliberately misleading consumers. The problem is that
consumers ignorantly make the label mean what they the
consumer want that label to say to them and their particular
dietary requirements. The issue of the lowcarb tortillas has
been discussed and debated for as many years as I've been an
online Atkid. There is hiding in the darkest depths of the
archives either at St. Johns or Dejanews a complete break down
of why these lowcarb tortillas ain't. As I do not eat the
things, I don't give a rat's long tail if my claim has "merit"
or not. Buy them by the case, by them by the pallet. Eat
them to your tummy's content. Afterall YMMV and I would not
want to stand in the way of an entrepeneur making sales to a
willing (albeit ignorant) market.
Historically two weeks after the dicovery of lowcarb
tortillas, vogel bread and high fiber Bran-a-Crisp there comes
a slew of posts along the lines of "I'm doing everything
right, but I'm not losing weight". No where do these
complainants remind us that they have been porking out on LC
tortillas, high fiber crackers, vogel bread sandwiches and
enough SF Jello-Strawberry Surprise to fill a swimming pool.
When it hurts badly enough you (generic you) will be ready to
change. Cosmetic dieters can walk away but the morbidly
obese, Syndrome Xer who buys this BS about subtracting fiber
grams, LC cheats and legal sweets will either wake up and
adjust or finally succeed in eating themselves to death. So
the next time some skinny butt trying to fit into a smaller
bikini is sharing her delicious recipe using LC tortillas and
yummy legal sweets be sure to have her hang around long enough
to witness the burden of her "advice".
People like to say, 2 pounds or 200 pounds, we are all in
this together. Rubbish. When you get so fat that you can't
wipe your ass, then talk to me about being in it together.
When someone else has to insert your tampon and change your
pads for you becuase you can't reach, talk to me about
togetherness. When you can't sit on a toilet for fear of ts
breaking under your weight, talk to me about togetherness.
When you visit the bathroom in a public building and soil
yourself becuase you're too damn fat to do otherwise, talk to
me about togetherness. When you go grocery shopping and have
to sit down on the floor as others gawk at you becuase you are
too exhausted to move another inch, talk to me about
togetherness. There is a difference between "wanting" to lose
some weight and "needing" to lose some weight. when you
(generic you) understand the difference, then, MAYBE, then you
can talk to me about being in this together.
What does this have to do with tortillas? If you don't
know, then we have nothing to say to one another.
Lee Rodgers
Date: Sat, 8 Aug 1998 09:41:14 -0700
From: Lee Rodgers
Subject: Over the lips and onto the hips...
Hi Folks,
There are several disturbing trends of thought starting to
percolate into the stream of consciousness. The first being
that we can subtract fiber carbs and "eat more carbs" like
those of Protein Power. This idea is a logical fallacy.
Huh? Your critical carbohydrate level is the same whether you
count fiber grams , deduct fiber grams or don't bother
counting anything at all. A slice of whole wheat bread is
still going to metabolize as sugar whether you deduct the
fiber or not. If you (generic you) eat an entire jar of
macadamia nuts the excess will appear on your hips just as
rapidly whether you deducted the fiber or totaled all of the
carb grams. One could be jeapordizing succcess by playing the
numbers game, as someone else has termed it. Pre-warned is
pre-armed.
Secondly, the idea that an Atkid can save themselves from
weight gain by combining the Atkins plan with CAD. Sorry,
another logical fallacy. Only this one is rife with the
temptation to pork out with impunity "for only an hour".
Wrong. CAD is a lot more detailed than that. Most atkids I
know love to snack. CADdies have rigid rules about snacking.
That one hour free for all, isn't. It is a BALANCED meal, it
cannot be an apple pie topped with a quart of vanilla ice
cream finished in less than an hour. I have seen maybe 2
(two) people successfully blend the two plans. Every other
instance has been met with rapid regain and days or weeks of
out of control bingeing caused by the influx of poisonous
foods. Anyone contemplating blending plans better know how
each plan works seperately, and they'd better know that the
seperate plans work for them as written, before attempting to
merge. Else, stand by for seam busting revelations.
Lee Rodgers
Date: Fri, 9 Jan 1998 18:42:11 -0800
From: Lee Rodgers
Subject: Re: Coffee and "Additives"
PLENTY is in the eye of the beholder Sue. Looking at my
diary, I see that "in the beginning" I never lost an ounce or an
inch when I got over....drumroll.... exactly 71/2 grams of
carbohydrate and that meant no fiber. How do I know exactly? I
used an electronic scale to weigh and measure each tsp of pepper,
salt, garlic, curry, cream, mushroom and steak, chop or roast.
Every tablespoon of soy sauce, every drop of catsup. So I
cheated and had catsup, sue me. :-) Point is when you first
start there is abundant enthusiasm and positive mentality about
making things work. THEN is the time to learn what has what and
what is safe and how much of that can you really eat and still
lose with. After a few weeks of manic obsessiveness I had most
of the foods I eat regularly recorded so I could just weigh
something and get the value from the diary. I also could eyeball
a portion with some decent accuracy. As time goes on we all fall
from grace and slip a bit. Then the obsessive diary comes in
pretty darn handy. When in doubt I take the two best pages of
weight loss from my diary and do that for two weeks. Works every
time with a few minor adjustments based on new learning. Man
I''d be in 'hog heaven' (pun intentional) if I could feast on 20
grams of carbs everyday. So if i doesn't depress you or cause
you to lose heart, then obsess and record. Others can't obsess
and be successful YMMV do whatever it takes to succeed.
Lee Rodgers
I gotta laugh....I'm sitting here with a chart that shows every
morsel I've eaten in the last 48 hours, with appropriate carb counts.
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 17:58:47 -0800
From: Lee Rodgers
Subject: Re: I'm losing control!
Once that eating demon possesses you it takes complete
control. Sometimes we can break free, most times it has to run
its course like a bad cold or flu. 29 yo. Happy birthday. You
are relativlely young and have discovered your carb demon early
enough to cast him out of your body forever and be in control so
you avoid being an old fart still struggling to get it right.
You have the people here to lean on for support and suggestions
for dealing with similar situations they've faced in their lives.
DO NOT GO THIS ALONE. Use the group, use the strength of the
group to get a handle on this thing.
It is not about self-control. It is about dealing with a
physiological stimulus-response mechanism that all carb addicts
experience in some degree. Those of us at the extreme end of the
curve must view every carbohydrate as the enemy. There is no
"little taste". It is all poison. The fewer carbs we take in
the better. I am not a physician or health care professional, so
I'll quote Judith Wurtman from "The Serotonin Solution", "There
are two types of hunger: physical hunger, which is driven by our
body's need for nourishment, and psychological hunger, which is
propelled by our need for comfort and solace." "Psychological
hunger can only be relieved by eating foods that renew and
restore serotonin. These foods consist specifically of sweet or
starchy carbohydrates, either alone or in combination, that can
include everything from candy, doughnuts, cake, cookies,
cupcakes, frosting, and muffins to popcorn, bagels, potatoes,
cornflakes, rice, tortillas, and pasta." "When we are
desperately seeking serotonin, we eat MORE AND MORE and more
food, often very quickly, until our stomach fills up and
stretches to the point of feeling pain."
Now as I see it, you can continue to give your wife
permission to fatten you up for the kill, or take control of your
own body and provide it with the nourishment it requires to save
you life and health. If you do not cook, no problem. Every
large grocery has a deli-section where you can buy roast beef,
roast turkey and roast chickens. Fill your refrigerator and
freezer with cooked meat you can pop into the microwave. Take
any cake or cookie offered and destroy it immediately as if it
were a posionous snake being thrown at you. To recover from this
wave of carbohydrate binge eating you may need your physician to
approve of your bringing in the big guns. I counter this binge
demon by taking several capsules of 5-HTP the amino acid that
turns into serotonin in the brain. That way I keep my serotonin
level increased without having to eat carbohydrate laden poisons.
It is an over the counter [OTC] food supplement which I take
every night before bed. I also take a time release tablet of
melatonin to spare even more serotonin. Some people cannot take amino acids or melatonin (a hormone), your doctor can tell
you if its safe for you to use in this emergency.
The relationship you have with your wife is a personal one
and you are the only person who knows if seeking joint family
counseling to see why she is trying to kill you this way is in
order. There is definately some control issues that need to be
addressed. Not all of them are carb related. Please take
control of your life now. It doesn't get any better, and trust
me, it can and will get one helluva lot worse if you don't seize
this opportunity to spare yourself being able to share your
'horror' stories with some future newbies.
Lee Rodgers
600+, 506¼, 200+
Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1998 16:52:08 -0700
From: Lee Rodgers
Subject: Re: [long] Newbie--Useful lowcarb links
It is possible to do lowcarb without ever buying the
books, but THAT is a very hard and difficult way to do
things. It is almost a certainty that you (generic you) will
refer back to the book covering whichever plan you choose,
again and again and again. I just ordered a new copy of DANDR
because it was so dog eared from re-reading and marking useful
reminders that the whole book seemed underlined, starred and
page-folded. :-) You gotta have your own small library of
reference books. Take your time and build up slowly (don't I
always say that?) it is a worthwhile investment.
Having said all that, all of you newbies and semi-oldies
without a copy of the book or a grasp of the BASICS can get a
general overview of lowcarb by reading the following:
|
Introductory
FAQ
Intermediade
FAQ
What
Is Lowcarb
Before
You Start
Amino
Acids in Weightloss
Get
Your Fiber part 1
Get
Your Fiber part 2
Plateau
Busters
Ketosis-Lipolysis
is NOT Keto-Acidosis
What
is STACKING
POTASSIUM
in foods...forget bananas
CARBS
in vegetables
CARBS
in spices and seasonings
Official Atkins
Diet Frequently Asked Questions
ONLY
dessert Dietman endorses 100%
CAFFEINE
why and why not?
FLAXSEED
OIL and other essential fatty acids
What
about GALLSTONES?
Getting
enough CALCIUM?
Fight those yeastie
beasties
All
about HYPOGLYCEMIA
All
about DIABETES
WATER
drink lots and lose more
Where to buy Atkins
products at a fair price
Hey, wouldn't be easier to just visit The Lowcarb Retreat
and bookmark it as your bookmark to the lowcarb universe? ALL
advertising and sales on the retreat go towards supporting The
Lowcarb Retreat and the lowcarb WOE/WOL.
The
Lowcarb Retreat...gateway to the lowcarb universe
Lee Rodgers
Listowner ATKINS-NEW mailing list
aka "Dietman"
