Biev's journal (with pictures)

[Biev]

I'm doing this diet for a number of reasons, so I've been trying to take notes on all of them :

Acne : I suddenly woke up the day after Thanksgiving with (not particularly bad, I guess) acne. I've had perfect skin for 27 years, so this was quite a shock to me anyway. I used Clearasil acne pads for the first two days, which dried my skin so badly that some pimples just became completely hard and my face has been feeling so dry and stretched that I feel like if I smiled it would crack!

Exhaustion : I'm overworked, I'm stressed, and most importantly, I'm severely sleep deprived. I can feel that I'm at the end of my rope, I'm physcially unable to get through my work day anymore, I break down and cry at the littlest things, and I have insomnia at night.

Weight : I'm not overweight at all, but I've been dieting for a while anyway in hopes that it would make me feel healthier, and help me maintain my weight around 118 - 120lbs, which is what I feel comfortable at. I've been limiting my calorie intake, which in retrospect seems like the dumbest thing in the world to do for someone who's always lacking energy and sleep (-_-); I did try to balance my diet well, but obviously, I failed and my body clearly rebelled.

Serotonin : Well, I read that this might help the brain produce serotonin. I've been suffering from some anxiety disorders and depressions all my life, and I was given paxil to keep this under control (so basically to force my brain to make serotonin). I've been off medication for a few years, because I didn't like the side effects and addictive factor, but that means I struggle with my disorders more. I never actually thought that changing the way I eat might help me produce more serotonin, so I feel like I've been given a bit of hope again. I've also recently made an effort to go from a night schedule back to days, since I know some sunlight is necessary for my brain to produce my precious happy chemical. So, we'll see how that goes...

Day 1 (I write these in the morning, so this is before starting the diet)



Acne : My skin feels dry and stretched, except my nose and forehead which keep getting greasy (but are pimple-free). It's uncomfortable and it itches. The skin around the pimples is red and hot, and the pimples seem to be moving around when that redness spreads, so I've been rinsing it with cool water and soap every time I feel it burn/spread again. The picture was taken in the morning, but my face looks worse in the afternoons.

Sleep : I got 6 hours of sleep and then spent a lot more time in bed trying to fall asleep again. I feel very tired, as you can tell from the picture, I have no energy whatsoever. Physically I feel strange, like I just swallowed a stick of butter.

Mood : Even though nothing happened in particular, I feel like crying. I'm also stressed enough that even if I'm not thinking about anything in particular, I'm tense and my heart beat fast and my body keeps trying to calm itself down - for example, I'm rocking back and forth as I write this, and probably have been for a while without noticing.

Weight : 120 lbs

Food : (I didn't start noting the quantities till day 6, sorry)
- Apple, cantalope, banana, grapes, dried apricot
- Brazil nuts
- Red tuna and salmon sashimi
I'd been meaning to eat the salad, but I was too full!

(I've got 5 more days to enter, but I'm too tired to do it now, so it will have to wait. I also have pictures for each.)

[Oscar]

I'm eager to see how things continue.

[Biev]

Day two



Acne : My skin looks a little better today, the pimples are pink rather than red. The skin still feels incredibly dehydrated thanks to the stupid Clearasil, and it burns.

Sleep : I got about 7 hours of peaceful sleep, which is the most I've had in ages. I'm still very tired, I've been dragging this huge headache all day.

Mood : I woke up in higher spirits and with some energy, and actually felt like doing something and seeing people (I have social anxiety disorder, so this is a very good sign). I still have a bit of that buttery taste in my mouth but not as much as yesterday... weird. I'm still panicked when I think about different issues I have to take care of, but I feel a little calmer than yesterday. My heart still beats too fast, though. But I don't feel the need to constantly move.

Weight : 119 lbs

Food :
- Orange juice
- Bananas, orange, apple, coconut
- Brazil nuts
- Avocado, tomato, cucumber, olive oil, chives
- Tuna and salmon sashimi

[Biev]

Day 3



Acne : My skin is mostly smooth now! It's still pink in patches and I can only feel a few hard bumps where the acne medicine sort of... dried the bumps into place. I wish I could take a time machine and throw those acne pads out the window. My face feels really dry and stretched. I'll try getting coconut oil to moisturize it today, and I'll limit the soap.

Sleep : I napped for 2 hours and later slept for about 5 more. I've realized that it's really hard to stay awake after eating the sashimi, I might start eating it later at night. I'm still very tired, but I don't have a headache.

Mood : I'm in a pretty good mood. I feel more relaxed today and my heartbeat seems normal for once. No tics at the moment.

Weight : 120 lbs

Food :
- Bananas, apples, coconut, cantaloupe, blackberries
- Brazil nuts
- Tomato, avocado, cucumber, olive oil, chives
- Tuna and salmon sashimi

[Oscar]

Wow, so far it seems to improve every day.

[Biev]

Day 4



Acne : Not much of a difference since yesterday - the pink patches are where the skin is driest. I bought some coconut oil, I'll just have to keep re-hydrating my skin.

Sleep : I slept for 9 and a half hours! I'm telling you, that raw fish - it knocks me right out! I've finally adapted to the day schedule (before this I slept from 8am to 4pm) and it's great waking up at daybreak without having to use an alarm clock.

Mood : Less tired, but kind of bummed. It's a really gloomy day today. I cringe at the thought of getting any work done. At the same time I'm nervous, there's a lot on my to do list. It's hard to tell how my social anxiety has been since lately I'm home all day.

Weight : 118 lbs

Food :
- Orange juice
- Banana, dried apricot, blackberries, apples, oranges, coconut
- Brazil nuts
- Tomato, cucumber, avocado, olive oil, chives
- Salmon sashimi

Man, this diet is expensive, and not in the way I assumed it would be! I only eat about 4 pieces of sashimi a day, so that's only 6$. It's the fruit! I eat so much freaking fruit! Fruit is expensive down here. I don't even want to tell you how much I've spent so far.

[Biev]

Day 5



Acne : I look better, right? (If you make abstraction of the wet hair ^.^;;) And visibly less tired, too. My skin's dry, but other than that it's all good. The coconut oil helps, and I smell like a delicious macaroon all day : D

Sleep : I get a little less tired each day. I slept for about 7 1/2 hours. I've been sleeping pretty well, no tossing and turning or waking up every time the cats knock something over (though I do have to wake up about 3 times a night anyway for reasons too boring to explain).

Mood : Now that I wake up in the day time, I've realized that my mood is greatly affected by the weather. It's a nice day out today, so I'm happy, I just want to go outside! I'm feeling pretty relaxed for once.

Weight : 119 lbs

Food :
- Orange juice
- Banana, pear, blackberries, mango, kiwi, dried cranberries
- Brazil nuts
- Cucumber, avocado, olive oil, chives

I miss the action of cooking, so I've been making my husband a lot of yummy meals... that I can't touch. I must be masochistic. Especially since I'm stuck with the dishes.

[Oscar]

Already a great improvement from Day 1. How are the brazil nuts btw? We can't get unshelled ones here, so I've never tasted a fresh one...

[RRM]

By the way, sleep also has a great effect on the condition of your skin; how 'tight' it is; a lack of sleep can cause acne.

[Biev]

I don't like the brazil nuts much, I think 1 in 5 is bitter, and they're so hard to shell! I think I'll try to vary the kinds of nuts that I buy. I bought hazelnuts recently and I like them much better.

I really enjoy my new daytime schedule. It certainly improved my mood, and I think that triggered a chain reaction. My house hasn't been this peaceful in a while : )

[Oscar]

You don't have to eat nuts, if you don't want.
I hope you'll keep up the diary and the pics.

[Biev]

Day 6



Acne: My skin is slowly getting less dry...

Sleep : I slept for like 10 hours! I went to bed early. I've been waking up on my own when the sun rises, it's great. I don't feel particularly tired today.

Mood : I'm nervous today, my heart is beating too fast again. I really gotta find some tricks to calm down. I'm feeling paranoid. Good thing I get to stay home today and not speak to anyone.

Weight : 120 lbs

Today's menu : (with details finally)
- 6 cups orange juice, 2 raw egg yolks, ~1tsp oil (I finally got brave enough to try it)
- 2 bananas, 1 pear, 1 kiwi
- 3 brazil nuts
- 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 big avocado, about 1tbsp olive oil, chives

I'd planned to eat more, but my day was cut shorter than anticipated. The raw egg was kind of gross, I didn't mix it well enough the first time and it made me gag. The second glass also made me gag, but only because I knew it had raw egg in it. 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.

[Biev]

Day 7



Acne : My skin looks great! It feels much less dry now, and I think I'm rid of acne for good. I'm back to normal now.

Sleep : Oops. I slept in a different room than usual, and there was no sunlight to wake me up, so I slept until 11am (-_-); Well, I feel very well rested now. At least I know I'll be able to sleep tonight regardless, since fish knocks me right out. My husband keeps saying that I look less tired and healthier.

Mood : It's a beautiful sunny day and I'm in a great mood, ready to face a day of work. I'm definitely a weather person... Regarding my social anxiety disorder, I wasn't too bad today, and I spoke on the phone comfortably for a long with someone I don't know well. I don't think my other disorders will be affected in any way by this diet.

Weight : 120 lbs

Food :
- 3 cups orange juice (I ran out)
- 2 bananas, 1 pear, handful of raisins, 7 dates, 1/2 orange
- 6 brazil nuts
-1/2 cucumber, 1/2 avocado, 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, chives
- 2 pieces tuna sashimi, 2 pieces salmon sashimi

I ran this through the nutrient calculator, it would seem today I didn't eat enough since I'm coming up low in everything... It really is hard to eat enough on this diet. Plus my days have been really short. I literally feel like I'm stuffing my face every minute of the day. But I think I've got the sugar/fat thing under control since I don't get many ups and downs throughout the day (unless I'm so absorbed in doing something that I forget it's time to eat).

[Biev]

Day eight



Acne : Still good.

Sleep : I'm so tired today. I slept for about 7 hours, but random things kept waking me up.

Mood : I'm too tired to want to do much of anything, but I don't feel particularly stressed. But it's also the first day of my period so I have the cramps of doom and I just want to curl up under a blanket and feel sorry for myself all day. I thought I should specify it because the first three days are usually hell. Sorry if that's too much information.

Weight : 120lbs

Food :
-6 cups orange juice, 3 egg yolks
- 2 bananas, 1 kiwi, 1/2 mango, two handfuls of raisins, 5 dates
- 6 brazil nuts
- 1/2 avocado, 1/2 cucumber, 1 tbsp olive oil, chives

Heh... still low on calcium and zinc. Tomorrow I'll add some figs. I'll get the balance right one day (-_-);

[Biev]

Day nine

Acne : No picture today, because I feel lazy. There hasn't really been much of a change, my skin is still a bit dry.

Sleep : I slept a lot, maybe 8 1/2 hours, but for some reason today I feel exhausted! Even looking up hurts my eyes.

Mood : I'm not really in a bad mood or anything, but I feel stressed and my social anxiety is really bad today. Definitely not a productive day, I can't get anything done when I feel like this.

Food (if I remember this right)
- lots of orange juice, 2 egg yolks
- 3 bananas, 2 kiwis, a handful of figs
- a handful hazelnuts
- 2 tomatoes, 1 tbsp olive oil, chives (cucumber and avocado is rarely fresh here)

I'm trying to work my way up to 3 eggs... So far I find this diet surprisingly easy. When I eat raw fish, I usually wish I had some rice and seaweed, because I associate it with sushi. And when I have egg yolks, I think "I bet this would be good on potatoes". But it doesn't particularly bother me, it's more of a "huh, maybe I should try this sometime". I'm not really getting any real cravings so far, and even when I cook for my husband I enjoy the smell but don't particularly want any of the food.

But I do wish he would follow the diet too, especially since he wants to lose weight... except I was lucky, this diet has all my favorite foods. For him it's more complicated : he can't eat nuts or seeds, so that also rules out tomatoes, cucumbers and a lot of fruits, he can't stomach citric acid, he doesn't like juice with oil in, he doesn't want to eat raw egg yolk and he doesn't like avocado. He's very picky ^.^;;