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So the Wai diet didn’t quite work out for me in the end. Having the little treats seemed to push me off the diet in the end – my cravings got out of control. Yes, the diet did give me a lot of energy and it has definitely pathed my way into the raw food lifestyle, but I felt like something was missing in it. I don’t know what it was and I found it hard to pinpoint (not to mention I started to find having the avocado salad everyday very boring. The variety in the Wai diet to me seemed hard to come by).

Anyway, I did a lot of research in raw food. There are so many ‘gurus’ that in my opinion came across fake. Promoting cacao and super foods, yet in my mind I was looking for simplicity – something natural – and super foods didn’t come under my category of what I thought was natural. And with the promotion of chocolate under these so-called raw foods ‘gurus’ I really didn’t see myself following their advice. I have had a chocolate addiction – eating in high quantities and knowing it could not at all be good for me if it was an addiction – even in the raw form. Of course at first I was happy to think that I could potentially eat chocolate on this diet, but when looking into it I decided that my instincts were right.

With all these ‘gurus’ about that I didn’t trust I finally came across the 80/10/10 diet by Dr Doug Graham. It immediately made sense – no supplements or super foods, just a diet rich in fruits and greens. The simplicity of the diet also was attractive to me. I just needed to eat a lot of fruit and some greens. No preparation needed, apart from waiting until the fruit was ripe maybe! So for the past two months I have been transitioning. I decided not to dive head first into this one but take it step by step. I eat mainly 811rv but in the evening after fruit and a big pile of spinach/celery or whatever, I will have a small cooked meal. I intend to, starting this week add a day in every 2 weeks or maybe every month which is completely raw and 811rv. Despite still having a small cooked meal my body has been cleansing – I have had a week of a strong cough that is clearing out my lungs it seems! I have a lot of phlegm, and it is affecting my asthma currently. I felt very tired and ill last week too, but I know it was my body cleansing itself. I do feel my skin has become more vibrant (I have always been told I look yellow or sickly in some respects especially when I am tired) but I know I have a long way to go.

Also despite having the cooked meal, my cravings for cooked food or chocolate are zero. I have had a few incidents where I have wanted to have cooked food for the numbing effect it has on my emotion, but the actual craving for the food has gone. I have been quite emotional the past few weeks too, but I guess the cooked food had suppressed this in me for so long. I have come to realise the Wai diet had too much fat in it, so maybe this is why I did not experience these sorts of things on that diet. My cravings having gone means I can go shopping without buying anything that is rubbish for my body.

I have also noted that for the first time in my life I am eating consistently without effort. Food ha become a function to me, which is a positive thing. I don’t want to be emotionally attached to my food. I like to just eat because I am hungry. I eat a lot in a day, and I eat everyday this way. It is quite easy. I am working on stretching out my stomach so I can eat in two sittings as opposed to four. Despite eating more than ever, I have become skinnier – probably because I have cut out a lot of fat that may have been in the diet before, although I struggled to eat consistently and a lot anyway.

This was me in June on the left and me now:

And this is me in April on the left and me now:

I was around 120lbs (5ft7) in the first pics and I now weight 105lbs.

Some people have commented that I look ill and too thin, but I don’t think I look ill – my boyfriend even thinks my face is glowing, and if it was not he would then be worried about my weight. I do think that my weight has gone down a lot because I have been training for a marathon (but after last weeks cleansing and the knee injury I had in the beginning I think I am going to ease off my body and just do a half marathon until I have gone through more cleansing) and because of cleansing. I think I may put some on once my body has finished its job!

I feel good. I feel stable. I feel like I am going in the right direction. The tension I suffer from in my shoulders has also eased off (I know that I do need to work on posture to help this further and maybe see a physio too). I know I have a long way to go, but I honestly believe I am on the right path now. I could have never got to this point without the support of my boyfriend either – he is fab for putting up with me through my emotional upsets. Generally though I feel a lot more at rest. I look forward to posting in a few more months time and to see my progress then.

For anyone considering raw food I suggest you get yourself a copy of the 80/10/10 Diet at http://www.foodnsport.com. It is worth the time to read – it will give you a new perspective on the raw food diet and well hopefully I can show you the results every few months ?

Recently I came across some information on one a numbewr of forums I participate on. Apparently, here in the good old UK they are attempting to make it illegal to breastfeed a child older than 6 months in public.

As a mother who breastfeeds (my son is now 8 months also!) in public, I would hate to see this happen. I, so far, have had no problems feeding my son in public and would like it to stay that way. Breastfeeding is natural and can continue for a long time…not just the regular 6 months that the majority of people are told to strive towards.

Here is some information:

* The worldwide average natural weaning age for a human is between 4-7 years.
* The World Health Organisation recommend mothers breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months and continue to breastfeed well into the 2nd year.
* No healthcare professional has ever stated that full term breastfeeding is damaging. On the contrary, they state that it is healthy for both mother and child.

So why is this happening? Why can mothers feed cow milk to their children in public, when other mothers can’t publicly feed their children the milk they’re designed to have? It is ridiculous and I feel like our society moves away from everything natural and looks down on it. It is the best thing for your child!

If you too, hate the idea of thi law being passed, please sign this petition now. You must enter a valid email address, and you must be a UK resident or ex-pat.

Please forward this message to anyone who can sign this petition. It’s really important that all breastfeeding in public remains legal for children of all ages.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/breastfedright

As written before, I postposed my attempt at natural vision as a result of feeling I needed more guidance on being able to pursue the techniques properly. I wanted to attend the Eyebody retreat in Wales in August but can’t this year and I think this is for the best. Why?

Well lately I have been looking into areas of simple living and self-improvement - through healing myself physically as well as mentally. So I decided to finally get something sorted about my shoulders. I have had an issue with them since I was 13. They have always been overly tense and I have been told they are this way as a result of emotional stress. Some days I would be so tense I couldn’t sit still as it was more painful to be still. Anyway, recently I have started some intense training for the Amsterdam marathon in October and my shoulder started to play up while running. So I thought it was about time to rectify the issue that has been burdening me for over ten years.

I have only had a couple of sessions, and it has eased up only slightly. I can’t expect miracles overnight when I have suffered this issue for so long. But I realised that when attempting my natural vision. although one of the resources I used had exercises to relax shoulders and neck, that thbis probably was not really relaxing my shoulders and therefore I think my shoulders would have hindered me making any progress in naturally improving my eyes. I think, one I have relieved my shoulders and neck properly from the burden of tension (which i apparently extreme) I should be able to start my journey again in natural vision properly and without this hindrance.

If you cannot relax properly, especially in the shoulders and neck, this will hinder your vision. So if you are trying to improve your vision, it is much more than just about doing techniques. You have to be relaxed - and this is something I can’t do completely right as now. So once I can I shall be on my way. This is definitely the start of my journey.

I haven’t been posting regularly about my vision improvement because I have come to a halt already. The problem is, I feel I need more guidance than books in order to get somewhere, and from other resources this has only been confirmed. Therefore I have been on the hunt for a course or teacher. Unfortunately these options are in the distant future or a teacher is no where near I live.

I haven’t put my glasses back on since I last posted, but I haven’t been keeping up the exercises either - apart from the blinking, not staring and making sure I sun. It has been really sunny so that has beeen helpful.

I don’t feel I have made any progress - but I definitely do not need to put my glasses back on and have had no desire to.

I have also had other issues to deal with in my life, but seeing as I am having difficulty in finding a teacher nearby I will definitely be delving back into self teaching vert soon unless that changes. I have also decided to have a few lessons in the Alexander Technique.

So I made it a month…well kind of. The first 2 weeks were quite easy for me. I found it uplifting and I felt light. I felt satisfied as opposed to full (being overstuffed and then tired). I enjoyed those 2 weeks a lot. However, the second 2 weeks were quite tough. The introduction of the munch foods made it quite hard for me, and induced cravings. Wai does say to make sure the munch food is satisfying, and it was, but it made me have more cravings as a result. Not straight away but eventually (if that makes sense). It did result in some cooked food being consumed, but overall I am not too bothered by it. When I ate the cooked food with some of the avocado salad I found it better for my stomach and mood than when I just ate a munch food on its own. I felt less greasy you could say.

My skin is really tight and nice. I feel I have a lot more energy and I just feel much better and less weighed down. I shall continue the diet, but I think I will follow a more widespread raw food diet instead of sticking strictly to Wai’s ways. I recently purchased the book Eat Smart Eat Raw: Detox Recipes for a High-Energy Diet and also a book called Baby Greens: A Live-Food Approach for Children of All Ages (as my little one is slowly moving into the world of solids. I am trying to let him lead the way which is sometimes tough!). The first book I have just received and there are a lot of recipes to try. I shall be trying them out tomorrow.

I definitely would recommend the Wai diet to anyone and everyone. It is fantastic for your skin and your overall health. It is hard work to begin with but over time it does get better. I feel a lot more focused and clear headed as well, as since having a baby I definitely have a mum brain so anything that helps is great!

If you have any questions you may email me Kelly@myecoeden.com, or just visit www.waisays.com

I received my copy of Peter Grunwald’s Eyebody yesterday and have finished reading it. It was a very interesting read and I am quite interested in the technique. However in order to test this out you have to go to a retreat (the one in the UK is in August) or private lessons (and Mr Grunwald lives in New Zealand..oh how I wish I lived there (and not so I can have eye lessons!). It is fairly expensive too and as much as I am interested in this technique, it is too far in the future currently and well I would rather attempt another way before putting my hand in my pocket for that amount of money! It has, however, made me decide that I shall be booking myself in for a lesson with a natural vision teacher and will be doing that this week. It has also made me interested in the Alexander technique too (which is what the vision teacher I have contacted integrates too).

Anyway, so what is Eyebody? The eyebody method states ‘that every single area of your visual system corresponds with an associated area in the body. Specific malfunctions of vision are linked to specific tensions and contractions in the body. By learning how to ‘direct’ our visual system, the body simultaneously follows, releasing patterns of tension”.

By directing the visual system, he gives his example of how he ‘discovered’ this technique – he noticed that by focusing on his cornea he could affect his chest. If he tried to tighten his cornea his chest would also tighten and when he relaxed it his chest would open up.

This is the basic principle behind the approach (it also stems from the Bates and Alexander techniques). The book is an introduction to this method, and gives you pointers of how to start on your vision journey, however to learn the technique you must attend a retreat or find an instructor/get private lessons, which is somewhat tricky, in my opinion.

This book includes:

• An introduction and Peter’s personal story to letting go of glasses (which you can read for free here)

• How vision works – the physiology of the visual system and explanations of common visual problems. An outline of the eyebody patterns and how a part of the visual system is reflected in part of the body.

• The two types of upper visual cortex tendency – overextended or contracted. The majority of individuals are contracted. We are all one of the other or maybe both – this does not necessarily manifest to a point of making a vision problem.

• The eyebody principles and case studies for each type of visual impairment.

• The eyebody’s application to life and first steps in incorporating the eyebody method into your life. This is very general, although the first step guidance is a bit more specific – giving help for sunning and palming in relation to whether you are a contracted or overextended type. In order to actually utilise the method you do need to find a teacher or workshop as this book will not help you do that – it is only really an introduction.

Despite being interested in this technique and wanting to learn more, I feel it is too much of a stretch right now to get involved in it, so will try my vision teacher and also look into maybe the Alexander technique separate too. It is definitely a very interesting perspective and makes a lot of sense. I shall be attending a workshop for it in May in London, so hopefully I will learn more then.

So I have been eating the Wai way for two weeks now and feel fantastic. My skin is tight and feels nice, I don’t feel groggy when I wake up in the morning, and overall feel satisfied and full of energy. However, the second week was much harder than I first anticipated. Allowing myself, and introducing a munch food didn’t do me any favours whatsoever. The first day was ok - I didn’t get any real joy out of the munch food, in the way I was from my salads, but it was a nice treat. However after this I found having the munch foods made it really hard to stay focused on the diet - my addictions to these foods grew stronger and stronger. Despite these addictions I am still loving the Wai way - it just makes me feel overall much better in every sense and I really enjoy not feeling bloated and agitated like I was missing something in my meal. Hopefully I can stay focused for the next two weeks, as those munch food cravings are horrible.

I really like how I feel though despite my cravings. I like feeling fresh and light and I love my skin.

So after spending the week doing various exercises, I have been somewhat stuck on my vision improvement. My eyes do get flashes of clear vision, but there has been no permanent improvement. As a result I feel I should seek out a vision improvement teacher. This seems to be the most appropriate route and will help me utilise the techniques I have learnt much better than I am doing so at the moment.

I am also waiting on my eyebody book to learn more of how I can aid improvement of my eyes.

This is not to say the techniques have not been useful - my centralisation is a lot better for practising it, I can relax my eyes if I get stressed and generally I feel a lot better, but that is as far as I have progressed. Although I potentially have a lot of strain and emotional tension to let go of, and don’t expect it to happen in a few weeks, I feel an natural vision teacher will help me move a further step along.

Today I have had:

• A little orange juice, melon and avocado salad.

• Banana, Bombay potatoes and salad.

• Melon and hazelnuts.

• Water.

• Orange and egg yolk.

• About to have something else but haven’t decided yet.

I have felt fantastic today and I love how my skin feels and is and I just feel good. My list looks like I haven’t eaten a lot but I still feel great. My munch food was the Bombay potatoes. I was going to try for a small jacket potato and tuna (as I love it lots) but my boyfriend convinced me to have the Bombay ones as he was making some. They were lovely but it made me crave more which was the only downside. However, I got over it quickly. I feel really good. Having a munch food was good and I don’t feel it has negatively affected me either. It didn’t make me sluggish. I guess because you have to keep under a certain amount of protein (15g) I ended up not getting really full and bloated like I would in the past – that or I just managed to eat properly. I have noticed my eating has slowed down, so maybe I chew better also. Anyway I feel good.

I have noticed today my throat has been very phlegmy. Maybe this is my body clearing out crap still, I don’t know. I also think I have shrunk a little - not retaining water anymore - because a top that was tight is now loose (and I don’t think I have lost any weight).

I won’t be posting daily anymore on this diet unless I feel I have something important to say that is going on. I will however have an update at the end of the week (so next Tuesday) until I have completed the 30 days.

Today I have had:

• pineapple, honeydew melon and an avocado salad.

• A banana and avocado salad.

• Grapes and avocado salad.

• And about to have some orange juice and egg yolk.

Not a very good day with food, but the salads filled me up a treat so didn’t find it necessary to have too much. I have felt really good still. I have had some cravings, very weak though and they have been when I have been hungry (a little too hungry). I look forward tomorrow though when I can have a munch food, but I am wondering whether I will enjoy it or not.

So I have made it through one week of this diet and have found it to be quite enlightening. I know that I can listen to when my body needs food and I know that the food I have been eating is satisfying, more so than I have ever felt with food. Thus, I know that I am getting all the right nutrients. Despite only being a week into this diet, I do feel already this is something I will stick to on a long term basis, of course with munch food every so often. But before I decide on that I have to get through 3 more weeks ?.