At 11:19 16/02/1999 -0800, you wrote:
>Thank you for your story, Axel (posted February 14).

I know how scary it is to have this acute edema (disabling water retention)
>that no one can explain -- because I had it, too!


 In my early days of a
>cleansing diet, it came on me in much the same way.  So I can suggest how
>it happens, what may help you ... and above all, how to avoid it in the future.
>
>Unfortunately, I suspect experiences like ours are more common than we know
>among well-intentioned newcomers to health-conscious eating.  Toxic from a
>life-long junk diet, people get miraculous results on a cleansing program
>-- as you did:
>        << i read fit for life and adopted the program overnight. my digestion
>healed, at least everything seemed normal again. >>
>
>Alas, problems can come later.  When the time comes to shift from cleansing
>to an on-going maintenance program, it's difficult to eat and digest enough
>food on a diet so much bulkier than your guts are used to.  Because raw
>fruits and vegetables are very low in calories and other necessary
>nutrients, you need to eat many pounds every day.  It's hard to do this,
>and what's worse, beginners are misled by noble ideals of eating an
>unnaturally restricted diet.
>
>Deeply rooted in our cells, the body's demand for nourishment cannot be
>denied forever.  So there's a powerful, instinctive impulse to escape from
>the restricted diet and eat some hearty food.  Undernourished on just raw
>fruits, a few vegetables, and perhaps some sprouts, many well-intentioned
>beginners end up bingeing incontinently.  In my case, after months of fruit
>and veggies only, I suddenly gorged myself with cheese and other dairy
>products.  (I told myself I was protein-deficient.)  Acute disabling edema
>followed immediately.
>
>Your story sounds sadly familiar:
>        << from 1996 till the mid of 1997, i stayed all raw, basically was
fruit,
>seeds, juices, avos, greens. in 1997, i started eating cooked food again,
>more and less clean stuff at the beggining but very soon, for emotional
>reasons, i was eating all the crap, chocolate, cheese, pastry, etc i
>wanted, everyday. in a few weeks, i gained like 50 pounds of water. i was
>all puffed. very horrible. >>
>
>Please do not blame yourself, Axel.  I don't think you ate this way "for
>emotional reasons."  The simple truth is, you were chronically
>undernourished on your restrictive diet.  Your body was crying out to be fed.

>The edema (water retention) that you describe is not surprising, after
>bouncing back to a heavy, crappy diet.  Following months of simple food,
>the body is not accustomed to heavy foods of any kind; junk foods are even
>worse.  The edema seems to be the body's way of sequestering this sudden
>influx of unaccustomed, unwelcome material.

ok, axel here.

i really, really have to apologize to all of you because of my ignorance and
fear-driven attitudes. the point is, now i think there was no water
retention, not at all the way i wrote about it a month ago. it was just some
flabby out of shape muscle.
and also i had the emotional impact of the first weeks of bulimia, when i
DID have plenty of water in my legs and feet. but now there is no water. i
quickly realized that i had told you guys the wrong thing because a few days
after sending my first message to this list, i started doing a few things.
one, i started using my rebounder daily, for an hour-hour and a half.
second, i started eating mostly raw vegan again, and eating little food
overall. third, i started lifting weights at home, with a cheap nautilus
machine my brother bought a while back. fourth, i started sunbathing A LOT.
this means naked, in general a couple of hours a day, as long as my body
does not feel uncomfortable. fifth, i started riding my bike for also an
hour a day, fast.



>
>Here are my thoughts for you:
>
>- If you feel ready to fast again, I think the effect on your water
>retention will amaze you.  But please, take it easy this time -- maybe just
>three days at first.  Get advice about how to eat in the days before and
>after fasting.  Rest during the fast, and be gentle with yourself
>afterward.  Read books like Herbert Shelton's classic, _Fasting Can Save
>Your Life_, and Joel Fuhrmann's _Fasting and Eating for Health_.
>
>- After the fast, keep your diet simple for a few days.  Start with juicy
>fruits (you might try ripe papayas), then slowly add more fruits and veggies.
>
>- As your strength and digestion return, give yourself permission to eat
>plenty of good, nourishing food -- not just low-calorie stuff.  Increase
>your intake of rich, fatty nuts and avocados; experiment with dried fruits.
> Egg yolks, if you are open to animal foods, are said to be easily
>digestible.  Simple cooked foods are no sin, if that's what it takes to
>meet your needs.
>
>- If you feel tempted to binge on junk, it usually means your body is
>crying out for nourishment.  Eat more good food!  You won't crave junk
>foods if you enjoy an generous intake of rich, satisfying, varied natural
>foods.
>
>- Above all, Axel, don't restrict yourself to an idealistic diet.  Trying
>to be _both_ all-raw and all-vegan is probably a mistake.  It's very
>difficult to be well nourished on a diet so out of keeping with our
>ancestral heritage.  The natural human diet is rich, varied, and abundant.
>Read Ronald Schmidt's eye-opening book, _Traditional Foods are Your Best
>Medicine_.  What you learn will surprise you.
>
>Good luck, Axel.  Please write again in a week or two to let us know how
>you are doing.
>
>C.
>
>