Writer’s Diet Update
Since it seems that many women I know (and some men) are watching their weight or actually losing some, I feel obligated to follow up on my newest diet plan. I wrote a while ago that I was inspired by the weight loss of various friends. One in particular (the Weight Watcher’s gal) is definitely keeping it off. Boy does she look great! Not completely sure about how the others have fared or will fare over time. The votes are still out.
Since it seems that many women I know (and some men) are watching their weight or actually losing some, I feel obligated to follow up on my newest diet plan. I wrote a while ago that I was inspired by the weight loss of various friends. One in particular (the Weight Watcher’s gal) is definitely keeping it off. Boy does she look great! Not completely sure about how the others have fared or will fare over time. The votes are still out.
I was lucky and so spoiled most of my life. I ate anything within reason and never worried about my weight when I was young. Over the last ten years or so, I’ve had to be more careful. It was only a few pounds, I told myself. I’d gone from skinny to average in a world of people who seem daily to become increasingly larger. Guess I sort of accepted it. I never truly committed to any diet, because I didn’t think it was crucial. Until recently. I calculated where “only a pound or two per year” might land me later, and it was a sobering thought.
While Zack was in the hospital, one of his occupational therapists suggested a book called “Eat Right for Your Type”. It’s all about different diets for different blood types, and is aimed at encouraging good health and avoiding food reactions— as well as maintaining a healthy weight. I ordered the book over the Internet (where I’ve done most of my shopping since Zack fell ill). Zack, the kids and I read through it, and as much as I do NOT believe in fad diets of any kind, this plan, based on a doctor’s experience with thousands of patients over many years made some sense. Mostly it just seemed to be solid advice about eating well. But it was tailored to specific bodies. When I first glanced at the book, I was still taking care of a very sick man 24/7. Any plan to add any new challenges seemed destined to fail.
In January, when I knew better than to make resolutions, I did decide to develop even better eating habits (although I thought we were doing pretty well in that department already). Coincidentally I ran into a friend who had lost twenty pounds over several months and looked and felt great. She hadn’t been heavy to begin with. She’s a few years older than I am and does NOT look it or act it. Turns out she was following the blood type diet, along with a few variations. That caught my interest. But what really hooked me was that she and I share the same blood type. So she could guide me on specifics. And when she told me that a little dark chocolate was OK, that was it for me.
For some unknown reason, I had finally reached the point where I could get serious about eating healthier. “It isn’t easy”, my friend warned me. But I felt if she could do it, I could do it. It made more sense to me (and was a lot cheaper) than a doctor’s weight loss program and more convenient than Weight Watchers (which is such a good program, I hear). The diets that work aren’t really diets at all, but sensible eating habits, lifestyle changes.
Zack and I are different blood types. According to this book, he can eat things I cannot. My kids are the same type as each other, but different from Zack or me. And of the four of us, I was the only one who wanted to drop a few pounds. The funny thing was that, with few exceptions, Zack’s food preferences closely followed his diet recommendations. It was as if, all during his lifetime, his body instinctively knew the best fuel. And while I had more exceptions, my food INCLINATIONS, likes and dislikes closely followed the book’s recommendations. My kids were already eating mainly good things, and exercising like it was their job. I still need to work on that exercise thing.
So what did I give up? When I tell you (part of it, because within categories, there are also “no-no’s”), you won’t believe it, because it sounds so limiting. But it honestly hasn’t been bad. And it works (slowly. So far about four or five pounds a month). No red meat, wheat, or Dairy. The ideal diet for my blood type would be vegetarian, but that isn’t going to happen. Even the author of the book recognized Americans’ dependence on animal protein. So eggs, chicken, turkey, and fish are allowed. Obviously no processed foods or many sweets, no soft drinks. Within each category of foods, there are things that are not beneficial to my system. I don’t eat certain grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, fish, beans, legumes, breads, grains pasta, spices and condiments. I eat no mayonnaise or ketchup, and strangely, no pepper of any kind. Some foods are supposed to be particularly beneficial, for instance, pineapple. Go fig. Lemons and grapefruit are allowed, but not oranges or tangerines. (Different effect on stomach acid).
I won’t bore you with more details. I’ve eaten chocolate only a very few times in the last two months. I can’t believe it myself. I don’t even want it most of the time. I eat less and am rarely hungry, but sometimes I do feel “empty”. I find the foods I’m eating are interesting, because I didn’t eat them so much before. . I eat tofu for additional protein.
Two of my new snacks are corn cakes (similar to rice cakes but better and harder to find) with avocado, apples with peanut butter, dried pineapple or rice cakes with honey for a sweet. In my previous life, I avoided peanut butter like the plague and shied away from apples.
I’m not saying I’ll be able to do this for the rest of my life, but I’d sure like to lose another ten pounds or so —and keep it off. I can’t really see where the first eight or so pounds came from, but the scale doesn’t lie. I’d like to claim I feel better now, but the truth is that I felt just fine before. And so far, the blood type diet hasn’t removed my aches and pains / wear and tear. I suppose one cannot expect miracles!
Gene Ellis, Ed.D is a Bosque County resident who returned to the family farm after years of living in New Orleans, New York, and Florida. She’s an artist who holds a doctoral degree from New York University and is writing a book about the minor catastrophes of life. Check out Genie’s blog at http://rusticramblings.wordpress.com/
