Ramblings of a madman...

[djr_81]

Time for another update.

Against better judgment I had two separate cooked meals during the holidays.
One meal was a small piece of very rare seared tuna at the office's Christmas lunch. My boss seemed disappointed that I couldn't eat anything so I ordered the tuna. It was tasty but gave me a headache and made me very tired.
The second meal was broiled filet of dover sole. A client took a couple of us out for a holiday lunch so I chose it to so as to not offend his offer. Again I had a headache along with malaise and just a general bleh. Can't say I miss cooked food.

I've also indulged extensively in carbs. I took my wife for her first time to the Middle Eastern & Asian markets and stocked up on tasty foods (dried figs, dried red plums, dried sour plums, and the most delicious dark honeycomb). Following this we did some shopping at the store and I bought lots of fruit (persimmons, mango, papaya, kiwis, starfruit/carambola, cherries).
Far and away my favorites this time were the kiwis and starfruit/carambola. The cherries was also tasty, as always, but not as much as they usually are. I attribute this to the fact that these weren't local.
The persimmon was still tasty but got cloyingly sweet after just a few bites.
The mango and papaya were too starchy for my liking. They tasted OK but nothing I'd pursue again.
The dried fruits were all good but too sweet.
The honey was delicious in small amounts (really dark comb with a very heavy mineral-rich flavor) but anything more than a teaspoon worth was too much.
Surprisingly I did exponentially better with these foods than I did even a month ago. My indulgences were spread out from 12/17 until 12/26. I began with small amounts and ate progressively larger percentages of carbs over the next few days. At most I had two carb-based meals and one meat/fat based meal in a day.
I did note even on the first day that I got very sleepy an hour or two after eating the carbs. I even found myself passing out watching TV on the couch with the wife at night which I don't do eating raw-carnivorous.
I also noted a much greater volume in fecal bulk immediately. I went to the bathroom ~2-3 times a day and the volume was at least double, but frequently much more, what I pass eating raw-carnivorous. It all passed without issue though and I did not note an itching anus which I used to get when my Candida flared. I did develop increasing gas over the time I was omnivorous which had a very strong and unpleasant smell.
I noted a small hit to my mental focus but not as great as I have noted in the past. Since cutting out the carbs again I have noted it was a bigger hit than perceived. Still diminished from the past.
I did also note when shoveling snow on Monday (we had our first real snowstorm and got 18" of snow Sunday into Monday) that I had major inflammation in my finger joints which was a common problem in the past but had diminished greatly on raw-carnivorous.
Lastly I've got the itchiness on my skin back but my Tinea did not flare.
Ultimately my experience indicates that my Candida has been improving but still has a ways to go. Some day it does seem that I'll be able to indulge in fruit on a once-a-week or bi-weekly basis. Also the fruit is much better for me than the vegetables were the last few times. Probably due to the hydrating nature of the fruit.

Other than that stuff I'm just keeping on keeping on. Christmas was great with my wife, my family, and her family. We got each other lots of cool things (I'm not overly materialistic most of the year but I love the act of giving things to my loved ones and getting stuff ain't too shabby either ) and had a great holiday. I think next year is going to be a "small Christmas" though where we get each other a couple smaller things. We're also talking about finding a family in need and giving them a Christmas.
I've got today and tomorrow to finish up here at work and then have off Friday through Sunday for New Years.

Hope everyone is doing well. I pop in and browse every couple of days but haven't felt the urge to post much as of late. I'm still here though and doing well myself. Happy New Years everyone.

[djr_81]

Still dabbling in the carbs even though I've moved to doing it usually on a Friday or Saturday night. I'm intrigued as the longer I do this the less negatives I seem to be having from them and I don't have huge cravings for them.
The raw honeycomb seems to work fine in small amounts (1/2 teaspoon with my meat/fat at a meal, beyond that I get sleepy/spacey).
Fruits can result in more noticeable negatives including gas, constipation, diarrhea, spaceyness, sleepiness, and itching. Different fruits have different thresholds.
I'm not sure if I will be going back to full ZC or if I will stick to VLC. The test will be athletic performance this spring.
Of note I'm up to 187/188. The added weight appears to be either fat or water as a result of the added carbs. I will see if this results in easier mass gains in the spring as well.

I tried a frozen Durian over the weekend. I'm one of the minority that is not truly repulsed or enamored with the fruit. It smelled bad and tasted sweet yet oniony (as Sully mentioned in the past). I do not feel compelled to buy one again. FWIW my wife was truly repulsed by the bit she tried.

[djr_81]

Oh yeah, and I don't feel compelled to eat a kiwi again anytime soon. I had what seemed to be a perfectly ripe one a couple weeks ago and it burned my mouth horribly. Felt like I was eating black pepper all night long. I don't know if it had pesticides or something else but it will be a long time before I have one again.

[djr_81]

I am feeling awesome lately.

Started back up the push-up routine last week. Knocked out ~600 in 4 days but put it on hold Friday/Saturday/Sunday as I could feel I was pushing myself too hard after a couple months of less than optimal exercise. I was strangely feeling it most in my abs but also some in my shoulders. I'm going to do some bench presses and chin-ups this week (I'm think 3 sets of 5 on the bench presses Monday and Thursday) and get back to the push-ups next week. I'm also working on my abs some this week so they're up to the task.

It was nice out yesterday so I went for a walk. Went up a road up a mountainside down the street. ~2.5 miles at maybe a 45* incline. After I got back on flat ground I jogged a bit then broke into a full out run. I missed that exhilaration but I'm glad I get to start back up in earnest again soon. I've been reading "Born To Run" and it has me wanting to get back out there and enjoy every second of it.

Since last week my food intake has gone up tremendously. I went from a little over 1 pound of meat a day to 2-3 pounds a day. It's pretty much all getting used to. Saturday was 1 1/3 pounds of ground bull, 1/3 pound suet, a bit of honey, and another 1 1/2 pound beef tongue.

[Ioanna]

so then which fruit(s) work best for you?  and how low are you carbs?.. like one piece fruit or honey with meat meal?

[djr_81]

so then which fruit(s) work best for you?  and how low are you carbs?.. like one piece fruit or honey with meat meal?

To be honest, in hindsight, no fruit really works well with me. Each time I'd eat a type by itself it went right through me. Only when combining types did I seem to tolerate them better and this appears to be because they would bind me up as opposed to getting quick diarrhea. I haven't tried fruit again in a couple weeks and I feel better.
I also apparently understated my honey consumption. It's actually a half tablespoon of comb. Still not a lot but significantly more than the 1/2 teaspoon I mentioned earlier. I have this with my dinner meal and it seems to do me good.

I have noticed that the Tinea on my skin is flared and is itchy. I'm contemplating whether starving whatever yeast/fungus is inside of me is any better of a choice than trying to find a way to coexist. For now I'm doing well with a bit of honey but we'll see how I do over the long haul. I'll change it up again if I have problems.

[djr_81]

I spent last week doing another run of the push-up routine. Set of 30 to start the week. Ended yesterday with 1550 for the week, 504 was my highest one day total on Friday. I was pretty sore on Saturday and Sunday so I'm going to do less this week (pull/chin-ups and a couple sets of push-ups to failure) and pick up the routine again next week.

On another front my wife and I planted some fruit plants yesterday. We've got an fence for our turtles around the pond I built so I planted two cherry trees, two blueberry bushes, and 30 strawberry plant rhizomes so they can naturally graze outside and we will have lots of fresh fruit.

[djr_81]

Pro-Tip: Avoid black mold like the plague if you suspect you have any fungal issues.
We had the pump for the house leak (loose pet-cock) unnoticed for a couple days which resulted in water damage in our bathroom. When removing the paneling on a couple walls at the shower to find the extent I found a bunch of black mold. Stupidly removed the paneling without a mask and must have inhaled some of the spores (I've been using a mask since then) which resulted in severe brain fog and disorientation similar to what I get when eating sugars but greatly heightened. That happened Thursday night and I still feel off even though I'm slowly mending. Black mold is no joke.

I was doing really good before Thursday. Lots of energy, regular exercise, great focus. Hopefully by next weekend I'll be feeling myself again.

[wodgina]

Part of my job is mould testing, I would definitely be fully suited up with coveralls, gloves, respirator and then attack with white vinegar once panelling is removed.

Black mould is no joke. It makes me really ill. You also have to worry about VOC's produced by the mould. So if it's really bad have a respirator with an organics cartridge.

[Ioanna]

voc=??

[wodgina]

Volatile Organic Compounds, you should know that one, aren't you in that industry?

[djr_81]

Part of my job is mould testing, I would definitely be fully suited up with coveralls, gloves, respirator and then attack with white vinegar once panelling is removed.

Black mould is no joke. It makes me really ill. You also have to worry about VOC's produced by the mould. So if it's really bad have a respirator with an organics cartridge.

That's what I wore for the rest of the removal. I sprayed it down with a bleach based spray a removed it when thoroughly wet so I didn't release more spores. Not sure if the respirator had an organics cartridge but it worked great.

The walls are fixed, floor tiles are all ripped up and changed, all we've got left is to prime and paint.

[djr_81]

Oh, I feel much better today than yesterday. RPD is definitely helping me bounce back quicker than I would have.

[Ioanna]

lol, not exactly, but i still should have known 

[djr_81]

Had my first testicle yesterday. The farm sent one of it's stud bulls off to slaughter after a long life and they asked me if I wanted one (they ate the other). We picked up our food on Saturday and I had a 1 1/2 pound testicle waiting for me.
Let me preface this by saying if the look/feel of tongue puts you off from eating it testicles aren't going to be a treat. I'll eat most anything at this point and I was still a bit taken aback.
I cut the ends off so there was just the meaty center left. Next I peeled the out skin off the inner meat. When finished I had close to a pound of meat left. It's weird looking stuff; looks a lot like chicken (a bit darker) but feels like a scallop. Smells kind of gamey and has some of that in the taste. It's kind of like liver in texture when eaten. I wasn't a huge fan but it was a fun experience. My wife had a bite too.
FWIW I saw them eat cow udder on a TV show (Bizarre Foods) so asked the farm to see about securing an udder with their next slaughter. We'll see if they can.

[djr_81]

I wanted to share that my wife has been slowly moving towards a mixed paleo diet as she determines what foods cause her problems and which she does well with. At the moment she is eating ~90% carnivore; mostly truly pastured chicken and ground beef from the farm we frequent as well as wild fish (tuna and swordfish are her favorites). She does have some fruits and vegetables but has pulled back on these as she's trying to figure out which work well for her.
We also began exercising together. We started with bike rides on a local trail which has gentle inclines/declines and have ridden ~18 miles on our longest ride. We also ride on the road which is much more strenuous (6 mile cap so far) and have begun to run in the mornings (~3/4 of a mile of running at most so far).
She has in total lost roughly 50 pounds since changing up her diet and adding in the exercise. She's also so much happier and confident which is wonderful to see. The best part is, as many of you know, that feeling really good is great incentive to keep it all up. I'm proud of her.

PS-She tried on her wedding dress again last night (we got married roughly 3 years ago). Not only did it fit without a corset like she had at the wedding but she was swimming in the extra material.

[Ioanna]

I'm proud of her.

me too

[cherimoya_kid]

Good for your wife.  I'm glad to hear that you're being such a good influence.

[djr_81]

Time for another update:
Continuing to exercise regularly. We joined the gym a couple weeks ago and have been doing cardio after work. We're going to start some light strength training exercise this week or next as well (the room we work out in has a Nautilus circuit which should be sufficient for most of what I care about but I can go to another room for free weights if/when I want to go bigger). The only real downside is by the time we get home from the gym it's 7 something at night.
I'm still continuing to eat 100% RPD. I indulged in some honey and some dairy on my vacation the beginning of this month and it flared the Candida up really bad. I'm not even going to bother deviating from eating how I do anymore as it's always such a setback if I do. Hopefully I'll be feeling 100% by October.
My wife is still making great progress. She's down another 10 pounds and feeling great. We're hoping having the gym membership keeps her motivated to keep the progress up over the winter. She's got a long list of things she wants to do next year if she loses enough weight (including horseback riding & skydiving) so we want to keep it up.

That's all folks.

[djr_81]

I forgot to mention something that cracks me up. My wife and I had stopped with my In-Laws at Arthur Avenue in the Bronx on Saturday (after spending the day with them at the Bronx Zoo) and were looking around at the meat markets. We found some "Wild Boar" which we took home (the butcher didn't know what it's diet was so we took a chance-a few small bites and I knew it had been reared on grain so gave it away). After we got home my wife remarked how she was disappointed that they didn't have testicles as she would have liked to have them again.

The market did have a nice selection. They had calf brain, 2 types of beef tripe, lamb tongue, as well as sundry other organs from sheep & cows. Unfortunately it was all grain-fed.

[djr_81]

The wife and I have been doing Nautilus circuit training for the last 3 (I think) weeks and I'm seeing very steady gains in everything. I personally think I'm seeing such good progress because I'm being very conscious of maintaining good form and performing the reps with slow & steady motions (art least a 4 count concentric contraction, hold for 2, 4 count eccentric contraction). I figure the weights only go to a certain point on these machines so I should get the most I can out of a set weight (and avoid injury at the same time).
I'm feeling really good with the regular weight training. Interestingly I've found that I'm not putting on weight (holding steady at 175) but I am steadily adding muscle mass and losing further pockets of fat I have on my body. Of course I'm only getting around 8 1/2 hours of sleep each night. If I got the full 10 that feels best I think I'd add some weight.
I spent some time this week on the rowing machine and damn is that a good workout. I'm really looking forward to more time on it.
I'm going to keep the circuit training up for 3 days a week for another couple weeks then probably add some true weights in at least one day a week. At least Friday nights so I've got 2 days of recovery before my next weight session.

On my wife's front she's doing fantastic with her weight loss. She's down to 259 (began the latest round from around 330 but was 380 at her heaviest a couple years ago) which is less than she weighed in 9th grade. She's also been so much more positive as it's come off and it's really just brought out a whole new person in her. She's more confident, happier, and has a drive for the future. She's already planning on skydiving next summer ().
Coincidentally my wife is also now eating 2 out of 3 meals a day raw. She eats a small breakfast of raw grassfed beef and a larger lunch of the same. She will usually have a cooked dinner (medium rare beef or fully cooked chicken/fish) but 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

Hope everyone else is enjoying life like we are.

[KD]

All sounds good Dan

I dig on the rower myself. I have also found that although I don't often try to force-ably gain weight..that even my little efforts at 'carb-cycling' etc..will result in some temporary gain and i'll go back to my normal weight. I'm probably two lbs lighter than a year ago and 5lbs from two years - yet arguably more 'bulked up' visually. Definitely the heavy lifts will be a good thing to cycle in if that is a goal.

I also do better with higher amounts of sleep. For the last few months I moved (can't walk to work and have to get a ride in earlier than I like to on my own time) and have to get up way earlier (to an alarm) and it takes its toll for sure.

good to hear about your wife. skydiving....dam

[eveheart]

My best regards to your wife! I have similar statistics, and RPD delights me - for the first time in my life, I know I am on a sustainable path to a reasonable weight. I used to get a ride to the different buildings at work (doctor's orders), now I can walk with my co-workers, and they don't have to slow down for me. Please tell your wife I'm so happy for her.

[djr_81]

I dig on the rower myself. I have also found that although I don't often try to force-ably gain weight..that even my little efforts at 'carb-cycling' etc..will result in some temporary gain and i'll go back to my normal weight. I'm probably two lbs lighter than a year ago and 5lbs from two years - yet arguably more 'bulked up' visually. Definitely the heavy lifts will be a good thing to cycle in if that is a goal.

Earlier this year I did experiments with honey and found that adding a little bit into my diet did result in an ease of mass increase but I had two things which discouraged me. First, the honey fed the fungus in my system to the extent that I was backsliding in progress on it's remission. Second, I only retained the weight when eating something with sugars (honey, fruit, etc.) so it was never sustainable when I wanted to eat VLC/ZC which makes me feel best mentally.
Sleep seems to be almost as useful for building the same mass. When I get enough I add bulk quicker but it's leaner and more solid mass than when I have carbs. It unfortunately slowly ebbs if I don't continue to get ~10 hours of sleep.
Honestly, I'm really happy with how I'm putting on muscle and strength so far. It's not nearly as showy as lots of the other guys at the gym but seeing the weights these guys are tossing around (most are less than me with many about 2/3 of what I'm doing) and their bad form (really slow controlled motions takes so much more strength) makes me feel really good about how it's all coming together. Granted, this is circuit training versus heavy weights.

I also do better with higher amounts of sleep. For the last few months I moved (can't walk to work and have to get a ride in earlier than I like to on my own time) and have to get up way earlier (to an alarm) and it takes its toll for sure.

I'm OK with the alarm most days but it's going to bed much later than the sun going down that messes me up. My body is naturally happy to go to sleep when it gets dark and up when it gets light. Now that it's getting dark at 7ish and we don't get to bed until 9 at the earliest I just don't feel as good. It'll get worse I'm sure as the winter rolls on.

good to hear about your wife. skydiving....dam

I know. I'm scared to death of heights myself but I'm beginning to think I might jump with her. You only live one.

My best regards to your wife! I have similar statistics, and RPD delights me - for the first time in my life, I know I am on a sustainable path to a reasonable weight. I used to get a ride to the different buildings at work (doctor's orders), now I can walk with my co-workers, and they don't have to slow down for me. Please tell your wife I'm so happy for her.

I've noted  your progress on here and have noticed many similarities as well. I'm glad that you're finding as much success and improvement in your life as she is.
I'll pass along your congratulations.

[djr_81]

We went and had simple body assessments done at the gym yesterday. They used calipers to determine body fat, took our weights for BMIs, and did our measurements.
I am happy to say that I am now squarely in the healthy body fat area now as opposed to where I was a couple years ago. Using the calipers, which are obviously not the best tool for it, I was calculated at 16.9% bodyfat. A big difference from the very unhealthy ~5% bodyfat I was back in 2006 (the last time this was calculated). I was around that same percentage for most of 2006-2009 with some fluctuations up when gorging on allergenic foods. One of my big fears eating as I do was  would I put enough bodyfat on to maintain healthy reservoirs. I guess the answer is yes.
My BMI was ~22%. All numbers & measurements were upper "fit" or the highest, "excellent", categories. The only number the trainer felt I could work on was my abdominal measurement (I think it was ~34" or 35" whereas my waist was 32"). She said I should focus on core and try to take an inch off off it over the next 12 weeks.

I mentioned to my wife on Saturday that I'm going to set some longer goals for the weights. I think I'm going to shoot to press 2x my bodyweight which would put me at a 350 pound press. I guess I should think of some others bu to be honest I'm still so "green" with most freeweight exercises I don't know where to start or what to aim for. I'm going to have to read through a bunch of the exercise sub-forum to get more familiar with things.

Oh yeah, diet.
I've decided that rather than eat a bunch of organ here or there as the mood (and stocks) allow I will be buying those organs my farm has and making my own organ mix. I'm going to coarsely grind them in a food processor and freeze as "organ cubes". I'll thaw one out each day and toss it in with my lunch or dinner. If I find myself not craving them I'll skip them for a day or two.
This is all as a result of what has been my most noticeable complaint about how I eat now. My night vision has gone to shit while driving, particularly on rainy nights, and I think getting more organs into my daily diet might remediate this.

Be excellent to each other.