Day 31:  Monday, 17th June, 2013.

Well, that is my month on the Blood Group Diet Plan finished.  The time has passed quickly and this blog diary has been invaluable to me in recording my feelings, general health and how the change in eating has affected me both mentally and physically.  I am feeling much more alive, alert and confident.  I have lost over half a stone in weight and have lost inches.  My clothes are definitely looser.  This was not intended to be a weight-loss plan but because the diet is very low in fat and is dairy and red-meat free the daily calories are kept reasonably low.  I have had enough to eat and not felt hungry.  I have been 'peckish' a few times, but have assuaged this by eating soya yogurt, fruit or plain popcorn.

Lunch today was another salad, served with mashed pilchards on rice cakes.

My evening meal was a dish made of onions, celery, carrots and adzuki beans in a spicy sauce (turmeric, cumin and coriander).  I made enough of this to last for two meals, so I have another portion put sway for tomorrow.

This was tasty and filling.  I had some yogurt with pineapple later in the evening.

So, my month is over.  I shall continue on the plan and check in again in a month's time to see how I am progressing.

Day 30:  Sunday, 30th Jun, 2013

Nearly at the end of my month now and feeling the benefits of healthier eating.

Lunch today was a bowl of lettuce from the garden, some pilchards mashed with horseradish and spread on a couple of rice cakes and some sprouted seeds.

Evening meal was roast chicken served with cabbage, carrots and peas.  Not very exciting was pleasant enough.  

Day 29:  Saturday, 15th Jun, 2013

Awoke bright and early and looking forward to the day.  I am still sleeping much better than I had been and sleeping longer too.  I tend not to wake now much before 6.00am.

Lunch today was a Spelt Scone with a little honey and an apple.  Made a nice change from salad.

My evening meal was a bowl of Dove's Farm Brown Rice Pasta, pesto sauce and a serving of Feta style goat's cheese sprinkled on the top.  Again another lovely meal but I could have eaten twice as much.  I was hungry later in the evening so I had a bowl of cereal with soya milk to fill the gaps.

Day 28:  Friday, 14th June, 2013

Decadence!  Had friends round for lunch today and we shared in an orgy of delicious, but healthy eating at a buffet  lunch.  On the menu was: Goat's cheese, Ryvita, rice cakes, peanut butter, salmon and smoked trout pates, mixed salads, asparagus (eaten raw), radishes, chutney, strawberries & an assortment of other fruits.  I had also made some Spelt Scones and a wheat-free Lemon Drizzle Cake.

Had some of the leftovers for my evening meal.  Thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Day 27:  Thursday, 13th June, 2013

Another salad for lunch today, with the usual crispy mixed green leaves and sprouted seeds.

Evening meal was Whitefish, dry-fried and served with Rice & Wild Rice and Spring Greens.

Not very exciting, I must say, but edible.

I have just bought a ceramic frying pan.  It is wonderful as I can cook food without any fat or oil and it doesn't stick at all.  I can see great possibilities for omelettes and stir-frys with this.

Day 26:  Wednesday, 12th June, 2013

Had another Green Salad lunch today.  I also had a large helping of fresh alfalfa sprouts.  I followed this an hour later with a serving of Alpro Soya Yogurt, mixed with chopped pineapple.  Very refreshing. It was a nice change to have something sweet.

Evening meal was a Turkey and Butternut Squash casserole served with garden peas and cabbage.  Very tasty and satisfying.

I have not found the eating plan difficult to maintain.  I have had plenty to eat and have not felt hungry. Still feeling positive and good.

Day 25: Tuesday, 11th June, 2013

Enjoyed a lovely, self-indulgent lunch today of Goats Cheese Salad AND Avocado.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though the calorie count was higher than usual for a salad.  Avocados are so deliciously creamy and gorgeous, and together with the salty goat's cheese and the green crispy salad they were a divine combination.

Evening meal was a Chicken Sir Fry, made up of Chicken (of course) home sprouted mung beansprouts, chestnut mushrooms, celery, peas, onions, rice noodles and soy sauce.  This was savoury, crunchy and again, delicious.

I am feeling far more healthy than I have for ages and I have more enthusiasm for life and living.  I know this eating plan is making a real difference.  I still miss black pepper more than anything.  Strange.

Day 24:  Monday 10th June, 2013

I woke early after a night troubled by vivid dreams.  Not nightmares though.  I was dreaming about a shaggy, blue cow and trying to perform with my autoharp inside a cavern under an expanse of sand.  Weird and very peculiar.

Usual rice cake and honey breakfast.

Lunch was half of a grilled Manx Kipper with lettuce, fresh from the garden.  I followed this with a kiwi fruit and a pear.

My evening meal was a piece of baked Alaskan Wild Salmon, served with mixed grains (Quinoa, Brown Rice and Millet)  and a serving of green cabbage and carrots.  the fish was a bit dry as I forgot to brush it with a little olive oil and lemon juice.

I really fancy some chocolate.

Day 23:  Sunday 9th June, 2013

Again, I slept well and woke refreshed, although early.

Breakfast was a Kallo rice cake with honey, as usual.

Lunch was a Tuna Salad.  Evening meal was a Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry, with carrots, celery, onions, alfalfa sprouts, green cabbage, chestnut mushrooms and a few (30g) Soba brown rice noodles.  I enjoyed this and it was satisfying.  Everyone else had roast beef, roast potatoes and lots of vegetables.

Day 22:  Saturday, 8th June, 2013

Slept quite well and got up early as I wanted to do some more work on the clothes I am making.

Breakfast was a Kallo rice cake with a half teaspoon of local honey.  Gorgeous.

Lunch was tuna, mashed with a little horseradish and spread onto two rice cakes, plus a green salad.

We were taken out to a restaurant for our evening meal tonight.  Looking at the menu, I thought 'I am doing OK here as there is lots to choose from'.  I decided on a Goats cheese and Red Onion Tartlet  (I was not going to eat the pastry part of this) with a salad for starter and a Squash, Spinach and Vegetable main course (the only vegetarian option on the menu).  The waitress soon returned after taking our order to tell me that the 'Squash was off!'.  There was nothing else on the main courses menu that I could eat, so I opted for a second starter of Smoked Salmon, Horseradish and Prawns, even though the prawns are really a NO on the plan.  I had a dessert of Strawberry Jelly with a Champagne Sorbet.  Delicious, but not nearly enough sorbet.  

Day 21:  Friday 7th June, 2013

Oh deary, deary me.  I have not posted for a few days and I have already forgotten what I ate on Friday.  It is very obvious that my memory is not much improved by the diet.  Maybe it will come back to me if I think about it for a while.  What an idiot.  I should have written it all down as usual.

I have now remembered that I had Whitefish for my evening meal.

Day 20: Thursday 6th June, 2013

Slept much better last night, but I was exhausted when I went to bed, so no wonder.  Woke up feeling refreshed and ready to face the day.

My hayfever was not so bad today, even though it was very hot and breezy outside.  

Lunch today was a mixed herb omelette (chives,parsley & lemon thyme) served with some braised portobello mushrooms and a couple of sliced radishes.  It made a nice change from salad.

Evening meal was leftover turkey, mushroom and butternut squash bake from the other night.  I don't like to waste food, or anything really, so I had wrapped it and put it in the coldest part of the fridge.  I re-heated it thoroughly in the oven.  It was very enjoyable, tasty and filling.  Feeling satisfied.

Day 19:  Wednesday, 5th June, 2013

Another bad night.  I lay awake for hours and was unable to settle and sleep.  Drank some water.  Eventually fell asleep at dawn.   Got up at 8.00am and had a shower.  Felt much revived and ready to face the day.

Had a rice cake with local honey, to help counteract the hayfever, for breakfast.

Lunch today was a green salad, with cucumber and alfalfa sprouts plus the remainder of the tinned salmon.

For our evening meal, I cooked a free-range chicken in the oven and served this with fresh asparagus spears and green cabbage from the garden.  No potatoes for me.  I am not all that keen on potatoes anyway, unless of course they are made into chips!  I am slowly getting accustomed to meals without black pepper, and I am still finding this the hardest thing to manage without.  I thought giving up dairy would be the most difficult, but surprisingly, no.  I am quite enjoying the freshness of black coffee, and I always had soya milk on cereals anyway.

Hope I sleep tonight as I feel very tired this evening.

Day 18:  Tuesday 4th June, 2013

I slept really badly. Kept waking up and tossing and turning.  Woke up feeling very tired and irritable.  The weather was already warm by 9.00am and the pollen count was rising quickly.  I think that because the Spring was so late this year, all the flowers and grasses are blooming together and the pollen is much higher than is usual.  My eyes are very sore and itchy and by 10.30am I couldn't breathe properly through my nose.  I had already taken an antihistamine tablet on waking.  Generally felt miserable and sorry for myself.

At lunchtime I had a green, aromatic salad, with alfalfa sprouts and some tinned Alskan pink salmon.  Dressed this with a little oil and lemon juice.

Evening meal was Turkey, portobello mushroom and butternut squash pie.

This is a very tasty and filling recipe and it was served with cabbage, fresh from the garden.  (This photograph is of a previous outing of this particular recipe).

Looking foreard to a good night's sleep tonight.

Day 17:  Monday, 3rd June 2013

Seventeen days into the programme, so more than halfway through.  I am finding it surprisingly easy to stick to and am not experiencing any hunger pangs at all.  I am feeling fitter and more alert generally, and that has got to be a very good thing.  

The last six months have been difficult for me, and I have been in and out of hospital for intravenous antibiotics and two operations.  My system was definitely feeling the overload of toxins.

Lunch today was a very simple stir-fry of a small portion of turkey breast, together with carrots, onion, celery, lentil sprouts, a few brown rice noodles and soy sauce.  Very enjoyable and tasty, and so quick and easy to prepare.  Not too much washing up either.

Evening meal was, I am afraid to say, was half a portion of a takeaway Chinese Chow Mien.  Naughty but very nice indeed.  I have eaten several pieces of fruit today and some Alpro soya yogurt to balance things up a little.

 Day 16: Sunday, 2nd June, 2013

Woke up feeling rested and looking forward to the day.  Lots of projects I want to get on with including some stitching, cutting out and pattern-making.

Lunch today was a mackerel fillet served with a slice of Spelt Bread.  The mackerel was brushed with horseradish and lemon juice and then heated in the oven inside a foil packet.  Very filling indeed.  So much so, that I couldn't eat much of my evening meal.  I had a little bit of turkey, parsnip, carrot and cabbage.  Later on in the evening I had a small portion of stewed apple with some soya yogurt.  I now feel really full. 

Nothing else to report.  I will try harder tomorrow.

Day 15:  Saturday, 1st June, 2013

Still feeling the benefits of the Blood Group Plan.

Finished the remainder of the sardines from yesterday and made up the same mixture of the fish, horseradish & lemon juice.  Spread the mixture on Spelt Bread toast as yesterday and had another green salad again with sprouted lentils.  I have started some alfalfa sprouts today.  They will make a nice change from the lentils. 

Evening meal was a Chicken and vegetable stir fry. This was made up of chicken, of course, with celery, onions, carrots and leftover brown rice plus a little soy sauce.  Very tasty and filling.

Day 14:  Friday, 31st May, 2013

Still waking up refreshed after uninterrupted sleep.  This is a real bonus and I am generally feeling more alert and ready to face the day.

Two weeks on the plan now completed.  I definitely feel better and much more 'alive' than I have done for the past few months.  I am sure that I have lost weight.

Lunch was two thin slices of Spelt Bread toast, spread with 1/2 tin of sardines (in brine), mashed up with horseradish and lemon juice, plus a sprinkle of sea salt.  Served this with a green leaf and lentil sprout salad. It was quite a pleasant meal and the bread was quite a change. Must admit that the daily salads are becoming a little samey.  Must think up some new ideas.

Evening meal was Wild salmon served with brown rice and runner beans (picked from our garden and frozen).