Our Lady of Weight Loss ™®
is a division of Oy-Caramba! Ltd.

December 20, 2004

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If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822), British poet. Ode to the West Wind (l. 70). . .

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faToid Yalda is celebrated on the eve of the first day of the winter in the Iranian calendar, which falls on the Winter Solstice. It celebrates the birth of Sun god Mehr. The Human Head Weighs 8 Pounds! Order your faToid & KICK T-Shirts NOW!

NEWS Bite Our Lady of Weight Loss in the NEWS (recent past and present) Cuchifritos Art Gallery showing thru Jan 22 Good Housekeeping The Weight-Loss Artist Prevention Magazine nonextreme makeovers

Does your weight loss history looks like an EKG? YIKES! it's time to contact Weight Loss Coach, Janice Taylor.

Glorious Greetings Spirited and Spiritual

Concupiscence Cake Save Thyself! Want a piece of cake? It's the FCC: Fat-free, Cal-Free, Carb-Free

Birthday of the Unconquered Sun
In the northern hemisphere, winter solstice has been an important time of celebration throughout history.  It marks the shortest day of the year as well as the longest night. The sun is at its lowest and weakest point, and from this day forward, the light will grow brighter and stronger. It is the turning point of the year.  The Romans called it the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun.

To our ancient ancestors, it seemed as if the Sun and Moon had stopped dead in their tracks as they made their way across the sky.  The Sun was believed to be a celestial ruler, a male divinity.  And the Sun’s rebirth was believed to come out of the Goddess.  This predates Christianity.  The Church felt that by assimilating this holiday into Christian beliefs, it would help bring in those who followed the old ways.

Winter Solstice is also called Yule.  It stems from the Anglo-Saxon “yula” or “wheel” of the year.  In pagan rituals, the Yule Log was lit on Winter Solstice’s Eve and burned for twelve hours.  This year the winter solstice falls on December 21.  

The Winter Solstice marks a central part of nature’s cycle.  It is a time of new growth, rebirth and renewal.   It is a reminder that in order to begin anew, the old must end. 

It is the time of year when we pay homage to the darkness of life’s mysteries, while still keeping our faith.
Spring will come again.

Symbols of the Winter Solstice
Many of the symbols used to celebrate the Christmas season originated from the Winter Solstice celebration. They had deep spiritual significance.

The Yule Log
Lighting a fire acknowledged the return of the sun; its warmth and light and the lengthening of the days.  The Pagans believed that good luck would come if the log was lit on the first try and burned for twelve hours.

Mistletoe
Kissing under the mistletoe originated in the late 18th century.  The “kissing bush” was an evergreen: either holly, rosemary, pine or yew. Since these plants thrived during the winter, they became symbols that life continued even on the shortest, coldest and darkest of days.

Candles
The use of candles symbolized light and helped to focus the spirit.

The Feast
Food has always been associated with winter celebrations, whether it was Saturnalia of the Romans, the Solstice or Christmas dinner. The winter reminds us that there are lean months ahead.  To take part in this feast was a life affirming act.  It showed that one had faith in God and Goddess and believed that light and warmth would return once again.   

Happy Holidays!

 

LINKS:

Stonehenge - the perfect marker of both winter and summer solstices.
How many words do the Eskimos have for snow?
Scientifically speaking - the winter solstice.
There are a lot of winter festivals we could be celebrating, including Festivus!

Be Political: Eat Healthy

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Righteous Recipe ~ Turkey Panini - Starring the Red Pepper

Paninis are sandwiches, Italian style!

Ingredients:
1 red pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves (if available, 1 sprig fresh rosemary!)
1/2 pound thinly sliced turkey
8 large basil leaves
4 whole-wheat hard rolls (split)

Instructions:
Spray broiler rack w. nonstick cooking spray (i.e. Pam) and then preheat the broiler.
Broil pepper, turning occasionally, until charred. About 10 minutes.
Put it in a paper bag and close; set aside for 15 minutes. Then peel and remove seeds.
Slice into strips.

In a sealable plastic bag (quart size), combine the balsamic vinegar and rosemary and 1 tablespoon water.
Toss the pepper in, too. Squeeze air out; shake it around to coat the pepper.
Refrigerate 8 hours. Turn the bag occasionally. Drain the marinade.

Make the sandwiches! Turkey, pepper and basil leaves

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Righteous Craft - Holiday Terrarium
A great gift perfect for Christmas and the Winter Solstice.
This project can be put together quickly and can be used as a colorful holiday gift.

Materials:
One medium/large glass globe.
One small Poinsettia plant.
Small amount of any type of holly, rosemary, or if all else fails, some ivy.
A bow, if you like!

Instructions:
Purchase a Poinsettia plant that's already potted. You can use the soil that's in the planter. (one less thing to buy!)
Place a small amount of soil on bottom inside of glass globe.
Secure the Poinsettia plant in the center of the soil.
Plant root stems of evergreen in soil and wrap climbing sections around the Poinsettia close to the glass.
Spray lightly with a bottle of spray water.
If you like, place a big red, holiday bow on it.

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Chewing the Fat - How you doin'? Write Our Lady.

Dear OLofWL, I fell for the chicken tenders at McDonalds one day and paid by gaining 3 pounds of water (salt) and fat (deep fried). McDonalds is only good for salad and my own dressing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But the 3 pounds are GONE.  How could I fall for such an ad campaign!!!???? My goal for the holiday is to maintain my 41 pounds, and then start to lose again come January. Too many parties. So far so good though. I will stay away from the buffet. I want to stay at size 16-size 18. It is so much more sexy than the size 26 dresses of fall of 2003!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ~ Anniepie

Dear Anniepie, Three huge cheers for you, Anniepie (see below, more cheers!). You've permanently removed 41 lbs. and you've made a conscious choice to maintain through the holiday season. Bravo! And don't beat yourself up for fallin' for that that ad campaign. They know all the right buttons to push to make us cave! We all slip off the greasy end once in awhile. The trick is to get right back on the proverbial wagon. More cheers for you! Yahooo. Sexy Sixteen, you go girl! Please report in after the New Year. Let's recommit together. ~ OLofWL

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The Art of Weight Loss Group - The Art of Weight Loss group is set to start on Saturday, January 8. It's an ongoing group, so please feel free to join with us whenever you like. We will share weight loss thoughts, frustrations, successes, recipes, and think of creative ways, both literally and figuratively, on how to redirect our feeding frenzies. You need not have an artistic bone in your body - just the desire to have some fun and keep it light while we stay steady the weight loss course together.

Let's support each other and create the healthy bodies that we want!

For more info ... click here or
contact: info@ourladyofweightloss.com

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The KICK in the TUSH Club provides a weekly reminder in the form of an Art-KICK for those who wish to anchor themselves to their weight loss and/or health goals (or for those who need to satisfy their craving for a quirky kick). It's fun, fab and fat-free. Sign-up now (there's no charge). Click here! Our Lady. (Or send an email to: info@OurLadyofWeightLoss.com) and say, "YES! I need a KICK in the TUSH.

Sign up now!
It's fun, fab and fat-free -
no charge either!