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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 ?

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

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.

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 ?.

Today I have had

• An orange, mango/banana/orange smoothie, egg yolk with orange juice

• Mango/banana/orange smoothie and avocado salad (consisting of red onions, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado and extra virgin olive oil).

• 2 bananas, pineapple and avocado salad.

• raspberry/blackberry/orange smoothie and avocado salad.

Today I have felt a bit weak. I took a run this morning before I had eaten and on top of this then eating the egg yolk, I don’t think it set me up very well for the day. Having to wait 2 and half hous after the egg yolk was quite tough because I was busy. I think I should stick to having the egg yolk in the evening instead. Apart from this I feel really good and no cravings. I have been quite hungry at times but this is because I have been a bit slow getting food to my mouth (busy day!). I think this is reflected in what I have eaten today though. I may have some fruit and nuts this evening as well.

Today I have had

• 3 bananas and hazelnuts.

• some water

• a smoothie of raspberries, blackberries, bananas, some orange juice and some hazlenuts.

• a smoothie of raspberries, blackberries, bananas, some orange juice and some hazelnuts

• 2 bananas and an avocado salad (consisting of red onion, lettuce, avocado, tomatoes and cucumbers wit lots of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil on top)

• Orange juice and egg yolk.

I had a really good day again today and had no cravings. Nothing new really to report.

For those who would be interested in this for acne (although I am not on the strict diet) my skin seems to have tightened up, and my pores are smaller. I really like the condition of my skin and it seems to be improving.

Today has been a good day also. On my old diet I used to get agitated, as though I needed something in my diet and it was missing. Even though it is only four days in,I don’t feel this agitation and just eat when I am hungry and am completely satisfied. I am also not bloated as I would be before. I do feel quite good, not tired and generally very stable.

Today I have eaten:

• Cantaloupe melon (muskmelon) and avocado salad (I just love this so much, it is so satisfying to me).

• Smoothie consisting of raspberries and blueberries and some hazelnuts.

• 2 bananas, some more cantaloupemelon (muskmelon) and avocado salad again.

• More homemade smoothie with hazelnuts.

• I shall have a few oranges this evening and some more nuts.

I haven’t been that hungry today. The avocado salad is extremely satisfying and I could eat it all the time! I will, however, be trying some other suggestions in the future, because well I should have some variety and I am guessing the salad may eventually get boring? Or maybe it won’t. For now I love it.

Nothing really to report, apart from I am feel really good.

I woke up this morning at 7am I was ok, I changed my son and then we both fell back to sleep for a few hours while I was feeding him. When I woke up after this I felt quite drained and a bit shakey. My muscles ached too. As soon as my boyfriend got me some fruit I started to feel ok again. Every bit of fruit I had I wanted more! I think this might be a result of breastfeeding and going so long without food (overnight). On this diet you have to eat regularly so my body can’t be used to the big pause on top of feeding my son. Anyway after this I felt a lot better and had an ok day. I felt tired today but all has been good.

This is what I have eaten:

• 1 orange, a banana, a bowl of cantaloupe melon (muskmelon), handful of grapes and some hazelnuts.

• A bowl of grapes and salad (consisting of avocado, red onion, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and lots of extra virgin olive oil).

• Grapes, cantaloupe and big bowl of salad (same as above).

• 1 ½ oranges and bowl of salad (as above..I actually LOVE this salad).

• Raisins and Hazelnuts.

I also intend to have my egg yolk in a minute with a little freshly squeezed orange juice and will continue to have raisins and hazelnuts. I really love the avocado salad, especially with red onions. It is very satisfying.

Today has been ok as well. Last night though I went out to get some more nuts and a ripe avocado only for my boyfriend to decide he wanted to eat lots of ridiculous treats. Luckily it didn’t bother me too much and well shouldn’t really after only one day. He has a bloody cheek though!

This reminded me though that I wanted to make a point of something. My fruit and vegetables generally come from the local market, if not there then I will get organic but I tend to stray for supermarkets. I have, however, purchased my eggs from there and organic ones too. I am not sure currently where I could them. In the future, if this diet works out for me I will probably look into box schemes to get my fruit – organic and locally grown then and I could potentially get wholesale prices, especially as I love juice and well it takes a lot of oranges to make a litre of juice!

Anyway today I have eaten:

• 2 oranges, fruit salad (oranges, pineapples and cantaloupe (muskmelon).

• 2 bananas, fruit salad and salad consisting of red onions, lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers and olive oil

• 2 bananas and cashew nuts.

• Grapes and more salad

• A little bit of water

• Banana, orange and handful of cashew nuts

• A little bit of water

• About to have some more fruit and salad

To be honest when I look at this list it really looks like I don’t eat enough but I put my daily intake into the nutrient calculator including what I am about to eat and have found I am only low in zinc and b12. I expected the b12 because I am increasing the egg yolk – tomorrow I shall have 2 egg yolks so this should boost this up and the zinc. So I am quite impressed so far, even though it is only 2 days. I am impressed because I am listening to my body quite well – this might be harder when cravings kick in, but I am getting what I need – which is much better than my old diet.

Apart from when I was pregnant, I have always had a big problem eating enough, so to know that I am on this diet is really good (in fact I am over energy intake!). Of course I was intitially worried how this diet would affect my bub while he feeds, but I know he is getting everything he needs and he is fine. I am still worried about what to digress when I reach week 2, but in the long run I know this will be beneficial for him when he is on solids.

Anyway so far things are ok and it is good to know I am eating appropriately.