My d-i-l found a stray in an area in which there is only a 5 day kill shelter and the rescue groups aren't taking in new dogs right now. The circumstances are not good for taking on a dog permanently; honestly, temporarily is hard but it's us or a kill shelter right now and we aren't going to do that. The dog is about 2, according to the vet. (Ds and dil got heartworm meds, rabies shot, and 2 rounds of deworming meds for her, hoping that she'd soon be in a rescue.) So far, she learned "Sit" in about 2 days, "Down" in about 3, and got the hang of playing fetch (no command) quickly, so she's a fast learner. She did it for food initially, but transitioned quickly to being petted. So she's motivated by food, play, and petting, so lots of possible rewards for learning. She also accomodated to a crate, collar, harness, and leash pretty quickly. However, it's been a long time since I've trained a dog and "Sit" and "Down" were the only two commands I recall how to train so I need some refreshers. She is mostly pit, but small (35lb ish) and with a narrow jaw. Tons of pit energy. Her jump is amazing. She could be an agility dog. But she also gets into *everything.* IDK whether it's relevant or not, but she needs watching outside, too. Though the yard is fenced in, she can easily jump to the height of the chainlink fencing. We've been trying to housebreak her by keeping her in a crate and taking her out regularly. But when we thought she'd gotten used to going outside only and tried her out of the crate in the house but with supervision on a retractable leash, I literally looked down for less than 30 sec's and when I looked up, she was pooping. We want her to have freedom, but they are in a rental with carpets. So a site you'd recommend for housebreaking, "Leave it," and "Stay" would be good. Thanks for any help.

I have lost over 60 lbs and kept it off for about 8 years. The loss wasn’t linear; there were a couple relatively short climbs back up—the last one when I got a bout of food poisoning that made my gut cranky for several months and required a low FODMAP diet. That broke my previous healthy eating patterns, and I had to reset them when I was able to go off the FODMAP stuff. My why was about health. After my journey, I wanted to help others so became a health coach. (Not the kind who tells people “Do this, or do that, follow my plan” but the kind who helps people figure out what path is best for them.) You are very wise to be working on figuring out your “WHY.” That’s because “weight loss” is an outcome, but to get to that outcome, you’ll have to do some things differently. IOW, it will requiring changing behavior. (You are also very wise to be looking for how to maintain weight loss after losing it. That goal is different than simply losing the weight in the first place. Check out the National Weight Loss Registry for research done by surveying people who have been able to maintain significant weight loss. In addition to the US registry, several other countries have them and you can find occasional research about the whole group of them) Here is a key thing to be aware of: any time we set out to change behavior, we encounter ambivalence: part of us wants to keep doing what we’ve been doing and part of us wants to change. Think of a balance scale in your head: on one side are all the reasons you want to keep doing what you’re doing and on the other side are reasons you want to change. There are “whys” on each side of the balance. In order to help yourself change, you have to put your finger on the scale of what you really want most---which is what, I think, you mean by finding your WHY. Why would we want to keep doing what we’ve been doing when we want to change? The status quo is the status quo because it works for us in some ways. Status quo decisions typically involve immediate rewards. Any reward that happens immediately is going to “weigh” a lot on the scale of ambivalence. Additionally, status quo decisions are built on habitual behavior and thus easier. Finding your larger WHY and learning to keep it in the forefront when you are making those small daily decisions about what you are going to do. Additionally, as you begin to make new behaviors habitual, that side of the scale will have more “weight” as well. So how to find your own why: The whys that will motivate you will be the one(s) most strongly connected to your most cherished values. So spend some time first thinking about what you value most in life. You can do this in whatever way suits your personality: you can make a bullet list, doodle about them, write in a journal…. You can start without any structure or use a question such as “At the end of my life, what kind of life will have given me the most satisfaction? What regrets might I have if I continue on “as is”?” People’s deepest values frequently involve: 1) relationships and 2) dreams of doing things (bucket list type stuff) or 3) aspirations to do something to make the world a better place. In that sense “health” is an intermediate level of “why” not the deepest level: health is the resource we draw on to do anything else in life. Once you have your values in mind, you need to connect them directly to your goal of weight loss (if that remains a goal) Three methods: 1. Ask yourself a series of questions: Why do I want to lose weight? I want to be healthier. Why do I want to be healthier? I want to be able to be an active mom.. Why do I want to be an active mom? I want to be a good role model for my kids and be able to make memories together. My family is what I cherish most on earth. (You can also ask questions like: Why is that important to me? Instead of just why) Another example: Why do I want to lose weight? I want to be healthier. Why do I want to be healthier? I need more energy. Why is that important to me? Well, I don’t feel my best and now that the kids are grown, there are some goals I have been wanting to achieve in my life. I will need to be functioning at my best to achieve them. What do I dream of achieving? 2. Journal about your whys and how your weight loss relates to your specific values. 3. If you’re visually oriented, make a vision board. (You can google that for ideas ) There are other layers to it (like how to call up your deep whys at the crucial moments of decision) but that should give you a start. Also, you may want to ask yourself if “losing weight” is your actual goal. “Weight” is the number on the scale and includes bones, skeletal muscle, weight of your organs, water weight etc as well as fat (“adipose tissue” in medical literature) . What most of us mean by “losing weight” is actually “losing adipose tissue.” We are not keen on losing bone mass or muscle mass for good reason. But not distinguishing between the two can affect the approach we choose. If health is a reason you’re thinking of losing weight, the type of adipose tissue most dangerous to health is visceral adipose tissue—not the kind you can grab handful of (that is subcutaneous adipose tissue) , but the kind packed deep around and marbling internal organs. The best measure of visceral tissue short of a DEXA or PET scan is not the number on the scale, but your waist measurement. (NIH standards are to measure right at the top of your hip bone; usually that intersects your belly button. WHO standards are the smallest place between the hip and the bottom rib) Waist circumference is highly correlated with amount of visceral fat using DEXA, PET, etc. Recent research indicates that even people with a normal weight can be at greater health risks if they have an elevated waist measurement. To lose visceral tissue, you do not necessarily need to lose weight . You can gain it even without gaining weight by being sedentary and you can lose it even without dieting by a significant amount of exercise . You can maintain your current level by the equivalent of about 30 min walking a day. (See the STRRIDE I and II studies from Duke for instance.) Visceral adipose tissue is not unexpectedly best lost by diet + exercise, however. You are best off googling “Visceral adipose tissue” rather than “lose belly fat” if you want to skip over possibly misleading information. There is some thinking that the fact that the loss of 3-5% of body weight has such a pronounced effect on health parameters is because the body may shed visceral fat first. In fact, there is some thinking (not yet definitive) that extra weight in the butt and thighs may actually be protective in terms of health. As for the “how” the specifics are going to be different for different people. Some things that I think are pretty universal, however, are: · Avoid labeling yourself (“I was a good girl today” or “I don’t have enough self-control) . Likewise, avoid putting foods in moral categories (bad vs. good foods; clean vs. unclean, etc.) Labeling yourself contributes to a cycle of self-shame that perpetuates the behaviors you’re trying to change and also cuts short the kind of analysis that actually leads to progress. (Consider the difference between “I have no self-control” as an explanation for why you ate the cookies on the kitchen table vs. “Hmm. How did that happen? When I saw the cookies, I started eating them even though I didn’t want to . The visual cue started the whole sequence. Maybe I can ask my kids to be sure to put the cookies in the back of the pantry when they are done.”) · Let flexibility be your mantra. Avoid rigidity. For instance, following from above: Foods are not inherently good or bad. Some foods give you a lot more nutrients for your calorie “buck” so it’s wise to build a habitual eating pattern around those. Other foods provide primarily fuel with few nutrients, but can be thoughtfully incorporated occasionally into an overall eating pattern. Using thoughtful flexibility tends to prevent a sudden boomerang back from total restriction. (The circumstances in which you intend to be flexible are best determined ahead of time, not on the spot, however. Deciding that you’ll have cake at the birthday party this weekend is deciding ahead of time to be flexible and enjoy a food you normally limit. Deciding to eat the cookies on the kitchen table because you laid eyes on them is OTOH, not what I am meaning by “flexibility”. J ) · Remember that everyone “falls off the wagon.” It’s not the act of falling off that’s the cause of not reaching a goal; rather it’s not getting back up on the wagon after a fall. Reducing the time between the “fall” (meaning you made a choice or series of choices not in accordance with your long-term goals) and getting back on the wagon is the key to success. Think about learning to ride a bike. It’s normal to fall. The kids who learn fastest are the kids that get right back up again and keep trying. So plan to fall off in the sense that you make a plan ahead of time for when you fall off. Also: with regard to weight loss: if you are not getting 7 hours of good quality sleep, you may want to start with that as a goal. Messed up sleep increases hunger hormones and decreases creative thinking and problem solving. Taking care of that first can be the key that unlocks the door to weight loss for some people. I have not been on the Chat Board since the big board change, but was alerted to this thread by another member. I do post regularly in the Weight Loss club, though, in the "daily check in" as it's helpful to keeping myself on track. (Just saying b/c I don't want anyone to think I'm ignoring them if you respond to any of this without tagging and I don't respond back! )

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the help. I just got home with the spiral bound version of the book in its almost final content edit stage. The inside looks "like a book," I think that will help reassure my dad that his book is being worked on and he doesn't have to worry about it. (He does worry about not getting it done. )

Thanks for your help ! I hope you don't mind me picking your brain a bit more as I have zero background. I really only know how to use Word and insert photos. What font is most appropriate to use? My dad's book is in Calibri but I wondered if it should be in Times New Roman or something else. My dad's book will have photos. I am guessing that I should have it published standard letter-sized to preserve the placement of the photos. Is that right? Anything else you think I should know about formatting?

What was the process like for you?

I have been working very hard to pull my dad's memoirs together. He had begun to write them right before Alzheimer's manifested. He really wants to see it published in a book form. The book would include many old photographs of the farm and family members going back into the 1800s. I think it will end up being around 125 pages of Word document. I'm going to finish the text and get it spiral bound initially (so it looks more like a book) and try to work through the proofing with him on that. But when we're ready, do you have suggestions for the process of getting it into a hard-copy book? We're looking at copies mostly for family and two local historical societies. A local university would like to use portions for their classes in sustainable agriculture, but I think they would likely prefer e-copies.

Why are the Ukrainians called schismatics? Is the " schismatic “Kiev Patriarchate" another name for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church? Why was it not okay for the Ukraine to have its own --not sure the right word here---enculturation of the Orthodox Church?

I am wondering how what is going on with regard to Russian, Ukraine, and Constantinople will affect the Orthodox branches in the US. From being on this board a couple years ago, my understanding was that it's been the practice of the Orthodox Church to allow a national expression of Orthodoxy that may differ culturally in the nonessentials, but which is united in the essentials. I recall that the US was an exception of sorts in that most Orthodox congregations in the US were a result of immigrants sticking to the church identify of their former country, but that there was also some movement to establish a branch of the Orthodox Church that was specifically for the US. IIRC, the Russian Orthodox church was overseeing that process and deciding. Please correct me wherever I am wrong. I am reading not only that the Ukainians were allowed to have their own Orthodox Church separate from Russia (which I would have thought would go along with the "Orthodoxy in each culture/country" approach) but that the Russian Orthodox Church is threatening to break from Constantinople. How is what is happening affecting Orthodox believers in the US?

Found my endo on first crack from a respected teaching hospital. She's incredibly thoughtful , listens well, and I am definitely a partner in the treatment process, but I can relax into the role of patient rather than feeling like I need to come to her with solutions. Rest periods: Usually 60 seconds + or - if I am doing another set of the same exercise sequentially. I sometimes do a circuit on machines at the gym, and then I just walk to the next machine which will be using a different group of muscles, so no rest period needed. Or maybe I walk over to the fountain and get a drink. Same with light weights or bodyweight for one side of the body. If I'm doing rows, for instance, on one side, then my left side is resting during the right side's set and vice versa. Only when doing some lifting of significant amounts of iron, like deadlifting, do I leave more time. I tend to do deadlift sets one after the other and that is taxing but I have found 2-3 minutes is enough if I'm working at around 8-10 reps of the weight I'm using. If I were doing fewer lifts with more weight, I might wait longer. The 3-5 min rest is what I do if I'm probing a new 1 rep max. A lot of my allocation of rest times is just paying attention to how my body is reacting. If my heart rate is elevated I will wait for it to get down some before moving on. Same thing if I feel like I am reaching an outer limit of being able to keep good form while doing an exercise. It's something of an organic adjustment. My mantra at my age is "First of all, do no harm" so I don't ever push when I'm feeling off for any reason. If something doesn't feel right or if my form slips, I stop that set right there. My main point is that I can hit my goals without my thyroid issues affecting my strength and stamina. It's not unrealistic to aim to do so.

My advice would be to get a good endo. Mine always checks T3 & T4 as well as TSH. TSH tells you very little. My endo works with me based on listening carefully to my input, but I am giving input based on how I feel, symptoms, etc. and I listen to her recocmmendations. I do not have to be my own clinician. I wouldn't be comfortable with a doctor who was just checking TSH and treating you for thyroid. That is not best practice. You are not being unrealistic on your goals for physical activity based on your age. I am 20 years older than you are with thyroid issues and have more energy for physical activity than what you are describing. I can easily do 60 min of walking with 10 intervals of 3 min of jogging embedded in that 60 min and I can do a full weight lifting program (deadlifts, squats, push-ups, assisted pull ups or rows, etc.) without any more than the normal recommended rests between sets and if I'm doing a circuit, often with no rests. I didn't not start exercising like that until my 50s, so it's not because I have always done it. I hope you can find a doctor whom you don't have to ask to test your T3's and T4's and go for your goals.

While I didn't dislike coffee, I didn't drink it much either prior to my doctor telling me that the effectiveness of a medication I am taking was boosted x2 for at least 2 cups of coffee per day. Coffee has health benefits; so does tea. In the middle of the Venn diagram of the positive effects are the positive effects of caffeine. Other than that, they each have their own depending on specific flavonoids, etc. I make lousy coffee, so I broke down and got a Keurig. I use the little screen cup that you can fill with your own blend of coffee to prevent the environmental impact of all those little plastic cups. I have never added sugar, but because I don't love the taste of black coffee, I do use milk or almond milk The milk does a better job of mellowing the coffee, but the almond milk doesn't impact the daily calories as much. If you need some sweetener or milk, since you're trying to lose weight, I would decrease it over time. Also, be aware that caffeine can speed some medications and vitamins through your body (along with everything else!) so if that is an issue for you, either take meds well before coffee (I think like 3 hours) or at least 15 min after you finish your coffee. You can google for more information on timining.

Here are the red flags: While it can help some patients to be touched appropriately*, that touch should never be done without taking into account the patient's body langauge. Most people won't speak up the first appointment if they've never had a bad experience, especially if the touch is at all ambiguous as in your case. Looking away while touching is therefore a red flag. He wasn't gauging your reaction; he was avoiding your reaction. He was going to do what he was going to do. (* e.g. There was a research study I read long ago in which the anesthesiologist simply introduced self to one set of patients, and touched the hand of another set. The ones who received the brief touch needed less anesthesia) Other red flags: Number of touching incidents Rubbing, not brief touch Squeezing leg/thigh : not appropriate at all. If he did all this at the first appointment, I think it's likely he'd build up to more invasive things over time. Higher touch on the thigh, "accidentally" grazing the breast on the way to a shoulder rub, etc. At that point, the patient's "line" will have moved from not expecting that kind of touch at all to accepting what was previously ambiguous as the baseline. The new touch would then be ambiguous from the baseline. Hope that makes sense. I would report it to the state medical board and not just the practice. Tell the practice why you are leaving and describe the incidents to the state medical board. Your report may provide corroborating information to someone else's report in which he went further.

Thanks for all the input! It was much more and faster than I expected! This probably isn't a good sign for my tech skills (I do have my own team because everyone else in the house is quite competent) but I can't see anyone's signatures for some reason, so Amanda, I couldn't check your site out. I tried clicking on your name, but didn't see the signature on that page either. If anyone can direct me to what setting I would need to use to see signatures (I used to be able to!) I would appreciate it!

I need to set up a website for a health coaching business I need to get off the ground and I know there are places I can use like Wordpress or Wix that have templates that will make the process easier. I was wondering what other people's experience has been. Here's what I want to do with the site: I want to provide free information about a variety of health-related issues in separate categories like exercise, sleep, eating, etc. and would like people to be able to click on a topic that interests them and browse the posts. I don't want a comment section because I don't want to be moderating it. In addition to the free info, I want a separate 'button" or something that gives a way for people to contact me if they are interested in having a health coach for motivational support during the process of change. I would need to be able to post photos, but also may want to do videos down the road. If you've done something with similar requirements, could you let me know what you liked or disliked about any online site that you used? Thanks so much

Thoughts about being seen sooner: !) Ask your family doctor to call for you. A doctor can often get you an earlier appointment than you could get yourself. 2) If you can be flexible, call every single day for cancellations. I've done that before and gotten seen much more quickly. Make friends on the phone with the scheduling person and ask for the best time of day to call in. Mondays are often very good: something comes up over the weekend, and people call to cancel appointments. Thoughts about waiting: Although when you are worried about cancer a month seems a long time to wait, it is often okay. Prognosis is sadly different depending on the institution that you go to for treatment and given that the node removal is a complex operation that could result in loss of motor function, I would wait and get someone experienced. Hugs.