Ending July in .... Alaska

[Mitra]

I thought we'd finish the month with some serious low carbing :lol: .

I've never been to Alaska, but Vilhjalmur Stefansson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilhjalmur_Stefansson) came back from his visits with some fascinating reports about the Inuit and their diet. He wrote about it for Harpers Monthly (http://www.biblelife.org/stefansson1.htm) if you're interested in the details. He also took part in a study in New York, in which he and a friend ate nothing but meat for twelve months, and amazed the researchers by emerging perfectly healthy afterwards :D . I like a little more variety in my diet than that ;), but it's interesting to know that it can be done!

Today is also the day to review how you did in July (maybe you'll get some ideas about what you want to work on in the August challenge). As well as your health/weight progress for the month, you might have picked up some interesting travel info, or ideas for your next holiday. Tell us all about it :).

[Claudette]

Alaska, I've always wanted to travel there.

Today, snacks/lunch packed.

Every night we are working on our old house as we hopefully will get the news we will close on the new one soon. :)

I can't believe I saved so much stuff......

Claudette

[Ammy]

I will go to Alaska...someday...
Out of everywhere in the world, ALASKA is where I want to go! My friend works at a resort up there, and she speaks of the cool rainy mornings that they bring in the crab cages, and have a fresh crab cookout on the beach...sounds WONDERFUL!!
Okay, my desire to visit Alaska is not ALL about the food...:razz: :p !

To assess my month. I didn't actually sign up for the challenge as I was in transition with whether I was going to lose more weight, or stay stable. Now that I've decided to try the shake thing, I have been checking in.
July 1 - weight, 211.5
July 31 - weight 205 (higher than last week)
July 1 - no exercise
July 31 - exercise 3x week
July 1 - eat what I found when I was hungry
July 31 - eat the meals I have planned at the time they are scheduled
July 1 - depression and high anxiety
July 31 - calm and serene

Yeah, I'd say overall it was a good month.
My weight is not at the lowest it's been this month, but that seems to be what happens...it bounces.
I will continue on the shake path for today. My goal is to do it for 10 weeks (I am closing out week 2), but if I show weeks of not losing, I'll go back to three meals and a snack.
I learned this month that I have energy again...I finish doing my resistance workout and I practically run down the stairs to the locker room, and run back to the office-I have so much energy!
But the best thing I learned this month is that I won't DIE if my stomach growls. I think I had forgotten that...

All hail July!!!!! :razz: :o :D

[WakefieldWendy]

Checking in - back at my office for the next few days at least.

I've never been to Alaska but I'd love to go. I am likely to go to the Northwest Territories (east of Alaska) soon.

Interesting that you call the aboriginal people of Alaska Inuit. In Canada, the Inuit people are in the far north and east of the northern areas (if you look at a map, the territory of Nunavut was created to give the Inuit self-government in the territory in which they are the majority). Moving west (through the Northwest and Yukon Territories), there are various other nations (Dene, Tlicho, Sahtu etc.) with there being not that many Inuit in the Yukon (which is beside Alaska).

July has been good for me - making sustainable eating choices. I could do better with exercise and possibly journalling, but I'm satisfied with what I've done. Onwards to August.

[Mitra]

Interesting that you call the aboriginal people of Alaska Inuit. In Canada, the Inuit people are in the far north and east of the northern areas (if you look at a map, the territory of Nunavut was created to give the Inuit self-government in the territory in which they are the majority). Moving west (through the Northwest and Yukon Territories), there are various other nations (Dene, Tlicho, Sahtu etc.) with there being not that many Inuit in the Yukon (which is beside Alaska).

I could easily be getting that wrong - I think Stefansson travelled fairly widely around that whole cold bit of North America, and I'm quite likely mixing up the people and places that he mentioned.

[WakefieldWendy]

No worries Mitra! I work in the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs for the Gov't of Canada, but my work is all with southern First Nations with one exception, and I can't keep track of the northern situation. Our education is sadly lacking in this - we know who the nations of Europe are/were - Germans, Romans, Russians, and Spartans (and if we've had some education, we know about Visogoths, Celts, Saxons etc.) but we don't really get taught the nations that live in North America.

[Karole]

I would love Alaska also and every one I ever talked with that had been there seemed to really enjoy it too. Maybe one of these days !!

I weighed this morning and was down 3.6 pounds for the month so I am pleased with that result and my bp is holding steady with out the heavy dose I was on earlier in the month. Hopefully I will be able to steer clear of that high dosage forever. I just hate taking all those chemicals. ( Very bad patient I guess !! ) I do take it when necessary but I don't like it.

Anyway, my goals aren't about weight loss now, they are more about the bp . I am with in 6 pounds of my goal on weight, but I am not going into maintenance until I can do something permanent about the bp. So I will probably be in the challenges for a long time to come !!

[gitfiddle]

That is so true, Wendy. I used to think of them collectively as "Eskimos". There's a whole world up there that bears investigating. Most of my knowledge is centered on the fur trade era, which is also fascinating.

Amy! What a great month you've had! I love the calm and serene part, especially.

My fondest wish is to take the small cruise ship up the coast of Alaska. Me and my camera! :nod: That would be the quick fix. For the interior, I'd need much more time and a guide. I've known several people who have lived or visited Alaska. I know it's very expensive to live there when everything you use has to be flown in. I'm past the age where it sounds cool to live off the land in a log cabin and buy staples in fifty-pound sacks.

I have NOT had a good month, so I'm looking forward to Shadow's August Challenge. I did some meditative reading this morning and I think I have a direction to follow.

[hawk]

Alaska is where I want to visit next. Hiking in the wilderness and seeing the frontier of the USA.. I could live off of an all meat diet...Today..not a problem. Today the breeze is incredible. It's supposed to get up to 90. I am off. The doc is making me stay home as much as posible to get well. I work tomorrow though. Everything I eat today will be cooked on a grill. I feel like I am living in a paradise.My perenial flowers are beautiful and the deck furniture comfortable with the umbrellas creating shade. Hummingbirds are fitting all around the overflowing flower pots on the deck. Woods is all around me except in back where the bog is.
Sipping ice water and soaking it all up. I can pretend I am in Alaska.

[maxlharris]

So, I met most of my August goals (stricter than July goals) today. I missed my vitamins due to an all day meeting. But, I will be flossing shortly.
Protein: 220G
Cho: <10g
Water: 4+L
Cokes: 32 ounces of diet coke/pepsi max after 2L of water
Carbs Low
Floss: coming
Vitamins: Miss
Lift: Bench Press + Swiss Ball Leg Curl (details in Users)
Feel pretty good, though should probably eat less food.

[Anniesnan]

I could easily be getting that wrong - I think Stefansson travelled fairly widely around that whole cold bit of North America, and I'm quite likely mixing up the people and places that he mentioned.


My semi-photogenic memory is fading (alot), but I think there are/were some Inuit's, among other tribes/cultures in Alaska.

We visited the Museum of Alaska in Fairbanks University and I was totally fascinated. The land is so vast and the geography/climate so very different from one section to the other and the peoples who lived on each time were/are as similar and different as the land. All the names are just a jumble in my head right now.

I had always wanted to visit Alaska and it was so worth it. The midnight sun blew my mind - I was awake every 30 minutes checking out the window to see if it got dark yet (this was July 6th or so, in Fairbanks, and NO, it never did).

I love mountains and Denali and the clouds treated me well. We had several days when we were able to see her ... one of the few things (Niagara Falls was another) that was "bigger" than all the photos of her we had ever seen.

We were blessed with spotting much wildlife, although I never saw a moose in Alaska (did see several in New Hampshire) or a wolf.
The most amazing (to me) wildlife I saw was a bird - it was a ptarmigan:D
I thought they were extinct! Duh! Don't know where I got that idea... but, a real, life ptarmigan!

And the bald eagles!

And, I went snorkeling in Ketchikan ... We saw sea stars of every shape (yes, every vaguely "star/sun" shape) you could imagine. There was one, With like 40 legs, in tied dyed colors ...

I will go again, one day, to see the Northern Lights - the one thing we missed, being there in July.