Here I am pre-writing yet another blog to you from an airplane seat high, high above the clouds. My time in Los Angeles went by far too quickly, but the “work” part of it was very successful and I did get to at least see my dearest friends at least once. Sadly, the SoCal weather did not cooperate and it rained like mad my whole time in town. I was looking forward to soaking up some sunshine as I’m already noting the ill effects of declining light in New Hampshire. Ah la la, ca c’est la vie, I suppose. Hopefully we’ll get some sunshiny (if cool) weather this weekend in New England and I can play outside for a bit…as you know…my AB blood needs the care and feeding of fresh air, sunshine and outdoor activity!

I was no where near compliant most of my time in town, in fact, I forgot to eat for the majority of the trip!! There was so much running around to do and visiting to complete that I just didn’t eat. I didn’t sleep much either…so needless to say, I’m feeling a bit rough around the edges today. My tummy is kind of acidy, I have a headache and my joints are really bothering me. The good news is that I can go to bed early the next couple of nights and will be able to prepare compliant meals to get back on track.

If I haven’t mentioned it before, using the weekly chart to mark off all foods consumed is a great treasure because it allows me to see where I’m lacking in an instant. I always struggle with animal protein and tend to fall short with the grains, pasta and cereal. Having it there in the kitchen in black and white makes it much easier to decide what to pack for lunch (for example, if I see that I haven’t had any yogurt or cottage cheese by Wednesday, it’ll be in Thursday’s lunch!!), and what needs to be prepared for dinner (usually some fish and extra rice). I’ve included the chart below for your reference. The serving sizes are for women, but when I checked quickly, it looked like the only significant difference for men and women are the protein portions.

Take care of you, happy, compliant eating and be well…

Hmmm...when I cut and pasted this chart in from word, it only copied the text. If you decide that you want it and can use it, perhaps copying and pasting it into word and adding a table will work. If it doesn't just drop me a line and I'll e-mail it to you as an attachment. Smiles!!

MEAT&POULTRY

2-5 OZ, 0-2 X/WK

SEAFOOD

4-6 OZ, 3-5X/WK

EGGS

1EGG, 3-4X/WK

CHEESES

2 OZ, 3-4X/WK

YOGURT

4-6 OZ, 3-4X/WK

MILK

4-6 OZ, 3-6X/WK

OILS&FATS

1 TBS, 4-8X/WK

NUTS&SEEDS

6-8 NUTS, 2-5X/WK

NUT BUTTERS

1 TBS, 3-7X/WK

BEANS&LEGUMES

1 C DRY, 2-3X/WK

CEREALS

1 C DRY, 2-3X/WK

BREADS&MUFFINS

1SLICE, 0-1X/DAY

GRAINS

1 C DRY, 3-4X/WK

PASTA

1 C DRY, 3-4X/WK

VEGETABLES

1 CUP, 3-5X/DAY

VEGETABLES-T

VEGETABLES-W

VEGETABLES-R

VEGETABLES-F

VEGETABLES-S

VEGETABLES-S

FRUITS

1 OR 3-5 OZ, 3-4X/DAY

FRUITS-T

FRUITS-W

FRUITS-R

FRUITS-F

FRUITS-S

FRUITS-S

JUICES&FLUIDS

8 OZ, 2-3X/DAY

WATER

8 OZ, 4-7X/DAY

What IS that song?! Monday, Monday, can’t trust that day…

Anyhow, I figured since I woke up with it running through my brain, AND it’s a Monday…the title was apt!!

Hey y’all…what’s shakin’? Do you LOVE the BTD boards or what? They have been a time sucker for me, but how nice to have so many people rattling around inside chatting with each other about living and eating well! And, I’m very impressed with the number of AB posts I’ve seen…we’re represented, yeah!!

Well, this is going to be a short, and scattered blog because I’m in Cali for a few more days doing business and recovering from pleasure. I’d like to look into the whole traveling compliantly concept sometime in the future, because it’s hard!! Thankfully, I’ve managed lemon water in every morning, and a little exercise, but that’s about it! I’m so stuffed full and getting very little sleep. The food hasn’t been too out of whack compliance-wise, but the sleep is KILLING me (or at least making me sick…). But of course, it’s wonderful to be here and to be catching up with so many friends AND to not be wearing a coat (although it is raining…boo!).

So…if you take anything away from this blog today (aside from being reinforced about my randomness), it should be to go check out the BTD boards…and…if you do nothing else: DRINK YOUR A.M. LEMON WATER!! *wink**

Stay compliant and be well…

No…I’m not trying to ward of vampires…silly!! Just colds!! The two little rugrats with whom I live have gotten quite a cold—fever, snots, sneezes, coughs, aches, pains—you name it!! As I have been taking care of them this weekend, I am on a 100% highly beneficial compliance kick (insert edit here: okay, so 100% HB for me...which includes coffee and a few other neutrals that are actually HB to my soul...which as we all know, is a pretty important component of total well being!!) so that I don’t end up sick too!! I’ve had lots of parsley soup (parsley, garlic, olive oil & rice noodles), turkey, pears, green tea (with honey & soymilk) and lots of lemons with water. I’ll be having some tuna tomorrow too…

Of course, remember that the second most important component is SLEEP…of which I’m trying to get plenty! Here’s hoping that you all are well and happy where you are. Keep reaching toward compliance (in food and actions!!), and take care…

Hey y’all…it’s getting cold here and I’m not feeling so brave anymore!! Tee hee…actually the skies have been gorgeous, the air clear and my clothing layered. I could see my breath last night; it’s kinda trippy being back on this coast with a REAL four seasons.

The very nice thing about the temperature change is that it’s now SOUP MAKING WEATHER—YEAH!! I boiled three turkey drumsticks the other night with garlic, salt, rosemary, and sage and pulled off the meat when cooked. Then I threw in more herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme), garlic, onion, carrot, and celery with some more water and boiled for another couple of hours. The house smelled divine!! I got a huge bowl of stock from this, froze most of it and will be making a yummy turkey veg. soup with the unfrozen stuff tonight or tomorrow. I had a quick dinner last night with turkey, beans and homemade salsa…felt like January in California!! (*wink**)

The only other thing that I’d like to note is that I have not been drinking anywhere near enough water lately. I usually drink ½ to ¾ gallon water (2-3 Nalgene containers) and have been lucky to get through one container a day. Part of it is being back in the classroom (can’t have bathroom breaks any time I want) and part of it is that with the cooler weather…I don’t “feel” as thirsty. Drinking water at this time of year is as important as when it’s hot so that the body can keep functioning at optimum levels and flush out toxins. I’ve been taking two cups of warm lemon water in the morning to help add a few ounces and have started adding lemons to my Nalgene to entice me to drink more often. I may pick up some herbal tea (decaf) to take in the evenings too.

Well, hope that this finds you all well and content. Remember staying highly beneficial will ward off colds, etc…I’m doing my best too!! Take care…