Almost Mrs Average gets to speak at waste exhibition

It was a real honour to speak yesterday at RWM, the UK's largest recycling and waste management exhibition, especially as I was sharing the stage with the very inspiring Joy Bizzard, chair of the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC)

The context was very much how local authorities can engage with householders to help individuals and communities reduce waste.  Joy's presentation was packed with advice on how councils can raise awareness and find new ways to inspire new audiences, despite the current economic culture of squeezed budgets.

The area that particularly interested me was the subject of peer endorsement, i.e., the difference that can be made by engaging ordinary members of the public to share their own stories amongst their peer groups.  It's a subject that has fascinated me for a long time and certainly set the scene for me telling my own tale of the Zero Waste challenge that I undertook in 2008 and the events that have unfolded since.

It is an extremely surreal experience addressing an audience of waste and recycling professionals.  I've done it a couple of times before and it's very difficult not to feel like a waste geek groupie, especially when you know how hard officers are working to battle against the problem of waste, which comes with its own set of economic and contractual constraints, misguided government strategies and often divisive public opinion.

And as I said yesterday, I am no expert in behaviour change. I can only tell my own personal story.  However, since taking St Edmundsbury's Zero Waste Week challenge in 2008, I have become more aware of the challenges that exist, the opportunities that are available and the need for formerly disparate groups to work together in accepting increased responsibility, whether that's producer responsibility, local authority responsibility, individual responsibility or from further along the waste chain.

In context to yesterday's event, I really feel that to work towards the UK's 2020 Zero Waste goal, local authorities are going to need to work harder and smarter in engaging their immediate community groups and actively seek out more formal relationships with individuals, who are themselves happy to inspire others within their own communities.

Last week, I made this very point at the Making 2020 Zero Waste Work conference in Coventry.  So you can just imagine my delight, whilst returning home from yesterday's exhibition, I read news of a volunteer training programme that's been rolled out by Zero Waste Scotland.  It's fabulous news that the Scottish agency has already created a blueprint for this and are putting such ideas into practice, having itself been inspired by the Master Composter network.

And for any doubters, who might raise an eyebrow over the effectiveness of such action, I could highlight many examples of personal stories that I've received from my own community where I've seen the impact locally.  But even more significantly than that, I'd like to point readers in the direction of one of the most successful peer endorsement case studies of the last three years, and that's the story of  "My Zero Waste".

You may have to enlarge the photo below, but pictured at the centre of the presentation slide is the Strauss family, who were unknown to me four years ago.  However, thanks to St Edmundsbury Borough Council engaging me in a Zero Waste challenge, and as a result of me writing about it on the Internet and my story being broadcast widely on national radio, word soon got around.  Rachelle Strauss noticed and consequently felt empowered to reduce her own family's household waste.  Driven by environmental concern, she led the way in creating her website, www.myzerowaste.com, attracting a growing community of people keen to seek advice and share ideas about reducing their waste.  This year Rachelle hosted her 4th National Zero Waste Week, a simple grassroots campaign that received over 12,000 hits within just a few days of being announced at the end of August.

Yesterday's visit to RWM was most certainly an interesting one and my only regret is that I didn't get a chance to have a proper gander around the exhibition, but that's only because I was too busy catching up with some of the folk who spend their professional lives trying to inspire others.  I'll just have to make sure I visit next year.

#2) Fat Proof Your Medina/ Bellevue Home

You have most certainly heard this before, don't buy the crap that is bad for you and don't bring it into your house.   "Well, Dr. Doyle ,  what is the crap of which you speak?"   I will tell you exactly what you should not eat but it is really all the same stuff you have heard so many times before.   People who have a lot of weight to lose have specific reasons as to why they put on the weight.  I can tell you what to eat but it will just go in one ear and out the other until you are at a place in your life that you really and truly want to make a permanent change.

You have to be ready  mentally and emotionally to change.  The foods we eat that put on the fat are addictive, when we go off them we have withdrawal symptoms and it can be very very difficult, people do not like to feel deprived or hungry .  At 30/10 Weight Loss in downtown Bellevue I understand this fact .  Statistics inform us that  95% of the folks who go on a diet and lose the weight, end up gaining it all back and people who go on diets, lose the weight, put it back on, then diet again, lose and put it back on... are called yo yo dieters.  We see these people in our clinic, they are frustrated  and they feel hopeless and powerless .  I  address  these all important issues with my state of the art  slim down program, and it is easy, yes I said easy, my clients  love the program. Their weight loss is big ,  3-5 lbs. a week for women and 5-7 lbs. for men  average.   Our program is designed to change your metabolism from  fat storing to fat burning and our  emphasis(you and me)  is weight loss for life.

 I co-authored the book Weight Loss For Life, it is hot off the press and we offer a free copy to anyone reading this blog.   We work with clients who have  difficult to lose weight loss conditions and we incorporate a mind-body approach.  Changing your internal programs about how you view yourself, food and a healthy lifestyle is the foundation for weight loss for life.    Weight loss is not just about looking good, it is really about getting healthy , getting the blood pressure and cholesterol levels under control and reversing your risk for type 2 diabetes, heart attack, stroke and various forms of cancer.   Feeling good again with renewed levels of energy, better sleep, improved libido and a brighter frame of mind as you take control of you.

For those who want to do it on their own, the first step is making that decision, creating that intention of changing your life.   Focus your attention on your desired goal, your future best case scenario and on the solutions to the problems that stand in your way . Not to focus on the problems but your focus and attention is on the solutions to those problems and that distinction is very important.

Once you have your objective defined, then plan your attack.  Fat proof your house, your meals, your snacks , your habits and your friends.  Fat proof means to let go of the environment,  foods and junk that create the fat storage, eliminate all the "whites" in your diet, delete ALL sugar,  say goodbye to the breads, grains,  pastry, pasta, cookies, candies, crackers, soda, diet soda, fruit juices, potatoes and seriously moderate your fruits.  And I am not done with the "don't consume" part of this program, if you are serious and you want to lose the weight you have to say no to alcohol.

When I tell clients no alcohol on the weight loss program,  they always ask me,  "Dr. Doyle, what about a micro brew?  How about vodka, gin...  Certainly Dr. Doyle a glass of wine is OK with a meal???" My response is, how serious and dedicated are you , over the next 6 to 12 weeks (depending how much you have to lose) to let go of all the crap that has made you fat?  How serious are you, do you want to be in control of your weight loss or do you want the doughnut or the beer or the wine to be in your drivers seat?

Once you have reached your ideal weight you will find yourself with a new found metabolism and you can go back to your wine or drink of choice in moderation.  There is a big distinction between the process of losing the weight and the process of maintaining the weight loss.  But once you understand how it all works you will find yourself in control and when you are in control you will have achieved weight loss for life.

With our 30/10 WLFL system (women  lose 30lbs in 10 weeks, men lose 50/10)  these "addictions" and the perceived difficulties are minimized greatly with our 30/10 weight loss for life protocol.  We hear our clients tell us all the time that they did not think they could do it or that it could be this easy.  I tell you it is easy and it is fun and the fun part of this program is the quick changes that you see in yourself not only  physically and  emotionally but also significant changes in how you feel with greater energy and improved mood.

Have protein each meal  eggs, beef, chicken , fish, ...  and vegetables, variety of vegetables in salads, stir fry or baked.  Use olive oil, little butter, salt, spices and for your salad dressing try ample olive oil, add some mustard(has no sugar) and the squeeze of half  a lemon.  Shake it up in a pint jar and add salt, pepper, garlic, onion and other healthy spices and then  pour it over your salad of greens and veggies. If you find it a tad too tart then add just a pinch of Stevia (natural plant extract sweetener).   Our  slim down 30/10 weight loss for life program is what we call your last diet, it is short term with a  quick weight loss while preserving your muscle mass, it is easier than you think.

If you can do this on your own then you do not need our help and we sincerely hope you can.  We enjoy the challenge of the person who has a difficult to lose weight condition and we make  the process fun and enjoyable for them and for us. We are all excited  to be a  part of a persons transformation and when you are losing  12 to 24 lbs. a month it is motivating for both the client, the  doctor and staff.

The Key to the 30/10 WLFL program is that we will never abandon you, when you reach your ideal weight we want you to continue to come in for frequent periodic weigh-ins for the rest of your life, at No Charge!  This is the secret to you becoming empowered with the skill and experience of identifying a weight gain early on and then "error correcting" yourself with regular foods back to where you want to be.  We simply guide and educate you to lose any gained pounds by yourself at 3 pounds per week.  After a few times of  experiencing how to do it yourself you will have a new found confidence and skill that is lacking in all other weight loss programs out there.

Remember that we all gain and lose weight above and below our ideal weight all the time, these fluctuations in weight are normal for everyone so don't freak out.  If we catch these gains early then we celebrate this gain in our clinic with the client as an opportunity for them to lose any gained weight by themselves with our guidance and coaching. 

Wishing you the very best always and until next time,   Dr. Mark Doyle.

Sophisticated weight loss in Bellevue takes on a mind-body approach in an effort to achieve faster and long lasting results.

For more information on our superb Weight Loss Programs in Bellevue, WA, please visit:

http://www.3010WeightLossForLife.com/

Visit our website for more information on the Best Chiropractic Care in Bellevue, WA. Dr. Doyle 

http://www.8thstreetchiropractic.com/

Protein

#1) Losing Weight is EASY as Pie

Yes, you first heard it here, as easy as pie and let me tell you why.  I specialize in hard to lose weight conditions, if it was easy you could do it on your own.  Personally I can not blame anyone for having a difficult time in losing weight on their own.  Everything you read is contradictory, eating out is really difficult  and the whole process of what to eat and what not to eat  is confusing and frustrating.   What we find is that most folks are not eating enough protein at their meals and therefore their hunger is not satisfied and they then supplement with bread, dessert or additional wrong foods an hour later.  Some just don't eat all day and then have a big dinner or the wrong dinner and find they cannot lose the weight.   The weight loss program we provide is hands down the best system out there and the reason  I say its the best is because  we make it easy and simple, fun and satisfying.  Our program is not about starving yourself, that does not work.

Dr. Nelson and I just released our new  book "Weight Loss For Life" and  this is exactly what our Bellevue program is really about,  weight loss for life.  Losing 50lbs. to reach your ideal weight , only to gain it all back again is not  the objective, the goal and objective is a change of mind over how you view food and a healthy lifestyle.   The goal is to change your metabolism from that of fat storage  into  fat burning and we do so by creating a healthy diet program that puts your pancreas to rest for a long enough period of time that it is able to  reset  itself so to speak.  We want your body to establish a normal and healthy insulin response to the foods you eat.  And you can do this, our clients love our slim down program and so will you.  Make weight loss for life a lifestyle choice, you can do it, we know you can and we can help you.  It is just about as easy as pie, really it is.

Our 30/10 program provides  the missing "links" for the complex subject of weight gain/weight loss. Weight loss is not just a diet issue, WL can be very confusing and frustrating for the person with a difficult to lose weight condition.  One essential  link to our program  is the fact that we will never abandon you when you have reached your "ideal" weight.  Realizing  your ideal weight with the  30/10 solution is easy.  The hardest part for every person who has lost the weight,  is keeping it off.  Once you reach your ideal weight on our 30/10 program  we want you to return for frequent periodic accountability weigh-ins at no charge for the rest of your life.  When you  have a weight gain, which is normal by the way, as we all fluctuate in weight, both up and down.  We want to catch any gain early on and then coach you on how to lose it yourself, 3 lbs. a week with regular foods.  This exciting and encouraging  process will give you the skills, experience and confidence  for an empowered weight loss for life mentality.

Until next time,  Dr. Mark Doyle.   Read my many blogs pertaining to the DEEP Release Clear Mind Process.  Successful weight loss clients must have the belief they can not only reach their ideal weight but also the belief they can achieve weight loss for life.  They need the belief that their process of slimming down can be easy and quick and they need to be able to release any past experiences that hold them back from achieving their goal/desired state.

 Dr. Doyle is a clinical hypnotherapist and incorporates his skills with his  slim down clients.  He is also co-founder of the 30/10 Weight Loss For Life program. Women average 30 pounds in 10 weeks-men average 50 pounds in 10 weeks.

For more information on our Superb Weight Loss Programs, please visit:

http://www.3010WeightLossForLife.com/

Visit our website for more information on Downtown Bellevue’s Leading Chiropractor

http://www.8thstreetchiropractic.com/

al Protein

Recipe: Blackberry Jam

Simple, but oh so good. The smell and taste of blackberries (that you've gone out and picked yourself- not from the shop) symbolise both autumn, and home to me. It's one of my favourite flavours because going out and picking blackberries was always one of the great things to do when I grew up in the countryside. Mum would always make a pie or a crumble with them, or later my first few experiments with jams- that got me interested in preserving- were always with mixtures of blackberries, elderberries and plums. Basically because that's what we had growing in the garden! It was funny, when i went blackberrying the other day, after i'd picked a few, Misty (my dog) started copying me and started picking the blackberries off the brambles and scoffing them! I sware my dog is so weird, she likes fruit and veg! She nicks potatoes, and gobbled up almost a pound of green beans that I picked the other day. Gawd i have to keep my eye on her these days. Anyway, this is a scrummy jam, really nice on toast with loads of peanut butter (although not Elvis style, with bacon too, lol!!)

Blackberry Jam (makes 1.2kg ish)
1.5kg fresh blackberries
225ml apple juice (from concentrate)
1200g sugar
45ml lemon juice.

1. Bring all the ingredients in a large pan to a rolling boil, and boil for 50 minutes, stirring often.
2. Pot, allow to cool for a couple of hours, and seal!

Shedwyn gets her skates on for the end of National Zero Waste Week 2011

To celebrate the last day of National Zero Waste Week, I sent the 1000 Bins mascot Shedwyn, into Suffolk's  rollerskating venue CurveMotion, to check out their recycling.

They have great recycling facilities behind the scenes, but don't have any specific recycling bins in the public zones.  Consequently customers end up throwing their empty bottles and cans into the general rubbish bin.

Even if there were public recycling bins, there is a real issue that the number of unemptied containers that are often thrown away by the customers, would quickly contaminate any efforts to recycle properly. So Shedwyn was on a mission to think of ways that could improve recycling without having to rely on expensive and sticky recycling bins.

After a spell of whizziness with the laptop and a touch of lamination, a simple methodology was born.  A  sign advising customers to leave their containers at the servery counter instead of shoving them in the bin!

Whether it's an effective solution, only time will tell, but it is an idea that's worth trying and if response is low it's well worth testing out new wording or different poster designs.

So with the job done, Shedwyn was ready to do a few laps around the roller rink before scooting off home to put her feet up for the rest of the day, but the bonkers old bird got so inspired by CurveMotion's Charity Skateathon that she challenged herself to 50 laps, "Anything for charity", she said, knowing it would be a struggle to keep on her feet for even 25.

However, fifty laps later she was still going strong.

After a wobbly start, taking a tumble over a fallen-down child at lap 75, and peforming a spectacular forward-slide-and-knee-bounce herself during the 200th lap, our recycling bin champion knocked us off our chairs as she made it to 211 laps, the equivalent distance of a half-marathon!

The poor old girl couldn't walk for ages after she'd come off the rink and was soon caught napping when she should have been on binwatch.

211 laps eh!  Who'd have guessed that would happen this Sunday, rounding off National Zero Waste Week  with bruised knees.

So, could the moral of the story be that no matter what your goals, assumptions or expectations, Shedwyn has shown that it's possible to exceed these, even if obstacles and setbacks get in the way?  We just need to to keep setting our sights much higher and pushing ourselves just that little bit more whether that's about recycling, reducing waste or other ambitions (government and industry are you listening?)

Then again, as a friend suggested after Shedwyn's super-impressive tumble, perhaps the moral of the story is that she really should have worn kneepads! 

So, while the bespectacled roving reporter nurses her knees, I wish you a happy end to National Zero Waste Week. I hope it's been a great week for you.   Of course, if like me, you've enjoyed Shedwyn's expoits with the 1000 Bins Challenge, it would be fab if you could sponsor her for her charity skateathon today.  It would help her knees get better much more quickly and it's for a a brilliant cause too:  St Nicholas Hospice in Bury St Edmunds, which needs as much money as it can get to continue its great work.  You can find all you need at my Justgiving page or click the blue fundraiser badge at the top of the page.

So thank you all for your support this week and during the last three months's 1000 bins challenge.  It's been spectacular.  Here's to National Zero Waste Week 2011.  Special thanks go to Mrs Green at MyZeroWaste for organising it.  With another successful week over, who knows what will happen next year! Whatever happens, I bet your bottom dollar it will be exciting.

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This post has been written in support of National Zero Waste Week 2011, which is hosted and organised by www.myzerowaste.com. This year's theme is reducing waste away from home.  The photo competition for the 1000 Bins project, promoting "recycling on the go", ends at midnight today (11/9/2011).  See www.1000bins.com for details.  Huge thanks to CurveMotion for extending a very warm welcome to Shedwyn today.  More information about their Charity Skateathon and other events can be found at www.curvemotion.com.

Recipe: Chicken and Kidney Bean Enchiladas

Now this recipe does make A LOT- I reckon if you used all the filling mixture in one go then you could probably make about 20 wraps (serving 6-10 depending on personal greed and whether you are serving them with a side dish or not). I love enchiladas because they are very quick to make, and because of their texture- i enjoy the contrast between the soft tortilla and filling, and the slightly chewy cheese topping. This isn't an incredibly authentic mexican recipe for enchiladas, but it's a good weekday supper, that can be adapted to feed an army, or to feed a couple of people with the rest frozen for another time.

Chicken and Kidney Bean Enchiladas(serves 2- 10,depending on how many wraps you make)

2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp Schwartz Cajun seasoning (main ingredients: chilli powder, cumin, and oregano)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 vegetable Oxo cube
2 tins kidney beans, drained
1 x 340g tin sweetcorn
400g cooked shredded chicken
Large handful fresh coriander
Salt and pepper
5 Discovery soft plain tortilla wraps
1 Jar Doritos Mild Salsa
150g grated cheddar

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Fry the red onion, garlic and Cajun seasoning in the olive oil for 4 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes, sugar, garam masala, oregano, paprika and the Oxo cube and cook for a further 4 minutes, stirring often.
2. Mix in the kidney beans, sweetcorn, chicken and coriander, and cook for a further 5 minutes. Season to taste and set aside to cool down a little bit. Get a tortilla wrap, put a few tablespoons of the chicken mix into the wrap, and then wrap it up. Put these wraps into a baking dish side by side (I can fit 5 into mine).
3. Spoon a jar full of salsa evenly over the top of these wraps, and then top with 150g of cheese. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, and then grill for 5 minutes to allow the cheese to gratinate. Serve!
4. You will have a lot of the filling mixture left, and you can now either repeat the cooking process with more wraps/more salsa/more cheese- or you can freeze the filling and use at another time. It will last a month in the freezer, make sure to properly defrost before using again.

Making 2020 Zero Waste Work: Coventry Conference

Professor Paul Connett, presenting at the Coventry conference

Today, representatives from central government, local authorities and universities gathered together in Coventry along with social enterprises, mulitnationals, waste management companies, the third sector and environmental bodies, to explore how UK society can create a proper zero waste economy in line with aspirations for 2020.

For many, zero waste translates as 'zero waste to landfill', but a strong message that was made clear at today's conference was that a zero waste goal should be exactly what it says...simply ZERO waste, achieved through innovations that design out waste during manufacture and a society that promotes reuse and technologies that enable precious resources to be properly recycled rather than the assumption that the simplest destination for residual waste is to be burned with no other opportunity for recovery.

Anyone who has any doubts over whether this zero waste vision could become a reality, should consult with American waste campaigner Professor Paul Connett, pictured above, who presents a strong case for product redesign, economic incentives, community empowerment and the development of separation & research facilities at landfill\incineration sites, as being vital components in making it work.

And the key to success is everyone in the chain working together to drive the results forward, an example of which was announced in Coventry today, where Coventry University, which already runs 50 courses in sustainability and the environment, revealed plans to create a Zero Waste research centre, working closely with the local authority.

Today's programme also presented examples of industry's approach to creating zero waste through manufacturing processes and facilities management as well as examplers of community-based programmes and waste stream development.

The presentation by Garden Organic's Myles Bremner particularly struck a chord, as it was one of the strongest case studies  for how individuals can make a difference, not only regarding reducing their own waste, but by empowering their communities.  Through the Master Composter scheme, Garden Organics has been successful in creating a peer-to-peer network, where members of the public are able to help others, by sharing their expertise locally.

Of course I couldn't leave the conference without highlighting my strong belief that a similar peer-to-peer network is needed to nurture recycling champions across the UK, where trusted and enthusiastic members of the community are empowered to share their knowledge through local groups and at key events.  Social-networking has already demonstrated the power of word-of-mouth. If this could be replicated throughout local communiities, this greater awareness could bring beneficial results to not just recycling rates but to waste arisings too.

Although this event was organised independently of National Zero Waste Week, it was a welcome coincidence and well-timed for this week's calendar.  It would have been news to most of those who attended today's conference that this week is indeed the 4th national awareness week of its kind.   And with reference to my earlier point about community champions, National Zero Waste Week, as organised by Rachelle Strauss of MyZeroWaste is an excellent example of how a positive role model can engage with the community around them, allbeit a virtual one.  With over 12,000 visitors to the campaign page, it certainly has proven its wide reach.

The Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was in attendance today and stayed for a short while following her keynote speech.  Although the government is placing waste prevention high on its agenda and has created a path towards a zero waste economy, today's  conference demonstrated that it needs to work harder and be tougher on manufacturing to design out waste and solutions for maximising the waste that remains.  I hope that government now shifts its expectations to fit more closely in line with the visionaries we saw today, who are passionate about better use of the world's resources and the socio-economic opportunities of managing them more effectively.

Mal Williams, CEO of the Welsh community recycling network Clych, who also spoke at today's conference, really couldn't have put the point more bluntly.

"Waste is a mistake, not a resource," he asserted and referring to how society goes forward, he added that it is time to move from a "Careless system to a CAREFUL system".

And I have to agree, this should be the barometer against which a sustainable zero waste strategy should be measured and judged.

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This blogpost has been written in support of National Zero Waste Week 2011. More information about the awareness week can be found at www.myzerowaste.com.  Further details about the Making 2020 Zero Waste Work conference are available at www.climate-change-solutions.co.uk, where the speakers' presentations will be published very soon.