I've been doing some shopping at the before and after Easter sales. To my delight, I'm wearing a size smaller in dresses and shorts.

Compared to the world of advertising, this doesn't seem like a remarkable feat. I heard an ad on the radio today with a girl gushing how on some diet she had lost 20 pounds in two months. I read a magazine ad that said buy this exercise equipment and you'll tone your tummy in four weeks.

Compared to those wild claims my modest dress size in a year seems pretty tame. It's certainly not going to get me an advertising contract. Nonetheless, I'm very pleased, and I'll tell you why.

I did not go on the Blood Type Diet to lose weight. I was happy enough with my weight before. Oh, I knew I didn't have the perfect figure, but I was content. I started on the Blood Type Diet because nothing else, including some high priced medicines, had helped my indigestion and GERD. When my GERD symptoms were gone in a week, and I could stop taking the medication, I made a lifetime commitment to the BTD.

I don't watch my portions, because I'm not trying to lose weight. I eat whenever I'm hungry, but I only eat beneficial and neutral foods. I eat until I feel satisfied. Even so, I lost 5-6 pounds the first 2 months I was following the BTD. In the 9 months since then, I've lost another 5-6 pounds. That translates into a size smaller swimsuit for the summer.

For me, losing weight has been a bonus. If your goal is to lose weight, I think you will see success on the BTD. Perhaps your bonus will be that you feel better, and then you will do what I did - make a lifetime commitment to eating right for your type.

The current fad restaurant at our daughter's school is a burrito restaurant called Chipotle. My daughter has been eager to go there, so today after church we tried it, and found it to be remarkably Blood Type friendly.

There are only three menu items: burritos, tacos, and bowls. For a Type O the choice was easy. The burritos and the tacos had grains I must avoid, so I chose a bowl.

A server then adds to your bowl (or burrito or taco) only the ingredients that you want.

I chose grilled steak and romaine lettuce, both beneficial for an O. I also chose rice and black beans, both neutrals. I passed on the sauces because I wasn't sure what was in them.

My Type A husband also got a bowl. He selected rice, black beans (beneficial for him) romaine lettuce, and guacamole. My Type A daughter got a burrito with pinto beans (beneficial for her) and chicken.

The portions were generous, so we all had plenty to eat. It was a unique idea and a very enjoyable lunch

One line in Mike's blog on famous quotes about the treatment of animals and eating meat sent me off on a search of my Bible this morning.

When people quote the Ten Commandments, they usually quote the King James Version which translates the words "Thou shalt not kill." Any modern language translation done by Christians or Jews translates it this way: You shall not murder. Exodus 20:13.

This verse has been incorrectly used as an argument against capital punishment and for vegetarianism. It has nothing to do with either issue. It is a commandment against murder.

The verse I relied on during my "health nut" days when everything I read urged me to become a vegetarian was this:

1 Timothy 4:3

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.

I knew I felt bad and got sick every time I took meat out of my diet. Back then this verse confirmed to me that those who said everyone should be a vegetarian were false teachers. Now that I understand the blood type diet, I can see how God designed some of us to thrive on meat and some of us to thrive on vegetarianism. As the end of that verse says, it's important to know the truth.

I did a scripture search this morning and came up with a few other verses for Type Os who are made to feel guilty about eating meat.

Genesis 9:3

Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

Romans 14:6-8

He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Moses ate lamb at the Passover and ate quail that was miraculously provided by God. Jesus ate fish and lamb and told a story about eating "the fatted calf".

I'm busy just like you. Today I had paper work to do in the morning plus laundry and mowing the yard. I had an appointment at 11:15, and I needed to get to school early to prepare for my journalism students. My daughter had a dentist appointment right after school, and then we had to photograph a tennis tournament.

I was trying to think creatively, but it was going to be hard to fit exercise into the schedule. I strapped on my ankle weights, 1.5 pounds each, and started the lawn mower. Our yard is not totally flat, and our lawn mower is not self propelled. Before I had finished half the front my heart rate was up and I was breathing hard. By the time I finished the back, I had probably gotten a better workout than I do when I run.

This came from Reader's Digest:

Did you hear about the sword swallower who was on a diet? He was on pins and needles for six weeks.

Two more new veggies and I'll be caught up. These are two of my favorite discoveries, but they have not been popular with my family.

One day I was looking for unfamiliar foods in the produce department and saw a sign for Mexican potatoes. A closer look found the word Jicama on a label of a furry looking vegetable. The ER4YT data base listed it as a neutral. My vegetable guide said if it was eaten raw it was like water chestnuts; if it was cooked it was like oven fries. I hadn't had French fries since last summer, and oven fries sounded really good. My daughter and I think these are delicious. My husband and son say "no thanks." She, like me, has made the decision to stop eating potatoes. My husband and son both know that potatoes are avoids, but will still order a value meal at a fast food restaurant. My theory is that the longer you go without "real" French Fries, the better the Jicima fries taste.

When I noticed parsnips were beneficial to Type Os and Type As, I set out to find some. I asked a young man working in the produce department if he had any parsnips, and he gave me a totally blank look. He checked his vegetable guide and said, "Oh, you mean white carrots. That's what most people call them." While he went to get some, I saw that his guide said they were good with maple syrup. That first night I cooked them in the pressure cooker. They were really soft and by the time I stirred in maple syrup and butter, they looked liked mashed potatoes. I told the family they were parsnips, not mashed potatoes, but no one really liked them (was it the taste or the way they looked?). I still had half a bag left, so a few days later I sliced them and steamed them until they were barely soft. I tossed them with maple syrup and butter and they were delicious. The family has tried them fixed the new way, and still does not care for them. I fix them for myself at least once a week. I can't get enough. They are high in potassium; maybe my body needs more potassium right now. It is a bit of a disappointment that my enthusiasm for parsnips is not shared by anyone in my house.

As I was driving my son to meet his ride back to college, we were talking about dorm food. They have two types of dining halls: traditional cafeterias and newly renovated food courts. The food courts are the most popular with the students. I was warning him about the food courts because of all the wheat in the sandwiches and pastas that are served there.

He said that he had been eating breakfast and dinner in the cafeterias. He usually has eggs and fruit for breakfast and lots of vegetables and salad for dinner. He does, however, like meeting friends for lunch in the food courts. He said, "Don't worry Mom; I really don't eat a lot of wheat. I have a motto: Eat Meat, Not Wheat."

There it is - Type O basics in four words. Then we were at his roommate's house, hugging and saying good bye.

For those of you who have little children at home, I would say three words, "Treasure each day." You have no idea how quickly those little ones will grow up. I have watched friends wish their children's childhood away saying, "I can't wait until he sleeps through the night." "I can't wait until she can talk and I don't have to guess what she wants." I can't wait until he can walk and I don't have to carry him everywhere." "I can't wait until she starts school so I can have a minute of peace and quiet." I can't wait until he can drive so I don't have to take him to soccer practice and music lessons." Suddenly they're grown up and packing their bags.

Share the adventure with your toddlers and preschoolers as they explore their world. Be there when they say their first words and take their first steps. Listen to the stories they tell and answer all their questions. Delight in their smiles and their joy. Those will be the memories you treasure as they wave good bye and drive away.

Our son came home from college for the three day Easter Holiday. It was wonderful to see him, and to have him telling funny stories about dorm life around the kitchen table. Two aspects of his visit touched on Blood Type Diet issues, and I'll share them with you.

Body building is currently very popular at his school. There are three weight rooms at the student rec. center, and girls as well as guys are into the trend. One of his friends decided to give up meat for lent. When this boy stopped eating meat, he stopped building muscle. No matter how hard he worked, without protein, he could not increase his muscle mass. My son and I speculated about what his blood type might be, and concluded that it is highly likely that he is a Type O like us. There's an application here for me. One of my goals is to firm my muscles, and that means I have got to keep my protein intake high.

On his first night home he was helping set the table for dinner, and asked "Do we have any milk?" I answered that I didn't buy much milk anymore since his dad and sister had pretty much switched over to soy milk. He said, "This summer, I think I'm going to want to drink milk." That is ok with me. I stay really close to the BTD myself, but I am not strict with my family. However, next morning when I made my daughter her morning protein shake, I made one for my son as well. Back when he was running track in high school, I made protein shakes for him all the time, but I made them with cow's milk. This time I made it with soy milk and did not tell him. He liked it, and was really surprised when he found out it was soy milk. He says that they serve a lot of vegetarian meals in the dorm, but that he has never seen soy milk there. Dorm food has come a long way since the 70s when I was in college, but I hope they add soy milk to the menu before my daughter gets there in 4 years.

As a journalist I like to know what the opposition is saying, so occasionally I go on the internet and read what critics of the Blood Type Diet have written. It's usually something like this, "What an odd idea that blood type would have anything to do with what you should eat. Food goes in your stomach, not your blood vessels." I'll let Dr. D'Adamo continue to give his excellent scientific response to such criticism, but I have some thoughts on my emotional response.

The Bible says "Life…is in the blood." Leviticus 17:11. So it doesn't surprise me that blood has everything to do with our health and what we eat. In fact it seems pretty natural for that to be true.

We celebrate Easter because Jesus shed his blood on the cross and rose from the dead. People say "What an odd idea that the death of a man who lived so long ago would have anything to do with me." What it has to do with you is that the Son of God was willing to take the punishment that you and I deserve for the wrong we have done. "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." Hebrews 9:22

So today I wish you a Happy Easter. I wish you success and good health as you follow the Blood Type Diet. And I wish you the inner peace you can find if you accept the gift Christ offered when he shed his blood for you.

My daughter has not had a glass of milk since the day I started on the Blood Type Diet. She never liked milk, and she resisted drinking it. When I read that milk was an avoid for Type As I felt so guilty. I said, "I will never make you drink a glass of milk again." She has a protein shake made with soy milk for breakfast every morning, and she eats yogurt several times a week, but she has not touched cow's milk. However at 14, her body needs calcium. I had been giving her 160 mg of magnesium and 400 mg of calcium a day.

She swims in a summer swim league, and she asked if I would consider swimming at night so that she could start getting in shape for the season. Three weeks ago we went to the pool together. She blew past me on the first lap, but several minutes later she was sitting on the side of the pool. She had a serious foot cramp. She stretched it and massaged it, but she was through swimming for the night. I knew it was her calcium so I added another 500 mg per day.

Last week she swam a little farther, but again had to stop because of a cramp in the other foot. This week she's taken 320 mg of magnesium and 1100 mg of calcium. She swam tonight completely free of pain.

When I started trying a new vegetable a week I was at a loss about what to do with some of them. If you've never had escarole, it helps to know that it's a type of lettuce! (I know half of you are thinking how can anyone not know what escarole is and the other half of you are saying esca-what.) I have lots of cook books, but most of them have fancy recipes with lots of avoids. I went to Half Price Books (a used book store) and found several vegetable guides. I bought one that described how to choose vegetables and how to prepare them.

This week the grocery had really fresh looking Swiss Chard. When I got home I consulted the vegetable book and learned that Swiss Chard is "two vegetables in one." The book said to strip the leaves from the stems and cook the leaves like spinach. They were very good, almost as good as beet greens. The book said the stems could be eaten either raw or cooked like asparagus. I prepared them both ways and we voted. My daughter and I both like them raw. I ate mine dipped in olive oil, she dipped hers in peanut butter. My husband preferred them cooked.

I'm going to stick with my "new veggie" topic for a few more days. Having been on the Blood Type Diet for less than a year, I want to encourage you if you are searching around this web site wondering, "What in the world do I eat with my meat if I don't eat potatoes, bread or corn."

When I first read the Type O beneficial list and saw dandelion, I thought "You've got to be kidding - that's a weed." It would have been a long, long time before I paid money for a weed, beneficial or not. However, I was invited to a birthday party at a very trendy restaurant, and as I looked over the menu some words jumped out at me "…served on a bed of five greens including dandelion…" I ordered it, and surprise, surprise, it tasted fine. I still had not bought dandelion until yesterday. I saw some in the grocery store. It looked a little wilted, so when I got home I cut off the bottom two inches for the stems and plunged the whole bunch in a tub of water. By the time I got back to them a couple of hours later, they had perked up quite a bit.

For breakfast every morning I eat a mixture of seeds and fruit, except on the mornings that I run. Then I make an omelet, usually filled with some vegetable left in the refrigerator. This morning on a whim I put dandelion on top of the eggs. It cooked nicely, just like spinach, and tasted good. Tonight my unsuspecting husband and daughter will find dandelion in their salad.

Probably the best of the greens I have tried so far has been beet greens. Most other cooked greens need quite a bit of seasoning, but beet greens are delicious with just a little butter or olive oil.

The only thing wrong with beet greens is that they come attached to beets. I just can't develop a taste for beets. I'm glad they are a neutral. When I acquired a used juicer, I bought a book on juicing. The man who wrote it has long lists of juice combinations, but his #1 standby is carrot, celery & beet juice. The taste of that combination grows on you. So, I rummage through all the beets in the produce department selecting the bunch that has the most greens and the smallest beets. I thoroughly enjoy my cooked beet greens. Then I use up the beets in juice. (My favorite proportion is 3 carrots, 2 stalks celery, ½ beet).

When I first started the BTD, I focused on weeding out the avoids in my diet, and eating more of the beneficials that I liked. Soon I became curious about foods on the beneficial list that I had never heard of. I decided to try one new food a week until I'd tasted all the beneficials. I'll start today catching you up on my new foods so far.

I had never eaten artichoke. I tried canned and they were horrible. Frozen were not any better. One day they were on sale 2 for a dollar in the produce department. I bought two and cooked them in the pressure cooker. They were delicious. I served them to my family dreading the response. It turned out my husband ate artichokes growing up and likes them a lot. My daughter doesn't like the way they look and hasn't gotten up the courage to try them. When her brother is home from college this summer, I'll see if I can get them to be brave together.

The first few times I fixed collard greens I ate them only because they were beneficials. Now I grill an onion, then add a small amount of water and the collards. They taste pretty good that way. They are really good when I season them with curry powder OR Cajun seasoning. I buy fresh when I can, but I keep a bag of frozen collards in the freezer all the time. They taste about the same to me.

My new beneficial last week was aduki beans. I bought a can of Eden organic adukis, salt free and seasoned with seaweed. Everyone liked them which is great because they are beneficial for both Os and As.

We journalists like quotes, and here is one I heard today:

"God may heal you, but if you don't change the way you eat, you'll get sick again."

We had friends over for dinner Friday night. I asked my husband what he would like for me to fix. He said "Remember that meat and cheese casserole you used to make, let's have that." There was a reason that I "USED TO make" that casserole. It has three ingredients: noodles, queso, and ground beef. The noodles and cheese are avoids for me; the tomatoes and beef are avoids for my Type A husband and daughter.

I asked my daughter what she thought about the proposed casserole. She wrinkled her nose, because she likes each of the individual ingredients but she does not like her food mixed together. Then her eyes brightened, and she said, "Mom, why don't you set it up like a taco bar. Let everyone go by and pick what they want to eat."

That is exactly what we did. I had a bowl of ground beef and a bowl of ground turkey; a bowl of queso and a bowl of noodles. I had a big bowl of greens and a large platter of other salad vegetables. I baked kamut rolls. I explained to our friends that they could mix up the ingredients any way they wanted. When we sat down at the table no two plates were alike.

For dessert I fixed the walnut torte in the RECIbase on this website and served it with diced nectarine. I was a little suspicious because the ingredients were very unusual, but it was delicious.

On a different subject, how is this for a greeting. "Good health to you and your household, and good health to all that is yours." You'll never believe where I found it…in the Bible. It's 1 Samuel 25:6.

My favorite place to run is a park near home. There is a steep hill in the middle of it, and a running trail about a mile long circling the hill. Several trails go over the top of the hill. When I first get there I climb up to the top and back down. That gets my muscles warmed up. Then I run 1 ½ laps around the hill. I climb back over the top, and return to my car for water.

Yesterday spring had arrived at the park. The trees and bushes were bursting with new life. A tree at the top of the hill was covered with yellow flowers. Along the trail were trees with bright purple flowers and other trees with delicate white flowers. On the ground were bushes with pink flowers and wildflowers of all sorts of colors. The dark green of the evergreens was in stark contrast to the pale green of the newly budding leaves. It was a gorgeous day for a run.

If anyone was to ask "But which color is right?" or "Which color is best?" we would think they were crazy. You would never say that the purple flowers are superior to the white, or that the pink will take over from the yellow. The beauty is in the variety. Especially at spring time I see the hand of a very creative creator behind the variety of color and shape.

Yet ever so often I read in Heidi or Doc Bron's columns questions like "Which blood type is best?" or "Will Type A and B eventually replace Type O?" As if we could change our blood type, anyway! I enjoy the many personalities, sizes, talents, and yes, even blood types found among human beings. Each type has unique strengths, and each type has its challenges. What a dull world it would be if we were all the same. In the incredible variety of people there is evidence of intelligent design.

I hope it's spring where you are. Celebrate the joy of new life! And celebrate the unique and wonderful way you were made.

When I first started reading last summer about Living Right for my Type, one of the things that rang true was that Type Os thrive on aerobic exercise. I am lousy at team sports and always have been, but I love to run and swim and hike. I'm not saying that it's always easy to start running on a hot day or to jump into the water on a cold day, but once I get going and my heart gets pumping; I feel energized.

My primary reason for starting the BTD was heartburn. The second thing that attracted me was the idea of improving my muscle tone. I was happy enough with my weight, but I was dismayed at how my muscles had softened between my 40th and 50th birthdays. Relief from heartburn was almost immediate. Rebuilding my muscles has been slower, but I am making steady progress.

My very athletic son suggested that I vary my exercise rather than doing the same thing every day. So one day I run, one day I swim, one day I ride my bicycle and one day I power walk. He also said I should do some weight work. I was skeptical.

But I kept coming across articles that said women my age needed to do weight work, not only for muscle tone, but also to prevent bone loss. OK, OK, I can take a hint. I committed myself to do weight work two days a week.

Last night I worked out with weights in the living room. There is a noticeable difference in the strength of my arms since I started. I am improving and can do more repetitions than I could at first. So I know it's effective, but I hate it. At the end of my work out last night I felt tired and blah.

The weather today is gorgeous. After I finish typing this blog, I'm going for a bike ride. When I get home I will be tired and energized.

April 1 is my first yearbook deadline for this year. That means that I have to turn 1/3 of the pages for our school yearbook over to the publisher. I spent more than 15 hours at the school yesterday proofing pages and tightening up the layouts.

I couldn't help contrasting this year's deadline with last year's. I started on the BTD in June. Last March and April I was battling almost daily heartburn and trying to figure out how I could be feeling so bad when I was eating so "healthy." I remember the afternoon before the deadline working late at school and rushing home to pick up some supplies. As I dashed around the house, my daughter said, "Mom, you need to eat something." I snapped that Dad had promised to take her and her brother out for dinner. I didn't have time to eat; I had to get back to school. She said again, "Mom, listen to yourself, you need to take time to eat." I listened; I smiled; and I grabbed one of my son's power bars out of the drawer and bought a hamburger on the way back to the school. At the time I didn't know anything about how a type O should eat, but I remember tossing half the bun in the trash and being amazed at how much better I felt after eating the meat.

I knew yesterday would be hectic, and this year I was going to be prepared. I packed all the leftover veggies from the refrigerator into little plastic containers. There were 2 beneficials and 3 neutrals. I also took 1 ½ leftover chicken breasts, a bag of walnuts & raisins, a bag of carrot sticks, and an apple. I did a few pages and stopped for a snack. Did a few more pages, and had another snack. I was never tired and never frantic. The creativity was flowing and at 1 a.m. I was finished and pleased with my work.

This morning at church our pastor preached on Jehovah Rapha - the God who heals or the God who makes healthy. I am thankful for the abundance of food that God has provided for my benefit. God did not create French fries, or Twinkies, or 48 oz. diet sodas, or hydrogenated vegetable oil. He created food filled with things that nourish all the varieties of individuals that He made. God has worked through what I learned on the BTD to restore my health.

I was out of town for the funeral of my husband's father when I received the message inviting me to be a blogger. It was a stressful time, made bearable only by the assurance that while he cannot return to us, we will see him again in heaven.

The stress of those difficult days is the background of my first blog. Here are 3 lessons from the funeral.

My husband spent the last 10 days of his father's life helping to care for his dad. He and I talked on the phone every night. The days were increasingly stressful. One night he seemed close to the breaking point. I said, "Get to the store. Buy some multiple vitamins and some calcium." He had all kinds of excuses: he didn't know where to find a health food store, he didn't know what brand to buy, and he couldn't be away from the house too long. I said, "The stress is depleting your body of vitamins and minerals faster than you can possibly replace them with food. Just go to a grocery store. Buy any multiple and buy some calcium citrate." He did, and by the time we talked the next night he could feel the difference in his mood and in his ability to relax and sleep. Do I believe that the premium vitamins I buy are superior in quality and better absorbed than the grocery store brands? YES. But here is lesson #1 - When I can't do the best, I do the best I can.

After the funeral, friends of the family brought in lots of food and set up a reception in the dining room. The table was full of wheat and sugar and other avoids. It all was brought by people who love our family. I could have been obnoxious, rejecting the food and the love that came with it. I could have disregarded eating right and filled my plate with avoids. Either extreme would have been foolish. I graciously accepted a piece of carrot cake. Lesson #2 - My health problems are not the result of politely eating an occasional avoid that is offered as an expression of love, but of willfully indulging in avoids when I have the opportunity to make better choices.

That piece of carrot cake, while not satisfying any nutritional requirements, did satisfy me at an emotional level. At times of stress we all crave comfort food. However, the comfort effect of the carrot cake was very short lived. It wasn't long until I found myself circling the dessert table craving more. I was determined not to yield, and went into the kitchen. Someone brought a huge platter of brisket. Someone else brought a bowl of delightful greens - not just iceberg lettuce, but spinach and dandelion as well. I piled my plate with greens, and topped it with lots of brisket. Here was food that gave both nourishment and comfort. I felt full and satisfied for the rest of the day. Lesson #3 True comfort and satisfaction are in beneficials.