WCDT Interview Transcript -- It's ALL about Love

Today I was privileged to be Carol Barstad's guest on WCDT radio in Tennessee. Carol is a nurse who is devoted to helping people get back on track with their health and weight with the USANA RESET Kit and Dr. Ray Strand's Healthy for Life Program. She is particularly focused on "diobesity," the term coined recently to address the problems many people are facing with diabetes and obesity, as well as related chronic diseases such as heart disease.

Carol (CB) and Christine’s (CM) Radio Conversation -- It's ALL about Love

CB: This morning I'd like to introduce Christine Macfarlane, a colleague of mine, and a wonderful friend. Christine has helped many people get started on the RESET program. She’s certified in the Healthy for Life program, as I am, and she is passionate about helping people love life and live it to the fullest.

I’ve invited her to join us today to talk about that -- loving life, loving ourselves, and loving our families -- and how love relates to our health. Welcome, Christine.

CM: Thank you so much for inviting me, Carol. And hi, Karen, it’s a pleasure to be here with you. I’ve really enjoyed hearing your other programs and I admire the work that you are doing, showing people that they CAN be well – there IS a way to reclaim our health -- and our waistlines.

I’m just so honored to be here with you two wonderful ladies today.

CB: So tell me, Christine -- what’s love got to do with it?

CM: You know, Carol, I believe that love has everything to do with everything, including our health and well being. When we take care of ourselves and our families with love in our hearts it’s easy for us to think clearly about what’s best. We make good choices. And we honor each other as the beautiful Children of God that we are.

CB: Well, what do you mean exactly, Christine? Do you have some examples for us?

CM: You bet. Here’s my message in a nutshell. You know that expression “God don’t make no junk?” Well, if that’s true … we best not be eatin’ no junk FOOD.

I like to say, “I am the hands and feet and heart of God in the world. I’m how God gets around.” We all are.

Not only that … think about it -- we are lovingly and wondrously made. Our creator endowed our bodies with intelligence in each cell to be exactly what it’s supposed to be – just imagine how amazing this is!

So truly our bodies are temples of the spirit of God’s love for us.

And if this is true, and I believe it is, when we abuse our bodies in any way we risk defiling our temple. And defiling includes eating foods that are not the best for us. It’s a daily thing, isn’t it, this eating thing. We can choose several times a day at mealtimes and snack times whether to love and honor our bodies and our ability to be God’s love in the world – or not.

When we are filled with the Spirit of Love we want what’s best for ourselves and our families. We have free will. We are free to choose whether we will be on the side of love or the side of defilement.

You know what I call making bad food choices? I call it “eating to endanger.”

CB: That’s a pretty powerful message, Christine.

CM: Yes, and it’s pretty simple, too, isn’t it? When we’re awake to knowing who we really are – and WHOSE we really are -- it changes our understanding forever, doesn’t it? We just have to remember every day and act accordingly.

Let me tell you a little bit about my experience in talking with people about the loving themselves enough to make the lifestyle changes that could get them back on track with health and well being. And how the USANA Reset program could be just what they need to get started.

We know so many people, don’t we, whose families are ravaged by serious disease -- heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, in particular. As you’ve pointed out in past programs, Carol, these problems are largely preventable. And in many cases we can actually reverse the conditions and restore better health. We are responsible … responsible for taking care of ourselves and our loved ones.

Carol, you’ve done such a wonderful job of talking about the big problem we have in our country with overweight and obesity and the health problems that come with them. And we read about it in the papers and hear about it on the radio and TV all the time.

As I’ve talked with people over the past few years I’ve noticed that some people who are off the track weight-wise are ready and willing to try something new, and some people would rather just complain about their situation. It’s like people keep two lists, their “gripe list” and their “change list,” and until something moves onto the change list people are just going to gripe. That’s another way of saying they’re not ready yet to wake up to the truth of who they are – and WHOSE they are – and the fullness of health that’s available to them.

I’m totally okay with that, too. I love them no matter where they are in their understanding, and I’m here to help them if and when they’re ready.

I’m not saying that the USANA Reset program is the only solution to the problem, either. I’m just saying that it’s a simple, easy-to-do program that gives your body a break from what’s known as the “Standard American Diet,” also known as “the SAD diet.” It’s a diet made up of too much white flour, white sugar, too much saturated fat, and just too much, too much in general. Huge portions. Pizza, burgers, cola, and that sort of thing. I love it that you can stay on Reset as long as you want to and enjoy big benefits. Then you can start introducing wholesome foods a little at a time. As you’ve emphasized, Carol it’s a lifestyle change that helps people get back on track with their health – and it has the great side effect of long term weight loss.

CB: Christine, do you have a theory about why people eat to endanger?

CM: Well, as I mentioned, I think that many people just are not awake to their own good. They don’t realize what they’re doing. Even though there’s so much information out there, there’s kind of a disconnect for them. People like what the world says is easy and what’s available. More than that, though, I think people see other people are eating carelessly -- and advertising is plenty hype-y -- and so it seems like being a part of the fast-food nation is where it’s at. It’s what’s “normal” – by worldly standards.

CB: The thing is, it’s no mystery that there’s a direct link between the SAD diet and the major health problems we’re experiencing.

CM: Right. Let me ask you, Carol -- have you ever been crabbing?

CB: No, I can't say that I have.

CM: Well, you know that when you put a bunch of crabs in a bucket they all climb around on each other to try to get out of the bucket. But as soon as one starts getting up high the others pull him right back down again. It feels kind of like that for us when we’re trying to make a change and we’re doing something different from what other people we know are doing. We may believe wholeheartedly that we want to make the change – in this case we’re talking about changing the way we eat and exercise and take care of ourselves and our families – but other people who don’t have the same goals and the same understanding tend to pull us back. In many ways it’s easier to just be another crab in the bucket of crabs. But if we want something better we have to get out of the bucket.

If you are awake to your own good – and on the path of love – you definitely want to get out of that bucket!

One of the excuses I hear often from people who don’t want to change what they eat is “but this is how our family has always done it.” Okay, you know what? That’s great. I appreciate cultural traditions. But here’s a thought: if you care about your family and you know your traditional foods are dangerous to them, is it loving to keep serving them what’s traditional? How ‘bout if you just serve your traditional favorites once a week – say on Sunday -- and make different, more healthful choices for the other days of the week? You’ll preserve and enjoy your cultural traditions AND you’ll give yourselves the gift of better choices 6 out of 7 days of the week. You body will love you for it.

This really jumped out at me last Christmas when I realized that groups of my women friends were gearing up for holiday baking. Talk about a tradition! Gifts of fancy sweets, cookie swaps, sugar plum fairies… most of us were raised with the idea that these are loving gifts. I’m thinking to myself, “Are all these sugary treats really gifts to our families?” Hmmm… maybe they’re not. Maybe we’re contributing to our friends’ and families’ health problems. Sure the cookies, candies, pastries and breads are traditional, but is that a good enough reason to keep making them – and I’m not saying it’s not. Each one of us has to decide this for ourselves.

Just as an aside, though, in the old days, say 50-100 years ago and more, these holiday treats really were treats. People typically didn’t eat sweets all the time, year ‘round the way many people do today.

CB: I see what you’re saying, Christine.

Does that mean then that we should never eat pizza and hamburgers and drink cola drinks, and things like that? Do you eat them?

CM: Sure I do, Carol – I just don’t do it very often. I don’t mean to make all this sort of food sound evil. I don’t think it is. I just think that when we are unconscious about what we’re choosing that we tend to go overboard with these things instead of “eating the rainbow,” if you will. By that I mean eating a wide variety of colors, with a special emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables.

And I confess that I don’t always exercise as much as I could, but I walk a lot. I have two dogs that get me out first thing in the morning every day, rain or shine.

But here’s the thing. It always boils down to this: Are we awake or asleep to our own good? Do we go along with what “the world” says is normal, accepting overweight and obesity, diabetes and heart disease as inevitable? Do we let ourselves get pulled back down into the bucket of crabs? Or are we willing to walk our talk? Are we willing to love one another as we love ourselves – or do we just say that? If we mean it and live by it we have to ask ourselves, “Am I loving myself by eating this? Am I loving my family by serving this?” It’s a simple test. Ask yourself, “Do my meals and snacks pass that test?”

I’ve talked mostly about food today, but I also want to emphasize two other important questions that are part of the whole picture. First: Am I lovingly exercising my body and encouraging my family to engage in fun physical activity? And second: Am I taking my nutritional supplements daily? These round out the plan for wonderful health, such an important part of living life to its fullest.

So, back to the question you asked me in the beginning, Carol. What’s love got to do with it?

When we understand who we are and WHOSE we are, love is all there is.

CB: Thank you for your loving message, Christine. And I know I’m going to remember what you said -- “God don’t make no junk.” And “we best not be eatin’ no junk FOOD.

I Create My Day -- from Dr. Joe Dispenza

One of the very best, most practical, and useful gifts of the movie What the Bleep Do We Know?, is this contribution from Dr. Joe Dispenza. Go forth and create your quantum leaps in life!

I Create My Day
Dr. Joe Dispenza in What the Bleep Do We Know?

"I wake up in the morning, and I consciously create my day the way I want it to happen. Now, sometimes, because my mind is examining all the things that I need to get done, it takes me a little bit to settle down, and get to the point, of where I'm actually intentionally creating my day. But here's the thing."

"When I create my day, and out of nowhere, little things happen that are so unexplainable, I know that they are the process or the result of my creation. And the more I do that, the more I build a neural net, in my brain, that I accept that that's possible. Gives me the power and the incentive to do it the next day."

"So, if we're consciously designing our destiny, if we're consciously, from a spiritual standpoint, throwing in what the idea that our thoughts can affect our reality or affect our life, because reality equals life. Then, I have this little pact that I have when I create my day."

"I say, I'm taking this time to create my day, and I'm infecting the Quantum Field. Now, if it is in fact, the observer's watching me the whole time that I'm doing this, and there is a spiritual aspect to myself. Then, show me a sign today, that you paid attention to any one of these things that I created, and bring them in a way that I won't expect."

"So, I'm as surprised as the- as the- at my ability to be able to experience these things, and make it so that I have no doubt that its come from you. And so, I live my life, in a sense, all day long, thinking about being a genius, or thinking about being the glory and the power of God, or thinking about being Unconditional Love."

"I'll use living as a genius, for example. And as I do that, during parts of the day, I'll have thoughts that are so amazing, that cause a chill in my physical body, that have come from nowhere. But then, I remember that that thought has an associated energy, that's produced an effect in my physical body."

"Now, that's a subjective experience, but the truth is is that I don't think that unless I was creating my day to have unlimited thought, that that thought would come."

White whole grain?

Have you seen the Sara Lee ads for their new whole grain bakery products? They’re speaking such great words about the goodness of whole grain, and at the same time they’re playing up the fact that their products are white. (The one with children is especially curious to me because of the not-so-subtle suggestion that kids especially would of course ONLY like -- and be willing to eat -- white bread.) What in the world is white whole grain?

So I went online to read their exposition on whole grains. Unfortunately, it doesn’t explain how they accomplish the production of white whole grain foods.

So here’s what I wrote to their consumer affairs department:

I've read with interest your information about whole grains and have seen your advertising about whole grain products. My question is this: How do you accomplish the production of WHITE whole grain products? Are you using a new strain of albino grains? Or?

Thanks in advance for your reply,
Christine Macfarlane

My question to y’all is this: If you've seen this advertising what sense do you make of it?

I'll let you know what I hear back from Sara Lee...

What's in YOUR consciousness?

You know that ad on TV that asks "What's in YOUR wallet?" At my prosperity class this week a group presentation concluded with a far better question: "What's in YOUR consciousness?" I like that.

After all, it's the way we think that determines our prosperity in all its dimensions.

So what are you thinking? And what is your thinking creating in your experience? I can tell exactly what's going on in your consciousness and so can you. Just look at what your life is like right now. It's a perfect reflection of what you think and believe. That's good news, really, because if if you like it you can fine tune it, or not, as you please. And if you want something greater to manifest in your life, you can go to work on yourself to change what you think and believe.

How do you get grip on making this kind of change? Start by noticing what you say. Then start monitoring what you say. Then keep working backwards from there. Notice what you say to yourself, your internal conversations. Now you're getting to the heart of the matter. Begin to choose words and engage in conversations that focus on and support what you want your life to be all about.

Think of it this way. Words are seeds that you plant. If you want a different crop, plant different seeds. And nourish them, water them, tend them. Your consciousness is like a garden. It's worth the time, the imagination, and the effort to help it grow and flourish. I guarantee that your results will match your thinking perfectly. They always do.

Big shredder day

Saturday afternoon I stopped by a pet supply store to buy some Greenies for my dogs. The weather was a little drizzly and gray, but there were long lines of people in the parking lot queued up to two big semi trailers. I mean there were 40-50 people there, each toting containers or pushing carts. Being the curious sort that I am, I asked a woman in the line what was going on. She returned an astonished look and replied, "Why, we're bringing paper to be shredded." Like, isn't that what every responsible person does on a Saturday afternoon?

I just smiled and said, "Oh, I see." But I didn't, really. I started trying to imagine... what on earth would motivate people to save huge quantities of paper to bring to a collection site like this?

First of all, how hard is it to get an inexpensive cross-cut shredder for home use. I got one at Costco for $20 and it works perfectly.

Second. It strikes me as a collosal waste of perfectly good time. Hey, drizzle or no, it was Saturday. Why hang out in a parking lot with several tons of paper and a couple of trailers? And it was slow going, too. A woman who seemed to be some sort of official was going down the line telling people that another truck would be coming from Stockton and it would be arriving in about an hour. And people were going to WAIT!

Besides, it's not like the city neglects the concept of recycling. We just have to put our recyclables out and trucks come by to collect.

So, this shredder event must have been a major priority for all these people. It's just fascinating to me. I'm still thinking about it today and it's Thursday. I wish I'd thought to call my friend Pamela to come over to sell Identity Theft plans!

I'm reminded that from broader perspective life truly is an enormous banquet table, fabulously laden with all manner of choices. People can choose exactly what they want, and I can too. It's all good.

Breast cancer -- it's just a cosmic 2X4

Whenever we don't learn from the lessons life presents us, we get another chance. Situations and people show up to help us on our way. Resist or avoid the lesson, do a geographical cure, or insist on standing in a place of victimhood, blaming something "out there" for what's happening to us, and guess what? The lesson keeps re-appearing. And it intesifies to get our attention. It's no accident. It's your current life lesson. Learn it and move on, or it will amplify and come back as a cosmic 2X4.

Because I'm a breast cancer "victoria" (some people call themselves survivors, some claim to be victors, and I'm a female victor, so that makes me a victoria), people often invite me to speak for breast cancer fund raisers and to walk in solidarity on breast cancer walks. I seldom do it because while I think it's noble to raise money to fund research, I'm far more interested in a much larger perspective. The fund raising tends to focus on "fighting the fight for a cure" and in my experience it tends to involve a good deal of hand wringing, weepin' and wailin', and generalized focus on the problem.

What I know is that we can't solve the problem at the level at which we created it.

Now what does that mean in terms of breast cancer?

The cosmic 2X4 message is to wake up to our own good, to release the illusion of anything "out there" creating the problem. The reality is that we create it and it's a form of self destruction.

I have two recommendations for sources to explore on this topic.

First, check out what Louise Hay says in her classic book You Can Heal Your Life about the meaning of breast cancer and what it represents when it manifests.

Second, my accountant, who is a spiritual man, recently recommended Feelings Buried Alive Never Die by Karol K. Truman. Since I have it right at hand I'll quote what she lists as probable feelings causing ill-ness or dis-ease manifesting as cancer of females organs:

• Repressed anger (usually at male authroity figures)
• Feeling an emptiness in life
• Unresolved resentments
• Feelings of hostility being repressed
• Rejecting the self
• Feeling of despair
• Feelings of lonliness being repressed
• Poor relationship with parents
• Inability to cope with a traumatic loss
• Feelings of hopelessness/helplessness being repressed
• Mental depression
• Holding on to deep anger, resentment, hate, revenge or jealousy
• Not open to "light" or divine help
• Subconscious death wish

We can't afford any of these if we want to be truly well. One thing that is especially good about Truman's book is that she offers ideas for how to free ourselves from the self-imposed, limiting thoughts that create dis-ease.

It's our pygmy selves that keep us in thought patterns that require cosmic 2X4s like breast cancer to get our attention. Let's recognize it for the gift that it is. If we miss the more subtle versions of the lessons, we can be sure to get the cosmic 2X4 version. It's still a gift.

More on the pygmy self another day. All that's really important anyway is to wake up to what's really going on and BE that knowing, loving life from broader perspective.

Discover Edwene Gaines

The joy of beautifying North America one waistline at a time

It feels great to be in alignment. Do you agree?

Is the work that you do in alignment with what your beliefs and your passion? From broader perspective are you making the contribution you came here to make? Or are you marking time, slogging along in the trenches, basically just trading hours for dollars?

One of my favorite things in life is "beautifying North America, one waistline at a time" with the Healthy for Life Program. Sometimes I pinch myself just knowing that when I'm working out I'm also working! Ditto for preparing and serving low glycemic meals, encouraging others, studying personal development, and doing other things I love to do to share the vision, like writing and speaking.

Okay, so I know not everybody likes all of that, but it's definitely what I love! I get to do all these things and it doesn't even feel like work! It's joyful. That's my tipoff that I'm in alignment with source energy.

And you?

The Law of the Lesser Pisser

One of my favorite Universal Laws is "The Law of the Lesser Pisser." It says that when you are faced with the choice between pissing somebody else off or pissing yourself off, ALWAYS piss off the other person. Now I'm not suggesting we all go around being as objectionable as possible, but I am suggesting that we be mindful of the choices we have in relationships.

Always be true to yourself.

If we are not true to ourselves first and foremost, if we do not take care of ourselves first, we have nothing to give to others.

And the consequences of pissing ourselves off? We get out of alignment with our highest good and miss opportunities meant only for us. We miss the point of our own particular lives. We live in dis-harmony and dis-ease.

Check out Feelings Buried Alive Never Die… by Karol K Truman for coverage of the consequences. The number of dis-eases related to bottled up feelings/unexpressed true feelings is staggering.

Let the true you shine through. Be well, stay aligned with your highest good, and practice the Law of the Lesser Pisser.

Release the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. within you

Week 8 in Marc David's book The Slow Down Diet focuses on 'The Metabolic Power of the Sacred.' I'm totally in love with this book.

In speaking about being infused with the Divine, he says "... the more faith you have, or the more you exercise faith, the more faith molecules accumulate and build in your blood stream. The metabolic substance of faith activates core organ systems such as the heart and brain and exerts its effects throughout the body -- effects as simple as invigorating and healing or as profound as releasing the Mother Teresa or the Martin Luther King Jr. within." (p 162)

He is a visionary. Get his book and give yourself over to it. Read about him at www.marcdavid.com.

New Meaning to the term "Ugly American"

I am FLOORED by data from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) re overweight and obesity in the US.

Here's the scoop, directly from the CDC site (http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/faq.htm):

What is the prevalence of overweight and obesity among U.S. adults?
Results of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 1999–2002 indicate that the following percentages of U.S. adults are overweight or obese:

An estimated 30 percent of U.S. adults aged 20 years and older - over 60 million people - are obese, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher.

An estimated 65 percent of U.S. adults aged 20 years and older are either overweight or obese, defined as having a BMI of 25 or higher.

This is UGLY! It's a problem of epidemic proportions! And we can do something about it. Not dieting. Diets are short term solutions for long term problems. And many of them are simply not balanced. That's why I recommend the USANA RESET program, particularly within the context of Dr. Ray Strand's Healthy for Life Program, which uses RESET to kick start a 15-month supported and guided plan for making healthy life choices (with the side effect of permanent weight loss).

If you're one of the 2/3 of Americans with a weight problem, start with RESET. Try it for yourself -- and see what a wonderful difference it can make for you.

Let's make America BEAUTIFUL!

It's a Cultural Thing

But we ALWAYS have a cookie swap at Christmas. But we ALWAYS have stollen (or plum pudding, panettone, buñuelos, bûche de Noël, or whatever it is in your tradition)! We couldn't have Christmas without that!

I heard this a lot over the holidays. And my answer? You're right! As long as you believe you have to have whatever that traditional food is, that's the way it has to be.

And let me ask you this: is that really the truth? Does it serve your highest good? Or is it just a mindless pattern that you're carrying on and on and honoring as tradition? In other words, are you or are you not mindfully choosing?

Be aware of your cultural traditions. Keep the ones that are healthy and chuck the ones that are not for your highest good. Truly there’s no percentage in sticking with “the way we do things” just because they’re traditional. If they’re not in your best interest, give ‘em the heave ho!

Studies show that Americans gain as much as 10 lbs. over the holidays. Maybe you're one of them. If so, think about pressing your body's RESET button now. Why not? There’s no time like the present. (Unless you're in Sumo training, of course.)

You deserve to be vibrantly healthy and magnificent! Let's get you going!

A Plan for the Rest of Us

Yesterday I painted a picture of The Sumo Life. Today let's look in the opposite direction -- for a way that NON-Sumos can be fit and trim, vibrantly healthy people. My answer to you is the USANA 5-day RESET program -- to kick start a new YOU!

Fundamentally here's what's required: Eat 5-6 low-glycemic USANA meal replacements/snacks each day, take the USANA nutritionals, and exercise moderately.

How hard is it to never go hungry, feel great, have more energy, and have greater focus and concentration?

Dr. Tim Wood and Dr. Ray Strand, along with USANA researcher Tony McKinnon and others, developed a sensible, easy-to-follow plan of which RESET is the beginning. Thy tested it in two standard clinical trials, which you can read about at http://www.releasingfat.com. It's about getting back on track with your health and your weight -- and head off or reverse health problems that may be appearing in your life.

Of course, for many people, the first major concern is appearance. They’re not happy with the way they look, they’ve lost control of their waistline, and they look older than they really are. RESET can help. It’s more than just a matter of appearance, though. Yes, I like to talk about reclaiming waistlines. Inch by inch it's a cinch! And more than that, it's about getting help to make healthy lifestyle choices a day at a time. Imagine! A healthier new YOU! With the fabulous side effect of permanent weight loss.

Your body has a RESET button! Activate it and see how great you can look and feel.Contact me for more info. I've reclaimed my waistline -- without liposuction.

The Sumo Life

Let me paint a picture for you. I want you to think about Sumo wrestlers. You know, those enormous Japanese wrestlers who look like oversized babies in diapers? Their intention to build up enormous weight – the more the better! Follow their lead if that's what you'd like to achieve, too

Otherwise check your standard behaviors against what it is that they do, and think about modifying some things. Read on -- I have a specific suggestion for you, too.

The Sumo pack-it-on Plan:

Skip breakfast (Sumo wrestlers do this because they train hard for 4-5 hours in the morning and can’t do it on a full stomach) Not only does skipping breakfast trigger overeating later in the day, it can cause a 5% drop in metabolism.

Eat just 2 meals a day. Research indicates that eating one or two big meals a day makes your body more prone to hoarding fat compared to eating 5-6 small meals a day.

Eat huge volumes of food – like those supersized American-size servings. Konishiki, the Hawaiian-born Sumo champion, routinely lunched on 10 bowls of stew, eight bowls of rice, 130 pieces of sushi, and 25 portions of barbequed beef. And still have room for desert.

Another famous wrestler, Takamisugi is reported to have been able to down 65 bowls of stew (with 29 lbs of beef) in a single sitting.

Drink lots of beer. Not all of them do this, but since alcoholic beverages tend to help deposit fat around the middle, it helps sumos to be more stable in the ring.

Take a 3-4 hour nap after every meal. Conserve as much energy as possible so that most of the food you eat is deposited as fat.

While Sumos are big celebrities in Japan, their lifestyle has its costs. They generally retire from competition at about 30, and because of the burden of the extra weight they’ve been carrying, in retirement many suffer from health problems including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, liver problems, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and arthritis. Their life expectancy is 10-20 years shorter than other Japanese men.

Tomorrow I'll give you a plan for the rest of us.