It’s been a really long time since I’ve posted, but that’s primarily because things have been BUSY! Again I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for people who are interested in doing this plan to ensure that they cook large quantities of food beforehand, preferably on a Sunday so that at least Monday – Thursday you can avoid cooking.

I had a small victory today when I ventured out to a restaurant called Element Fresh which is an extremely popular health food chain in Shanghai. I was able to find a dish that had as few things in it that went against my diet, and I spent some time with the waitress explaining just how I wanted things. To my surprise (and sheer joy) they didn’t mess it up and it was so nice to sit down with friends and eat like a normal human being. I know it sounds crazy to get so excited about such a tiny thing but it makes a huge difference.

I also had some success on the toenail infection front, and when I went to my last “xiujiao” or “foot repair” appointment (essentially a Chinese style pedicure that involves lots of knives and chisel-like tools to shave off dead skin and nails), the guy who did my last appointment was assigned to me again. He told me he saw a lot of improvement ever since I started using this mixture of medicine that I’ve concocted. I too have noticed a lot of improvement, so I’m remaining hopeful that things will keep getting better.

With regards to overall energy levels and clear headed-ness I would say that I’m now a solid 8/10. I rarely get exhausted anymore, I sleep very soundly, I am much better able to concentrate, and overall I’m quite pleased with the results. A turning point in the diet occurs on week 8 where you begin taking Dr. McComb’s mix of pro-biotic strains in addition to the existing supplement regimen. I think that has been making a big difference in my mood levels, but it could be placebo effect. I hope it lasts!

Ok that’s it for now. I start cooking for the first day of week 9. Cashews, almonds, almond butter, sunwarrior protein powder, veggie juice… It’s going to be a whole new world.

 

I realize that I haven’t posted an update in an insanely long amount of time, so I should quickly update the latest developments / symptoms that have gone along with my journey so far.

1. My results from the McCombs plan have felt very difficult to measure or quantify because of the how much traveling I’ve done. I went from Shanghai to Dallas, to NYC, and then back to Shanghai in 2 weeks, and the jetlag has been the main reason why it has been difficult for me to measure any results of this diet. I’m now coming to the tail end of my jetlag from the US and settling back into my Shanghai circadian rhythms, and I must say things are looking good. I’ll get onto those results in a bit.

2. I’ve lost a ton of weight. Weight I didn’t even know I had. Many of my colleagues have stated that I look a lot slimmer, and my pants are really what demonstrate my weightloss most. My favorite pair of jeans are now so big that I look like a damned slim-fast commercial when I stretch out the waistband. Until I gain that weight back it’s been belts to hide the slack. At my heaviest I’ve been around 170 lbs, and at my lightest (when I was a raw foodist) around 150 lbs. I’m around 150-150 lbs now, and it shows. When I finish working out with my trainer however, the results of strength training are really evident. I look cut, and whatever six pack I had hiding behind a belly of pizzas and bagels is now looking, well, like a six pack. I do appreciate the leanness that I’ve gained from the diet, I just hope that I can now transform that into a bit of healthier muscle weight. I have to continue with the weights I suppose.

3. The other most noticeable changes have come in strange little symptoms of candida that have magically disappeared. I used to be able to ruffle my hair and expect to see a quick shower of snow-like dandruff floating down before my eyes. I also used to have really dry, flaky eyelids that would get irritated whenever I had a latte or a bagel. Usually dairy would set it off. I also used to get the same dandruff like stuff in my ears (weird I know) and on my sternum, and thankfully all of those things have disappeared. I believe I mentioned before that I purchased a supplement from Dr. McCombs called Agriscept L for my toenail infection, and so far it’s difficult to tell if its working or not. The infection has spread quite a bit even during the plan, but it seems to be slowing down now at least… It’s difficult to tell because the topical application of Agriscept L causes the nails to stain a dark yellow. I’ve been complementing that treatment with an occasional visit to a Chinese podiatrist who can scrape down the infected nail to a lower level. Once he’s cleaned things up I dose it all with a heavy slathering of Agriscept L in the hopes that it will kill the infection more efficiently. Time will tell.

All in all I’m pleased with the diet so far. It hasn’t been easy and the worst part is the sheer inconvenience of things. In the states it was a bit easier because I could constantly snack on things like blueberries, raspberries, brownrice cakes and smoked salmon. But here those ingredients are more difficult to find leaving me at stretches of a time without any food. Hopefully now that I have a mini vacation (dragon boat festival) I can take the time to get back on track.

I’ve also found it incredibly difficult to keep things up with the water consumption and sauna. I’ve been hitting about 80-90 percent when it comes to consistency with what McCombs recommends, but sometimes it’s just not practical. Anyhow, I’m doing my best and the diet has not gone off track once. So I’m quite proud of that.

I hope this gives a fairly objective look into what it’s like to do this diet! Coming up is week 9 when I can finally have a bit more flexibility with food. I can’t wait.

A quick recap of my first week on the McCombs diet. This morning, my girlfriend had the excellent idea of taking Pistachio (our electric vespa steed) for a long ride out to the Bund, which is akin the Times Square of Shanghai. It was a really nice ride to get there with incredibly warm and sunny weather the whole way. The diet has been a bit of a challenge for weekends as we usually spend the first half of our Sundays hungover at a cafe eating brunch and gulping down bottomless coffee. Unfortunately this is now a thing of the past until August.

However I give a lot of credit to my girlfriend for thinking of a creative way to shake it up instead of being in the apartment staring at facebook or (in her case) pinterest all morning until we realized it was 1 or 2 in the afternoon. We sat along the Huangpu river eating bananas, apples, and drank a bit of green tea that we had brought along. We went back towards home and decided to stop at a cafe for ritual’s sake and it felt SO nice just to have a cup of black coffee. I can honestly say that for the first time in my life, I think I actually enjoyed plain coffee instead of the usual soy-milked and sugared out versions that I usually drink.

 

My last order from online delivery service fields… the delivery guy thought I was insane.

 

I started running out of food on Friday of last week so I went a bit overboard with how much food I ordered this time.

We went back to the apartment and made an omelet for the both of us which held us over until lunch where we met up with a friend who had created an incredible brunch spread. I was armed against the temptation with my own “lunch box,” a Chinese version of the bento box filled with all sorts of good things to fill me up. I finished off Sunday with one of my favorite dishes on the diet, a variation of 三杯鸡 that switches the chicken for shrimp, soy sauce fo  r bragg’s liquid aminos (one of the few seasonings permitted on the diet), and of course without the brown sugar. It’s incredible. I will include the recipe soon.

A day’s worth of breakfast and lunch.

With that I spent the rest of the day cooking and preparing nice things for the week, and this included my first attempt at cooking rice. Yes, as a 9 year vegetarian, I had never once cooked rice in a pot! It went smoothly as all questions and queries can be soundly answered by the almighty google search. I filled up my little Chinese bento box with brown rice, fish, veggies, and steamed broccoli for the next day.

So far I’m feeling energetic, optimistic, sharp, positive, capable, and fit. Could be all the vitamin D production, or the diet, or all of the great things coming my way. Could even be the sauna! Weirdly enough, I had this when I was a raw foodist for a long time (if you’re squeemish don’t read this next bit) but recently I’ve had the return of a dark dark green stool. It’s definitely a good sign! More posts to come, but I’m quite happy with the completion of my first week.

Quick post just about the symptoms I’ve been feeling / the lessons I’ve learned about how to do this plan successfully.

On day three, I was extremely tired, and found myself craving other foods. I was walking through Carrefour (the French version of Walmart) and all of the different snack foods that I saw literally had me salivating. I resisted the temptation, but used a visualization of thousands of little candida parasites screaming for food. It was effective.

On a more literal note, I have heard that parasites can release different chemicals to spark various reactions from their host. It’s a survival method that helps them stay well-fed and continue inhabiting wherever they’ve established themselves. Creepy right?

I also felt really hungry on day 3, and part of it was from the stress of work, but I think the other part of it may have been linked to the fact that I simply didn’t come prepared enough that day. The amount of food I need should be able to accommodate those sudden pangs of hunger, which leads me to the number one lesson I’ve learned about this diet so far: be prepared.

When I first started buying food for this diet, I didn’t realize just how much of it I would need. It does take a remarkable amount of planning and time to buy / order everything ahead of time to ensure success. Needless to say I will be ordering double, if not triple the amount that I did last time. Thankfully there is an amazing website here in Shanghai that can get you organic groceries delivered to your door on the same day. Check them out: Fields Shanghai

Today however, I must admit I’m feeling much more clear headed. Not quite energetic yet, but at least have the ability to concentrate and get work done. Sadly, I’ve been feeling remarkably scattered and “ADD” for the last several months, which is a large part of my motivation for doing this diet. Hopefully the feeling of focus and energy will only increase.

For now, I will continue with the saunas, supplements, and 3 liters of water per day.

Day two was admittedly a bit more hectic than day one. For starters I had a crazy schedule that day with work, so I was running in and out, trying to keep track of all of the different supplements I had taken, and then when I got home after staying at the office late, I still had to cook, wash dishes and do my sauna thing. This diet is actually a very large commitment, but I think there are a few things I will do differently this coming weekend to prepare myself.

Anyhow, onto the freaky stuff. I mentioned earlier that I had purchased and infrared personal sauna off of Taobao.com to take care of the 15-20 minute “sweating” component of the McCombs plan. Like everything in China, I approached this purchase with a dose of healthy skepticism, anticipating that it was a scam, or of poor quality, or that it wouldn’t work at all. However, after two uses both last night and the night before, I can officially say (knock on wood) that it works!

Basically it looks like a rocket ship, is terribly ugly, and super awkward when you’re sitting in it, but it is a much cheaper option than going to a spa, or buying a full on wooden-clad sauna. My girlfriend laughs at me when I sit in it because it looks so bizarre, but I’m just happy I can do it from home. In total it cost me about 145USD, and I must admit I’m happy with the purchase, even though it takes up a seemingly large amount of space in our 370 sqft studio apartment.

My girlfriend also noted on the first day that after I showered off from the sauna, I smelled really bad. I usually don’t have a problem with body odor, but the next time I wash off from the sauna, soap will be a must. I wonder if the smell has anything to do with toxins? Also, I have this recurring rash / raised skin bumps on the back of my arm that after sauna get really inflamed. I’m also wondering if the infrared heater is working its voodoo on my skin. Time will tell.

Today’s notes: I feel energetic, my urine smells strange (could be the asparagus?), I had black coffee for the first time on the diet and it was nice, and I have to buy agriscept, a product that Dr. McCombs recommends for fighting fungal nail infections. Beautiful.

More to come later, you know, if you’re into reading about bodily functions and gross stuff like that.