968 replies to this topic

[marti783]

okay so for the past couple weeks i've tried to eat a low GI diet with alot of fruits and veggies. i've been pretty disciplined and i've seen "okay" results but nothing to go crazy about. i was considering getting my stool tested to see if i have gluten sensitivity but that's going to cost about $150 which i really want to avoid spending. so basically i'm going to try the paleo diet, which is pretty much the low GI diet, just alot more hardcore than i've been doing. obviously i must say goodbye to whole-wheat bread, pasta, brown rice, etc. i figure if i am sensitive to gluten, this will fix that problem because i won't be consuming any of it and it will be a whole lot cheaper. i'm writing to see if anyone would like to join me??! i've been reading alot about this stuff and have been searching this site and it seems this is a very effective approach for treating acne. so who's with me?! i'll return to this page tomorrow and see if i have any takers. i think it will be cool because we can motivate each other and share tips. and by the way, i'm about 1 month into the Regimen, which i follow very strickly. hopefully with the Regimen and a new diet i'll finally clear up. goodnight!

[bitchplease]

Yo. I'm down for a paleo buddy. I've been on the diet for like 3-4 weeks now. I'm also on the Regimen (since 2009). We could communicate both in this thread (when one of us has something to say that might be of interest to other people, for example) and in private messages or whatever. Just write me after you read this (or don't, you decide).

Anyone else in?

http://www.dietaryacnecure.com/
http://thepaleodiet.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet

[marti783]

yea for sure. so what kind of results have you experienced after 3-4 weeks? i just bought the Paleo Diet Eating Guide. Any tips as i begin. Like i said in my first post though, i have changed my diet alot the past couple weeks but this seems intense. i'm excited.

[venam]

I have been paleo for ~6 months, except for 1 month in between in which I was eating dairy to test it out. Big fu*&^ up, don't try it out if things are going well. I had really, really, bad acne. It has improved tremendously, I still have some but with a little more time it will fade away. There are many who have already gotten clear by eating paleo.

A big mistake I am just correcting now (and it made a big difference quick) is the Omega 3 : Omega 6 ratio. I thought I had it "right" because I was taking supplementation + eating paleo, until I actually tracked it. Olive oil is really high in O6, that was my main problem. After you get used to paleo track your food and see if you omega ratio is ok.

GL

[marti783]

that's very inspiring. i was wondering if you could let us know what types of meals you're eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

also, i was wondering about the omega ratio. in your opinion what would be the most important changes to balance the ratio better. i was reading the "dietary cure for acne" and it seems that cooking oil is a big culprit. would you agree?

Edited by marti783, 18 February 2010 - 01:05 PM.

[venam]

that's very inspiring. i was wondering if you could let us know what types of meals you're eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

also, i was wondering about the omega ratio. in your opinion what would be the most important changes to balance the ratio better. i was reading the "dietary cure for acne" and it seems that cooking oil is a big culprit. would you agree?

IMP: the links I am providing will have meals that involve non-paleo ingredients. Most people in paleo eat quite flexibly. This is OK with time, but I don't recommend it at the beginning as it will hinder your progress.

I don't really eat breakfast /lunch that often. After a while in paleo you may notice you won't feel hungry after big dinners. Fat keeps you satisfied longer. BUT you definitely should not do this until you feel it is "right." For me it is very convenient as well since I am a college student, so I only cook once at night. Here was my break-down for yesterday:

• Before dinner: 2 green smoothies with fruits (use berries and fruits to sweeten it)
• Dinner: curry made out of 1 lb of wild canned salmon, 1 can of coconut milk**, onion, peppers, garlic, tomato, curry paste, and other spices. Eaten on top of a green salad.
• After-dinner snack: 1 hass avocado with tomatoe, lime, and 3 local cage-free egs.***

*don't buy farmed fish, buy wild canned if you can't afford fresh. As for meat, I cannot afford grass fed so I buy normal supermarket meat. It has a bad O6:O3 ratio but it doesn't have that much omegas so it is easy to make up for.
** coconut milk is technically a "vegetable oil" with a horrible O3:O6 ratio, but it has so little of it that it is easy to make up for. Olive il has a better ratio but it has so much O6 that is hard to make up for.
***normal eggs have an O6:O3 ratio of 20:1, cage free have 1.5:1

I did not workout yesterday, I would normally eat a bit more if I did. A big mistake people starting paleo make is they don't eat enough because the meals are more filling. Make sure you are getting enough calories!

For a breakfast/lunch/dinner schedule: you can find this type of information online. I recommend you read some old articles in this site:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-...al-eating-plan/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-101/

There are also multiple paleo bloggers that post pretty much every meal they eat:

http://girlgoneprimal.blogspot.com/
http://freetheanimal.com/ (read this http://freetheanimal.com/2009/09/saturated...ase-stroke.html and take with a grain of salt)
you can find more online

You can also find many, many recipes online.

As for the omegas ratio. I have been tracking my food intake to fix this problem and my main issues are olive oil and nuts. Because of this, I have given both up for a while to see what happens. The problem is that I use them both as "filler" calories. As I mentioned before you have to make sure you are eating enough. I guess I am gonna have to start eating more meat now. I also recommend fish oil supplementation, I take 2,400 mg of omega 3 each day.

BTW, the first 3 weeks are not that great. You have to get used to burning fat for fuel.

Let me know if there's anything else I can help with. There are others in the forum that are also paleo, I am sure they will join later on.

EDIT:
(1) It takes time to work, for me it was at 2-3 months mark that I could definitely tell I had made some good improvements.
(2) Be careful with over eating fruits.

Edited by venam, 18 February 2010 - 05:01 PM.

[bitchplease]

marti: To be honest I really don't know. Nothing special I guess. I'm on the Regimen and clear so I wouldn't really notice any facial improvements though, but I do get some back acne which I'm not treating. I figured I'll use my back for checking for eventual acne improvements from my diet change. Does that sound like a good plan?
I gotta say though, I haven't had any of those occasional breakouts I do get a couple times a month or so since I started eating paleo. There's probably no connection there but might be worth mentioning.

I'm glad you're excited! I'm a beginner myself but I guess my best tips are sort of psychological. I don't know about you, but I'm used to eating a lot, probably way too much (I'm certainly not fat, but have been addicted to white bread and potato chips all my life). First, if you're gonna be able to avoid cheating, make sure you have the right stuff at home, so that whenever you get hungry or just feel like eating a snack you have something other than the bread and the potato chips to go for. I try to always have my basic foods in the kitchen, like bananas (my staple carb), frozen berries, nuts (expensive though and lots of omega 6 -- good protein source still), eggs, coconut fat and fish. The more the better. Just load up your kitchen with all you feel like you need, otherwise it's (again, if you're like me) going to be super hard to avoid the grains, etc. My other hot tip is to try and sort-of forget about food. Do stuff during the day! When I stay home for a whole day and just do nothing I tend to visit the refrigerator about a million fucking times. That so-called hunger isn't actually hunger. I've noticed how I sometimes only need two normal-sized meals to keep going for a whole day if I'm working or doing something else away from the house (in other words, away from food) for a long time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not suffering here, trying to starve myself or anything. I'm just trying to recover from my addiction to carbohydrates. Haha. I've noticed how I go after food when I get a little down, now that I can't eat "the good stuff" anymore, just like some fat person going after the ice cream and candy bars. It's really sad...

venam: Thanks for your post, what a great way to start off this thread! Very inspiring indeed. I avoid all vegetable fats and oils except for coconut, which everyone I've talked to says is OK, really good even. I use it for all my cooking. It's cheap and the fat is good for curing my endless hunger. marti, without having read the book I would definitely agree throwing out those oils is key. Coconut (and possibly palm oil but who uses that anyway) is the only one/s you should be using I think. Olive oil is supposed to be better than most others, but it still sucks so just avoid it, it's really not hard at all. If you don't have any coconut oil/fat, you should be able to find it practically anywhere. I'm not from the US but I get it where I get the rest of my groceries. It's packed like a pack of hard butter and costs about two dollars or so. You should find it right next to the real butter in the store. Just slice some off and throw in the pan when you're going to fry your food. It's tasteless which is awesome. I think the oily version does have taste (and smell), is more expensive, not really better for this type of thing and harder to find. You don't need the organic stuff in this case.

Edited by dirtbomb, 19 February 2010 - 02:30 AM.

[dancedd]

Hey guys/girls,

I am also on the pale diet. I been strict on it for the 1.5 weeks or so. before that I was "cheating" 1 day a week so thats why I am going to say that I been on it for 1.5 weeks. Not clear or improvement yet.


I had a couple of questions about coconut oil. Do you guys only use it for frying? Right now I use olive oil for eveyrthing; salads, baking, frying. But from what I am reading, coconut is good for frying. Since its solid, do you just cut a piece and put it in a pan? I am just worried about the saturated fat content since cholesterol problems run big in my family (including me when I don't watch what I eat). So I am a little comflicted about using it, but I want to atleast try it. I guess I am just curious how you guys use coconut oil on foods. This is the only part that I am not very familiar with.

[marti783]

wow great stuff venam and dirtbomb. looks like i'll have more reading to do! lol quick question though, you said be careful about eating too much fruit, why is that? what are your experiences? i ask because right now that is a large part of my diet as i am still adjusting and buying new food etc.

[venam]

wow great stuff venam and dirtbomb. looks like i'll have more reading to do! lol quick question though, you said be careful about eating too much fruit, why is that? what are your experiences? i ask because right now that is a large part of my diet as i am still adjusting and buying new food etc.

Too much fruit = too much sugar which is not good. If you are just trading the pasta and rice for apples and bananas you won't get much done. This is not meant to scare you away from fruits, but rather just eat them in moderation. Mark recommends 100g-150g of carbs (mostly from fruits) for someone who is not trying to lose weight. I guess you will have to find your own "sweet spot." For me it is quite high in carbs because I exercise, but I do notice this gets in the way of my acne progress sometimes. I am still not clear so I don't want to give advice that hasn't worked for me, you are going to have to play with it and see how much fruit works for you.

[tigermike]

I've also been on a form of Paleo since August of 09.
I know it works because when I eat "non paleo" foods, I break out.
Specifically gluten, sugar, and sometimes dairy.

It has helped make a dramatic difference in my skin health.
I find the diet very enjoyable to eat (seriously....meat, veggies, fruit, and nuts! gimme a steak with asparagus covered in hollandaise sauce please! or a green smoothie! or some Thai curry! bacon!!!)
It isn't "hard" to eat on this diet at all!

There are a plethora of resources for this "diet" or "lifestyle". one just needs to take a look around.

I recommend anyone give it a try to see if it works for you.


to the poster worried about coconut milk's saturated fat: don't worry, those are medium chain triglycerides. Also, saturated fat does not cause heart disease. But that's for another thread.

[dancedd]

venam- I recommend taking some chia seeds to combat your omega 3/omega 6 ratio instead of some of the seeds/nuts your consuming.

1 ounce has a 4.9 g of Omega 3 and only 1.6 of Omega 6
source: http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/nut-and...products/3061/2

[marti783]

I would like to say to anyone who is new to this thread and reading it for the first time to check out the Paleo Diet and consider joining us! I can honestly say, for the past few months i've researched Acne extensively, and this looks like the most effective, long-term solution there is. i have mild-moderate acne that has been with me for almost 8 years. I am very confident this is something that will finally clear me up for good. We'll be here posting all of our progess (well mostly mine since i'm just starting) and tips along the way! The more the merrier!!

Edited by marti783, 18 February 2010 - 10:34 PM.

[venam]

venam- I recommend taking some chia seeds to combat your omega 3/omega 6 ratio instead of some of the seeds/nuts your consuming.

1 ounce has a 4.9 g of Omega 3 and only 1.6 of Omega 6
source: http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/nut-and...products/3061/2

The problem with O3 from plants is that it comes in the form of ALA which the body cannot use properly. The body uses EPA and DHA, which are the common forms of O3 in animal products. Only about 15% of the ALA can be used by the body.

Still, thanks for your recommendation. It is definitely better than eating other nuts that are really high in O6. I will look into it.

[bitchplease]

dancedd: Just read the second part of my "long" post above. Yes, you simply cut a piece and put it in the pan as if it was olive oil or butter or whatever. It's super easy. I think it works a lot better than all the other oils I've tried for cooking before. It melts super quickly and you need a very small amount to get a good "grease" in the pan -- I do use a lot though because I love the stuff.

I limit my fruit intake slightly too, but it's not really something I think about. I just don't eat a hundred fruits a day, you know. I think it can be good to be strict with the details in the beginning but in the long run I believe basically any type of paleo diet will kill your acne. The Inuit of the Arctic eat something like 95% meat/fish, the !Kung San of Africa about 70-80% vegetable foods (including massive amounts of mongongo nuts [24g protein!]). Good luck finding any cases of acne in any of these groups. Like I said I think the details can be of some importance to us just starting out, but for the human species as a whole I don't think the details of the diet are that important -- what's important in this case seems to be what you DON'T eat, rather then whether you prefer fruit or meat.

[bitchplease]

I'm thinking about taking a daily zinc supplement, by the way, until I've been on the paleo diet for a few months or so. Can you find any brand that doesn't contain vegetable oils and shit like that? I really just want something that's as pure zinc as possible, if you know what I mean. I found one that also has calcium and magnesium in it which should be good, but no list of other ingredients...

[dancedd]

Thanks dirtbomb!! I might try the coconut for when I fry some zuccini and onions:) I am still unsure about the whole saturated fat issue. I know someone mentioned above that it doesn't cause heart issues. I am going to research that further....

oh dirtbomb, I think this zinc would be the best: http://www.iherb.com/Jarrow-Formulas-Zinc-...psules/278?at=0

Edited by dancedd, 19 February 2010 - 05:34 AM.

[bitchplease]

Thanks dancedd. I'll see if I can find that brand where I live unless shipping is cheap from that website.

I'm certainly no expert but I think the whole saturated fat thing is crap, or a partly crap anyway. I mean, the same people who claim coconut fat is really dangerous will also tell you that grains are fantastic, meat is horrible, refined sugar is OK in a fair amount, pills are better than food, medicin is better than lifestyle changes, concrete is better than trees, etc. I don't think saturated fats are that dangerous. I think a civilized diet will give you heart issues, not the coconut fat. Actually I'm pretty damn sure a civilized diet will give you heart problems, because there's just so much proof out there.

[uncle buck]

Yep. It's great to see more people seeing the light.

[venam]

This is another bit of information about saturated fats. In this case is a recent meta-analysis conducted by one of the top heart disease researchers (no link with primal or any other group):

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/ajcn.2009.27725v1

A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD. ...

I recommend you read at least what they give out for free.