It seems that everyone I know has issues with not enough time. This appears to affect blood type dieters especially since most all convenience foods are off limits to us. For the blood type dieter who is relatively new to this type of eating it can be especially true. If you compound that with a multi-blood type household it can be overwhelming. Not enough time to exercise. Not enough time to plan a menu(s) and shopping list(s). Not enough time to cook after returning from the grocery. Not enough time (or even energy sometimes) to eat after they are done in the kitchen…the list could go on, but I am sure you get the idea and I feel it’s a safe bet that you’ve had this experience yourself regardless of whether you are an old hand at the blood type diet lifestyle, are just getting started with it, or are just considering the possibility of maybe giving it a try.

Things that worked best for me (still do for that matter) actually required even more time on my part, but once they were done, have saved me an immeasurable amount of time.

The first thing I did was type a list in Word that was divided into each of the different food categories. Under the name of each category I put in how much I was generally supposed to have per week so I would know how much of each group to buy. Next, I typed in the appropriate foods that I liked and that are available in my particular part of the world under each category header. I now had a reusable, easy to edit, shareable with relatives, and printable as many times as I want GROCERY LIST!

The second thing I did was divide a new page in Word into two columns. The first column had the days Sunday through Wednesday listed on it. The second column had Thursday through Saturday and a ‘Notes to Self” part. Under each day of the week I put a form of exercise that I enjoy (or at least would be relatively not as hard to get myself to do). Next, using the suggested portion sizes and frequencies in Live Right For Your Type, I listed out the food groups that I planned to eat from that day. Some were no brainers like the veggies and fruits because you need them every day. Some were really easy like the eggs & cheese…I knew I wanted to max them out (at least initially) because I wanted to hang on to as much/many of them as I possibly could. To stretch them out as long as possible, I placed one portion each on Tuesday and Thursday and the remaining two portions of each on the weekend days to save them up as something to look forward to…sorta like a treat. Then I added in the rest of the groups. I put the groups in the order that I knew I should be eating them in. For example, we AB’s do best if we have our largest meal in the morning and then gradually have smaller and smaller meals the later it gets in the day. We also benefit from having some protein in the first meal of the day as well. I, personally, like to use food combining (or separating, depending on how you look at it) and know that veggies seem to have had a habit of getting set aside in favor of grains and such so I put their group and the animal based protein items at the top of each list. Next came beans because they would be good for lunch and I would be reading through the upper part of the list to get to them so I would be reminded of the veggies, again. Grains followed beans as an idea for supper. I sprinkled in the fruits, nuts, and beverages for snacks. I put oils/fats in last because it was unlikely that I would forget them. Under the “Notes” section, I typed my optional beverage items and reminders to drink my water and green tea and to take my supplements. Now, I had a reusable, easy to edit, shareable with relatives, and printable as many times as I want MENU, EXERCISE CHART, and REMINDERS all in one!

Because I had written the weekly totals for each group with the specific food items on the grocery list, I could go buy the best priced items I found, in the correct quantities for the week. When I got them home, I could then mix and match them however I wanted through out the week as they appealed to me from day to day in the quantities that I needed since they were listed by portion size under each day. Because I had each day preplanned with what groups I would be eating from, I would not run into the trap of eating all of the items I preferred to eat all at the beginning of the week and then be left with, well, the leftovers…it would be nutritionally balanced all week.

The next time saver, again, involves a lot of time at first, but saves time in the long run. It does not, however, involve a computer. I will save it for another blog though since this is only my first one and I see I have already written over an entire page.