Almost 3 weeks and no major difference!

[Nish]

I have been on this diet for 17 days now and I was hoping for all my acne to disappear within the first 2 weeks but this does not seem to be the case. I find this concept of "dirty protein" very interesting though and want to stick to it. I love fruits so this hasn't been too hard for me. However, I have realised after my first week that I have been doing a few things wrong like mixing all the fruits with my tomato and cucumber salad which proved to be a lot of hard work for my jaws. I also wasn't removing the skin of the tomatoes and was very active after consuming egg yolks so all these might have something to do with my very slow progress. I have just read the rules again and found yet another mistake as I shouldn't be having egg yolks an hour before consuming any fibre. I'm guessing all fruits have fibre so basically I shouldn't be eating anything an hour before having the yolks?
Overall I would say that I have tried my best at keeping to the strict sample diet despite the mistakes so it is a little disheartening when I didn't get the results I wanted. My diet generally consists of banana and orange juice (with olive oil and sugar) in the morning. Then apple and salad for lunch. A banana, avocado, pear and left over salad when I am feeling peckish as well as the orange juice. Melon and salad for dinner followed by 2-3 egg yolks in orange juice (I will now try to have the yolk an hour later). I have yet to invest in the brazil nuts though but sometimes have a piece of coconut instead. I probably have about 6 meals a day instead of the recommended 9 but that's just because I am so used to set meal times and find it hard to incorporate 9 meals throughout the day. I normally consume about 8 oranges, 3 tomatoes and one whole cucumber on an average day and 5 other fruits. Right now any tips or encouragement will be greatly appreciated.
I have been on antibiotics a few years ago and they were generally effective at controlling the acne although it took about 2-4 months to get clear. So I am guessing it might just be my body being slow? I want to believe that this diet is working though as I have noticed all the "sesame seeds" spots getting bigger and often with white/yellow heads. I am hoping this a sign that the sebum canals are no longer pinched off or at least that's what I am trying to convince myself that is happening instead of my acne getting worse. My skins feels softer as well but unfortunately still spotty. Meh!
I am also facing the challenge of having to attend a social dinner with my colleagues in 2 days which means that I will have to eat normal food again. I really really hope that this will not just undo my 3 weeks of hard work

[fred]

If you want a quick fix for your acne, you can put clay cataplasm on your face, this will clean your skin and visually improve your condition, but will not cure anything. Only the diet can definitively cure your acne, but this requires some time. A couple of weeks cannot erase decades of bad eating.

For your social eating, just avoid/minimize cooked protein/fat/grain/dairy. Pretend that you are sick and can't eat much.

[Oscar]

Have you checked the amount of calories you consume on an average day?
I'm not sure where you got the "recommended 9 meals" from, but you want to eat small snacks very frequently to give your body the energy it needs, so it will not use muscles for energy.
(Brazil )nuts aren't on the Acne Sample Diet; can you eat fish instead?
Hope your dinner went alright.

[Nish]

I am very grateful for the replies. Thank you fred and Oscar. It's hard to find any organic fresh fish where I live but I just stick with 3 free range eggs a day. I know they are not technically organic but I am hoping they are okay. As I mentioned previously, I had to cheat this weekend because I went on a trip with my colleagues and we also stayed in a hotel where we had dinner and I had some chicken. I also had a wedding reception to go to so overall 2 cheat days so far. About my calories, I used the calories calculator thingy a while ago which showed that I was getting over 2000 calories. I don't feel low in energy so I guess that's a good sign and my weight seems to be stable although I have always been boderline underweight. I do struggle to find time to keep snacking though especially with me just starting to work as a dentist this week. What do you guys generally snack on and how often? Today, I was sipping some orange juice every hour or so and had an apple and salad for lunch. I had a banana when I got back home from work then late ish dinner which consisted of a pear, 1.5 avocados and salad. After 1.5h, I had the egg yolks with the orange juice. I must have had about 1L of orange juice today with 3 tsp of sugar and 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil. I am afraid I don't feel much of a difference to my skin recently. As well as controlling my acne, I was hoping that the diet would also help with my overall dry skin but no change there either. I am aware I am not doing this diet by the book but I am trying although I guess I could try harder sometimes. I am intrigued how long it has taken for others to finally be clear of acne?

[Aytundra]

Hi Nish,

I have been on this diet for 17 days.

Your post was Aug 27, that would mean about Aug 10.
I started variations of almost completely 95-99% Wai ~2 weeks before you at the end of July, but not for acne.
So, hey I found a diet buddy.

I am here for theory, so I can't really say much about acne, except for pimples that I get, and I get pimples when I cheat with very cooked foods, it appears almost every time without fail. But I was tiptoeing into the diet for ~4 months prior to 95% Wai, and days over 95% are much better than cooked foods days.

I have realised after my first week that I have been doing a few things wrong like mixing all the fruits with my tomato and cucumber salad which proved to be a lot of hard work for my jaws.

Agrees, it is a lot of chewing; I did sliced oranges and tomatoes, no cucumbers, without peels and seeds.
I believe peels and seeds contains plant anti-nutrients, and maybe pesticides, so I remove them.
Currently I juice oranges, much easier on jaws and teeth to consume.

shouldn't be eating anything an hour before having the yolks?

Try that,
Try yolks plain,
Try yolks at different times, then note how it affects your skin.
I find yolks, work differently in taste structure with different items at different times of day.

I have yet to invest in the brazil nuts though but sometimes have a piece of coconut instead.

I think you are trying to add in the selenium.
If I were you, I would avoid nuts until the skin gets better. I think if nuts can cause common allergies, nuts can probably irritate skin.

[Nish]

Thank you Aytundra! I feel a lot better today after reading some of the other stories on this blog. It seems like quite a few people who are stuggling with acne have been on this diet for months until they saw any improvements. I don't like wasting food so I find it hard to throw away the seed part of the tomato fruit although I have been skinning them. So your diet mostly consists of oranges and tomatoes Aytundra?
I am pretty sure I read somewhere that berries shouldn't really be eaten as they are "bird foods". Can someone tell me why they are bad for you? It's just that I find my diet pretty boring at the moment as can only consume bananas, apples, oranges, avocados, melons, tomatoes and cucumber. Sometimes mangoes and guavas if I find some in the shops. I tend to stick to this list as I know they are more reliably sweet/ nourishing than some of the others like grapes and plums.
I was literally dreaming of carrot cakes and chocolate last night aaah! I am trying to be super dedicated to this diet though as I really can't wait for my skin to clear before I add any munch food.
Can someone please advise me on make-up too? What's the best way of removing make-up?

[Aytundra]

I find it hard to throw away the seed part of the tomato fruit

Throwing out the seeds of the tomato, was a bizarre concept to me too when I first started. But it tastes better without seeds.

So your diet mostly consists of oranges and tomatoes Aytundra?

Oranges and tomatoes because they are not as expensive, I eat other items too, listed by frequency: bananas, peaches, clementines, pears, apples, cherries, grapes, watermelon, cantaloups, and golden melon. Foods on your list, that I have not tried on my menu yet, are: avocados, cucumbers, plums, mangoes, and guavas (What is a real guava like?)

I am pretty sure I read somewhere that berries shouldn't really be eaten as they are "bird foods". Can someone tell me why they are bad for you?

Strawberries are on the Wai calculator by the way.
And I've tried eating 3 strawberries "properly without seeds".
That is after plucking seeds off 3 strawberries for several hours, and I think the better taste factor was totally worth it.

I've learned here, that a bad taste is probably a good reason not to touch a food item.
But I am sure the experts here can explain why they are for birds.

It's just that I find my diet pretty boring at the moment as can only consume bananas, apples, oranges, avocados, melons, tomatoes and cucumber. Sometimes mangoes and guavas if I find some in the shops. I tend to stick to this list as I know they are more reliably sweet/ nourishing than some of the others like grapes and plums.

Agrees, it is totally boring initially if you were used to a lot of different foods, I was exposed to an array of foods prior to doing this diet, a foodie I was. But I am embarrassed to say I have never tried a real guava. At least I can probably try that sometime on this diet.
On the other hand, it is fascinating, at least to me, to really scrutinize the taste of oranges. I think I won't be bored for a while, because oranges vary a lot in taste.

I was literally dreaming of carrot cakes and chocolate last night aaah! I am trying to be super dedicated to this diet though as I really can't wait for my skin to clear before I add any munch food.

Sounds like you crave sugary items.

[Oscar]

Okay, I guess you're eating enough then. Fish doesn't necessarily have to be "organic". Non-farmed fish is per definition organic, though you have to check the mercury contents. Farmed salmon can be trickier, but on the Acne Sample diet you aren't allowed to eat a lot of fish anyway. Unfortunately 'cheating' can set you back in your progress, so don't despair and keep at it. Keep us updated how things go, so we can see if you need to adjust something.
My girlfriend says she uses (coconut) oil. Rub/massage it on the make up (you can feel the make up come off and the oil become 'sandy'), then put a towel in hot water and put it on your face. Remove the make up. Repeat this if necessary.

[Nish]

Oh thanks for the tip Oscar. I have been very tired and lazy over the last few days, especially when I get back home from work. I just tend to sit in front on the TV, nap and not move for hours so I tend to not eat as much as I should. I guess I have yet to master the skill of listening to the need of my body in terms of energy levels.
I used to have regular periods but I now almost a week late which is slightly concerning. I hope it's just the initial phase of the diet and I will slowly find it easier to do everything properly.

I normally have the egg yolks about an hour before I go to bed but because I have been so tired yesterday and the day before, I skipped it which I know does not help. I tried making up for it by having 5 egg yolks with orange juice this morning.

So generally when I have a day off from work, I am pretty good at doing things properly but work days are a lot tricker mostly because I can't be bothered to get up and prepare my food in the kitchen.

[Oscar]

You could just prepare lots of food at once, like a bottle of OJ, and eat/drink it during a number of hours. Then you can just stay on the couch. Of course when you manage your energy correctly, getting up from the couch won't be an issue anymore

[Nish]

Thank you Oscar! I am guessing it's better to have the salad as soon as I have prepared them but what is the longest they can last at room temperature? Sometimes I have some leftover tomato and cucumber salad and just have it when i get back home from work although it has been prepared almost 12 hours before. My parents are complaining that I have lost weight even though my bathroom scale says that my weight is still the same. I think they are just trying to make me eat normally again.
As for my spots, they are still there but I know it's going to take a very long time before I am completely clear because of the annoying deep small pimples that are only just beginning to surface. I would also really love not having dry skin especially on my legs and belly and was hoping for this diet to address this issue but to be honest, it's still just as dry. Any tips please?

[Oscar]

Make sure you get enough water, in whichever form. The more juices you drink, the less actual water you need to drink.

[RRM]

I would also really love not having dry skin especially on my legs and belly and was hoping for this diet to address this issue but to be honest, it's still just as dry. Any tips please?

This diet eventually makes your skin smootha nd soft all over.
In the meantime, simply apply oil to the skin.
And if that fades too fast, simply use vaseline.

[Nish]

My dry skin hasn't been too bad lately actually but the spots are not looking great. I have had about 1 cheat day a week in the last 3 weeks but again that's because I have to be sociable and eat normal food when I eat out with friends, otherwise I would have no social life whatsoever. There was a period when i had no breakouts although i still had those annoying small pimples about 2 weeks ago especially when I was on the strict diet for about a month but after consuming cooked food, my skin was definitely worse. I have no doubt that this diet works but I just wish it wouldn't take this long to have clear skin.

[RRM]

Hmm, really... If you want this diet to work for you, you have to adhere to it 100%
If not, you are back at day one.
No social life?
Everybody will eventually accept any weird diet that somebody else is on.
It all depends on the attitude of the person who is adhering to such a diet.
If your stance is simply `from now on this is my diet, period`, all objections / mockering / joking will eventually subside.
Your social interactions do not depend on what food you put into your mouth.
Just take a stance.
Don't be afraid of others.
It is your skin, and think about how much more social you will feel when your skin is clear.