To all you gym-junkies in here!!

Hey guys!
I made a few posts a while ago, but I haven't been on much recently due to working, friends, and the many other joys of moving out of home hehe.

My situation: I'm an eighteen year old female vegetarian with a limited intake of dairy products. I consume a lot of nuts, drink soy milk (in moderation), eat lentils and some other legumes, red quinoa (a complete protein source high in iron), brown rice, pumpkin seeds, tahini, am trying to include tofu in my diet, few eggs (I sometimes feel a bit queasy eating eggs, so I'm only trying to incorporate them into my diet slowly again).. etc.. so I'm doing okay.

My problem: Even these 'protein filled' vegetarian foods can actually be pretty low in protein. I don't think I'm deadly deficient of course, but I doubt I get the 50-90g I need (if the RDA is different to this let me know!!) I have been experiencing extra hair loss lately, which is apparently a sign of low protein. And I plan to start excercising more soon, so I think I need a booster.

My question: What protein supplements would you advise me to take, that wont effect my skin too much?
I'm not going to buy a sugar loaded or flavoured 'protein shake' mix, ew haha.
I'm considering either a soy protein isolate or a whey protein isolate, and putting a spoonful into a fruit smoothie or something. Taking it with real food, you know??

I know there are a lot of gym junkies in here, so what would you recommend??

(I'm NOT trying to bulk up, a more toned body would be nice but I'm not planning on hitting the gym daily or anything. I'm just looking to help my body)

Thanks guys!!!

AHA+ for young skin??

Hello hello hello!!

I am interested in trying out the AHA+ lotion to help with red marks and exfoliate (my skin really needs it, lol). Anyway, most of the postitive reviews on this product are from people who are 30 years old, or older?? And apparently it's most beneficial for wrinkles and sun damage.

So I was wondering if it would work as wonderfully on 'young' skin? I'm 18.

Thanks everyone!!

My first grocery shop!!

Hey guys!! If you can't be bothered reading my long rant; I want help with grocery shopping. If you like reading rants, here we go!!

I'm moving out of home for the first time in a few days From my small humble country home to the big city! Should be exciting!

Anyway, I have always found it hard to follow a healthy eating plan living at home because
a) I get bored a lot at home
b) sugary junk food is always there
c) I like eating sugar when I'm bored
So, since I now have to pay for my own groceries ($50 limit per week) and I will be living close to friends and fun things I am hoping to turn this around!

Okay, GETTING TO THE POINT!
I am posting this on acne.org because I know a lot of you will have experience with buying groceries with nutrition and your skin on mind...
so, I was hoping to get some advice on grocery shopping!!

What foods contain the most nutrients but are also cost efficient? What should I cut down on and what should I include more of? What ingredients are super versatile and used in many different dishes?? I'm a vegetarian, so I'm also wondering what are some good plant sources of iron/calcium/zinc? I'm also a terrible cook, so what's easy to prepare??

Haha, I should turn this into a game or something. The winner (aka, whoever answers my anally annoying questions) will recieve.. my love?

Here is my grocery list so far:

Spinach
Carrots
Capsicum
Sweet Potato
Broccoli

Brown Rice OR Quinoa
Oats
Pasta
Flatbread

Dried lentils
Red kidney beans
Nuts & seeds

Cinnamon
Honey
Herbal teas (peppermint, chamomile)

Olive oil
Lemon juice
Apple cider vinegar
Pepper

Tinned tomatoes
Frozen berries

Soy/Rice milk

So, any pointers??
Any advice will be apreciated
xxx


PS: I have never tried quinoa before, but it sounds yummy so cooking advice would be handy too!

Acne Dysmorphia

I found this article on a website called "High On Health" (I'm not advertising it, but it does have some really interesting articles/blogs related to acne) and I think everyone should read it...
(if you can't be bothered reading the whole story, just look up 'acne dysmorphia' but I think a lot of people could relate to it)




Living With Acne Dysmorphia - Desperation For A Clear Complexion

Hi, my name is Laura and I want to share with you my journey of a condition I did not even realise existed. It is my hope that some people may identify with the symptoms of Acne Dysmorphia and get the appropriate help to end this tormenting mental condition.

It all began around January 2007 when I began to get obsessed with the condition of my skin and would constantly be looking in the mirror checking for any blemishes or new spots. Looking back I realise that they were really not as bad as I thought but it caused me to become very self-critical and destructive. My self-esteem levels had never been particularly high but they were becoming lower and lower. I found myself making excuses when friends asked me to go out.

I just thought I was acting like any normal teenage girl in today’s society who obsesses about their physical appearance. As the months went on I found myself breaking down in tears on many occasions because I hated the way I looked so much. Any little spot made me feel ugly and disgusting which made it hard for me to be confident and my relationship with my boyfriend began to suffer with my continuing obsession with my skin which caused me to have mood swings.

At night I would apply endless amounts of creams and potions in an effort to get rid of what I saw as a face full of acne when in actual fact I was only suffering with the odd one or two spots.

But then in late August I started to get more spots and by September I had mild acne perhaps as a result of all the stress and creams I was applying. Even though I heard the words ‘mild acne’ from a doctor it certainly, in my eyes did not look or feel mild to me. I grew ever more impatient and each morning I was seeing little improvement. I became very depressed and began to loose weight. I would dread each morning knowing I would have to look in the mirror. Trying to cover it up with make-up only aggravated the problem and I felt hopeless like it would never disappear. Going out became increasing difficult as I felt so hideous and felt like I was constantly being stared at and judged. I did my best to avoid any social situation at this point.

I was due to begin my University course in October, which should have been an exciting step in my life. However my mind was so concerned with my skin I was becoming more and more anxious at the thought of going to University where there would be hundreds of new faces. I used to look forward to meeting new people and making friends but I knew that my preoccupation with my skin would affect my chances of making friends in the sense that it caused me to be very shy as I was desperate to avoid face to face contact with people where I could.

When I began University I styled my hair in a way that would shroud the left side of my face as this is the area I was most concerned about. I also wore a hat every day in a further attempt to hide my face from others. I did manage to make a few friends during my first week but I could feel a constant weight of anxiety in my chest as I was so concerned as to what others were thinking about my skin. After my first week at University my attitude towards my skin became much more severe but even I could not have anticipated what I was about to do.

It was Tuesday on my second week at University and I just could not cope any more. I sat in a lecture and could not take in a word as I was so fixated about my skin I felt the tears pour down my face. That is the moment when I began to seriously consider what I could do to end this never-ending misery and internal agony.

I was on the tram home after my lecture when I thought I can’t take this anymore I don’t want to look like this and feel like this anymore, ‘I want to die’. Following a tearful drive home I returned to an empty house and thought this was my chance I knew nobody would be back for hours. I began counting out the tablets and found some vodka as I thought this would speed up the process. I proceeded to take around 20-30 tablets of all kinds and hoped that they would act quickly but this was not the case. It took a while for the tablets to have an effect but I began to feel dizzy and incredibly sick and my body was shaking.

It was then that I realised I had made a mistake, at the time when I took the overdose I was only focused on the misery I was feeling, I selfishly didn’t stop to think about how my family would be affected. This was when I tried to contact my Mum but she was busy so I left her a message just asking her to come home. When she came home I was sitting crouched at the bottom of the stairs and told her to take me to hospital she was screaming at me asking what I had done and when I told her she burst into tears and took me to the nearest hospital. Luckily I hadn’t taken enough to do any serious damage and it was explained that I would feel weak and sick for a few days.

At the hospital I saw a mental health worker who arranged for me to see a dermatologist straight away as she understood that it was my obsession with my skin that had lead me to my previous actions. He told me again that it was mild and gave me some cream and antibiotics. Despite him saying it was very treatable I still felt hopeless.

When I got home from hospital the first thing I did was to look in the mirror and I broke down in tears again. My Mum took me to see my GP who put me on a course of anti-depressants. When I was back at home I began to search the Internet for possible cures for my acne and it was then that I came across an article on Acne Dysmorphia. As I read it I completely identified with all its symptoms and it even said that if left untreated Acne Dysmorphia can lead to suicide attempts. I took the article to my GP, which she found very useful. I asked if she thought I should try hypnosis as that is one of the therapies that is suggested to combat this relatively unheard of disorder and she said that it might help. On hearing this I set up a course of hypnotherapy. This is one of the suggestions believed to help sufferers of Acne Dysmorphia.

Having decided to defer my place at University for a year while I sought treatment, I began a course of around 10 weekly sessions of hypnotherapy with a qualified hypnotherapist, whom I was introduced to through a friend of the family who had been having hypnotherapy to treat an eating disorder. After a few sessions I was able to relax more and sleep a bit better but my obsession with my ‘bad skin’ still refused to go away. There would be days when I would just cry all day and refuse to go out. This when I went back to my GP who suggested that I see a Psychiatrist.

In February 2008 I went along to my first appointment with mixed emotions. In my mind only ‘crazy’ people see Psychiatrists, I thought I’m not crazy. On reading further information about Acne Dysmorphia, many of its sufferers do not believe they need Psychiatric or Psychological help as they have poor insight into the condition and see that it is their skin that is the problem and not the way they are acting.

The Psychiatrist I saw was lovely and we just had an informal chat about how I was feeling and what I thought the problem was. She decided that I should continue with my course of Anti-depressants and be referred to a Psychologist instead as she believed I would benefit from some Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to combat my negative behaviour patterns such as the constant mirror-checking and the way I thought about my skin.

It is now April 2008 and I have not seen a Psychologist yet but am expecting an appointment any day now and am hopeful that this will end my struggle. I have come a very long way, mentally since October 2007 through the support of my family, friends and a wonderful GP. I have started to go out more and am determined to overcome Acne Dysmorphia and not let it ruin anymore of my life.

My story is one I felt should be shared with as many people as possible because if this article can increase the awareness of Acne Dysmorphia it may help the suffering of people who can’t put a name to the way they feel. I am taking the steps to ensure a full recovery from Acne Dysmorphia and I urge anyone who can identify with symptoms to seek help from a GP before it is too late.

What exactly is Acne Dysmorphia?
Acne Dysmorphia is the obsession an individual has with the condition of their skin. A sufferer will constantly strive for a clear complexion and a new spot or blemish however small is seen by them as disgusting. A sufferer may be convinced that their acne is severe when in actual fact it is only a mild outbreak. It can completely ruin a persons life and can lead to depression or suicidal behaviour without the correct support and help.

What should you do if you think you are suffering from Acne Dysmorphia?

If you think you are suffering from any of these symptoms I urge you to seek medical help as soon as possible and know that you are not alone in this. Tell them about Acne Dysmorphia, as I am certain there will be doctors who will not have come across it before.

Australians?? Help!!!

Hey guys!!

In my roaming of the boards, I often see people referencing the "ELISA" test, or referring to some test where you mail a blood test and get the results sent to you??
What's a good way to test your allergies/food sensitivities in Australia??
I am going to research this, but I want to see if anyone has had any experiences or recommendations first... I trust word of mouth over google and advertising!!

Thanks
xxx