32 replies to this topic

[Giantsbran1227]

OK. Why isnt this "program" of stopping shiny shin so much more popular if it works? Ive never heard anyone recommend what you are telling me before.

Also, can you kind of make an outline of the basic program guidelines you want me to follow. Also if you can explain more WHAT carbs I should be eating. Thanks man!

[databased]

Why isnt this "program" of stopping shiny shin so much more popular if it works? Ive never heard anyone recommend what you are telling me before.

That would be because I invented it. These are my own ideas, based on many hours of study. They may be completely wrong. All I can say is, they have given me a very high degree of control over my skin for the first time in decades. Maybe they won't work for you at all; you're the only one who can find out. It shouldn't be hard to find more popular advice, if popularity is the goal.

Also, can you kind of make an outline of the basic program guidelines you want me to follow.

• Eat plenty of tryptophan (meat, red or otherwise).
• Go to bed at the same time each day, don't let light get to your eyes.
• Don't exercise close to bedtime, as that can shift your melatonin clock forward. Reserve a couple hours before bedtime for winding down. Get your eating done before that winding down period.
• Sleep >= 9hours per night
• Eat a can (about 60 grams) of tomato sauce each day.
• No caffeine/alcohol/drugs.
• Avoid fructose. Stick to modest amounts (<= 2 cups total/day) of things that have a low fructose/glucose ratio: Pineapples, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, lemons, limes, avocado, rhubarb
• Take the pills in the roll your own Nicomide program to make sure you're throwing everything possible against the wall to see what sticks. To that list, add a Vitamin B complex to make sure tryptophan isn't being diverted to make Vitamin B. Having done my first stop-eating-lycopene experiment and watched the oil come back, I continue to suspect it's the lycopene that is absolutely key, not the Nicomide. But it's better to do everything and see if you get the skin change you want -- if so, you can always start experimenting to see what you can drop and still maintain the skin.

The hard part is getting a normal sleep cycle. Many people can't give up caffeine (I can't), and it takes a while for it to get out of your system. If you can't, you have to at least cut it off long (e.g., 8 hours) before bedtime. I don't know of anyway to get a normal nocturnal melatonin surge while taking in caffeine morning, noon, and evening.

Also if you can explain more WHAT carbs I should be eating.

If you can get your eyes into bright light all day, you can eat most anything. Otherwise, just try to limit excess fructose. Get carbs from bread (beware, you have to shop hard to get the lowest sugar content, and many are just flat-out flooded with high-fructose corn syrup), potatoes, you'll get a big chunk of carbs (and, regrettably, some fructose) from eating 60g of tomato sauce/day, beans, broccoli, etc., if it's a vegetable and it doesn't taste sweet, then it probably has little excess fructose.

If you're going to go nuts and eat a wad of fructose (like an apple), then try to at least postpone it until after your tryptophan (meat) has had some time to digest. For example, one of the worst things to do as a carb malabsorber is get up and start the day with a giant glass of orange juice. That gets the fructose-loving bacteria colony in your gut all revved up and ready to interfere with zinc/tryptophan absorption for the rest of the day. Having a breakfast that's mostly meat and free of fructose is a much better start to the day when you're living in dim indoor light.

If you can get a decent sleep cycle in place (you get sleepy right at bedtime, sleep 9 hours soundly, and wake up without an alarm clock, feeling totally alert and refreshed -- no yawning whatsoever), then it shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks at most (probably only one week) to see a change after that point. The tomato sauce has nothing to do with sleep/melatonin, so if you want to postpone that until you've got a solid sleep cycle, it shouldn't matter.

Just to reiterate, melatonin and lycopene are two independent vectors for decreasing the sebum production. You might (or might not) be able to get the skin you want with just one or the other of them. E.g., you could just ignore all the other advice and just eat 60g of tomato sauce per day for a couple of weeks and see if that does it for you! All I can say is, combining the two was the first time in my adult life I was ever able to have a non-shiny forehead; the reduction in oil was dramatic. I might have to start using a moisturizer for the first time ever.

[Giantsbran1227]

Cool man. Im excited to try this out and will glady be your "guinea pig" lol. Ill keep you updated on the results.

[databased]

Even failure is useful data -- let me know what happens!

[Giantsbran1227]

Some more questions. Im keeping you busy!!!

Is the sugar found is canned sauce a problem. In prego there is like 10 grams per half cup.

Also how many cups in 60grams of tomato sauce?

Lastly, do you think if I just try wearing the eye mask, getting alot of sleep, and eating lycopene, I will see good results?

I dont eat meat, I only eat fish so getting all that tryptophan is tough for me. I also love fruit too much!

Edited by Giantsbran1227, 21 November 2009 - 10:33 PM.

[databased]

Fish is meat. Fish has tryptophan. You can also eat some pumpkin seeds, though they come with plenty of fat usually.

Tomatoes have sugar, no way around that. Just make sure you buy a brand of tomato sauce that doesn't have added sugar; no need to sign up for extra, especially since it would likely be mostly fructose rather than glucose.

Almost 2 cups in 60 grams of tomato sauce. I throw a quarter cup on my scrambled eggs in the morning, and it's easy to cook something Italian that uses up the rest in the evening.

Lastly, do you think if I just try wearing the eye mask, getting alot of sleep, and eating lycopene, I will see good results?

Well, if I had been running this experiment on 1,000 people for 2 years, I bet I could answer that. Unfortunately, all I have to experiment on is me, so the best I can tell you is: experiment and pay attention to what you're doing and what results you're seeing.

In particular, there's no easy way for even your doctor to check your melatonin cycle without checking you into a sleep lab. If you are getting really sleepy right at bedtime, sleeping 9-10 hours soundly (not tossing and turning with endless dreams), and waking up totally alert and refreshed, then you probably had a normalized melatonin cycle. Pay attention to the quality of your sleep and what affects it, since it's possible to sleep 10 hours and have a lousy melatonin surge. Usually takes at least a few days to get a normal melatonin cycle going, but can take even longer. I used to be a night owl (with regular acne) and thought I could never be a morning person. Now my eyes pop open after 9 hours, and I'm up and totally alert and functional instantly. I used to wake up, groan, lay there feeling crappy, and take at least an hour to really feel awake after getting up.

[Giantsbran1227]

2 cups of tomato sauce every day!! Thats alot! Lol wow. I need to start finding some good tomato sauce recipes.

[Giantsbran1227]

Is there a difference between tomato sauce and pasta sauce? Also, I bought an 8 ounce can of sauce and its saying its like 260 grams. So i doubt that 2 cups equals 60 grams...


Also how many mg's of the zinc and other vitamins should i take?

Edited by Giantsbran1227, 22 November 2009 - 03:32 PM.

[databased]

Sorry, I forgot to multiply by servings per can. So the can I eat daily says:"serving size 1/4 cup (61g), servings per container About 7". So that's 427 grams, as it comes out of the can. By the time I've cooked up a chicken thigh in the sauce, I suspect it cooks down a bit from the original 1 3/4 cup, but all the lycopene should still be there. I see a claim that "organic" tomato sauce may have more lycopene content, but I've just been using "cheap" tomato sauce.

Is there a difference between tomato sauce and pasta sauce?

Sorry, can't find the database I was using so I can't offer any clue how much lycopene there might be per gram of tomato paste.

Also how many mg's of the zinc and other vitamins should i take?

Most any standalone Vitamin B complex will do. 200mcg selenium. 50mg zinc.

But really, at some point you just have to try something. This is not highly-refined and tested curative, it's just what I believe produced results for me. Don't make it so hard. Get 10 cans of 2-cup tomato sauce. Eat one a day for 10 days. See if your skin is different. It only costs 10 days of your life to run an experiment for yourself.

[Giantsbran1227]

Haha, yea I tend to overcomplicate things. Its been 2 days and I havent noticed any results with the oil yet. Ill continue the program for 2 weeks and see how it goes.

[shanzy529]

Hey, I came across your blog and I wanted to let you know that I have had oily skin for a long time (since birth?) it is hereditary from mom's side.

I just started to take clarity by cosmedix, a dietary supplement: contains vitamins A, E, B-6, Phantohenic Acid, and L-lysine. it doesn't have any negative side effects, twice a day and it is to help to reduce oil.

I just started this, so I haven't noticed any dramatic effect, but I know how you feel about oily skin...ugh it is such a hassle. people used to tell me that at least when I get older I wouldn't get as much wrinkles. but I don't know if this is really worth it in the end.

Good luck.

[Kenny89]

I used to have oily/shiny skin, then I started ahving 5 a day, and drinking water constantly and I havent got it any more.

Ive recently bought Multivitimins w/ iron, cod liver oil, zinc and get my diaily amount from 3 tablets just in case....and its goin well and I feel healthier than ever.

Edited by Kenny89, 24 November 2009 - 01:30 PM.

[Giantsbran1227]

After thinking alot about this, Ive decided it really dosen't make much sense. First off, tomato sauce is awful for your teeth. It may stop the oil, but having stained teeth is about just as bad as oily skin. Also tomato sauce is HIGHLY acidic. Having a can a day is awful for your stomach and eventually will probally lead to some form of acid reflex disease. Databased- Im sure that your program will work, but it dosent seem worth it too me considering the side effects.