After more than a year of not using a scale, I bought one. I know I've lost some weight the last two weeks, but I must have started out higher than I thought. So, I'll just have to guess where I started. My pants are fitting better, I didn't want to go buy a larger size...it's easier to follow the diet than it is to take that step! So I was uncomfortable in my clothes for a few days before they started to fit me better again. That's just the beginning, and I have a way to go before I reach my goal. I'm not sure why I gain so much with pregnancies, or why it took me so long to get on track and start losing it, but I am now officially losing it, and gaining health again with compliance to the BTD. I only wish I'd kept on track last year when I lost 15 pounds...I was well on my way. Then we started renovating our house and trying to organize it, and what I ate was a lower priority. I'm up 10 pounds from that point last year, and I think I was up all 15 a couple weeks ago. So, once again I have at least 30 pounds to lose, but I'd like to see if I can healthily get lower than that. I'd like to really get fit. It's important to me, and to my family: I have 3 active boys to keep up with! (that's 3 counting my husband)

I forgot to mention that my son, who was having trouble eating, is doing much better now. I did give him the zantac, as prescribed, because I could't stand to see him not eating his favorite foods. It seems that things are improving now and he can get off the Rx. I tried to be vigilant about keeping him away from things that could have chemicals on them, since medications like zantac and tagamet compete for detoxification pathways, and are actully quite dangerous for that reason. He's completely off the Rx today, and hopefully the gastroenteritis is gone and he won't need any further tests or medications. I'll keep the head of his bed elevated, and I'll have him spit into the tube for the secretor test today or tomorrow, to further improve things. I strongly suspect that he's a non-secretor.

I'm still doing pretty well compliance-wise. Milk is no longer calling my name after a few days of complete avoidance. I now equate milk, soy and corn with pain, suffering and agony. I didn't even have a muffin that I made for my family, because it had a little corn in the mix. I did make compliant pancakes to ease the cravings a bit. Hopefully I can make it out shopping today and pick up some sweet potatoes to make fries from. Carb cravings hit me pretty hard this time of year, so I have to be prepared.

I'm back to broccoli for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner, but need to make some greens. Maybe some peasant soup would hit the spot this time of year...

My 2007 series of non-compliance is now over. I proved that I can handle eating a lot of things, and survive pretty well, but that way of eating is not worth it to me. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that I felt pretty normal compared to the general population, but I don't want to feel my age or grow older, I want to feel younger. I don't want to age down the path that was put before me (arthritis, diabetes, depression, fatigue, to name a few landmarks).

What I really want is to be pain-free, energetic, happy, alert, fit, and all-systems-go for whatever the day has in store...today. I can really tell a difference when I'm a few days on the diet and a day or two off, and it's a difference of years old, it's a difference pills needed. Following all the BTD recommendations puts living and meaning and endless possibilities into my life.

This is a challenging time of year to get strict about diet, fall is hard for me in general with SAD, and I tend to really want to eat lots of calories and carbs. Then there are holidays around the corner. I can see why I, and many others, usually start diets after the holidays, but it's also an opportunity to create more satisfying recipes and to demonstrate grace in the food choices I make. If I blow it on one or two calendar days, I can bounce back, but I don't want to blow it on dairy...that's much harder for me to bounce back from.

I did re-discover sweet potato oven fries. Those saved me from a few avoid fests last week. Costco had the pre-sliced ones, but no longer does, so it's time to get out the cutting board! Costco also had some lovely bison burgers that cooked up so nicely, but no longer does. They do have nitrate free turkey bacon currently though, it has sugar in it so it's not for non-secretors, but it has no other avoids, so is fine for most types. Next week I hope to really start cooking again, it's so nice this time of year to smell those wonderful cooking smells and eat together as a family. For now, I have a few deadlines to meet, so I'm mainly eating leftovers and simple stuff.

I've become a bit more compliant lately, and a bit better at avoiding the avoids. Some folks have trouble staying compliant, and I've been one of them. I can go months of high compliance, especially during pregnancies, but at other times I get confused and start to feel entitled to eat whatever everyone else eats and whatever looks good at the moment.

I know why people usually start diets on New Year's, because it's hard to start them at this time of year. This is the time of eating and fatness, especially with SAD or winter blues. I felt it when the season turned into fall, and felt it hard this year. Eating more beneficials and fewer avoids has helped my moods considerably, even though my general inclination is to do just the opposite. I take my boys out as much as possible to get some sunlight and activity, though I still make excuses out of getting the vigorous exercise I really need. A gym near me has a fine childcare facility, so I really have no excuses, and there's always the stroller, a pair of walking shoes, and the nearby hills.

My oldest son has been having some troubles lately, that have made it hard to take care of myself, but I've managed nevertheless. He saw his little brother choke, and a bit of excitement ensued as I cleared his airway (learned the baby heimlich the first time the little one choked, this was the 7th time, as he's not a vary careful eater). This really scared my 4 year old (soon to be 5), and he started worrying about choking, and stopped eating very much at all. This all worsened what I believe was a preexisting condition of acid reflux, which irritated his throat to the point that it hurts to eat, which has made it harder to get him back on track. That's my theory anyway, he has another doctor appointment tomorrow to check it all out again and hopefully confirm a mother's diagnosis and get on the road to improving it. I may give him any prescription the doctor provides, just so his esophagus can heal, then the plan is to find out his secretor status and treat it naturally.

I'll let you all know how it goes. There's a buffalo burger waiting for me at the moment...