dilemma; acne and worrying

Spots, zits, pimples, cysts, etc.
sabie
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Post by sabie »

Congratulations Candela, isn't it funny how we can convince ourselves that others feel a certain way, we forget how much we project onto them. I'm so happy for you and your skin must be loving it! Keep testing things out and experimenting, almost eight months into it I still am and am starting to see a glimmer of light. I had a lot of bad habits.
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Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

Congrats! :D

Good to hear things are going well. Even though smoking itself does increase stresslevels, better quit when you're ready, like you said.

The heat treating doesn't sound too good...so far it seems they only use it on mangoes.

Isn't 3 oz about 85 grams?
candela
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update

Post by candela »

hi sweethearts,
i'm sorry i don't have better news.
but i felt like i should post an update. things look clearer, but still a little bumpy. things are looking better than they did a month ago in vegas, but i still get small red spots, isolated, and never developing into full pimples.

if it weren't for the scars caused by the initial breakout, i wouldn't look so bad.

i've been feeling nauseous for the past few weeks, though. none of my food tastes good to me and i oftentimes feel light headed. in conversation i never feel grounded and articulate, but light and floating. my husband is concerned about my diet and likens it to an eating disorder, because of the fact that i keep doing it even though i feel sick so often, and unsatisfied, just for the hopes of looking perfect. i follow all the rules and eat a fruit an hour with oil, eggs and rest at evening, avocado doesn't taste as good as it did before. i don't feel as good as i did before, either. i have terrible cravings for rare steak, which i in the past avoided. obviously i never eat steak though.

i honestly feel in a trapped position now because if i were to go back, i would look and feel worse and be unable to cope with it professionally and personally. plus i would always wonder if i had only stuck it out for six months, whether i would have really seen how the diet would work for me.

if in november things were only marginally better, and i still felt this way physically, would i ever again have my old tolerance for food? i know i'd eaten lots of protein (for instance, a lot of raw frozen salmon) in the past and my skin wasn't nightmarish like it seems it would be now if i were to go back.

additionally, if in november i decided to stay wai, would raw vegetables (not red onion types or any other spicies) be allowed too? i must admit that today, for the only time in three months, i cheated on purpose (last month i realized i was eating too much salmon by accident) and ate raw mushrooms. i doubt it will cause me to break out, but it makes the thought of going through life more tolerable if i can enjoy beautiful salads and fresh vegetables once in a while. fruits right now seem so yuck alone. so sweet. so heavy by the oil wben it's so hot outside.i won't cheat again though. until november.

i was thinking that maybe smoking cigarettes is what is making me sick. so i'm going to quit. again. :roll:

love you all...
-candela
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Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

Could you (again) post what you eat nowadays? You're not on any medication anymore, right?
candela
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Post by candela »

sure, no problem...

it depends on what fruits i've got, but usually i have bananas, pears, peaches, oranges, apples, one at a time on the hour (i'm little, so i need less energy at once- plus this fills me up) followed by sufficient olive oil, Pompeian brand. at night i take 2-4 eggs. sometimes when i'm hungry for avocaodes i'll eat a tca salad, but that hasn't happened much recently, the mixture doesn't taste that great to me, and the only ingredient that does taste good alone is tomatoes (which, of course, i follow with oil).

-candela
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Post by candela »

oh yeah, and i'm not on meds anymore too.
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Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

Okay, I have a few questions/observations/suggestions.

You don't eat any fish? Fish is the best source for essential omega3 fatty acids.

Looking at your previous list, I noticed you consume quite a lot of oil, about twice as much as I do. This isn't a problem, but you could experiment with taking less oil and more sugars.
Also, you could try juicing. OJ with olive oil (and some sugar if needed) is very nice to sip on.
I'm personally not that fond of cucumber, but I do eat half an avocado with 2 cherry tomatoes (and olive oil) every day. Maybe you could give that a try?

Hope this helps. :)
Last edited by Oscar on Wed 16 Aug 2006 17:40, edited 1 time in total.
candela
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Post by candela »

and my hair is shedding a lot, too. but i'm not losing or gaining any weight.
nick
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Post by nick »

Alternatin between fish and yolks every couple of days should help as they both contain fats that are good for your skin.

How much oil do you consume after each fruit? Much or just a little?

Are the fruits ripe enough?

Do you get sugar lows at all?

That lightness and non-groundedness has to relate to your sugar-level and I think with some experimentation and adjustment you should be able to feel grounded again. I felt similiar things like that too.

I would suggest that you keep with it. I did and it payed off, but you have some problem solving to do and I think you can figure this one out.

Are you stressed at all?

Thanks for the update and I hope the best for you!
candela
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Post by candela »

thanks for your advices...

typically, i do have about a table spoon of oil with every fruit. is that too much, and the reason why i'm low energy and nauseous? i thought a tablespoon was what you're supposed to have, to avoid sugar spiking and falling, etc.

the only time i get sugar lows is if (rarely) i haven't had a chance to eat and don't have fruit with me.

i always eat ripe fruit, although sometimes it's hard to tell with oranges and apples.

i'm always under some kind of stress...but much less so now than usual.

i don't live so near by a fishmonger but i'll go get some fish when i have time to drive 35 minutes and back.

as far as water...i was drinking lots of el dorado for awhile but my natural food store stopped carrying it and i've been having a hard time. i've been drinking fiji instead, bt that shit's expensive and i'm wondering if it would be okay to drink anything that doesn't cost a fortune like volvic does. what if i bought a gallon of spring water and put it through a brita filter?

i know wai says you don't even need to drink water on this diet, but i constantly need to drink water.


i hope this answers some questions...and oh yeah, what about eating a salad one day in the future? would that count as "munch food" then?
candela
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Post by candela »

actually, i take it back...i have gained some weight. not a lot, but enough to frustrate me about this diet, considering the fact that i spread out my meals as often as i can. should i instead eat half a fruit every hour? should i just relinquish control over how much i weigh to the rules of the diet? if i eat less fat will i break out?
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Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

candela wrote:typically, i do have about a table spoon of oil with every fruit. is that too much, and the reason why i'm low energy and nauseous? i thought a tablespoon was what you're supposed to have, to avoid sugar spiking and falling, etc.
Taking oil with fruit is correct, but you don't need to take this much. Let me illustrate: sugar : fat ratio guideline is 2:1 (or more). 1 apple = 19gr carbs, so 9gr of fat = 0.6 tablespoon. 1 banana = 27gr => 0.9 tbsp. 1 peach = 11gr => 0.35 tbsp. 1 orange = 16gr => 0.5 tbsp. Corinne tried concuming a lot more oil at some point, and had less energy and felt a bit nauseous, if I remember correctly, so it could be the cause.
candela wrote:i don't live so near by a fishmonger but i'll go get some fish when i have time to drive 35 minutes and back.
Buy fish for two days then. If you can do this once a week, that should help.
candela wrote:i know wai says you don't even need to drink water on this diet, but i constantly need to drink water.
Interesting. I almost never drink water anymore, only on rare occasions.
candela wrote:i hope this answers some questions...and oh yeah, what about eating a salad one day in the future? would that count as "munch food" then?
It would be a munchfood, but how harmful it is depends on what you put in it.
candela
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Post by candela »

okay, so thanks again for your advices. which i took all to heart. you have to know how earnest i've been, and faithful, in following the rules of this diet. except for mushrooms that one time.

i bought a good juicer and for a week the juicer thing was great...until it became really hard for me to tell when to zip. and i don't know, maybe i didn't put enough oil in it, because i had a small breakout on monday/tuesday. of course my breakouts now are a lot less bad i will admit. and it already healed. then again, i still get occasional pimples throughout the course of a month.

i've been eating fish too, since this week- and i always feel great after i do, and i always wish i could eat a lot more of it since these fruits just aren't cutting it anymore; i no longer have the taste for avocado, even.

this week, i don't know if it was a batch of bad oranges or what but my juice fermented rather quickly and i started feeling nauseous again the night before last and had to go to bed early with cramps. and yesterday i didn't make any juice because i didn't want to mess with the oranges, but couldn't find any fruit before teaching my classes except plums and peaches so i was forced to eat those, except they were unripe and i was REALLY sick last night.

it's hard to explain the difference of my skin at this point. and, i wonder what the definition of acne is anyhow. before, my complaint was that i'd frequently get a pimple or two which was really ugly, in addition to skin that was a little bumpy under the surface. now, i might get like 3 or 4 really itty bitty tiny pimples that heal really fast and aren't inflamed, etc. but i'm getting more blackheads than before? i've been using coconut oil, and i feel like it might plog up my pores and be the culprit, but i'm sure you guys will say that its not the coconut oil. my skin is softer, though. and the imperfections you can't see until you're up close.

now thats a good description of what's going on. i have some questions that i really would like to know the answers to- and if you guys aren't allowed to answer them here, let me know where i can ask.

1) considering that i've been following the rules, am willing to give it 2 more months and have gotten better but not perfect, would you guys still discourage my seeking the help of a dermatologist? what, for instance, would y'all have done if you had hormonal acne that couldn't be cured by this diet?

2) if i went off this diet, would i *remain* more sensitive to foods that i in the past wasn't sensitive to, forever?

that's all i can think of at this point...i'm always so appreciative of your efforts to help me out and i'm sorry that this diet hasn't for me been the same miraculous thing it's been for everybody else.

-Candela
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RRM
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Post by RRM »

candela wrote:... but i'm getting more blackheads than before?
Yes, thats correct, for now.
Blackheads are clogged sebum that eventually does make it to the surface of the skin. This means that these will not cause acne anymore. If you were eating differently, they might stay in the skin, and eventually cause an inflammation.
All the sebum that was still in the skin needs to surface first, appearing as blackheads. Its a good thing.
i've been using coconut oil, and i feel like it might plog up my pores and be the culprit, but i'm sure you guys will say that its not the coconut oil.
Indeed! :D
my skin is softer, though. and the imperfections you can't see until you're up close.
Ah, there you go; thats what you need; its a clear sign that you are on the right track.
1) considering that i've been following the rules, am willing to give it 2 more months and have gotten better but not perfect, would you guys still discourage my seeking the help of a dermatologist?
No, I wouldnt (but yes I do encourage you to try 2 more months).
Its very possible indeed that the level of one of your androgens is somewhat elevated.
2) if i went off this diet, would i *remain* more sensitive to foods that i in the past wasn't sensitive to, forever?
In the beginning, yes, but not after a couple of weeks or months.
i'm sorry that this diet hasn't for me been the same miraculous thing it's been for everybody else.
Not for everybody. For a minority it takes a bit longer, and for some even much longer. Also some people gave up on the diet.
candela
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Post by candela »

Hey RRM,
Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it. I wonder if you know of any antidepressants that don't cause water retention?
-Candela
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