Happy New Year to everyone! My best wishes to you all for attaining you goals in the coming year.

And also my most deepest sympathies to all those affected by the disaster in South Asia.

My first blog here at the BTD web site was on January 3rd of last year. I decided to go back and revisit my resolutions to see if I came near to achieving them. Hah! Not even close! The good news is I haven’t taken any steps backward.

So, here is an update on my last years resolutions.

1. Recent blood tests show my cholesterol has risen from 202 to 248 over the past two years.

Well, I did take care of that one. My naturopath and I experimented with Red Yeast Rice. It has brought my cholesterol down to just below 200 now. Unfortunately, diet alone couldn’t bring it down.

2. My glucose count rose from 99 to 113. (A1C is 5.2, so that’s okay.)

Somehow that was taken care of by the Red Yeast Rice, too. My glucose and cholesterol levels seem to go up and down together.

3. I have problems with portion control.

I haven’t completely solved that one yet. After seeing a nutritional therapist, she convinced me to start eating a meal earlier in the day. (I have never been a breakfast eater). So, now I try to have a Membrane Fluidizer cocktail with protein powder before I leave the house for the day. That has added some calories, so I am struggling to cut down my portions at the evening meal.

4. I need to quit that morning cup of coffee and go back to green tea.

I haven’t even gotten close on that one. I often have a green tea in the afternoon, but the morning coffee is still beckoning me.

5. I need more aerobic exercise.

I’m still working on that one. The problem in my S-I joint is still there, so once or twice a week is max for me right now. I’m working with a physical therapist on the problem. But, I have added Yoga to my exercise playbill. I try to do that once or twice a week along with my Pilates sessions two to three times a week.

6. My blood pressure is too high.

That’s been pretty good lately, too. I take a naturopathic supplement with rowolfia in it. It is a CNS suppressant and works well. I’d like not to take it. My blood pressure is always higher at work. So, until I can figure out how not to work and still make a living, I will probably have to take the supplement.

7. I have eight more pounds to lose to get to “wedding weight”.

I still have eight more pounds to lose to get to wedding weight. Guess I’ll have to keep working on that one.



So, all in all, I guess I didn’t do too badly. I didn’t get any worse. I wish I could cure all my problems through diet. Striving for 100% compliance should be my goal for the coming year. I’m not sure I’m ready to make that commitment yet. I’m not ready to lay all those guilt trips on myself. Life is too short.

I’m getting the gist from reading the other blogs that I am not alone during the Holiday season. We all have the same temptations and dietary failings. Thankfully, Dr. D’Adamo will not chastise and abandon us for our indescretions. He will be there to pick up our lectin-filled bodies and dust them off after the New Year.

We arrived back from our vacation in Cancun, Mexico early Wednesday morning. It was an okay trip. My husband and I have concluded that vacations in hotels are not for us any more. We will seek out places that have condos for rent. That way there is much more control over the foods we eat. By the end of the third day of hotel food, we were already looking forward to returning home and eating normally again. Of course, being in corn country, every time we sat down to a meal, a big basket of freshly baked tortilla chips and salsa were plopped down in front of us. I mainly stuck to fish or eggs for my protein sources. I think where I mostly went astray was with the tortillas and margaritas. Oh, and I couldn’t resist the perfectly cooked bacon strips at a breakfast buffet that we indulged in twice.

The weather on the trip was 100% better than what we were experiencing in the Pacific Northwest. It was cool and windy in the evenings and we needed to wear jeans and sweatshirts. But the days were warm enough for shorts and sandals. The Caribbean was absolutely gorgeous. It was my first visit to that particular body of water. I’ve never seen such a wonderful blue! Poor daughter caught a bad cold and stuck to her room for a couple of days. That put a little damper on things. We took a day trip to see some Mayan ruins. I tried to do some bargaining in the flea markets, but failed miserably at that. I’m sure I made some families very happy with the amount I paid for souvenirs and gifts.

So, we’re happy to get back to more normal eating and exercising. I went to Pilates yesterday after almost two weeks without, and my body is telling me about it today! I guess the normal eating will have to wait till after this weekend.

We didn’t have much time to prepare for Christmas. In fact, we have no presents for each other. There are just a few packages to open from relatives. Hubby ran out and got a tree last night that we decorated while listening to holiday music. This morning I have been conscripted to make at least one batch of Christmas cookies. We will have prime rib and mashed potatoes, veggies and salad for our dinner.

Okay, Monday……on Monday we will get back to normal

In my last blog, I said I was strong enough to resist those goodies at the Holiday party Saturday night. !!NOT!! I guess I just can’t separate food and fun yet. Had a really great time jabbering with friends and catching up with folks I haven’t seen since the heat of golf season. I enjoyed the food and the company. Of course, I woke up in the middle of the night with a stopped up nose. I think the consequence was worth the fun this time.

I’ve been fighting off a virus the past couple of days. Foggy head and the hint of a scratchy throat. I’m swigging the Proberry-3 and have upped the dosage of Vitamin C and an immune enhancing formula the nutritional therapist gave me. I think I feel a little better today, but will continue with the protocol for one more day to be sure. The last thing I want is a full-blown cold right now. We leave for a vacation in Cancun next week. I don’t want to be miserable there.

We haven’t been doing much about Christmas preparations this year. Mainly due to the vacation plans. I’ve been pretty busy with work and such, so that the only shopping I’ve done is online. The season’s spirit hasn’t hit me yet. I need some things to wrap. I probably won’t be doing much baking this year. At least I’m hoping so. Not having the goodies around the house would surely help me in my quest for weight maintenance this season. We’ll see.

Another Holiday challenge is coming my way this evening. A cocktail party at a friend’s house. I really, really don’t want to put on any weight this season. But I really, really like having a good time. Avoid foods and good times just seem to go together.

I am going to attempt to use ‘strategy’ this time. I’ll eat a handful or two of compliant nuts before I leave the house. There should be enough fat in them to stave off any hunger. With that in mind, I will make every effort to choose only compliant foods at the party. The question will be, if I can have a good time while being compliant.

This isn’t forever. It’s just one party. I can do it!

Well, no sooner we stop our Thanksgiving remembrances, then it’s Holiday party time! It seems like it’s one right after another coming up. Sunday I went out with the girls to see a local musical comedy revue. It was pretty good. A light story built around lots of singing and dancing. We had lunch beforehand, and I was compliant with sliced Thai beef with lettuce, tomatoes, pineapple and cucumber. At the theater while I popped into the ladies room before the performance, my ‘friends’ bought me a glass of champagne. I couldn’t refuse, but I really don’t like alcohol that early in the day.

Last night was another girls party at a friend’s house. It was one of those gift exchange parties where you get to steal gifts away if you like something that someone else has opened and it is your turn. It was potluck, of course. I brought a compliant tray of sushi. (No, I didn’t make it, just ordered it from the sushi place). There were a couple chicken dishes that were no problem to pass up. I think what did me in was the desserts. Someone made a dyno-mite fruitcake with apricots and pecans. I also had to sample some cookies, too. Couldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings, ya know. I think that if I had stuck to portion control, I would have found that I did pretty well at avoiding avoids. It was the portion control thing.

The secret is portion control. I have the secret!