Dina is going to update the website with new content and information, shortly.
As her webmaster, I had to put TransitionsProject.com on the backburner because she had been getting more referrals than she could handle, via word-of-mouth.

Now that she has restructured and reorganized her workload, she’s READY TO UPDATE!

For a consultation or to book her for a speaking gig, please contact Dina at the following email address;
info@thetransitionsproject.com

Thanks for stopping by!  If you’d like to receive updates when the website it back to normal, please email Dina, at the above email address.

Thanks!

the Webmaster

Thank you to all the new members who have registered over the past several weeks.  Many of you attended classes/workshops I have been teaching over the past month, and the response has been outstanding.  If you have registered for the forums, it would be wonderful if you introduced yourself, if you feel comfortable doing so.  If privacy is an issue for you and you would prefer not to be “known,” I understand that as well, and would suggest creating a screen name that isn’t your given name.  Myself, I am on the forums as “kidnewjersey” as that is a long-held screen name of mine.  Forum participation is encouraged, but by no means required.  If you have questions for me, you may send them either through e-mail or through the PM (private message) feature on the forum; however, a minimum of 10 posts is required in order to send PMs to other forum members.  The forum is an excellent place to build cameraderie and to find a lifestyle commitment “buddy,” if you are looking to pair up with someone to exchange ideas, recipes or even just to complain about me!

I would also like to announce that my next class/workshop is being held Saturday, February 27th at the Aurora Yoga Center in Aurora, Illinois (www.aurorayogacenter.com).  The host is Jeff Manning, who is both owner and an outstanding instructor at the Center.  If you are interested in information on the class, please do not hesitate to e-mail me, or contact the Yoga Center.  The class duration is four hours, is very interactive and from what I’ve heard, even somewhat entertaining!  In the future, I do hope to begin offering webinars via online access as well — or perhaps I’ll even Skype an upcoming class… 

I thank you for taking the time to come to peruse the website and to participate in the forums.  If you are new to this and are having difficulty, by all means send me an e-mail and I will do my best to get you up and running. 

Good health to us all — d.

For those who have been members of this site, I would like to happily pronounce that Transitions is no longer leaving the internet.  Beginning in 2010, I will begin offering classes.  The first class, which is scheduled in Aurora, Illinois, focuses on Learning to Begin Living a More Healthful Lifestyle.  This class will cover such details as why my approach to eating/living is more healthful than what you are currently familiar with, how to embrace this lifestyle, what benefits will come from living this way, and why it is essential to unlearn a substantial portion of what you were previously taught about how to properly fuel your Body Machine.

Subsequent classes will focus on the needs of folks with given health issues — heart health (both preventative and recovery), arthritis, mental clarity and alzheimer’s disease, food allergies, cancer, and ultimately weightloss and overall health improvement.

Classes are currently being hosted by a gracious current client of mine; however, in the future, these may be held at numerous locations.  If you are interested in hosting a class, please join the forum and send me a private message outlining the proposed location and date and I will get back to you with details. 

I thank all of those who continue to work their plan and who have proven time and time again that my program is unique, do-able, and above all — successful.  You have all done a remarkable job, and I look forward to even more years of communication and questions. 

May 2010 bring health to us all!

- Dina Weiss, Certified Holistic Nutrition Consultant

To all those who were confused or concerned,

I am back at last.  During the months of May and June, my schedule became entirely too cramped with must-dos, and as such, that eclipsed my ability to get online and respond on the forums.  That said, I have now gone through the posts made in my absence and have responded accordingly.  I hope I haven’t lost too many individuals for my absence. 

I will once again resume my daily check-in at the site and will be more timely in answering your posts.  Please always remember to stay as positive as possible, and keep in mind that this is your health we’re talking about here!

Join our journey, if you have just happened upon this site. 

Best - d.

To anyone who has happened upon this site, or has been referred here…  all the information is in the forum.  So if you aren’t registered, you will not have access to anything.  Additional content is added weekly, but will always be restricted to registered users.  That way, I know you understand the disclosures, and will not construe any content found here as professional medical advice.  Thanks for understanding and please click on the forum and join in the conversation!

Dina Weiss

I have always held to the fact that any chemically altered substance, which is “modeled after” a known ingestible substance, is a bad idea.  Just like with pharmaceutical medications that are based on natural herbal remedies — enough bastardization occurs that the benefit of the original herb is lost among the potentially life-threatening side-effects of the new drug. 

Herbal remedies are just that — remedies.  They are not meant to be taken as life-long maintenance, and their “delivery system” is an organic one, which means that the potency of various herbs vary from plant to plant — just as the body’s chemical and hormonal profiles change from minute-to-minute.  This is why herbal remedies work in conjunction with our system without creating scary side-effects.  Our bodies are capable of amazing things, provided we don’t cripple our organs of elimination with indisposable chemical waste and byproducts.   Of course herbal remedies don’t always produce immediate results, as chemical pharmaceuticals do — but they also don’t try to fool your body into thinking it’s operating at full capacity. 

Bearing all that in mind, I often hear the comment from people I am working with, that they choose to do everything in moderation.  To this, I always respond: Define Moderation.  How much of a bad thing is really a bad thing? 

In the case of High Fructose Corn Syrup — it turns out any amount could be a very bad thing.  I am providing the link to an article published in Monday’s Washington Post (please read the article in its entirety there):  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012601831.html

Here is the first paragraph of the article (which was published, but somehow not highly publicized:

Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.

In the event you are not aware, mercury is toxic.  Period.  In any amount.  Signs of mercury poisoning can include:

• Impairment of Peripheral Vision
• Sensory Sensitivity Disorder (extreme sensitivity to touch; “pins and needles” feeling)
• Lack of Movement Coordination
• Impairment of Speech, Hearing, Walking
• Unexplained Muscle Weakness
• Tremors, Twitching, Seizures
• Emotional/Psychological Changes (including mood swings, irritability, excessive shyness, excitability, nervousness)
• Insomnia
• Migraines
• Nerve Damage
• Reduction of Cognitive Function
• Kidney Failure
• Respiratory Failure
• Intestinal Wall Damage
• Skin Rashes and Dermatitis
• Memory Loss
• Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea

If you think you or your kids may have excessive amount of mercury in your system, please join the forum and start a thread.  We can start a discussion on gentle forms of heavy metal detoxification.

Be a part of defining The New Normal. 

Dina Weiss

I would like to say thank you to all the wonderful people who attended yesterday’s seminar in Sycamore.  I hope you either learned something you didn’t know prior, got more excited about something you were already interested in, or gained the motivation to embark on improving your health and helping to redefine the New Normal!

If you have never been an online forum member prior to now, let me state that this is a “private” community, which essentially means that anonymous users do not have access to the forum.  Only those who join the forum can browse or post, meaning if you elect to not join, you won’t see much on this site other than my blog, which I keep very basic. 

If you are unsure of how to participate in a forum, I want to reassure you that it is very simple, once you get the hang of it.  After you register, you will create your own forum identity in the form of a screen or user name; mine is kidnewjersey.  Once your registration is complete, you may begin browsing and posting.   Here are simple steps to get started:

• On the left side of the screen, you will find the topic Forum.  Click on this, and you will be directed to the Welcome page of the forum.  Here you will note there are several sub-sections of the forum which essentially group similarly-themed posts by topic.
• To browse a topic, simply click on something that interests you and continue to do so with each specific post, as you like. 
• When you feel you are ready to participate, I would like to suggest that everyone start by posting under the Introduce Yourself sub-forum.  What you post does not have to be in-depth or revealing; you may simply post what you are comfortable with.  You will soon note, however, that there are no “off limits” topics, and I try to encourage people to be as open as possible.  You never know when your question might lead to someone else’s breakthrough moment. 
• To post, follow these simple instructions:
• When in a sub-forum of your choosing, on the upper right corner of the forum page, you will see a navy blue box entitled New Topic.  Click on this.
• This will bring up a form wherein you can submit your post.  In the Subject line, give your post a title.  For instance “Hi, my name is Dina.”
• Then, put your cursor in the large box and type the content of your message.  You may also cut and paste from Wordpad, Word, etc. 
• Once you have typed the body of your message, scroll down the page and you will see three options — Preview, Submit or Cancel.  I think these are pretty self-explanatory.  Just remember if you click on Preview to check for spelling or content, that you will still have to click on Submit to have your post accepted. 
• Also of note, you may click on various options prior to submitting your post, which you will see under Options below the main message box.  The last box, which you have the option of selecting, will allow you to be notified of when someone else posts a response to your thread.  Each time someone posts to your thread, you will receive an e-mail with a link to the response at the e-mail address you used on your registration. 

• Once you feel comfortable navigating the site, you can also add things to your user account, including an avatar (a picture of your choosing) which will show up under your user name, as well as a signature, which you can elect to attach to all of your messages.  For some, this saves time, and it keeps folks from having to guess who you are by your user name until they become familiar with you. 

For members, both new and old, in the next couple of weeks, I will be posting videos to this site, and I am told that I may even begin a weekly pod-cast.  Once these are available for viewing/listening to, I will be sure to let everyone know via this blog. 

Thank you again for your interest and welcome to The Transitions Project!

- Dina

Roughly 40 to 45% of American adults make one or more new year’s resolutions each year.  Among the top new years resolutions are weightloss, exercising more frequently (or taking it up to begin with!), and quitting smoking.

The following shows how many of these resolutions are maintained as time goes on:
- past the first week: 75%
- past 2 weeks: 71%
- after one month: 64%
- after 6 months: 46%

Rather than becoming a statistic, isn’t it time you thought about the future of your body, your mind and your health?  Why not consider giving yourself a challenge, rather than a promise?  On Monday, January 19th, several forum members are embarking on the 2009 To A Better To You Detox Challenge.  Even if you happen upon this site after the 19th, the Detox Challenge is posted in its entirety so that brand new forum members can start from the beginning and with any luck, find a “Detox Buddy” to join them on their journey. 

Eating right and exercising are only two pieces of the very elaborate holistic health puzzle.  Come join the forum (it’s free!) and not only learn how to eat properly to nourish your body, but also find camaraderie in other members with like goals to your own!  The above statistics increase sharply when you have someone (or a group of someones) to hold yourself accountable to. 

We all look forward to meeting you and to helping you reach your 2009 health goals — and beyond. 

-d.

Hello all new and returning forum members (as well as anyone who has simply happened upon this site)!  I hope everyone is enjoying a lovely holiday season and that the various storms throughout the country are avoiding you and your loved ones, or at least causing minimal life interruptions. 

I want to remind people who are new to this site that if you want to see the actual site content, you will need to join the forum, as that is where all the information is.  You will rarely see much more than news on the blog, and I do not offer advice outside of the forum. 

Finally, the Family Health Center (www.askfamilyhealth.com) has given me the details of the seminar I will be giving.  The information follows:

Hosted by: Family Health Center

Sycamore Public Library, The Meeting Room

103 East State Street, Sycamore, IL  60178

Sunday, January 18, 2009 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

If you plan to attend the *FREE* seminar, please pre-register for the event by calling the Family Health Center to reserve a seat.  The number to call is 815-895-8151.  Seating is somewhat limited, spaces are filling up quickly, and free samples will be provided at the end of the seminar. 

I hope to see the locals there! -d.

Good December to all!

Now that it seems all the bugs have been worked out of the forums, I would like to say thank you to all the new members who have joined in recent weeks.  While I know there is not a large community built up just yet, I feel certain we will grow in numbers and in interest over time. 

If you have come to this site, either out of curiosity, by invitation, or by chance, there is a good possibility that you are in a place of wanting to transition to better health — be that for yourself, a loved one, or a friend.  Perhaps you would like to better your understanding of the health issues that so many people are facing today.  As more and more people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, Type II Diabetes, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Food Allergies, and Heart Disease, those same people and the ones who care about and for them are seeking ideas.  The forum on this site is a place to share your questions, your fears, your information and ideas. 

In January, thanks to the amazing people at the Family Health Center in Sycamore, Illinois (www.askfamilyhealth.com), I will be giving a seminar on Why Dietary Intervention and Whole Body Maintenance are Essential for Long-Term Health.  The venue has yet to be determined, but I will keep you all posted with details as the date draws nearer.  

As always, thank you for your interest in this site, as it grows and develops, and I truly wish everyone a warm and wonderful holiday season — may you celebrate with family and friends! -d.