I grew up in the Caribbean with a traditional, regional diet. It always worked well for me at a young age, but as I grew up and moved to America, I got away from the food of my youth and gained weight in the process. In 2012, I hit the highest weight of my life at 212 pounds and couldn’t take the way I felt any more. I knew I had to do something, so I went out and bought Eat Right 4 Your Type and Live Right 4 Your Type. The best part about reading both books was they just MADE SENSE. They were simple to understand and easy to integrate into my lifestyle.

After finding out I was a Type O, I took the advice from Dr. Peter D’Adamo’s books and transitioned to a diet that was strikingly similar to the foods I was eating back home in the Caribbean. I also began walking, an exercise recommended for my type. These two changes in unison led to the loss of over 60 pounds. After a year of following the lifestyle plan, I went to visit Dr. D’Adamo’s clinic in Bridgeport, CT to get past a weight loss wall and reach my own personal goal of 140 pounds. He recommended I add running to my routine, as it was another great activity for my blood type that would shed even more calories than the walking I was already doing. I took his advice and started running in 2013, losing an additional 15 pounds as I ran in marathons and trail races and often found myself finishing in the top 3 in my age group. My energy level, cognitive ability, and overall wellness had never been higher across the board. I truly felt alive.

As with anything in life, things can come out of the blue and set you back. In 2015, I caught a spell of bad luck when I sustained a foot injury that made it impossible for me to run for several months. Even when it healed, I was unable to run at the same level I had before the injury, which led to a weight gain of 20 pounds despite eating the right foods. Now, in 2017, I am back to running more comfortably and am shedding the pounds once again. Even when I was unable to do the activities that Dr. D’Adamo recommended for my blood type, maintaining the healthy Type O diet kept my health at amazing levels that made losing weight again when I was able to exercise a cinch and made sure my body didn’t balloon in the meantime. I am turning 60 this year and incredibly proud of how I look and how I feel. Through good times and bad, I firmly believe the Blood Type Diet is the reason I am as healthy as I am today.