I Eat Fruit

Marathon!

2008-07-22T17:50:00.002-05:00

Hey guys. Just wanted to point out that I'm training for a marathon. I'm writing about it in my newspaper and updating my blog for the paper daily. The first article ran today and got a huge response.

You can read about my experience at: http://running-raw.blogspot.com/

Scroll down to the bottom for the original article from the paper.

Running Through It

2008-07-15T19:39:00.004-05:00

Sarah's post about running got me thinking.

I started running in college too. It sounds corny, but it was almost magical when I first discovered running.

I can remember it almost perfectly. I had spent a Saturday morning and afternoon mountain climbing, and I came back to my dorm with this intense energy, and a bit of mental turmoil over an unrelated topic.

I was wearing some old pair of shorts and a pair of some nearly soleless skater-like sneakers. I walked out of my dorm into the cool September night.

I can remember the smell of fall in the air, and the way the night seemed to crackle with energy like it does but rarely.

I walked along the outskirts of the college, not quite sure why I was driven to do so, until I got to a well-lit field where the soccer team was facing off against some opponent.

I just remember seeing this one player sprinting across the field at unbelievable speeds, his legs a blur, his arms swinging.

I hadn't really run anywhere in my life, I suddenly realized. I had done laps, I had run the bases in baseball, but when was the last time I had really just run? In my mind it almost seemed like I was prohibited from running in some strange way. I didn't have a reason to run. I realized that I was somewhat jealous of that soccer player sprinting away.

Suddenly, before I knew what I was doing, I was off running into the night. I flew over the sidewalks, my lungs pumping air, my blood surging, and suddenly there was a laugh on my lips.

I chuckled to myself as I weaved through the dark, because, I suddenly though, it is quite good to be alive.

Eventually my body started to complain over the new strain, and I slowed to a plodding jog. Miles went by before I found myself back at my dorm, sweating, breathing hard, but feeling intensely satisfied.

I run from today forward, I thought to myself. Now all I need is a pair of running shoes.

I'm continuing my work on my website. I just put up a page on Crohn's Disease.

I've added some ads to my site. It's my goal to make some income from my writing, and I hope that people won't be turned off by the ads. A lot of people have told me that my site really helps, and that they're inspired by it, so I hope it can be a quid pro quo situation.

I enjoy helping people, and I hope they will benefit, but it would be nice if my hours of slaving away produced some income.

I'm hoping for the best.

-Andrew

2008-07-06T21:40:00.003-05:00

I decided to tackle acne, my arch nemesis, and made a page about it today. Here it is.

The Website and Raw Fats

2008-06-30T11:42:00.002-05:00

If been devoting much of my free time to my website, Raw-Food-Health. If anyone is interested, check out a few of my newer pages and let me know what you think. If you just stumbled upon them, would you be inspired to change?

1) Escape Disease
2) Loose Weight

Besides that, I've been doing a ton of biking. I went five hours and over a bunch of hills Saturday. I felt exhausted at the end, but in a completely pleasant way. I woke up the next morning without any sore muscles, surprisingly. I have more stamina on the bike than I would have expected.

I'm slowly dropping my weight towards 9 percent body fat. I'm currently about 11. I'd like to build up some muscle to replace the lost fat, and so I've been doing a lot of handstand push ups, one handed push ups, etc. Weights at the gym would work better, but I can't say I've ever really enjoyed lifting weights like I enjoy running or biking.

Hope everyone is doing well.

-Andrew

Bananas and the future.

2008-06-17T11:17:00.003-05:00

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but I absolutely love bananas. They're cheap, nutritionally they cover a lot of ground, and they're high in calories while being low in fat.

They also taste amazing. Now that it's summer, there's little that I enjoy more than some nice, cool, banana milk. (6 bananas, 2-3 ice cubes, water, blended). Throw in some blackberries or some blueberries and you've got an entirely different experience. What more can you ask for in your food?

Anyway, I've moved into the new apartment, and everything is great, but I've been busy getting everything set up these past couple of weeks. I never imaged that hanging shades could be so time consuming.

Though I can get wireless internet for free in the apartment, the signal isn't that steady. I'm going to have to go out and buy a cable internet service.

I've been going through some visualization exercises lately, and assessing what I'm doing with my time.

I started a new raw food website, www.raw-food-health.net , a few months back, though I've been a bit too busy to add to it too frequently. I looked at the stats today, though, and my hits are rising every month despite my relative neglect.

One of the things that my exercises have pointed out is that I really want to make this site a success, for me and for others. People should have access to clear, concise, raw food information on the web, and I intend to do my best to deliver it to them so that more people can cure themselves of their diseases and find true health and happiness.

I can be an agent of positive change.

Now it's just a matter finding the time and having at it. But first, I need the internet.

I took a four hour bike ride Sunday in the rain. It was delightful. I was soaked, but I was having a great time. My legs got a bit tired towards the end, but nothing too bad.

I think I'd like to get a bit more ambitious with my riding. I've been wondering about the feasibility of a ride to Boston. I'm thinking that I could probably do it in a day if I started early and planned to arrive by evening. It's a good excuse to visit my brother, anyway.

I'm going to have to ask some advice from some raw foodist riders that I've met online, and then get into a bit better shape.

Have a good day!

New Apartment, New Fruit Situation

2008-06-04T19:37:00.006-05:00

I'm moving to an apartment in the city where my newspaper is located this weekend. I'll eliminate my 30-40 minute daily commute, the rent is reasonable, there's free wireless internet, I'll have a free pass to a local gym, and my view is fantastic. My commute is a five minute leisurely stroll to the office, and there's even a small theater that puts on plays on the corner that caught my eye.

These are all fantastic things to be excited about. I love the idea of being able to stroll to the library to look for books, and if the downtown is a bit..distressed, well it's the downtown that I cover, so it makes sense for me to be there.

But it made me stop and think about how my mind now works differently as a fruitarian than it did previously.

The Entry:

I started moving in some furniture today and my parents came along because my father's station wagon can hold a lot.

Opening the door, my mother went straight to the stove and microwave. "Oooo, these are nice," she said. "Do you have pots for this stove?"

My mother is quite aware that I haven't cooked anything for quite some time, so I'm not sure what she was thinking.

"Yep," I said, noncommittally, wondering to myself if there was a way to unplug the suckers to reduce phantom power draw. (Did I mention I was a tree hugger?)

Going further in I discovered my utility closet, and stepping inside I noticed how hot it was from the equipment.

"What a waste of space," my mom said. "Too bad they had to ruin this closet with all this stuff."

"This is a perfect!" I muttered.

This closet is exactly what I need to accelerate fruit ripening, I thought. Whoever put all this hot stuff in such closed confines was brilliant.

Then I started thinking about my lack of a basement.

Lackadaisical Musings

When you're a fruit eating monster like myself, you need to develop technique to stay well fed. Primitive man could hunt, and I.... can ripen.

You never want to be caught in a situation of having green, or even just yellow starchy bananas, or perhaps some peaches that are hard as rocks. I had a (relatively) warm ripening area in my old abode, but also a cold, walled off portion of the basement that I could use for my fruit.

My long term stuff like dates went in there, as did several "slow" ripening boxes of bananas. I could pull them out to the hot side when my hot side stash was getting low, but if I had gotten some good ripe fruit that needed to be eaten immediately, like some fantastic peaches, then I could leave them there and they would barely get riper.

Ripening is like ballet, or some sort of perverse battle between sweet sweet sugar (good) and overripe alchoholic goo (bad). But the sugar always goes to the dark side eventually. Sad really.

A banana that went to the dark side:

But I digress.

So I found myself in my new apartment with no cold storage area. I suppose there's the fridge, but I think it's going to be too cold for my needs.

Not sure what I'll do honestly, but I'll persevere, fruit eating monster that I am.

Happy smoothies, folks.

On the Trail

2008-06-01T19:10:00.004-05:00

I haven't seriously ridden my bike since I in high school, but I acquired a nice used mountain bike earlier this year and after fixing it up, I decided that I was going to start putting it to good use.

I was inspired after really enjoying a mountain biking trek on an island off St. Thomas on my recent vacation. With this view, who wouldn't be inspired to ride more?

I figure that riding once or twice a week will make a nice augmentation for my daily running regime.

The best part of riding a bike now is that I'm missing 55 pounds, and I seem to have incredible amounts of energy, so I have to look for good ways to burn it off and earn my banana smoothies.

I heard about an abandoned rail corridor that snakes through the woods in my town and decided to go for a ride this morning. The area is actually quite beautiful, and the path, even though it's dirt and occasionally overgrown or flooded, runs by a lake and other areas that made it a worthwhile trip.

After awhile the path gets too overgrown so I got off and kept to some side streets, ending up in the downtown area of the next town over about eight miles away.

By that time my butt was pretty sore (my buns haven't been in the saddle for so long that I suppose I shouldn't be surprised ) and my and my thighs were getting tired.

I laid down in a small park, ate some celery and drank some water (a combo that works far better than any sports drink you'll come across for restoring electrolyte balance) and just rested until I felt up for the return home.

I can't believe how the the little breather refreshed me, and while by butt was still sore on the bumps, I had more than enough energy to make it the eight miles back.

And when you have a huge watermelon awaiting your triumphant return, there's a bit of a hurry to get back.

I'd be curious to know how a SAD diet beginning biker would have felt on the trip back, and I'm thinking that they wouldn't have held up as well.

Anyway, here's to a really sore butt in the morning.

I need to sleep more.

2008-05-26T18:16:00.003-05:00

I suppose I've always heard the lip service given to sleep. Get eight hours nightly, they tell you. But they rarely tell you why.

At the same time, there are myriad reasons not to sleep. There's nine hours at work a day, plus other obligations. If you're working on your own goals, or just want some time to relax, its easy to just stay up at night and get things done.

When I was younger there was coffee, and after I realized how bad the stuff was for me, pigheaded stubbornness. Of course, getting up early the next morning for a run was de rigueur.

It sounds so very American, so Ben Franklin, to be thrifty with your time. As a someone who works hard, progress and activity are very appealing, and it's sometimes hard to "do nothing and go to sleep."

It wasn't until my recent vacation that I began to rethink this notion of nothing.

Sure, I've been staying in bed for seven hours a night for the past several years now, because that was, you know, the standard amount of sleep to get.

On my trip, though, I had little reason to rouse myself, as I'd likely only be reading in a sun chair and enjoying myself. I was purposefully computerless and without work.

So in bed I stayed, and stayed, and stayed. I was astounded that beyond the automatic 7:30 a.m. wakeup that my body was primed for, I could fall right back asleep. One day I slept over 10 hours, which is probably some kind of a record for me.

I was in the sack for at least nine hours a night, and I was loving it. My mind felt so sharp. My memory, normally not to great with names and titles, was recalling things perfectly.

Home, I decided to try extending this. I slept in almost every day over the past week, hitting at least nine hours a night. Despite a new beat dropped on my lap at the paper, my mind felt confident and sharp, and not really bothered by the whole mess. And the relaxation time I was missing didn't seem to bug me.

Sunday evening I was invited out by friends I haven't seen in awhile. After some salad at a restaurant and a movie, we headed by to their place and caught up till 1:30 a.m. It was 2 a.m. before I was home and headed to bed.

I woke up Monday feeling hung over and exhausted. I had slept eight hours, and the sun was glaring in my window, so the option of sleep had vanished.

It's not just the hours, but the timing. The body was meant to sleep at night and be active during the day, and being awake at 2 a.m. just doesn't work for my body like it did in college. The consequence is a sluggish mind and the personality of a beached whale.

And with no coffee, natural hygiene will not let me make up for my mistakes with stimulants.

So tonight it's to bed at 9 p.m, because I'm still exhausted. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

And if I'm not as productive as I once was, well, perhaps I'm getting more done in the time I am working. Or at least that's how I like to console myself.

Good night.

-Andrew

A Return

2008-05-23T18:08:00.004-05:00

This blog was created awhile back to chronicle the transformation that my body went through by going raw and then switching back to cooked food.

A general recap is that back wasn't very pleasant for my body or my mind. Staying raw is the only way that I've found to permanently tame my remaining persistent health problems, mainly IBS/gluten intolerance/colitis.

I've also discovered that my mind runs at a completely different level while on this diet. My memory seems to have at least twice the recall ability when fueled by fruit, and appears to not tire as quickly. As an overworked reporter constantly on the go, that's priceless.

I've been 100 percent raw for some time now, but haven't really blogged about it. I'm resurrecting this place to give me a place to write about what's going on in my life regarding my diet, or anything thing else that catches my fancy.

I've also started a website: www.raw-food-health.net , which I've designed to help others find the answers to the diseases and malaise that eluded me for so long.

More soon.

Wrapping Things Up.

2007-04-12T18:00:00.000-05:00

I decided that, rather than continuing to post about my post-raw diet, which is really beyond the scope of my original intention, that I should just wrap things up. Readers can see where I was before, during, and after my raw experiment. I hope that this will help anyone who is curious about going raw and wondering what to expect. I highly recommend that everyone at least try a raw, fruit-centered diet for a few weeks.

I'd guess that after the adjustment, that you'll be amazed at your energy, health, mental calm, and comfort in your own body. It may not be for everyone, and I'd be willing to say that the majority of people could gain relatively high level of vitality from a Fuhrman style diet which is centered around raw fruits and vegetables with some cooked greens and a bit of grain, but I'm not sure that you'll ever find a diet that can beat 80/10/10. I don't think my body is every going to accept grains, for instance, and I know that I just feel better with no cooked food.

A few last photos from the weekend are also up. If anyone wants a really quick photo comparison between my my body on raw and on cooked vegan food, check out the difference a few days can make by clicking on my album and looking at the difference between my Diet of Shit Day One Picture (Taken in the morning before any cooked food) and my picture from this Saturday; As for acne, my other permenant bane, check out the difference between this picture taken the day before going raw, and this one taken on raw day five. Keep in mind that this was only an eight day experiment; imagine what a month could have done.

As for my future, well, I like my fruit, quite frankly, and I'll gladly eat just that if given the opportunity. Until I graduate and get my life settled down however, paying extra for all that fruit just isn't in my budget. I plan to pick the diet back up within a year or so, probably for good. Best of luck to the other bloggers working on 80/10/10, and I hope to rejoin you soon. I hope you've all enjoyed my blog.

Best,
Andrew

An Overview of The Weekend.

2007-04-10T10:55:00.000-05:00

My weekend was filled with tons of cooked vegan delights. I ate too much, felt kinda eh, and proved to myself that I should never eat grains or salt, despite my wishes in the matter.

Friday morning my weight was up to 172. By Saturday morning it was up to 179. A huge amount of coffee, which is a diuretic, on Sunday evening brought my weight back down to 173. These fluctuations are absolutely ridiculous, and make me a bit angry.

I've decided that I'm going to eat how I think is best, which is pretty much just fruits. I'm not staying totally raw; I may have some steamed vegetables for instance, and I'll probably eat grains on the weekends. For the time being, until my schedule evens out after I graduate, I think this is best.

I've got some pictures from over the weekend which I'll post when I get the chance. My schedule is pretty packed this week. I'll try to get today's up tonight too.

Give me some watermelon.

Diet of Shit Day 3

2007-04-05T17:19:00.000-05:00

I'm afraid that I'm a bit rushed today and won't have time to cover everything that was on my mind or do my usual calorie/diet breakdown. But, in short, I ate a big salad followed by an even bigger fruit salad for lunch. My early dinner was a cup of beans and 9 bananas. My mother is sure to have a some really good cooked vegan food waiting for me as a late night snack when I pull into the driveway later tonight (going home for easter), so that'll add on too. My exercise this morning was 15 minutes of light running ( 8 mph, perhaps) and 20 minutes on the stationary bike. About 400 calories would be my guess.

In short, I feel pretty good. I'm up to 168 pounds, a two pound gain from my raw low. While I wouldn't rule out waterweight accumulation, I actually have a theory as to why I'm gaining slowly. I don't think it's waterweight, as my past waterweight gains have been very rapid, as I've mentioned. I think it can be explained in cooked food's effect on my bowel movements. I used to have very irregular bowel movements when I was younger, and they improved dramatically when I cut gluten and went vegan, but on raw they were twice a day like clockwork. Since eating cooked that's been cut back to maybe every other day or once a day. I'm guessing that's where the extra weight is.

Something I've actually been thinking a lot about is beans, oddly. Beans are considered by most medical organizations, and especially by many progressive vegan and progressive diet based physicians, to be one of the healthiest things you can eat, and people with a high intake of them live considerably longer than their bean shunning neighbors. This from Eat To Live

Legumes are among the world's most perfect foods. They stabilize blood sugar, blunt your desire for sweets, and prevent mid-afternoon cravings. Even a small portion can help you feel full. I encourage you to eat at least one full cup daily. They can be flavored and spiced in interesting ways, and you can eat an unlimited quantity of them. Eat some beans with every lunch. Among your choices are chickpeas, black-eyed peas, black beans, cowpeas, green peas, lima beans, pinto beans, lentils, red kidney beans, soybeans, cannelloni beans, pigeon peas, and white beans.

and this:

A large recent study examined the eating habits of 32,000 adults for six years and then watched the incidence of cancer for these subjects over the next six years. Those who avoided red meat but at white meat regularly had a more than 300 percent increase in colon cancer incidence.1 The same study showed that eating beans, peas, or lentils, at least twice a week was associated with a 50 percent lower risk than never eating these foods…
..Beans, in general, not just soy, have additional anti-cancer benefits against reproductive cancers, such as breast and prostate cancer.

What really gets me about raw diets is that they say that beans, so conclusively shown to be healthy, are in fact not good for you. I can buy nutrients being destroyed by heat, so it's better to eat fruits/veggies raw. I completely buy grains being a problem for the body; hell I've experienced that one first hand with my gluten intolerance/bodily irritation with the remaining grains. But you can't eat beans without heating them, and they they seem to be doing a hell of a lot of good for you if you do.

Now, although I like the taste, I can't say that I generally feel on top of the world after eating a lot of beans, and, let's be frank, the occasional gassiness they bring on isn't the most fun. Although I have a number of theories about how beans being good and bad can be possible, I haven't come up with anything conclusive in my readings. Raw, as far as I'm concerned, has failed to discredit them.

I found this awhile back. A nice counterargument, but without the scientific support that I demand from nutrition experts.

From The Nature and Purpose of Disease, Henry L. N. Anderson, Ed.D.
"A downside involved in the consumption of beans, (as well as tubers and grains) is "cooking":
1) The plant's nutrients are deranged - especially protein...which become a pathogenic mess...heating above 150 degrees renders proteins unusable, (deanimated)
2) Heated proteins become soil for intestinal (bacterial and fungal) flora, which yield a menagerie of pathogenic, carcinogenic poisons such as ammonia, cadaverine, hydrogen sulfide, indole, mercaptans, putrescence, and skatole.
3) Heated fats in legumes (and substantially fatty soybeans) are pathogenic and carcinogenic.
4) Cooked tofu and beans (globulin) yield heat-created by-products such as nitrophyrene and indole. (Food and Drug Administration's Office of Toxicological Sciences) see also Diet, Nutrition and Cancer; National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences; 1982.

How can beans both cause and fight cancer, and both cause and prevent a host of other ailments? There are issues here that need to be resolved before I'm satisfied.

I'm afraid I won't have any pictures today, but my stomach looks about the same and my face looks a bit worse, acne wise.

When I get back I'll have eaten grains and salt so I should have that 12 pounds back. Have a good easter break/weekend.

Diet of Shit Day 2

2007-04-04T20:04:00.000-05:00

Stats:
Wednesday, 4/4/07
Morning Weight: 167 Pounds

+ Basal Metabolic Rate*:	1855 kcal
+ General Activity*:	1090 kcal
+ Extra Activity and Exercise:	331 kcal
- Weight Loss Goal:	1000 kcal
Day Quota:	2276 kcal
- Consumed:	2011 kcal
Calories Left:	265 kcal

Lunch:
Large Salad (Spinach, Tomatoes, Cucumbers): 124 calories
8 Oranges: 361 calories
Dinner:
6 Small Potatoes: 737 calories
1 1/2 Cup Kidney Beans: 337
16 Ouches Steamed Broccoli: 159 calories
Snacks:
2 Cups Cantaloupe: 106 calories
1 Medium Cantaloupe : 188 calories

So, first we'll cover last night. One thing I noticed is that I was a lot more "snacky". Despite my meal exceeding my normal caloric limits, I was still starving, and ended up eating a bunch more fruit to feel full after posting the blog. I felt a bit mentally dull as well, and settled down to some thoughtless reading to pass the evening before bed.

I had to drag myself out of my sheets this morning when the alarm went off, and I noticed that I was considerably less awake as I was going through my morning routine. I went to the gym and was pleasantly surprised to see that I was only a pound heavier than yesterday, which can easily be explained by the extra intestinal transit time of cooked food compared to raw. It would appear that my water weight gain is only brought on my grains and or salt. After my previous raw experiment, I ate rice on my first day off and gained back 15 pounds over the following three days.

To be honest with you though, all I really want to do is eat fruit. As I was eating potatoes today I was thinking about how much better some watermelon would be. Funny how I was romanticizing potatoes and beans when I was eating all the fruit I wanted. The grass is not greener. Which really leaves me to wonder, should I even bother to eat cooked food if I can't have grains? Most of my favorites; Chinese, Indian, Thai, Mexican, all revolve around rice. Ah well.

Also of note is that my acne came back full force. That previously permanent broken ridge of pimples around my forehead, which had been slowly receding into scar-like pink over the last week, is on the rise. I'm waiting for the battery on my camera to charge so I can take a picture, but I'll have it up later tonight.

Diet of Shit Day 1

2007-04-03T19:58:00.000-05:00

Stats:
Tuesday, 4/3/07
Morning Weight: 166 pounds.

+ Basal Metabolic Rate*:	1849 kcal
+ General Activity*:	1063 kcal
+ Extra Activity and Exercise:	287 kcal
- Weight Loss Goal:	1000 kcal
Day Quota:	2550 kcal
- Consumed:	2663 kcal
Calories Left:	-448kcal

Lunch:
7 bananas: 735 Calories
Steamed Spinach: 122 Calories
Dinner:
Five Small Potatoes: 592 Calories
Three TBS Raw Flaxseed: 177 calories
Two cups Lentils: 459 Calories
Snacks:
One Cup Cantaloupe: 53 calories
Five Bananas: 525 Calories

An auspiciousness title, I think.

Before I begin , I'd like to mention a few things that popped into my head last night that I figure are worth mentioning. First, have you ever noticed that your tongue is sometimes, if not always, covered with thin film? I have-In fact, I even have a ayurvedic tongue scraper from way back ago which has served me nicely over the years-. Anyway, I noticed that by day four or so my tongue was completely clear. I don't know if this corresponded with improved breath, but it felt a lot better.

The other matter was merely an interesting note. At 180 pounds, running for 20 minutes at 9 miles an hour will burn 380 calories, but only 345 at 166 pounds. The downside of losing weight is that meeting your exercise goals gets harder and harder. I've stared a few days at the counter on the treadmill, aghast has how few calories I was racking up. I suppose I could always run with a weighted vest, or just view it as me having exercised with a 14 pound weighed vest for the past 5 years. Either way, it's now a hell of a lot less tiring to run.

So, after going to the gym this morning and noting my 166 pounds, I decided that I needed to get myself back onto cooked foods slowly. I started off with four cups of steamed spinach with my normal bananas. Wondering if it had cooked enough, I stuck my fork into the steamer and popped a piece into my mouth; It tasted like rubber. I asked my girlfriend, who was besides me in the kitchen, to try a bit, thinking that I had a bad batch. She assured me that it tasted just like any other spinach that she had had, so I shrugged and forced it down.

By the time I left my dorm, I noted that my head felt a bit groggy, and I noticed in my first class that my throat felt a bit scratchy, but it didn't last long. I generally felt pretty good.

For dinner I had potatoes and lentils. It tasted good, but within an hour I was really hungry again, so I ate some bananas, which satisfied me to some degree. I'm writing this soon after dinner, and, perhaps it's my imagination, but my concentration doesn't seem nearly as good, and one thing that I've certainly noticed is that my energy and ambition, which have been pretty much bottomless during the last week, are flagging. I don't even really feel like finishing this blog entry.

In fact, I don't think I will. I am still curious to see if I'll gain weight on just the potatoes tomorrow, or if it'll take grains. Also, I wonder if this energy level is temporary, or just something I had adapted to from eating cooked for so long. I'm going to go lie down and read.

P.S. I added some pics from the morning, my last raw shots if you will.

Raw Diet Day 8

2007-04-02T22:53:00.000-05:00

Stats:
Monday, 4/2/07
Morning Weight: 166.5 pounds

+ Basal Metabolic Rate*:	1852 kcal
+ General Activity*:	1096 kcal
+ Extra Activity and Exercise:	238 kcal
- Weight Loss Goal:	1000 kcal
Day Quota:	2186 kcal
- Consumed:	1959 kcal
Calories Left:	227 kcal

Lunch:
Salad: 124 calories
8 Bananas: 840 calories
Snacks:
2 cups Pineapple: 149 calories
1/2 of a Cherimoya: 202 calories
1 Kiwano: 25 calories
Banana Ice Cream: approximately 158 calories
Dinner:
6 pink Grapefruit: 459 Calories

Sadly, this marks my last full day on raw eating for the time being, though it was certainly a positive experience, and one I intend to return to in time. I'll be eating cooked over easter, and I figure it's best to retransition in gradually rather than to do it all at once and risk getting sick. The positive of this is that you'll get to see the effects of cooked foods on me. I expect to jump back up to 180 pounds, a 14 pound gain or so, in a matter of two or three days once I reintegrate grains into my diet.

However, as I'm endlessly curious about what causes such water retention in me, I think I'm going to experiment with cooked potatoes and greens with no salt the first day to see if I've gained tremendously by Wednesday. It may be possible that potatoes don't have the same negative effect that rice and kasha do, (though damn, am I ever looking forward to kasha and rice and beans).

I was tremendously pleased with my weight loss, and today's picture looks the best yet, I think. My face is still mostly clear as well. I've also had tremendous energy for the passed few days, and I hope no one will take objection if I mention that the portion of my life that takes place between the sheets-yet which does not involve REM cycles- has garnered no complaints from either party. My mood has been great the whole time, and I can only imagine how pumped I'd be if I were living off watermelon.

P.S., I'm quite aware that I not being too bright with mixing all these new kinds of fruits together in my stomach over short periods, but I'll live.

My last day did include some rather interesting new fruit though. My girlfriend brought over a Cherimoya, the smell of which was delicious even before I had opened it up. The texture was similar to custard, and probably extremely fatty as well. I'm not a huge fan of fatty fruits; I can only take a very small piece of avocado at a time, for instance, as my stomach doesn't really like the greasy sensation that it leaves behind. While I thought the Cherimoya was pretty good, I wouldn't make a regular habit of eating one.

The other new fruit was a Kiwano, which, while not bad, kind of raised the question of why you'd want to eat it if you had a banana or melon or....anything else handy. In fact, it's chief virtue was not taste, but extremely cool looks. I could not help but imagine it as the larvae of some alien race, or perhaps the spawn of a pod person.

She also had made me up banana icecream, which is merely frozen raw bananas which have been pureed with nothing added. I'm not sure what 80/10/10 has to say about frozen fruit as opposed to cooked, but it was damn good in any case, and probably better than many real icecreams.

Well, it's been fun guys, and I hope you'll stay tuned as I start eating shitty. I also imagine there is a certain amount of morbid curiosity in seeing someone explode in 3 days.

Night.

Raw Diet Day 7

2007-04-01T19:00:00.000-05:00

Stats
Sunday, 4/1/07
Morning Weight: ?

+ Basal Metabolic Rate*:	1862 kcal
+ General Activity*:	1086 kcal
+ Extra Activity and Exercise:	367 kcal
- Weight Loss Goal:	1000 kcal
Day Quota:	2315 kcal
- Consumed:	2345 kcal
Calories Left:	-30 kcal

Lunch #1
1/2 Watermelon: approximately 432 calories
Lunch #2
1/2 Watermelon: approximately 432 calories
Dinner:
12 Bananas: 1260 calories

I slept in late today, and did end up going to the gym, but only after I had eaten, so I figured that I'd better just wait for tomorrow to weigh myself again. I have to say that I had considerably more energy today than is the norm; whether that's because I got extra sleep or have been raw I can't say.

So I mentioned that I picked up a watermelon on Friday from the first batch I've seen at the store since fall. I ate the whole thing in two sitting today and I felt pretty fantastic. I'm something of a connoisseur of watermelons, you understand, so I can same with some authority that this was nothing special, but it was good enough, quite frankly, and I wish I could have had a few more for a feast tomorrow.

Now, I've been craving potatoes, rice, gluten free pasta, and kasha for the past few days, but by the time I finished my first portion of watermelon, all such thoughts disappeared. I don't think it's mental, unless it's subconscious, but rather I believe that perhaps it takes a certain amount/type of fruit to truely satisfy the body. I've heard Dr. Graham say that all such cravings are either mental addictions or physical ones, and that all the presence of one indicates is that you haven't eaten enough fruit, even if you think you have. After this experience, I'm starting to think that he's probably right. I ate watermelon until I was satisfied, and the cravings are still gone. The thought of eating Chinese, Indian, or Thai, my favorites, doesn't even tempt me right now.

I actually managed to bash my foot really hard to the point where I didn't want to run; I'm all about hurting myself this week I guess. I cycled on a stationary bike and actually lifted some weights, strange for me considering that I'm really more of a bodyweight exercise type of guy,
and I had tons of energy the whole time. My shoulders are a bit sore though and I'm wishing for a massage, which I probably wont' get.

I noticed that while that perpetual patch of acne covered skin I had mentioned was still fading/mostly gone, I did see two new pimples on my face in spots I normally don't get them. Maybe my declaration of receding acne was premature.

I've uploaded new pictures. I think my stomach chest looks a bit better today again, but as I mentioned, my face isn't looking as good as it was.

Raw Diet Day 6

2007-03-31T20:00:00.000-05:00

Stats:
Saturday, 3/31/07
Morning Weight: ?

+ Basal Metabolic Rate*:	1862 kcal
+ General Activity*:	1016 kcal
+ Extra Activity and Exercise:	468 kcal
- Weight Loss Goal:	1000 kcal
Day Quota:	2346 kcal
- Consumed:	2807 kcal
Calories Left:	-461 kcal

Breakfast:
6 Oranges: 412 Calories
Lunch:
6.5 Bananas: 683 Calories
Dinner:
80% of a Pineapple: 181 calories
Snacks:
2 Pints of Blueberries: 458 Calories
2 Quarts Strawberries: 457 Calories
1 Pint Kiwi Berries: 216 Calories (Estimate. No Listing)
7 Oranges: 400 Calories

*Most of my calories from snacks today. I went over, but what the hell.

If you're wondering about the lack of a morning weight, it's because the gym is only open in the evenings on Saturday and Sunday, and as I like to exercise outside in nice whether if I have the time, I probably won't get around to weighing myself till Monday. I've been going to the bathroom quite a bit though, and I suspect I'll be down at least another pound or two on Monday.

I woke up this morning and ate some oranges before heading out to yoga. Yoga was great, and apparently a vigorous 90 minute yoga class burns 342 calories. Not sure if that's right, but I guess I'll buy it for now. I ate the bananas I had stashed in my car when I got out, as I was starving, as I thought I might be.

Not long after I got home my girlfriend showed up for a previously-promised surprise, which was a trip to the Vanderbilt mansion, which has great grounds you can walk around, and a huge bag of blueberries, strawberries, and kiwi berries. I had never heard of kiwi berries before; I've included a link to explain. They're sweeter than kiwis and very good. I actually ended up eating most her her bag too :) Who would have though that blueberries take up so many calories and strawberries so few.

Night.

Raw Diet Day 5

2007-03-30T18:22:00.000-05:00

Stats:
Friday 3/30/07
Morning Weight: 168

+ Basal Metabolic Rate*:	1862 kcal
+ General Activity*:	1094 kcal
+ Extra Activity and Exercise:	342 kcal
- Weight Loss Goal:	1000 kcal
Day Quota:	2298 kcal
- Consumed:	2003 kcal
Calories Left:	295 kcal

Lunch:
2 Bowels of fruit salad: 322 calories
Salad: 124 calories
Snack:
2 cups pineapple: 149 calories
Dinner:
3 red bananas: 216 calories
8 bananas: 893 calories

My weight loss appears to be slowing; I'm not going to the bathroom nearly as much, anyway. I went all out biking this morning 30 minutes as 17 miles an hour. Probably pretty respectable for a non biker.

Someone must have neglected to tell me of today is We Love Fruit Day. At least that's what appeared to be going on at the grocery store, where I picked up cantaloupes at less than half of the normal price, what was probably the first full sized watermelon of the season (I live off watermelon during the summer), and a bunch of strawberries, also at a good price.

I repeated my meal of mixed fruit again today, and still felt a bit disconnected until I drank a bunch of water. Later, I sat out and enjoyed the sun, reading a rather good book. Thank you Spring.

I really felt like eating some rice today. I love rice and beans. It occurred to me that what most of my overfed country would considered to be diet food is the height of decadence for me. What have I come to, ha ha.

I'm looking forward to feasting on watermelon tomorrow. mmmm. Watermelon.

Raw Diet Day 4

2007-03-30T18:09:00.001-05:00

Stats:
Thursday, 3/29/07
Morning Weight: 169 pounds

+ Basal Metabolic Rate*:	1868 kcal
+ General Activity*:	1087 kcal
+ Extra Activity and Exercise:	239 kcal
- Weight Loss Goal:	1000 kcal
Day Quota:	2194 kcal
- Consumed:	2043 kcal
Calories Left:	151 kcal

Breakfast:
Two big bowls of fruit salad (cantaloupe, grapes, white melon, pineapple) : Aprox 622 calories
Snack:
Fruit cup: 137 calories
Dinner 1:
7 oranges: 549 calories
Dinner 2:
7 bananas: 735 calories

169 pounds. Not bad at all. You can actually see some definition in my stomach, the payoff for all those one-legged squats and one armed pushups I was doing while my abs were covered by a layer of water-saturated skin.

I woke up with very slight "sore throat feeling" this morning. I haven't had so much as a head cold since I've been vegan, so it was a bit strange, but by the time I got to the gym this had disappeared. I actually strained a muscle in my left leg weeks ago, and every time it heals I end up reaggravating it with my sprinting, which I'm probably over doing. I've decided to stop running for two days and let it heal and then go for a few weeks without sprinting. I'll probably try to keep my runs under 8mph to start with. I biked today and then took a leisurely stroll with my girlfriend around the streets surrounding the campus. I usually go to yoga tonight, but it's an advanced class with a lot of leg work so I decided that it would be best if I didn't go.

I had been on the fence as to whether or not I wanted to end this experiment on Friday, but I decided today that I would continue at least till 4 more days. I'm just feeling too good and not anxious to put back on that weight. My acne, my constant unwanted companion for some time, seems to be fading. Last time it took longer, but I'm not going to complain. The thing is that I'm going to have to come off of this diet eventually. I'll be back on a cooked vegan diet when I head home for Easter, for instance. I'm not sure if it's worth doing this now just to lose it, but, oh well.

I felt a bit disconnected after the fruit salad today. Too much? Did I mix the wrongs kinds of fruit?

I've started putting up pics, and you can check them out in the gallery on the sidebar.

Raw Diet Day 3

2007-03-30T17:49:00.001-05:00

Stats:
Wednesday, 3/28/07
Morning Weight: 171 pounds

+ Basal Metabolic Rate*:	1880 kcal
+ General Activity*:	1105 kcal
+ Extra Activity and Exercise:	426 kcal
- Weight Loss Goal:	1000 kcal
Day Quota:	2411 kcal
- Consumed:	2188 kcal
Calories Left:	223 kcal

Lunch
Salad: 124 calories
7 Bananas: 735 calories
Snacks:
2 bananas: 210 calories
1 small red banana: 90 calories
1 starfruit: 28 calories (What a caloric bargain)
3 Kumquats: 40 calories
Dinner:
1 small Cantaloupe: 150 calories
6 bananas: 662 calories

The scale told me I was 171 pounds at the gym this morning after another night of pissing like crazy. I'm not sure if most people experience water weight loss like this, though I'm guessing no. My head was a bit foggy/achy when I woke up, but I felt considerably better after exercising and drinking a lot of water.

I biked and ran and then headed to lunch, and it occurred to me on the way there that it was considerably easier to haul 170 pounds of body on a jog than it is with 180. After lunch I realized that I felt pretty damn good, and was in a good mood all day. Looking at myself, I realized that it wasn't so much that it looked like I had lost a ton of weight, but rather that I felt and looked less..jiggly. It's a good thing. I'll try to post pictures soon.

My girlfriend, who was the one who asked me to do a week raw with her in the first place, hasn't been having as good of a time with the experiment. Her stomach and head haven't been feeling too hot, and she has informed me that her raw week ends on Friday, whatever the sidereal calendar may say about the passage of time. Also of note is that she has considerably less visible incentive, as she's already vegan and thin enough to not see any difference from the shift.

She came over for dinner and we feasted on some exotic fruit like starfruit and red bananas and kumquats before the main course. We also took a long walk, which I'm frankly too lazy to figure into my caloric expenditures.

That's all for today.

Raw Diet Day 2

2007-03-28T01:00:00.000-05:00

Stats:
Tuesday 3/27/07
Morning Weight: 174 pounds

Basal Metabolic Rate*:	1899 kcal
+ General Activity*:	1124 kcal
+ Extra Activity and Exercise:	368 kcal
± Weight Loss/Gain Goal:	1000kcal
Day Quota:	3391 kcal
- Consumed:	1993 kcal
Calories Left:	398 kcal

Breakfast:
10 bananas: 1050 calories
Snack:
2 cups pineapple: 149 calories
Dinner:
4 grapefruit: 164 calories
6 bananas: 630 calories

I told you that I had been thirsty last night, so It was no surprise to me when I woke up the first time to take a leak after heading to bed around midnight. The second time was a bit more annoying. And the third trip, right after my alarm went off at 7:30, must have lasted a good minute.

I went to the gym to run the track and weighed myself in the bathroom on the weighted based-and presumably accurate- scale that they have there. I came in at 174 pounds. Yes! I double checked it. That same scale had told me that I was 180 the day before. If you read the about me post, you'll remember that I'm super sensitive to....salt..grains? And that I retain water like crazy. This is me losing said retained water. I'm curious to see how fast this loss continues.

So I ran, did some bodyweight exercises, and went to breakfast.

Soon after breakfast I had developed a low level throb in my head. This is strange; when I was younger I suffered from chronic migraine headaches which sometimes left me curled in ball in agony. I stopped having them when I lost the weight and cut out caffeine when I was in High School though, and even the minor pains stopped after I went vegan. I remembered how bad they used to get however, so It didn't seem so bad.

After dinner I began to feel a bit disconnected, but I drank tons of water and now I feel much better.

Hope the whole feeling good part of the diet kicks in soon.

Raw Diet Day 1

2007-03-27T01:08:00.000-05:00

Stats:
Monday, March 29th, 2007.
Morning Weight: 180 pounds
Basal Metabolic Rate: +1937 kcal
General Activity: +1146 kcal
Extra Activity and Exercise: +381 kcal
Weight Loss/Gain Goal: -1000 kcal
Day Quota: 3464 kcal - Consumed: 2175 kcal
Calories Left: 289 kcal

Lunch:
A large Salad with tons of spinach, 2 cups cherry tomatoes, and 1 cup cucumbers: 124 calories
Nine bananas: 945 calories
Snack:
3 cups pineapple: 223 calories
Dinner:
1 papaya: 148 calories
7 Bananas: 735 calories

I woke up this morning and went for my usual weekday run: 20 minutes, 9 mph, aprox 381 calories. I also did pull ups, push ups, and one legged squats.

My first meal of a salad and fruit was nothing unusual. It's what I generally have, though I sometimes will eat some cooked vegetables/rice with it as well. Sometimes I get a bit "sugarrushey" after all that fruit for breakfast. I felt it today, and I'm very curious to see it it will disappear as I get into the diet. I find that drinking tons of water gets rid of the feeling.

I spent the afternoon in the bright, warm sunshine-the first which has reached NY state- on a bench doing homework. The sun always makes me feel incredibly happy, and this was no exception.

Dinner was a papaya and seven bananas. I feel not unlike how I usually do in the evening, though I do seem to be thirstier than usual. I think I'll start feeling the effects of the diet tomorrow, as my body starts to detox. I eat healthy in general, so I don't expect it to be too bad.

The Diet

2007-03-26T21:04:00.000-05:00

I've considered a lot of raw diets. I'm very dubious of anything that requires dehydrated foods or supplements in order to make it work. The most solid raw diet I've found is Doctor Doug Graham's 80/10/10 diet. He's got a website, a forum, and a book.

The gist of it is mostly raw fruit, a big raw salad every day, and either no overt fats or very little (raw nuts and seeds and fatty fruits). The percentages work out to 80% carbs, 10% protein, 10% fat. If you've got questions, Doctor Graham is great about helping people on his forum. I'll be leaving out the overt fats and taking it easy on the greens, as I'm only planning on making this a short trip, which I'll eventually return to.

The problems with this type of diet, as I see it, are:

1) The Price: You're going to pay a lot of money of groceries on this diet. Some thing of interest however are the notable elimination of most medical costs, as most diseases won't touch you on this diet if followed properly, and the elimination of all junk food costs, vending machine costs, and "The latte factor."

2) Social Problems: Society revolves around food. There's no way around it. You're going to face social stigma if you tell people you're not going to eat their nicely prepared meal, or not join them at a restaurant (other than to eat salad). A lot of buisness and family functions also revolve around food.

3) Depending on how unhealthy your diet has been in the past, you may experience some unpleasant physical cleansing functions are you body clears out all the crap. This is generally called "detoxification."

Why I'm Going Raw

2007-03-25T20:00:00.000-05:00

Hi. My name is Andrew, a 22 year old college student about to graduate, and I've created this blog to show the effects of my experiment in changing to a diet of only raw fruits and vegetables.

About Me:
I used to weigh about 40 pounds more than I do now. Despite being pretty physically active and eating a diet that was probably considerably healthier than most of America during my youth, I was overweight from maybe 5th grade up till the end of my Junior year in high school when I was 17. A strong determination, thrice weekly Ninjitsu practice, yoga, my punching bag, and the elimination of about 90% of the already small amount of junk food that I was eating brought me down to a much trimmer 185 pounds by the end of my senior year.

I went to college and kept up my regime. During my Freshmen year I began read a considerable amount of health information, much of which began pointing out the foolishness of consuming dairy, meat, eggs, and processed food; The China Study, which is incredible and a must read for everyone, finally convinced me. Beginning at the end of that year, I gradually phased out animal protein and most processed foods and took up daily running with increasingly demanding routes and speeds. I put on more muscle in my legs and dropped some weight, which brought me down to the 178-180 at which I would be stable for five semesters.

During this time I noticed that, perhaps because of my veganism (See Dr. Olaf Astrand of the Swedish Karolinska Institute's Nutrition Today 3:no2, 9-11, 1968), I had considerably more stamina than even the dedicated athletes on campus. I also took up rock climbing, hiking as much as I could, and a few other physical pursuits. I also found, without any help from the medical profession (which continuously astounds me in their complacency and misinformation when it comes to nutrition) that the abdominal pains and constipation that I had experienced throughout much of my life were a result of a gluten intolerance or celiac disease (a rather ambiguous distinction as far as science can prove, and also sometimes related to IBS) I cut out gluten and felt pretty great within a week of so.

So, that brings me to my senior year of college. I read a lot, especially about health, and the raw food movement has continuously intrigued me. I am not easily taken for a ride, and I will be the first to admit that the science behind raw foodism is sketchy at best. There are plenty of ways to eat raw, many of which are down right dangerous, and the whole enzyme thing is more or less a steaming pile of shit and lies as far as I'm concerned (or at least until someone shows me some kind of evidence.) However, I have to admit that there sounds like there is something to the idea of heat damaged food, and the whole status of grains remains questionable.

So anyway, I was always frustrated because, despite a micromanaged cooked vegetable/fruit/grain centered diet with some raw nuts/seeds, a copious amount of exercise, and a calorie tracking program telling me that I was continuously using more calories than I was taking in for months at a time, I was unable to lose any more weight. I followed Fuhrman to a T, I did McDougall, and I saw no progress. I began to question whether or not there was actually fat on me or if perhaps it was water weight. I've tried eliminating salt, and I've gotten pretty close to zero, so I'm not sure how much of it is salt and how much of it is other stuff like grains, etc. I was hardly fat, but my flesh had a jiggly quality, almost as if it was a puffy. Also, I've always had acne, which makes my face look like shit. Perhaps it runs in the family (my brother, a 25 year old SAD eater par excellence, still has acne problems), but it still seemed like I should be able to get rid of it somehow.

You could probably characterize me as an improver. I'm all for improving myself mentally and physically as much as I can. So you might imagine that I found this to be a bit vexing. I am not one to settle for mediocrity in anything.

So last semester, fed up as all hell with my body, I decided to go raw for three weeks to give it a try. What I found was a dramatic loss of weight and improvement in skin, energy, and other mental clarity. Due to financial constraints, my impending return home for the winter, and some social issues, I had to go back to eating cooked food, and my weight shot right back up to 180, and decided that I'd go back to raw when I had settled down in employed existence.

Last weekend though, my girlfriend and I were talking on the phone and, apparently intrigued by an earlier conversation we had had about my experiences going raw, she asked if I would go raw for a week with her. I agreed.

This blog is a journal of my experiences going raw which I'm writing so that others can read about what to expect when going raw. When I was considering the change I was looking for just such a journal and couldn't find any, so I hope someone finds this useful.

I'll be starting on Monday. Wish me luck.