Does the Blood Type Diet work? Yeah, kinda, maybe?

The Blood Type Diet, or "Eat Right For Your Type," created by Dr. Peter D'Adamo, contends that each blood type evolved to metabolize certain foods that were natural to a person's ancestral environment, and that the exercises done now should reflect those that would have been done ages ago.  Type-Os thrive on a high-protein diet and intense exercise, evolved in the north and is the oldest type; Type -As are suited to an organic vegetarian diet, should do yoga and keep calm, and evolved when the original Africans pushed further into Europe in search of food; Type-Bs should eat lean meats and proteins (not chicken) and green vegetables, should do mental/physical exercises, and evolved when they were pushed into the Himalayas; and Type ABs are a combination of Type A and Type B so it is suggested they combine both A and B diets and exercises.

In the last 6 months, I did the Blood Type Diet twice, for 6 weeks at a time.  I'm not sure if that's long enough to see results or to judge something properly.

I am type O+ (the most boring of the blood types) and just going by the website, I went on a high protein, intense exercise kick.  I ate half a piece of pumpernickel bread with every meal (because I was worried about my kidneys) and the rest was protein.  I also did circuit training and went swimming for an hour every day.

In the summer I noticed the best results.  I lost about 3" off my waist (which is good for me because I've always been the same size, which is weird).  I never was more happy in my life, and I was quite muscular.  I still have some muscle under there, I think.

I went off of it because it is a HARD diet to maintain.  Unless you pack a lunch of a picnic ham and a can of salmon, and travel with a chicken in your bag, you are going to break the rules.  Even if you did that, you'd still need to pack a cooler and a can opener.

I went back on it for a while in October until around the beginning of December and I lost about 7 lbs, which isn't really noticeable.  It was terrible, though.  I was starving, achy, bitchy and moody.  I went off it.

Now the thing with this diet is this: I noticed results, but it coincides with the other things that I was doing.  For example, in the summer, I was extremely happy.  But I was also exercising intensely, the sun was out, I started dating my boyfriend, etc etc.  Did the high protein really have anything to do with that?  Also, I noticed that the more omnivorous, regular diets coincide with the less common blood types, so it's more likely that the more common blood types will lose weight by picking up a more strict diet.  The Type O diet resembles the Atkins diet, the Type A diet is obvious because vegetarians who eat "fresh organic produce" are obviously consuming "less" calories.   Was I on the Atkins diet or the Blood Type Diet?

I want to believe that this diet actually works, but I'm not sure.  I believe Dr. D'Adamo and his evolutionary theories.  I'm Icelandic and everyone in my family has an O+ blood type, and I can see how my Viking relatives would have survived on high protein intake and intense bursts of exercise.   And it does say I'm more predisposed to ulcers and thyroid disorders (for me it's ulcers).  But...this screams fad to me.  People like to be different and have things specialized for them.  It's just obvious ways to decrease calories packaged into a feeling unique diet.  And it says that Os are outgoing.  No one in my family is outgoing!

So if you want to lose weight just eat less calories.  I've pretty much put myself through every fad imaginable, that's the only thing I can tell you.  I'm still going for it.