One of my personal never-to-be-violated Blood Type Diet rules is don't turn down avoid food in public, then sneak it in private. What is the point of turning down the cookies someone offers me at school, or taking the meat out of my hamburger at a restaurant, if I yield to a craving and eat crackers in secret at home. It would be the height of bad manners and hypocrisy!

If I'm going to eat wheat, let me enjoy a piece of pizza with friends. If I'm going to eat dairy, let it be a piece of my Mom's cheese cake at a family reunion. When I get cravings or I'm under so much stress that I must have something extra to eat, there are plenty of beneficials (walnuts, sweet potato chips) or neutrals (rice crackers, almonds, apples) that will work just fine.

I haven't violated that rule in years - until Wednesday night. I don't know why. Wednesday was a really good day. My yearbook students and I had spent 3 hours working with an art director from our publishing company. We had practically designed the whole book. After weeks of delays on landscaping , I finally had an appointment with a company that seems to think like we do. But for some reason, I got up from the table still hungry. When I went back to do the dishes a little later, someone had left an empty bowl of ice cream on the counter. I wanted some, I got some, and I hid it so that no one in the family would see what I was doing.

Why am I confessing this to you? Three reasons.

1. Some of you don't think I ever fail. Wrong!!!

2. Some of you heap guilt on yourselves when you fail. Cut it out. Learn from your mistakes and get back in the fight.

3. I learned something about my Type O self, which might be useful.

Having had an unauthorized dessert on Wednesday, the next night, I wanted one again. "No" I said firmly to myself, and got a piece of fruit. That satisfied me for about 5 minutes, and the craving was back. Before I ate anything else, I stopped and asked myself "What's really going on here?"

I had broken out of my eating pattern. I had reintroduced the flavor of avoids, and the enticement of sugar into my body and mind. I knew that I did not want to spend days inching my way back to normal, and a week dealing with the pounds I had put on. "What," I asked myself, "do I really want?" I knew the answer. Under stress or duress, a Type O wants protein.

I had sliced turkey in the refrigerator. I ate two slices, and I waited. I was prepared to eat turkey all night, if that's what it took, but in about 15 minutes the intensity of the desire for unhealthy food began to fade. Within a half hour I was physically and mentally content.

Profit from my mistake. If you crave a dessert, eat turkey, or beef, or lamb - anything but ice cream.