Anna! Yes, it is very, very common. And it's a great sign! Your body is thanking you for your new diet! Now it has the opportunity to get rid of all the old poisons and impacted, dead matter lining your intestinal tract. In fact, it's an indicator of good health to have a bowel movement soon after eating in any case. Congratulations on getting rid of wheat and dairy, by the way! No small feat. These changes are just the beginning of the benefits of this diet... do savor every new development and "surprise" positive side-effect. and write in with them, OK? :-D

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Hi, I've read your books and have been on the diet for 3 weeks. I am an O+ and have given up wheat and dairy products. I've been mostly a vegetable and fruit with protein person for years. I am about 15 pounds overweight and have lost about 5 pounds. When social events occur, I go off the diet and seem to gain back some of the weight and then lose again when I get back on. I don't seem to be going much beyond the 5 pounds. Also the book Live Right 4 Your Type and the little book for Type O Foods and Supplements have different lists of foods. Please advise if (1) losing slowly is reasonable and (2) what the difference is between the two food lists. Thank you. Winona

Hi, Winona ~ Well, three weeks isn't long at all. This diet works from deep areas outward, and sometimes weight loss is the last step in that process. Going on, then off, then back on any diet will make it more difficult to attain your goals, partly because it exacerbates insulin resistance. The five pounds you lose once takes far less time to go than the five pounds you're trying to lose for the 15th time. However, here's a way to step on the gas a little: EXERCISE! As I am wont to repeat myself, Exercise is Fully 50% of the Plan! And while you are waiting for that bodyweight to leave, check how your clothes fit. You can be gaining muscle and losing fat (and a pants size or two) even though the scale seems stuck. :-) About the food lists: Live Right is designed on two different subtypes ~ secretor and nonsecretor. The "Little Books'" lists really are hybrids, formulated to balance the benefits for those who may not know or plan to find out their secretor status. Hope this helps!!

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Hi, I am type O , dont know secretor status. Ive been on diet for almost a week and feel tired and alittle light headed. have lost 3 lbs. I take 6 mg ativan a day for panic attacks. i am also allergic or at least very sensitive to b vitamins so am only taking calcium mag suppliment and a oliveleaf extract capsule daily. walk 40 min daily except sun. I am concerned about the lightheadedness iit makes me feel not well. My pulse is 62 today and is normally 70 i am 61 and have low BP too 100/60, this is normal for me, I see a Naturapath who prescribed the diet. But hasnt had a lot of patients on it yet. Any info much appreciated. Thanks, Boni

Hello, Boni! Another newcomer to the Blood Type Diets! Welcome!! I'm not familiar with "ativan," so please ask the doctor who prescribed it if lightheadedness is a side effect. The drug aside, you may not be eating enough! You didn't mention how much or what you eat, but as a type O with naturally low blood pressure myself, I can tell you that eating a good protein-based breakfast (and lunch) is a major key to feeling good all day ~ and that drinking a couple of glasses of water between meals is great for energy levels. Let me know more about what you're eating ~ what kinds of grain if any, anything with sugar in it, etc. Take care, and keep with it! This plan will definitely come through for you!!!

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Dear Heidi, I enjoy your column immensely and read it every day - your positive attitude is wonderful. I submitted a question about two or three months ago and have yet to receive an answer. I know you're up to your eye balls in questions yet to be answered, but please let me know by e-mail if I need to seek help somewhere else. I had previously submitted the question to Dr. D'Adamo, but then he had to quit taking questions in order to free him for writing his new book, so by now I'm really anxious for some answers! In case you need to look up my question again, I had asked for some advice on what supps to take or foods to eat to improve my very unhealthy finger nails - they have pronounced vertical ridges and split easily, also the cuticles are very dry and hang nails have always been a problem. Inlcuded in the information I submitted was my blood type, secretor status and a list of supplements I'm currently taking. Believe me, I'm more concerned about what the status of my finger nails indicates regarding my over-all health than I am about how they look, although pretty fingernails would be nice : ) Thanks for your consideration, Becky

:-D Becky, thank you so much! Yes, I'm only caught up about three-quarters of the way through August, although I do sort in some more recent questions ~~ but I'm stepping up the pace!! :-}

You wrote earlier: In August of 2000 I had a mineral check done through Great Smokies Diagnostic Laboratory. The results indicated lower than reference range levels of chromium, cobalt, and manganese. In addition to adhereing to the diet, I've been supplementing with Methyl 12plus, Phytocal, Polyvite, Deflect, Fucus, Ester-C, organic flax oil, magnesium with silica, and have recently added horsetail shave grass and gotu kola. I've seen no improvement.

I agree that the nails are more than just decorations! Becky, could I impose upon you to write once more? Post a message to me containing three or four days' listings of what you eat and when. Note what your exercise activities and schedule are, and when you normally sleep & wake. How long have your nails been like this, and do you remember any triggering event? I'm posting all this here because I'm sure others will write in with some personal experience and advice! Between all of us, we'll get it cleared up, don't you worry!! :-)

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As a Type B person, I've been following Dr D'Adamo's directives with the Membrane Fluidizer Cocktail most mornings for several years. I recently purchased the Complete Blood Type Encyclopedia, and was surprised to see under the listing for Lecithin(p.518) that type B's should AVOID it! Is this something new? Now I'm confused! L.S.

AH! That error is MINE! :-) In copy-editing the food lists, I changed that entry, on the certain assumption that "soy granules" meant "lecithin." It did not mean lecithin, it referred to an old cereal listing. Well, it slipped through! Lecithin is fine for everyone ~ we've corrected it in the TYPEbase 3® database. Hope this alleviates the confusion, and my apologies!

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Tell me about horseradish. I understand it is good for me as an O. However, all the recipes I find call for prepared horseradish which has the vinegar in it. Any suggestions? I have a big ugly root in my refrigerator vegetable bin and am not sure what to do with it! Anyway to preserve it without vinegar - like freezing maybe? Thank you. melinda

:-) That big ugly root is what real home cooks and chefs use for horseradish! Scrub it off and use a grater to add however much you need to a dish. Warning - keep your face (eyes!) well away from the grating process, as this stuff packs some chemical "heat." It does not withstand freezing, but the fridge is fine, as long as you keep the root moist. Fridge air tends to be quite dry, and horseradish prefers 90-95% humidity with a temperature of 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit for longer-term storage. It is a fabulous taste... enjoy it!!

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Dear Heidi, You have probably thought of this already, but could it be possible to have a TV Cooking Show, preferably with a high profile chef with street cred (such as Jamie Oliver), for instance. You would provide hime with the recipes and theoretical background so that hopefully he (or whomever is the talking head) would present them in a convincing manner. Cheerio, Jenny

Oh, I dream of it, dear. Anyone "close-in" with one of the TV cookery chefs or management? I imagine that some market-minded soul is already planning such a show, or at least will feature the BTD at some point on a program now running. If anyone has a lead we might follow up, or needs our support, just sing out! :-) thanks, Jenny!!

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and, very sincerely, thank you all!!!