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Dateline: Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa
July 1 - 13, 2007

"There is nothing wrong with you that losing more weight will only make better," said Dr. Sam J. Sugar, my attending physician at Pritikin. This was his assessment after I had spent a week eating fruits and vegetables, exercising and attending "How to" classes day and night.

Did anyone ever say that you looked like you'd put on a few extra pounds? Has anyone been so bold to tell you to push back from the table-that you were eating too much and it showed? Have you gone to the closet to put on a new pair of pants or a dress and it didn't fit? Welcome to the club of "I can't lie to myself anymore that tubs of popcorn and sticky buns with smoothie chasers are fattening and unflattering and unhealthy." Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, guilty as charged!

I am writing this column from room 318 at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Aventura, Florida near Fort Lauderdale. No one had to tell me that I needed to lose weight-my clothes did. My blood pressure was too high, as well as my cholesterol. I was at Pritikin five years ago and I did well; I lost weight and continued to lose more for a year, and then it was back to the yo-yo syndrome. Rather than taking a vacation in the south of France or in the Caribbean this summer, I was back where the solution to weight management was hammered home at every lecture, with every exercise workout and in every bite I took.

There are a lot of practitioners here at Pritikin who make sense and sensibility of the issue of food, fat, salt and sugar and how to break the habit and learn to become right-sized through diet and exercise. Few of us can resist the cold hard facts that Jeffrey S. Novick,  MS, RD, LD, LN , Director of Nutrition and Jay Kenney, PhD, RD,  Director of Research, another of the geniuses who steered us to the right side of the food aisle and better choices on the restaurant menu, ladled out to us guests day after day. They are hysterical in how they dish out the bill of fare-and they look the part of fitness. Jeff is small in stature but as fit as a fiddle and Jay is tall and lean, as well. They practice what they preach.

Since you know me to be into reduction, here are the things I learned which can guide you to getting healthy:

1. Never eat salted food-never ever. It is the single biggest culprit in elevated blood pressure. At Pritikin we shake on a little Mrs. Dash, add a little pepper or Tabasco-but never, ever, ever do we have salt in our food.
2. No refined sugar. There is natural sugar in fruits, but processed sugar also causes your blood numbers to soar plus all the other direr consequences of "sugar blues." For me, it means "ta ta" to lemon meringue pie, pecan pie and other such delicious weighty desserts.
3. Watch the fat to calories ratio when you read a label. Jeff has a funny anecdote about why ladies who lunch get fatter and fatter-they put so much oil on their salad that they never lose weight-"But doctor, I eat salad every day!" He also is death on sopping bread with Olive oil at fancy restaurants.
4. Eat fruits and vegetables and less meat. Pritikin only had bison at dinner once a week and fish twice a week. Fruits and vegetables are high calorie dense foods. You eat less calories and feel more satisfied.
5. Limit the intake of bread. Pritikin serves whole grain pasta and there is little bread ever offered. Bagels are available at breakfast (which I never ate-can you believe it?)
6. Plan your meals. Never go into a grocery store and pick up what you see willy nilly. Make a list and stick to it. Review what's on the list and what needs to be left out of your grocery cart.
7. Always read food labels. Food manufactures lie on the front of the product. Fat FREE, l/2 LESS FAT, HEALTHIER THAN EVER are almost always not true. Do your research.
8. Exercise as much as possible. At Pritikin we did 45 minutes a day of a combination of bicycle and treadmill as well as core sit ups and stretch and resistance (weight) training and yoga was available every day. I'm a Pisces so I swam an hour every day as well.
9. Stop dieting and eat healthy. Diet plans that recommend low carbohydrates, no carbohydrates don't work. I have been South Beached, eaten according to Dr. Atkins, and I've been in the Zone, teased and tortured for the last time. Fruits and vegetables are my new route out of the up and down escalator of weight control.

I came home pounds lighter, blood pressure stabilized and all my numbers were in the good range, including my cholesterol. The struggling, panting, wheezing house guests were a hoot, especially a fun couple from Texas who are my new best friends. We laughed until we cried and took nothing serious except eating right, daily exercise and the decision to change the things we can-ourselves and what food choices we make and the exercises we are going to continue daily.

Check out Pritikin. Ask for Mary Sussman. Say Albert sent you and she might give you a free spa service, or two.





We can all breathe a sign of relief that Mercury went direct on July 10th. Everybody I know complained that if it wasn't the telephone, it was their computer-or the car stalled or God forbid the air conditioner stopped working. If you don't believe in the syndrome of Mercury retrograde or "everything mechanical or electrical goes on the fritz" malady your head needs a break from the ostrich hole it's been stuck in.

Just when you thought it was safe to buy or sell your house or vacant lot or change jobs without serious repercussions, we look at the retrograde list and it is daunting: Jupiter in Sagittarius is backward until August 8th; Uranus in Pisces until Thanksgiving week; Neptune in Aquarius until November 1; Pluto in Sagittarius until September 8th. For those of you late to life as seen through the lens of astrology, retrograde outer planets, which are all the planets named above except Jupiter means that the harsher effects of the planets in signs is lessened. So, all planets will be direct in motion by November 25th and into the New Year 2008.

A caveat: Venus, the sign which rules love and money, will go retrograde July 28th at 2 degrees of Virgo and go direct September 9th. If you find yourself adrift in an encumbered and fuzzy love affair, or discover that money is tighter than a girdle on a big girl, know that when it goes direct at 16 degrees of Leo, all will be smoother sailing. During this retrograde, lay low and hold steady.

There will be a Full Moon at 6 degrees of Aquarius on July 29th which means that all early degree fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius) will be coming to the end of whomever or whatever has not worked in his or her life. There is a New Moon at 19 degrees of Leo on August 12th which says that all you lions and lionesses are about to start life out on a new footing and the promise is always getting what you deserve.

Leo (July 22 - August 22)

Let me be the first to tell you that Saturn that old cosmic heavy-handed task master who can make life simply horrible for those of us who have been coasting on the kindness of strangers and the bank will be leaving Leo September 3rd and won't be back for 30 years. May I see a report card of all the good you have done to make up for the years of "it's all about me" and pouting when the wind blows your house built on sand to the ground? All gallows humor aside, you are about to take up your cross and trade it in for a new ride or a glamour job. It's about time you changed suits and made the gourmet coffee at your 12-step meeting. The New Moon on August 12th is your launch date. Go for the gold! (psst, not fool's gold-24 carat!)

Virgo (August 23 - September 22)

If you have been reading a Leo's mail or peeking at his or her astrology for a couple of years or more you'll know where you're headed: "payday someday-reap what you've sown and harvest the crop yourself." No slaves under the transits of Saturn-if you want potatoes pick up the hoe. Actually I can think of no better sign that fares so well with Saturn breathing down his neck. You like a challenge; you love it when it all depends on you. But here's what the stars have in store for you: make do with what you have and clean house. Whatever habits have gotten the best of your better thinking, seek the advice of a professional. There is no better time to weigh and balance pros and cons of where you live and where you work. If it's broken, fix it or leave it. The gift of Saturn is the longer he's there, the better you get.

Libra (September 23 - October 22)

Have you ever heard the expression "you either grow or you go"? What it means is that if you are ever going to uncover the Wisdom of Solomon buried within you, or finally learn how to balance the scales of justice and make up your mind at the same time, life is going to be worth living-big time. Complacency is more often stagnation. There are so many planets aligned in signs compatible with yours that it would make a jealous person more envious. But you've heard it here before that some people wallow in good times and make no moves to make things even better. I would say that the bon mots to you would be to sit quietly and take an inventory of the people, places and things in your life. See who or what has to go and who or what is a keeper.

Scorpio (October 23 - November 21)

If you feel like you've been sitting on the sidelines a bit too long, get out your game plan and see when you want to get back in the game. Your melancholia is wearing a bit thin. If you know what you're doing and have thought things through let it simmer a bit longer. There are some better aspects coming for you in September through the rest of the year. Whatever seed you planted in June and July will blossom and bloom in the next three months. You are known to have the great stone face ("never let ‘em see you sweat-tell ‘em only what they need to know" is your game face mantra) but taking off the manqué and softening your tone might set you back in a better place than where you've been. Physician, heal thyself!

Sagittarius (November 22 - December 20)

There is nothing getting in your way this month unless the stopgap is coming from someone on your own team. You picked him, now play him, says the coach from the great beyond. God made you so all I'll do is offer some insights into how to max your money and get to where you need to go to be who you authentically are. Your ruling planet Jupiter is only going to be in your sign until mid-December so you had better make your bed because this is the bed you will be in for a long time. The sun and moon are offering you a lot of sizzle and shake this month with the Full Moon in Aquarius and the New Moon in Leo. Nobody seeks the Divine more than you do. Go inward to move forward. You know you are a jack of all trades and master of no one else but yourself. Shalom.

Capricorn (December 21 - January 19)

That uneasy feeling that you are getting in the pit of your stomach is the unconscious sense that there are a lot of changes and big responsibilities coming for you Goats. Pluto is going to make its grand entrance into Capricorn late January 2008-but as we always say, slow moving planets like Pluto cast a long shadow. In other words you should be feeling the early effects of the breaking apart of old structures, paradigms and roadmaps and making room for the new. No one is more methodical or more cautious than you stone and steeled Goats. The way to prepare for what's coming is to develop a deep and abiding relationship with the Divine within you. Pray and meditate and get ready for the long and arduous journey to selfhood. Pluto will be in Capricorn until 2023.

Aquarius (January 20 - February 17)

Quicksilver that you Water Bearers are, this Full Moon on July 29th will clear away the static and reconnect you to a circuit that resonates with you at a deep soul level. You are known to be independent, walk to the beat of your own tom-tom and let go of a relationship before it does you in. However, you may find that the New Moon opposing you August 12th will send a soul mate, or something close to it, your way. After all the wrong partners you've had and the excuses you've made to stay alone and loving it, get ready for things to change. Feather your nest and make way for a new lease on life and love. As soon as Saturn moves into Virgo you will be free to make better choices. Whatever you do, lose Internet dating. Let the Universe send him calling instead.

Pisces (February 18 - March 20)

Did you ever dream that one day you would wake up and meet the world head-on rather than being so passive aggressive with everyone you know? And have you ever wished for something that you were willing to work real hard to get? Well you sharks, I mean Fishermen and Fisherwomen, are about to cast your nets into the great unknown for the big catch because in the merry month of September there are going to be two Eclipses: a Lunar Eclipse in Pisces and a Solar Eclipse in Virgo. What you snare will be what you are willing to be responsible for-if you are not willing to do the work, you are not going to move forward. I tell you this early because you should be feeling the effects already-eclipses make waves from the last one to this one. As a Pisces, I looked at health issues and decided that it was time for there to be less of me. What do you need to change about you?  On your mark, get set...

Aries (March 21 - April 20)

Your ruler Mars is going to be in the sensitive and thin-skinned sign of Taurus until the tenth of August so you may find that all that Bull's emotional overflow will get the best of you. My advice to you would be to make plans and keep them in check until Mars rolls into Gemini in August. Then let's see if anyone can stop you. Gemini and Aries are two of the most compatible signs of the Zodiac. But with the New Moon and Full Moon aligned with you, this month should be a cake walk. Aries never likes to answer to anyone and scarcely slows down long enough to do the paperwork. Never mind; you are going to make enough dough to hire an assistant to handle the details. Make nice; everything that goes around comes around (like Mars moving into Cancer sooner than later-make nice!)

Taurus (April 21 - May 20)

The good aspects between Venus in Virgo and Mars in Taurus may be a good time for you Bulls to make a great match in the Garden of Eden. But then again Virgos may be too picky and you Taureans too easily bruised for you to get together. All indications are that you should keep your nose to the grindstone and your hand on your wallet. You may have a tendency to pay too high a price for someone's soft touch or hands through your hair. When a Taurus makes up his mind, there's no turning back-he'll outwait the devil to get his proper due. You may end up saying "I do" but be careful that you are not seen as a meal ticket. Taureans always resent being taken for a patsy. Pay attention...and run a background check.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20)

Drum roll, please. You good twins and bad twins alike, get ready for an exciting new adventure. All the stars are conspiring to give you the time of your life. Check off all the good aspects: 1. the New and Full Moons in fabulous synch with you; 2. Mars moving into Gemini (all the energy the law allows); 3. Saturn in Leo couldn't be better. You'll soon be singing "Zippedy doo da, zippedy ay, my, oh my, what a wonderful day...everything's going my way!" If you can ignore picky, critical and analytical Virgo in Venus squaring you you'll never stop singing and never stop having a good time wherever you are. And if you're in the mood for a little romance keep your dance card empty and your heart full. Knock 'em dead. Arriba, arriba!

Cancer (June 21 - July 22)

What I love about the stars is that they bless and take away from all signs equally but none feels the sting quite like you Cancers. You are coming off of a great 30-day run of show-you got your way from the kitchen to the bedroom-you were the Mother of us all and we paid our dues to you. Now the worm turns a bit. What is that old saying, "it rains on the just and the unjust"? Speaking of water, I have another old adage from astrology to share with you: fire and water don't do well together. Now it's Leos' time to shine and your period to settle in and let them stand stage center under the warmth of klieg lights. They are about to be free of Saturn and they want to be free of Momma Cancer. Whatever you do, keep your opinions to yourself. Nobody wants to know from you right now.

GETTING OUT OF THE WAY

Did you ever try over and over to make a situation work the way you wanted it to and yet all your plans seemed to unravel before your very eyes?  Or just when you thought your ship was sunk, the Universe had other plans? You navigated through choppy waters and docked in a safe harbor. There is an old saying, "we make plans and God laughs." And there is a poignant verse written by Ella Wheeler Wilcox that says "laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone." We get reminded daily that our lives are none of our business. We do the footwork and the outcome is out of our control. But it is how we approach life's challenges that matters more than what occurs.

Do you sometimes want something so badly that it might not be in your best interest to obtain? Ask yourself "What price am I willing to pay and to what lengths am I willing to go?" If it is not something worth keeping, the consequences of letting it go might be a lot tougher than what it took to manifest it.  There is a natural flow to the Universe which is that effortless place of existence for which we all strive.  Yet the toughest challenge is to stay out of the way of the revelations.  Are you forcing your life to work or are you allowing it to unfold?