It’s only been two hours since I posted the blog with my weekly menu (thus far) and I’m just sick over it. I know that I’m an oddball to begin with, but bear with me. My tummy simply churned over the cooking of breakfast and lunch (only the things that I said I’d make) and I’m sweating over the thought of HAVING to make Cauliflower tonight b/c it’s what I had written.

My soul writhes in agony as the onslaught of committed food choices fly in every direction sending my pea brain into a scattered, disoriented mess. I am none with the universe…my connection has been severed. This is not good.

So for me, not you…I’m gonna write out a recipe a week (or so) that I’ve been really happy with and you (if you so choose) can follow along with that. My tender tummy and heart simply cannot abide the laundry list menu…too confining!

With love in my flaky AB nature…be well…

Ahhhh…lazy Sundays! I have completely forgotten my responsibility to myself as a mature, BTD-aware AB individual. We AB’s grow best in sunshine, love, laughter, gentleness, rest, self-reflection and flexibility. Sunshine I’ve got now that I’m back in Cali…love and laughter are part and parcel of my home…but gentleness, rest, self-reflection and flexibility…those I haven’t been so easy to come by lately.

I’ve been so consumed with taking care of everyTHING else besides myself that my SELF has gotten a bit lost in the process over these past six weeks or so.

It’s finally caught up to me. I’ve had a headache every day straight for three days now, my eyes are burning and bloodshot like a drunk, my heart pounds like it’s been broken, my body is rigid and tight…the list seems endless. I should have taken a nap earlier this afternoon, but instead tried to push through and do more work. Now I’ve got a crink in my neck and I’m a useless, sad sack.

So, if you haven’t felt it yet…here comes another try at remembering what’s best for ME and following through with it. After a quick snooze, I’ll be taking a calming shower with lavender, incense and gentle tunes. Then it’s off to the market for AB compliant foods and a plan for how to TREAT myself well until I FEEL well. I’ll stay in pool, but add weights and LOTS of stretching. Beyond that, I’ll be nicer to me and not think/say all the mean, rotten things that I’ve been thinking/saying. I think to clear out the rubbish from my brain, I ought to do a bit of journaling as well.

My promise to you…out there in cyberland…I’ll give you the first week’s “menu” including food and activity lists. Feel free to join me or to partake of various items here and there…I intend for it to be 80-100% compliant depending on the availability of food and my budget for the week.

Until next blog…be well…

I am lost, mesmerized by the unending inky blackness outside my shower’s window…enchanted by the glowing silver of a crescent moon. My child’s anticipation motors the body onward through the rituals of cleansing, rinsing, cleansing as my adult heart thumps slowly to wakefulness. Too early for that strange brew concocted with coffee beans…necessary to take the lemons with a gentler warmth today. I rise into this lingering dawn with the dream of one nearly perfect, exciting day to come…

Hey y’all…here I am back in Cali for the time being and I am so happy to be in my own comfy bed with the feather mattress (think Heavenly Bed by Westin or whichever hotel does it). There’s also something to be said for one’s own shower, kitchen, backyard…et cetera!! And my comadre and compadre are the best part of all to being back in Cali…oh yes, I can’t forget to be thankful for MY pool and MY pool buddies!! And…while I’m not thrilled to be back in the traffic of LOS ANGELES, I am ever-so-happy that my ’86 Honda CRX with 249,000+ miles on it started on the FIFTH try after sitting dormant for six long, hot Californian weeks.

Ahhhh….home…or at least home on this coast…

Life on the BTD is going…I certainly have not been as compliant as I could be, but with the impending routine of a stable several weeks, I’ll be back on track. I have not had the bad avoids of chix and corn…just more sweets than my body can manage. I’ve also been pretty heavy on the coffee and will be trying to wean back off of it by substituting green tea. I’ve been in the pool both days since being “home” and am loving the workouts. I’ll get into the weight room tomorrow (Friday) and begin that as a normal routine for this last bit of weight loss and muscle re-defining! I’ve got the WHOLE project to finish for the Master’s degree, and so will be on campus DAILY for the time being…hence the extra workouts…study breaks and all that!!

Hope that this blog finds y’all well and happy…I haven’t forgotten about that promised AB compliant gumbo from back in April…that’ll be yet another study break project! Take care…

Lake Michigan is so cool! Coastie bro (who may become an AB BTD convert soon…) and I drove from Albany to Chicago area in one straight shot…14 hours in the car…ouch! We’re still a bit “hungover” from the drive, but got a good night’s sleep last night. I’ll be here with him for the next week or so and am loving some of the private time whilst he is on duty. I realized that I had not been alone-alone for about five weeks. Sheesh…I may be people-oriented and social by nature, but goodness knows that I need my ME time too!! Tee hee…

Okay, enough personal chatter. Below are answers to questions that have been sent to the comments section. Hope you are all doing well and be sure to write back with progress, news, insights, rambling…whatever! I love reading your mail.

Pat H: Thank you for the compliments! I don’t think that you’re a nut!! I agree with you about being cautious when adding herbal supplements into your diet. To be honest, I’ve not added anything but food yet and have lost weight, felt wonderful and been healthy just the same. Definitely run your plans by your doc…more than one opinion is always wise. I never got a recipe for pineapple muffins, but was told that one can substitute pineapples in any fruit muffin recipe (being careful of extra liquid), and they’ll be yummy! Best of luck to you, healthy eating and congrats on staying so spry at 70…may you have many wonderful decades to come!

Ashley N: I’m not sure exactly what seems extreme to you about the ER4YT books, but they are nice in that there are food list and serving size recommendations. My favorite remains the Cook Right 4 Your Type book b/c it has the lists and recipes. If you don’t want to buy anything, go to the library, or scroll down in this site to the typebase programs. Hit the Recipe one and hit index. There you can scroll through all the recipes and pick out the AB ones that look yummy to you. From that you’ll get an idea of what the bennies and avoids are.

Dan B. from BC, Canada: Cravings for sweets are my biggest downfall!! I am a sugar nut!! I have found however, that the more compliant I am with bennies and neutrals, the fewer cravings that I have. Your yogi is a wise individual as serving sizes are critical. We need to eat enough to be fueled, but not so much as to put us into a coma, no? As far as brain-food, you’ll just have to play around with the bennies and see which ones make your body the happiest. My body loves ahi and mahi mahi tuna, collard greens, garlic, parsley, rice, lemons, cherries and plums. Good luck with your recovery (be careful!!) and be well!

Take care everybodee and be well…