I am efficient. I like routine. I like to plan things and track things. I like consistency and accuracy. I have three planets in Virgo to explain all this… Most of all, I like to possess information – that one comes from my ascendant in Scorpio!

I am an information collector. For example, I know the birth signs or even exact birth dates of most people I have come into contact with, including people on the BTD forums that I’ve never met! I even know this stuff about many celebrities that interest me. This is literally hundreds (maybe thousands) of people! Somehow, it enters my brain and I remember forever. I am an information collector on myself too. I keep receipts, I track my income and spending (good little business student), I track my menstrual cycle, I track my exercise, I track my health history, I even track the prices of groceries I buy so I can remember what the best price is. This combination of information gathering (and remembering) and tracking has made me a good student and highly efficient. I can’t even count how many people have told me that I am the most efficient person they know. OK, enough bragging…

One of the (many) things I track is what I eat every day. Not the exact foods, but the grouping (veggies, fruit, water, etc) so that I can monitor how I am doing using the BTD portion/frequency guidelines. Years ago when I was still learning the BTD and trying to resolve several health issues, this was very helpful to me. Because I was accountable for what I was eating, I made better choices. I noticed trends (like overeating nuts, which I still do!) that I could then try to change. In 2004 I noticed that although I never had potatoes in the house, I was still eating at least one serving per week (usually more) at restaurants. This surprised me, so I decided to experiment by resolving to cut out potatoes in 2005. Doing this convinced me that potatoes actually are an avoid for me and once I stopped eating them, I didn’t really want them anymore. I have also used this information to increase my vegetable intake, again with great benefits. In the nearly five years since I started the BTD, I have accomplished most of my health goals, which I had never thought possible previously.

However, after many years of tracking this information, I feel that it may be time to take a break. I am really good at following the BTD now and maybe I don’t need the accountability anymore? I am very busy and have so little time that I am looking for things to cut out. I am also on a quest to become less “regimented” as one of my roommates calls me. I live to a standard that is simply not attainable by most people around me, which has caused me frustration most of my life. For many years now I have been learning that I need not be in control of as many things as I try to be. I don’t need to know everything (but, oh, how I want to!) and I can relax my observation of the world around me and still be OK. I will always be this way to some degree, but I’ve made major changes to my life and outlook along these lines and have learned so much from doing so.

Therefore, starting tomorrow (mid-month even!), no more tracking food. This makes me a bit sad, since this is part of my daily routine now and I derive some satisfaction from being able to “give myself credit” for making healthy choices everyday. But I think I can continue to do that without the little pat on the back. Wish me luck!