Hello everyone!  I'm celebrating my BirThDay today!  It's been a month since I started my new lifestyle and I'm wanting to share it with all of you!  I've been reading the board and enjoying the comraderie for most of the past month.  I haven't posted anything because I was just trying to absorb as much as possible of the ancient, modern and current history available here.  The archives are soooo full of great stuff that I find time passing so quickly that the next thing I know hours (which I need to spend doing something else!) have passed!  Today I wanted to post to say THANK YOU!  Thank you Dr. D for "taking the ball and running with it"! You have given so much to so many.  Thank you  bloggers for sharing your lives with us.  Thank you moderaters for keeping an eye on this important way for us to share our experiences.  Thank you posters for making me laugh, cry, think, research and enjoy my BTD.  My questions have been answered and hopes raised by reading your tales here.  I, myself, only had one "problem" when I started the BTD.  It was an "I" problem.  I wanted to eat what I wanted when I wanted and I didn't want to gain any weight or suffer any physical damage from it.  Well, we all know how that goes!       I will turn 50 by the end of this year.  My Dad and younger brother have Type II diabetes.  I refuse to join in that party!  I have lost 14 pounds in the past month.  I feel great and can honestly say that I can see myself living this for the rest of my life.  Thanks again to all of you!  You have been a terrific help and I appreciate it!!!      

Congratulations Mare eo

Enjoy your new life..

Cheers,
Yaman

A great big Welcome to you, Mary!  And a very Happy Birthday!!!

You've made so much progress in only one month!!  I applaud you for looking after your own health.  

Mare eo..welcome...welcome...welcome...and Thanx to U for joining here and congrats for your weightloss and thanx for your fine statement above and  I don't think  that you might join the diabetic league
if you'll continue on btd...no risk at all

Mare eo,

Welcome and congratulations!

Thank you for sharing.

Best wishes on this wonderful lifestyle.

I look forward to reading more from you.

Mary,
14 pounds in a month!  I'm impressed.  Welcome to our community and it is a real community of caring individuals that give a lot of themselves and share their experiences and their wisdom.
Jane

A Big Bravo to you Mare eo!!!!

And thank you so much for sharing your story with us. I wish you much health and happiness on your blood type diet journey!

And yes... welcome aboard!!!!

Yes, the weight loss was a big surprise to me as well!  I had hoped to lose but didn't expect it to come off so quickly!  I think it is because I'm an all-or-nothing sort of girl and jumped in head first!  I had been on Atkins in the past and so giving up grains wasn't hard for me.  I've had the stray rice cake w/ almond butter and banana and oatmeal once, but have aschewed grains for the most part.  The dairy was harder.  I LOVE, CRAVE, DESIRE.......ice cream and cheese.  I haven't had but the smallest amount of feta on a salad and a little mozzarella on some baked zucchini.  I have to admit to having a small, small scoop of chocolate ice cream once a week for the first three weeks as a reward for not eating any other avoids.  Now I'm beyond the "break in" and will only eat avoids if I'm in a situation where I have no other choices.  I've grow to love my big beef breakfast and don't know how I did without it in the past.  Thanks again for all the support, info, encouragment and help.  Now to get the hubby and the rest of the family to believe!!

with your positive example, you ll have no problem getting the rest of the family to follow!! )
good luck!
and congratulations!

Welcome to the forum Mare eo.

A most Happy Birthday wish to you today; may you have many more healthy years ahead of you.  This is just the beginning of a great lifestyle.

Alia

Welcome and congratulations!  

Mare eo-congratulations on your weight loss success and welcome to the BTD way of life.  Happy BirThDay to you.   I love your 'Beef.  It's what for breakfast.'  

Debra

Mare eo,
You are a great example of what can happen in a person's life when they sincerely give something a 100% chance.  You reap what you sow.  

Congratulations Mare eo on your recent success! and Happy Birthday!

Happy Saturday Mare eo !

I'm new, came across this, curious what your "beef breakfast" consists of. I too am an O and just started this lifestyle and am lovin' it! Congrats on your awesome month!

Just popping in to say a quick welcome to the forum and BTD to Mare eo and TracyAnn. Mare eo has already had quite an 'experience' this past month!   And with more to come.  

Thanks Italybound!!  Discovered BTD by an iridologist in Greenville SC while there visiting. I'm completely engrossed in the books! Just started, but already feel a tremendous difference. Makes you want to share this with everyone! Is this a return trip to Italy? Sounds fun!

TracyAnn,  I have found that I need to have my beef at breakfast to get my day going in the right direction.  Any fruit or starches have me looking for other similiar items by mid-morning.  I have an onion sauteed in olive oil for breakfast just about everyday.  I love onions and these come from my garden so they're cheap!  I add some beef to that.  I use any left-overs if there are any, otherwise I plan my meals in advance for the week.  For example,  I might make a roast when I have my oven on for something else.  I divide the roast into approx. 3-4 oz. serving sizes. I don't have a scale, I just estimate the portions based on the raw weight of the roast.  I used to put this on a bed of raw spinach....but... no spinach in the stores lately, so I have experimented with adding kale to the onion, using a bed of romaine lettuce and making a batch of collards one evening and adding them to the onion and beef for the next few days.  I have 4 oz. ground beef patties in the freezer that I use if there isn't something else in the fridge.  I have varied the seasoning by using sea salt, red cayenne pepper, curry powder or garlic powder(only on days I'm not going to work!! ).  I get up at 6 A.M., have a 16 oz. glass of water (sometimes with lemon, sometimes not).  I eat about an hour later and then I only drink water until lunch at 12:30 or 1:00.  I don't feel hungry when I follow this routine and starting the day with beneficials seems to be the answer for me.  
I am extremely happy to be part of this great community of BTDers!  I hope to see your future postings about your own progress!!

Quoted from Mare_eo

. . I get up at 6 A.M., have a 16 oz. glass of water (sometimes with lemon, sometimes not).  I eat about an hour later and then I only drink water until lunch at 12:30 or 1:00.  I don't feel hungry when I follow this routine and starting the day with beneficials seems to be the answer for me.  

I can really relate to this.  I used to be a big grazer, and nibbled all day.  This was in my pre-BTD days, when I started the day with a high carb meal.  I'm often surprised to look at the clock and realize that I haven't eaten anything in hours and feel no cravings.  I try and eat at roughly the same time every day, because otherwise, I tend to forget to eat.  There is no low blood sugar to make me feel like I'm starving!

And I always start my day with a glass of water too.  First thing.!!

Hey Mare e o and Victoria,

Thanks for sharing. I never thought of beef for breakfast before now, really, but I like how you say it gets the day going for energy. I drink water every morning and all day long - no problem there, not even missing coffee yet, and I LOVED it!! Green tea is helping me thru. Now, to get my fun-loving husband on this, that will be the challenge.  He is an A and probably couldn't even spell vegetarian. But, he loves sushi, so that will be my angle!!  Thanks for the encouragement. I'll keep you posted. Smiles,    

Beef for breakfast - I'm finally discovering it - along with onions and kale and some fresh garlic - and I've had a great day eating wise.  Hopefully that will continue into the evening - that's my time for struggling since my hubby really doesn't follow the BTD.  

Congratulations Mare eo on your success!!

Hello All,  I'm celebrating my second month BirThDay today and I thought I'd give an update.  My weight continues to go down but at a slower rate.  I've lost 5 more pounds for a total of 19 in two months.  I've been eating some neutral grains this second month while trying some compliant recipes.  I believe this may be the reason for the slowing of the weight loss, but that's OK.  I think the first month's loss was losing too quickly and think the 1 pound or so a week is about right.  I purchased by own copies of ER4YT and CR4YT so I can make any notes and tag important pages without messing up the library's copy!  Things are going great and I'm so happy with this lifestyle.  Still need to get the DH blood-typed and my own secretor status checked.  Moving forward!!  

Thanks for the update!

A pound a week is a great rate...very comfortable, and it adds up fast.  When I first tried BTD I too was shocked at my initial weightloss, especially since everything I had ever tried up until then hadn't worked.

Congratulations!

Mary,
great!! )

Great thread, Mary!  I'm glad you are doing so well with the BTD and it seems you are creative and smart in the kitchen, so your success should continue unabated.  Keep up the good work!

Congratulations Mare! Sounds like you're doing great.

Quoted from Mare_eo

I purchased by own copies of ER4YT and CR4YT so I can make any notes and tag important pages without messing up the library's copy!  Things are going great and I'm so happy with this lifestyle.  Still need to get the DH blood-typed and my own secretor status checked.  Moving forward!!  

When you are ready I recommend that you buy the LR4YT book, particularly when you decide to get your secretor status tested. It will help you take the BTD to the next level.

Ooopps!  My bad!  I bought the ER4YT and the diabetes book in August before starting the diet.  I just bought LR4YT and CR4YT.  I didn't proof my post...sorry.  I agree with your recommendation, MoDon, on getting the LR book for anyone who doesn't have it.  I am rereading it now.  I kind of went through it quickly when I borrowed it from the library.  So much to learn!  I'm looking forward to Dr. D's newest offering this coming year!  I've lent my ER4YT out for the second time since starting and had another friend that bought her own copy.  Thanks to everyone for your encouraging posts. Keeping on, keeping on.

Hello fellow BTDers!  Today is my 3rd Month BirThDay! I've lost another 4 pounds, for a total of 23 since August 12.  Here are some updates on my journey so far...I've found a bison ranch within 30 miles of me that I can purchased bison from.  I've added it as an occasional meat choice. I've tried all the bennie vegetables except  kohlrabi, okra, dandelion and chicory. Kohlrabi is next on the list. Dandelion and chicory(our local variety, not the fancy store kinds) are weeds in my garden so I guess I could go out next spring and grab a handful of young leaves and try them.  I've only had okra fried and will be looking for ways to fix it after growing some next year.  I'm trying to make fish a regular part of my diet but have never been much of a fish eater.  I used to eat some great fish when I lived closer to Chicago markets but it's hard to get fresh fish out here so my choices are frozen and canned.  My DH doesn't like fish so I usually have canned salmon on my salads for lunch or make a frozen fillet in the oven when making something else.  I know this isn't the ideal but as Suzanne Graham (blogger extrodinaire) once blogged, "When I can't do the best, I'll do the best I can do".  I regularly have a sauteed (in ghee) onion, beef and MoDon's collards for breakfast each morning and have not tired of this combo. It really starts my day off right. My favorite snack is a fruit and flax smoothie.  I have this as an evening snack.  I probably eat too many nuts but I don't really eat many grains.  I have come to love my green tea which I drink quite often. I continue to read the blogs and forums and am learning so much from all of you.  Thanks for your participation on this site and your support!

Oh, Mary, You are doing so great!!  You are an inspiration, and I salute you for really giving this a GO!

Thanks for sharing, and keep up the wonderful lifestyle.  It will keep you up!  

that s the spirit, Mary!
good job! )

WOW Mary,
Your thread is such an inspiration, especially to a newbie like me!!  I can really feel a difference when I follow the BTD, but am still working on my routine to rid my life of the avoids.  My schedule has involved eating out a lot so I am working on making adjustments there.  You provide so many good ideas (as do others on this board).  Thanks for sharing your success!!

Happy Holidays to all my fellow BTDers!  My 4th Month BirThDay passed without me posting my progress report so here it is.  I have lost only one pound this month, but I joined the YMCA the third week of November so I believe this may have something to do with the lag in the weight loss (we won't even acknowledge that there were two Thanksgiving dinners).  I get plenty of exercise outside during the Spring and Summer in my garden and yard, but this time of the year in Northern Illinois is not the best for outside labor or exercise.  I still walk (2 and 1/2 miles) with our dog on the days it's nice enough and the snow or ice isn't on the roads.  I am working the weight machine circuit at the Y twice a week and using the treadmill on days I can't walk outside.  I ordered blood type kits for my hubby and stepson and a secretor test for me.  I haven't taken the test yet.  The reason is because I'm trying to get my hubby to take it instead.  It turns out that he is an A+ (not a B like I thought he may be because of his success with Atkins and his tolerance of dairy).  I've told him that the A diet has a bigger difference between the nonnie and secretor diets and I think that it would be wiser for him to take the test.  He hasn't bought-into the whole BTD lifestyle.  He thinks it's great for me, BUT...... (Italybound, I feel your pain!)    Soooo, I'm waiting to see if he'll agree to taking it. My stepson is an AB+(yes, Isa, another royal for your group).  I've been spending alot of time rereading everything to get help with a multi  BT household.  I know that it will be a slow and gradual process to change my hubby's mind and diet but I'm up to the challenge!  

My prayer is that all of you will have a blessed Holiday (whichever one(s) you celebrate) and that if you have loved ones (like I do) that are far away at this time of year, that they will be safe and that you will have peace while missing them.

Mary,
Blogger Suzanne has some great ideas in her blog for making O / A household combination function smoothly...  Adding the AB will be a bit different because now you have someone who shouldn't eat chicken or corn.

You are doing really well!  Your family's good health will be the reward.

ABJoe, Thanks for the recommendation to read Suzanne's blogs, but hers were one of the first archives that I completed!   Little did I know when reading them that I would be in a similiar situation but I shouldn't be surprised by it.  I believe everything happens for a reason.  The AB part will surely be the trickiest.  My 20 year old stepson has Down Syndrome and eats lunches at his Day Services provider Monday-Friday.  He doesn't have any health issues so getting an MD to write a prescription for a change in the menu isn't likely to happen. While their menu is MUCH better than the one they served at his high school, it has alot of the typical cafeteria type stuff on it. He isn't going to say no to chicken since chicken strips/nuggets have always been a favorite of his. I'll have to do my best for the meals he eats at home. I'm just so glad to have the resources of this board and the support of the BTD community.  Holiday Wishes to you!

scroll down to blogger Chanur.....
she too has a multy BT household and is a great chef!
http://www.dadamo.com/oldblogger.cgi