Biev's journal (with pictures)

[RRM]

Now the fun part starts, I get to experiment with munch foods.

Hmm, in my experience that wasnt fun, as my acne came back every time i tried to eat some...

I'm just so bored eating the same thing everyday.

Thats just in the initial stage. The longer you are on the 100% strict diet, the less your urge for variation.
Variation is key to any cooked food diet, but not to a raw food diet, eventually (once the 'memory' / imprint for beta-carbolines / opioid peptides is gone)
Instead, your body will start to crave for the food that best satisfies its needs for the moment (cholesterol, glucose, omega 3, protein, etc.)

[Biev]

After 4 weeks

You're right, my urge to eat different stuff has calmed down, I'm quite content to eat the same thing most days. Now what "urges" me is mostly my husband nagging that we can never eat the same thing anymore, and he feels bad eating things I can't have, blah blah blah ;o) On the days that we're off together, I usually cave and make us a small munch food that we can have together, though I'm trying to take it slow so I can isolate what I'm having a reaction to if it happens.

So far I've eaten my egg yolks over potatoes, and over rice. I didn't notice any changes, but the heat kind of grosses me out now that I'm used to cold food. I do enjoy cold potatoes or cold rice, especially when I run out of orange juice (sure beats swallowing the eggs by themselves).

I also ate sushi rolls that were just nori, rice, raw fish and avocado. That was fine too. But two days ago I ordered sushi, and it came with a wasabi mayonnaise on the side. I only barely tasted it, but it was so freaking spicy! I guess I never noticed before, because I used to eat a lot of curry and spices. But wow. It was so strong that I completely didn't realize that the roll itself was also spicy, until I was almost done eating it. And yeah... I had little bumps on my chin in the morning, and one of those under-the-skin pimples next to my nose, that you couldn't see on a picture but I know it's there and it hurts (-_-);

I didn't specify before : even though I've only had the big acne outburst once, the skin on my forehead has always been bumpy, and the pores around my nose are so big, whenever they fill up with sebum I can clearly see it (-_-); It's never particularly bothered me (since no one ever notices) except for the odd under-the-skin pimple now and then, which I always assumed must be from having 5 cats rub up against my face all the time... so when I started the diet I didn't put this into the equation at all. Heh.

First note : spicy = no-no

A few days ago though I wondered if my soap might be at fault, since I only ever use soap on my nose and forehead. So I stopped, and my forehead is much less bumpy already. It definitely had something to do with it. No wonder, since it was strong antibacterial soap! I'd been meaning to throw it away for ages (-_-);

That's all for now!

Merry Christmas everyone! : D

[Biev]

After 5 weeks

Acne : Well, you can add sour cream to the list of things I can't have (-_-); I only had a tiny bit, and look...



Sleep & mood : Well, my husband and I are separating at the moment, so....

Weight : I weigh myself everyday and I'm usually either at 118 or 120. Yesterday I was 116 and today I'm 114lbs. I'm thinking that has to do with the breakup as well. We've (well... he) only decided to separate a few days ago (for Christmas - fun eh?) so I guess I must have been eating less than usual the past few days. I'll try to watch that. I've got delicious cuban bananas (my favorite thing in the world to eat), so I should be fine : P

Otherwise, I'm so happy with how I look. Usually if I diet and lose weight my boobs melt away while my belly stays round, and with this, it's the opposite. Maybe I'll post before/after belly pictures, if I can find some "before" ones. No boob pictures, though : P

Food : My typical diet hasn't changed much. I keep a container of dried fruit and nuts, and sprinkle some over fruit in the morning. I eat one fruit at a time, whenever I get hungry. For lunch I fill my (small) bento box with half fruit, half salad. I stick to the regular salad, except if there's only cucumber left, I add dill instead of chives, or a mix of sesame oil, soy sauce or ponzu, and some nori strips or sesame seeds. For dinner I either have 3 yolks in juice, or if I'm out of juice, 2 yolks over potatoes or rice, with chives.

Since the beginning I've been using mostly pasteurized juice (since at first I didn't know) and obviously I've done fine on it. So now that I have a juicer, I also make myself a glass of fresh orange or grapefruit juice in the morning.

The only time I experiment with munch foods is when my husband is home and gives me sad puppy eyes so we'll eat the same dinner together. ...Well, I'll be moving out soon anyway, so I'll probably stay closer to the 100% strict diet.

Other stuff : I think overall I'm doing better than before. First, I'm in a tough situation right now and handling it much better than I would have expected. Second, I have a cold, but usually my colds are much worse than this. I mostly just have a runny nose. I'm pretty sure if I was sleeping properly I'd be over this cold already.

Also, you were right about the fruit diet making periods less painful. In fact I almost didn't feel this one, and there was so much less blood than usual, I completely didn't realize that I was having my period, I thought it was just some random light bleeding until I noticed the dates on my calendar matched. Wow.

[Christina]

Hi Biev
I hope you feel ok during this separation time and find someone much better for you whenever you're ready.
I am so happy that I have a raw food husband. It makes it way easier!
Look for one of those. But not one of those vegans. They can be a pain, because they really judge the fish, yolks...sorry, I love you raw vegans, too
The news about the boobs and belly sound great! Don't you love this diet.
Christina

[Oscar]

Good luck with the separation...

No boob pictures, though : P

Not even for 'scientific' reasons??

Good to hear about the positive changes.

[dionysus]

Sorry to hear about the breakup. Always tough.

But you're looking great. Congrats.

[Biev]

Thanks guys.

It's nice to be able to come back here for encouragement. It seems to bother the people around me a lot whenever I talk about what I eat and don't eat. They argue that my diet is not "normal", that not all these foods could possibly cause acne, everything is ok in moderation, etc... and when I start to explain, they roll their eyes or get angry. I don't really understand why.

Not even for 'scientific' reasons??

Ha! If I didn't have readers, maybe : P They're already gonna dig up those pictures as it... maybe I should have posted under a new pseudonym ^.^;; (They don't mean any harm... fans just get carried away sometimes)

[Oscar]

[Biev]

Week 6

The good news : this didn't happen consciously, but I guess either out of instinct or laziness, I've gradually started eating smaller meals more often. Instead of making a fruit salad like in the beginning, I only eat one fruit at a time now - with nuts if it's sweet, by itself if it's acid (because it makes the nuts taste awful!), or by itself but closely followed by either one tomato with olive oil and chives, half an avocado with lemon juice, or some cucumber slices with sesame oil, ponzu (soy sauce + citrus) and sesame seeds (I should probably not make this a habit, though - might try to go back to just oo and dill, since I'm not to crazy about the cucumber-chives mix). I get hungry much more often than before, and I'm slowly getting the habit of getting up and grabbing some food when as soon as that happens, rather than trying to finish what I'm doing first.

The bad news : My skin heals so slowly when I eat munch foods! When I was on the strict diet, it was practically overnight, but now it's been a week and I still have those two red spots (they're better, but still there). It's discouraging, because the car's broken so I can rarely get a ride to the grocery store, so the much foods have really been helping me make my supplies last (-_-);

Although I think there are other factors contributing to my skin healing slowly this week, like lack of sleep (due to the breakup), and lack of egg/fish (my eggs weren't fresh, and neither was the sushi I ordered)...

Part good part bad : Well, it seems I can eat white bakery bread without breaking out! This will be helpful when I run out of juice, because I can just dip a small piece of bread in my egg, rather than having to cook rice or potatoes (I don't like warm food anymore, yuck! even though I still enjoy them cold).

The downside is that after eating some delicious tomato-mayonnaise sandwich, I've just been craving those constantly. Craving is not good >_< I ended up having one a day until I ran out of tomatoes! To be fair, they were delicious tomatoes from my father-in-law's garden, so I couldn't get enough. With the tomatoes gone, I leave the bread alone, at least... but still, I eye it with suspicion, now : P

[thecalaquendi]

The taste and texture of the yolk is actually nice, it reminds me of that orange juice mixed with milk that was so popular a while back. I think what made it gross was the little bit of egg white that came with the yolk. That stays gooey and I've always found egg white to be one of the most disgusting things on Earth.[/quote]

I totally agree... yet it so happens you that don't need to eat the egg white and, actually, you should avoid it (I believe I read somewhere (maybe even in this forum) that raw egg white inhibits digestion!)

I can't find the specific thread right now, but I also remember reading the 'perfect' (for me anyway) way of extracting the egg yolk, not only from the egg white, but also from its protective membrane:

(Do this over a sink to avoid a mess, or over a bowl if you want to conserve the egg white)

1. Take the egg in one hand and use a spoon to gently crack the egg's apex.

2. Next peel away the top of the shell and then gently tip the contents of the egg (yolk & white) into your other hand (over the sink.)

3. Let the egg white slip through your fingers until it is mostly all gone.

4. If there is some left, turn on the sink in such a way that you will have a gentle yet steady flow of water. Cup your hands (with the egg yolk inside) and feel them with water.

5.Let the water run close (but not on, or it might break) to the egg yolk so that it spins. Let it spin away until all the extra residue is gone.

6. You can now pick up the yolk with your fingers (as it is no longer gooey and slippery.) Either pierce a hole in its membrane (with a fork, for instance) and let the liquid contained within pour over a nice salad (or into your orange juice), or simply hold it above your mouth and pierce it with a combination of suction and pressure (with your lips) and let it's yummy contents fill your egg-yolk-craving mouth .

Trust me, it is a whole lot better without that slimy raw egg white (which you can keep to make meringue for your husband... and you'll only have one bowl and the egg beater to wash )

[thecalaquendi]

Hah... I just realized that this thread is actually three pages long and, having only read the first few posts and replies, my previous post is probably somewhat redundant... oh well

[Biev]

Hehe, yeah I figured out the technique after a few attempts ^.^;;

[Oscar]

^.^;;

Sorry for the off-topic, but so far I've not been able to decipher this smiley...could you explain it?

[Biev]

I've tried to write this several times, and each time there was a power surge >_<

Oscar, it's an uncomfortable smile (happy face with sweatdrops)

Weeks 7-8



Acne : I still have a tiny red mark from the sour cream incident (which was aggravated by a "too much bacon" incident last week), but otherwise I'm good. My skin doesn't feel completely smooth, and I'm starting to think that it won't get there unless I drink only unpasteurized juice, but frankly right now that is both too much trouble and way out of my budget.

Sleep & mood : My husband and I still have another 3 weeks together until I fly out of here and we're officially separated, so the mood at the house isn't so great and I've got plenty to stress about - like how I'm going to be able to afford groceries after I move. My sleep schedule is all out of whack.

Weight : For two or three days I was too bummed to want to eat much, and my weight dropped to 112 lbs. That freaked me out a bit, so now I'm being extra careful, and I seem to be gaining it back.

I've noticed that I mostly retain water in my belly. If I don't eat much foods my belly stays nice and flat (and it's getting more defined, which is awesome) but if I eat, say, bread or fries, then the next morning it looks bloated. It's pretty funny : )

Food : I've been eating more much foods lately, often because I often run out of good ingredients but mostly because I'm feeling down most of the time, so I'm more loose with the rules. So here are the results of my experiments.

Munch foods I eat (in small amounts) : rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, veggies, butter, bread, sesame oil, nori, jelly, low sodium soy sauce, ponzu, mayonnaise, ice cream, cookies, chocolate, cinnamon, random herbs, peanut butter, pasta (also lobster bisque from A&E lobster house, yay!)

Munch foods I can't eat :
- wasabi
- sour cream
- more than a bite of bacon (T^T)

[Biev]

After 6 months

Hey! Long time no see, right? A lot has changed in my life - divorce, changing countries, new work, etc. Here's how I'm doing these days.

I've been following the diet, more or less strictly, since October now. Since I don't live with my (ex)husband anymore, no one pressures me into eating munch foods or big meals - at home, that is. Whenever I ate with other people before, they never paid attention to what I said I could / couldn't eat, and often just got angry if I tried to insist... so I've just been telling everyone I'm vegetarian, it's easier for them to remember and they seem more inclined to respect it. So I do eat munch foods whenever I'm out with others, which happens a few times a week - although my best friend has begun to pick up some of my habits (smaller meals, more fruits and vegetables). The thing is, I'm more poor right now than I ever have been in my life, so I have to learn to make do with what I can afford and I'm simply grateful for what people give me. Even if that's usually just things I shouldn't be eating. Whenever my mom buys me a loaf of bread, I hug it. *sigh*

There's another factor that's made following this diet a lot harder for me, though. I've talked about my health issues before, mainly chronic urinary tract infections... I've gone through all sorts of tests, all of them have come back negative, so the leading theory right now is allergy (either to food or a protein in sperm, or a combination of the two). Meanwhile I've discovered that eating acidic fruits makes the pain come back immediately. Yup, that includes drinking orange juice with the sugar and oil - I can't handle it at all anymore. That's a big problem because that's what I ate the most. At least I got used to eating smaller portions more frequently so I don't feel like my energy is dropping so much that I need the juice in between meals, really. But it makes it troublesome to eat the egg yolk (and it's not like I can afford raw fish these days). So I end up eating the egg over boiled potatoes mostly.

Acne : I've had no problems whatsoever. My skin never feels completely smooth though.

Sleep & mood : Immediately after our separation, I was too angry to sleep well. But I work so hard during the day, that I managed to get blissful sleep at night after a while. That is, until I was kicked out of my room and had to switch to a small, rock-hard mattress. It's so hard that I wake up numb and in pain. I have to do something about it somehow. Gah~

The same goes for my mood. I'm happy to have friends around and to meet a lot of people, and I enjoy working hard and keeping busy. But there's still a lot of anger there that I don't really know what to do with. I suppose it would be strange if I wasn't angry after being treated like dirt and cheated on then dumped, eh. At least I feel like my life is improving and I'm not tempted to look back at all. So I feel pretty happy as long as I'm keeping busy and seeing friends a lot. At the same time though, I'm very stressed since I have no stable source of income, and that makes it WAY harder for me to control my OCD, which means every time someone intrudes in my space, I feel like I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown - and I live with the absolute most intrusive person there is. Well, I'll get through it somehow.

Weight : Well, my ex threw away my scale when I moved, ha. So I have no clue how much I weigh, but I'm thinking it probably hasn't changed much at all since last time. I'm thin enough for people to say they envy me but not so skinny that they worry about my health, so that's good.

Food : I usually have about three small meals of fruits with nuts or coconut oil, two of three small meals of vegetables with olive oil, and one or two yolks over potatoes with butter in the evening. It was a bit harder to find decent fruits or veggies in Montreal in the winter, so I often ended up making apple or plum sauce and eating it with cream, or sautéing vegetables in oo. But now that spring has finally arrived the fruits and veggies don't get damaged from the cold as much, so they're easier to enjoy raw.

Ah, one thing I've had to adapt too, moving from tropical weather to the cold of canadian winter : hot. drinks. If I eat only cold food, as soon as I put down my fork my body goes cold and I start shaking like crazy! Since citric acid gives me pain, I can't do the water and lemon thing, so I often have just plain hot water. But occasionally, I have herbal tea or hot chocolate (another thing I can't really afford).

Munch foods : Occasionally I'm served high protein food like tofu or cooked seafood, and since I don't want to turn it down... Well, that seems to make my skin a little bumpy. It's not really that big a deal though (and it sure beats not eating). I haven't had any pimples at all though.

That's about it for the update! Sorry I don't have a new picture, but the ex kept the camera too. In retrospect, getting married was not such a great idea : P