I've been looking at the genotypediet.com website. I can identify with the basic premise that "genes are not a fixed set of preprogrammed instructions. They are a dynamic, active part of your life, responding each day to your environment, your history, and your diet." I can think of several examples where changing my habits actually changed how my body worked.

Dr. D has named 6 genotypes. When I read the descriptions, it was obvious which one I was. I was a Hunter. Then I started filling out the forms in the calculator. The calculator insists that I'm a Gatherer.

Here is the description of a Gatherer: "Gatherers tend toward a "padded" look and are likely to have high BMIs and waist-to-hip ratios. They're sweet-natured and emotional, but their "algorithmic" minds and capacity for concentration and focus make them natural problem solvers. Gatherers are always blood type O or B, and they're mostly Rh-positive. They often struggle with appetite regulation and are unsuccessful crash dieters."

I don't identify with anything in that description. I am not padded. The upper half of my body is very angular and very bony. I carry most of my weight in my thighs, but is more of a muscular look than padded. My current BMI is 20. The highest my BMI has ever been (A time in my late 20s when I was upset and for several months abandoned everything I knew about nutrition) was 23.

I am a lot of things - kind, empathetic, listening, helpful - but no one would call me sweet. I've known people who are sweet (come to think of it, most of them are padded) and I'm definitely not one of them. I'm also not emotional. My husband is the emotional one in the family. I'm the steady one. Yes, I am a good problem solver, but not because of concentration and focus. I am the antithesis of a step by step algorithmic person. I work both ends toward the middle, keeping everyone confused until it all comes together.

I am nervous about being in a category with Type Bs. Milk and mild products seemed to be the big culprits in the indigestion that led me to Dr. D. My Type O diet has me eating milk products 0-2 times per week; while Type Bs can eat milk or cheese every day. How can we be the same genotype?

There is a little truth to the part about appetite regulation. I was initially attracted to nutrition because when I ate healthy food I could eat until I was full without gaining weight. Before then I was a successful crash dieter - I just hated doing it.

This is a huge contrast to the way I felt when I first read about Type Os. After every sentence, I would gasp and say, "That's me!" I look at the description of a gatherer and I see a stranger.

I have come to trust Dr. D's research about food, so I'm going to plunge ahead and give this a try. It's back to the website to "gather" more information.