Friday, October 10, 2014

Will This "Blood Type" Diet Really Work? I Doubt It.

The doctor looked at our weight and height stats and was not amused. She glanced at her charts then had each of us hop up on her exam table for further pushing and prodding. After some more examination, she issued her verdict (not completely a surprise):

"You both need to lose weight!"

Ouch! This despite a lot of hiking in Switzerland - nearly two hours a day on average-  and not on flat land either! But....then there were those 5-course meals every night at the hotel we stayed at in Wengen. We easily rationalized the meals because they were provided by the hotel and at much lower cost (25 Swiss Franks each or about $29 U.S.)  than any other meals we'd have been able to get. Okay, then we could still have ditched two or three of the courses, right? Not that easy when you saw what was coming at us.

So, ok, we got back home - nearly 3 1/2 weeks ago -  and started out on our normal regimen which clearly included no 5-course evening dinners. In fact, tuna or salmon salad sandwiches and maybe an apple. The midday meals were generally my biggest and I do admit to over-doing it a bit but not like the meals in Der Schweiz.  

The good news? When we did get to see the dr. - 9 days ago - my weight was the same as before I left, wife's slightly greater. The bad news, the doc wasn't satisfied and she worried about both of us veering into Type II diabetes. Her diet of choice for us both is what she has: full vegetarian (which is why she barely weights 105 lbs.) That would mean: 1 hard boiled egg and a half orange for breakfast, no toast, broccoli, lentils and half a hard boiled egg for lunch, and 1 cup yogurt - no sugar added type, with half an apple for dinner.

You get the idea of why neither of us was enthused?  So enter then the "Blood type" diet, which has been circulating for some time. Since we're both Type O this meant following a diet that included (cf. 'Blood Type O Food Beverage & Supplement Lists', by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo)

- lean red meats, salmon, cod and occasional chicken (2-3x a week). No pork! (Ouch! Out with the bratwurst!)

- Rice (including white Basmati) but no potatoes or breads - especially of the wheat form containing  gluten and not even my favorite (pumpernickel) which includes wheat gluten. (We can have rice bread)

-No dairy, including milk, our favorite cheeses and ice cream, but we can have butter

- No more oranges or avocados - but bananas are ok. Plenty of cherries, grapes and peaches but only one apple every now and then.

Well, you can spot the problem if one is a big bratwurst and potato eater, or one who likes to eat chicken more often than a few times a week.

Anyway, wifey, who received the Type O Diet list book a few days ago for her birthday (from one of her best friends) is gung ho about it and already ditching all the oranges left in the basket (I told her I will eat them) and has sworn off any more potatoes, ice cream and pork chops. 

I have attempted a gesture toward this diet, a few mild concessions if you will, such as no more ice cream (at least for now), no more pork chops or bratwursts (at least for now), and swearing off the cheddar cheese, for now.  However, I'm not ditching avocados which I regard as even more critical good fat source- since I've given up niacin (see my blog post on niacin's problems.) Nor am I ditching oranges, and I have made a mild compromise re: bread and potatoes: I forego hash browns or toast for breakfast, but allow a small serving (cup) of mashed potatoes or baked potato for lunch and two slices (for a tuna sandwich) for evening meal.

Can it work? I doubt it, even if I followed it religiously-  because diets don't work, period. People jump on one diet bandwagon or other (E.g. Atkins diet, "Paleo" diet etc.)  then eventually give up and go back to their no diet, normal state. Ultimately, it's not about diets but a basic energy formula: calories in =  no more than calories out.

But we will see how it goes!

No comments: