I’ve had a surprising number of private messages about being raw, so I think it would be useful to those who are interested in a raw lifestyle for beauty and health.

I want to address something before I list out my physical changes. In my previous update, I know I sounded like I was at the honeymoon stage of raw, in many ways I still am, but I think I didn’t touch on an important reality of transitioning to a raw vegan lifestyle — it’s hard on many levels.

Why am I finding it difficult? It’s not quite the reasons you may first think. No, I don’t have problems finding new ways to un-cook, in fact, it’s a daily joy I cherish.

+ Negative reactions from loved ones. When many of the people you seek approval from disagree with you, it’s not easy. Some think I am downright extreme, weird, harboring a latent illness (a family member speculated that I was pre-diabetic because of my sudden weight gain last year) or blindly throwing myself into the “latest diet fad”. I feel I need to harness an independent soul to carry on the way I want to eat and with happiness.

It’s not a good feeling to have that “lone warrior” burden, and many raw foodists have talked about this ad nauseum so I have steeled myself against negative comments. But at the end of the day, it still feels lonely.

+ Confused connection between mind and body. As I consume more raw food, I have naturally lacked an appetite for red meat, chicken, and dairy. I was eating an egg a day for over a month but when I stopped for a few days and went back to it, the smell repulsed me and I haven’t gone back to it since.

Just recently, I grilled a small piece of fish and as I overturned it, there was some wobbly bit under the gills and my stomach just felt like hurling. So, I’m finding meat quite hard to look at. I used to say this to my friends, “Oooo I love perving at seafood.” Now, I think it’s gross.

But when I am in a social situation and if I’m hungry, I just eat what’s in front of me. Meat and all. In Japan, the style of eating is communal, so I still have problems ‘fessing up to not wanting to share and have my own salad. I don’t feel disgusted as I am busy talking, but I feel bad physically (get gassy and bloated) when I reach home. So, I decided to come clean about being vegan in the last week and I feel great not eating any meat.

+ Still going through detox. I have waxed lyrical about the great energy I get from this diet but there have been a few days when I was absolutely exhausted (usually after drinking alcohol or eating meat) and I visit the powder room more than I care to mention. I get breakouts when I experience this but nothing drastic like huge, angry pimples; instead, I get tiny ones that go away in a day or two.

Before raw

After raw for 90 days

I don’t have a dramatic weight-loss story as I only lost 4.7kg (10.3lbs) where I released 3.8kg in the first month and 0.9kg in the last two months. But I think there is a difference in my face as you can see in the pictures above.

Body

The before picture was taken in November where I was at my heaviest ever. See how puffy I looked? I think it was all the gluten I was consuming that was the culprit and I must say that looking at these photos gives me more motivation to keep going.

My stomach area has flattened too. I’m going to be very honest here: I looked pregnant with an awful muffin top above my waistband, and even worse, I started wearing only loose tops to cover my bump. When I sat down and got up, I had to maneuver myself such that my big beer belly wouldn’t get in the way. As I do stretches now, I don’t sense there is a thick hunk of flesh obstructing me in the torso area. I feel lighter than I’ve ever had in the last three years.

When I exercise, I feel buoyed by the incredible lightness that fruit and veggies give me and I actually feel quite blissed out after a good workout. I’ll like to mention that I didn’t turn into a workout machine overnight on this diet. I was pretty sporty before so it feels amazing that I’m reaching higher levels of stamina and endurance (eg. 3 sets of 8 situps and 8 pushups in a row are not a problem versus struggling to do even 1 set; I can also clench my teeth through 2 sets of 8 side pushups and 8 side situps). I used to be dismayed that I exercised a lot but I never lost weight until I went raw. You can read about the incredible raw vegan athletes out there here.

Right now, I would say I am enjoying a high raw diet where I may be 100% raw on some days and have a cooked item on other days.

Skin

I think my skin has improved as I haven’t had a huge pimple after the first month of the raw diet. These two months have seen relatively clear complexion and I actually get a radiant flush after drinking green juice (natural blusher!).

I used to look extremely puffy and grey after an indulgent night but not so anymore. I may have a few glasses of white wine per week now and I notice the water retention is not as severe and goes away within a few hours. It could be that I am also drinking less alcohol while the discomfort of hangovers is over sooner because of the delicious, detoxing green smoothies and juices that I ingest daily.

Mind

I’m still loving the sharpness and clarity this diet brings. I think the physical beauty from raw food is a great bonus but there is something just as precious, if not more, and it’s a calmness that I feel which eluded me while I was on caffeine and other stimulants in cooked food. With more mental energy, I’m able give people and situations my patience and measured attention. I’m not saying I’ve found nirvana because I still get pissed off, frustrated, and sad sometimes, but I think I’m just more able to look at a problem or challenge without drowning in ego and emotions, like before.

If you are interested in my raw food pictures, you can click here.

Related posts:

1. Sixty days into the raw
2. Raw for six months
3. Go green for gorgeous skin