Well, it's nice to see that I haven't been taken off the page yet. Although I'm sure the good Doctor is thinking, where is that looney AB? Why can't she be more reliable & write once a week like everyone else........I know, I know, bad Natalie but this time I do have a good excuse.....

On Jan 28th, I passed my 4th of 6 test to become an assistant conductor for the LIRR. This test was a final on the Rules of the Operating Department. A lot of things had to be verbatim......you put an "or" instead of an "and" and the whole question is marked wrong. 100% has to be gotten on the signals and no lower than an 80% on the Rules and definitions. Needless to say, I passed or I'd be a pool of wimpering goo by now. Got a 95% on my rules final and couldn't be happier. By April, I'll be on the trains and in a new career that will last me 'til retirement. Things are definately looking up.

The midterm was Jan. 7th and with the final on the 28th, there just was simply no time to blog. A nutrition hobby isn't going to give me job security so this had to go on the back burner for a while.

I'd like to share a section of the Editor's Note from the February 2004 issue of Real Simple Magazine. They talk about food quite a lot in there & although it's aimed at a higher age bracket than myself, the ideas they have are for the most part brilliant. These next few paragraph's by Kristin Van Orenge I think speak to a lot of us and how we feel about food.

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"There was a time in my life when I spent probably 25% of my waking hours thinking about food. They were not all happy thoughts. Throughout my teens and 20's, I divided food into good and bad columns in my head, and obsessed over every bite. Most of my friends did the same thing, and we all felt equally powerless.

By the time I reached 30, I was worn out. I could have sewn slipcovers for all my furniture in the hours I spent pondering the amount of fat in a container of vanilla yogurt. Eventually I decided (out of sheer exhaustion--not, alas, maturity) that my relationship with food was not exactly reciprocal, and that I needed to stop thinking so much about something that could not love me back. The magical result is that I no longer let a double cheeseburger ruin my day, and I have much more time to torture myself about other important issues, like the fact that, for my kids, 'balanced meal' means eating while hopping on one foot around the kitchen."

-- Real Simple Magazine February 2004

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The article then talks about 3 women and diet make-overs for them and what they're problems are (unhealthy snacking to the right meal for the whole family) Of course, I see things for the snacker that are mainly A things with a few O things added in. This seems to be most of the recipes I find in this magazine but with a few edits here and there, they can be made very BTD friendly.

What I really liked about the above quote was how the editior felt is I think how we all have felt at one time or another. BTD does make it simple, REAL SIMPLE, TOO SIMPLE FOR SOME PEOPLE. My O husband still can't get over the fact that he's not supposed to drink coffee and eat pork on a regular basis. And staying away from refined sugar isn't easy either. It would be simpler if it was just a case of "EVERYTHING IN MODERATION," which is a good idea to follow, especially if your habits are really atrocious but, your not going to be at your optimal health just doing that.

With BTD, you can feel ok about having a cheeseburger every so often b/c you know that without a doubt, you can go back to a clear and helathy way of eating at the next meal. Ate McDonald's for lunch? Don't cry, just make sure you have a compliant dinner. Found that you've gained a couple of pounds over the holidays? I know I did. That's b/c with all my studying, I haven't exercised as much and I haven't been as compliant as I could have. So is the weight gain my fault? YES, YES IT IS. People need to stop blaming everyone else for their weight and feeling hopeless about it. YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF WHAT GOES INTO YOUR MOUTH AND HOW MUCH EXCERCISE YOU GET. Just doing BTD, isn't going to cut it. The mass food available at supermarkets and what the FDA tells us doesn't help matters so we have to take it upon ourselves to find out what's REALLY good for us. BTD sure is a MAJOR step in the right direction. It helps. It keeps me trim but I need to get back to my DDR for an hour a day to get some real toning going on and loose that extra inch around the tummy.....

IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, PICK UP A COPY OF DR. D'ADAMO'S BOOK, READ IT THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH AND THEN CHECK UNDER "TYPEbase4 FOOD VALUES" FOR THE MOST UP TO DATE INFO ON YOUR FAVORITE FOODS.

In my mind, once you get started, the BTD way of life with exercise is REAL SIMPLE. It's just not always simple to implement with a crazy life and schedual. DON'T GIVE UP THOUGH!!! Start to incorporate it one step at a time until you don't know how you lived without it :-) Remember, when you're in great shape, it's not from luck, it's from HARD WORK and you EARNED IT!!!!