45 replies to this topic

[fakeplasticgirl]

-

Edited by fakeplasticgirl, 01 August 2011 - 03:48 PM.

[fakeplasticgirl]

OH + also, I need to figure out how to not lose anymore weight, cuz it seems to be plummeting. I realise I need to eat more, but I get full quite fast, and with my cutting out of carbs/gluten/red meat, and eating a lot more raw veggies, I just gotta be careful not to lose anymore weight. Currently 98lbs at 5'4 (I've always been petite, but my 'regular' weight is 103lbs)

Edited by fakeplasticgirl, 29 May 2011 - 11:59 AM.

[fakeplasticgirl]

OK, so yesterday for dinner I had a vegetable + beef stew type of thing I made myself. I don't really like red meat that much, but I try to eat it 1x a month because I used to be anaemic and it's not as harmful if you only eat it occasionally. Well today I woke up and had pretty bad stomach cramps and have been having them most of the day so I think it's farewell to red meat for good now.. clearly my stomach does not like it. It won't really be missed as I'm not a fan anyway, but yeah..that's that. I hear red meat is difficult to digest aaand I guess the fact I don't eat it very often my stomach kinda freaked. Here's a list of what I've eaten today:

Breakfast
Gluten-free oatmeal made in almond milk. Added some dried blueberries + cranberries + half a teaspoon of manuka honey. + Peppermint tea

Lunch
Tuna salad -- cherry tomatoes, spinach (mixed leaf salad), french beans, albacore tuna, olives & boiled egg

Skin Status
Three active (red/inflammed) zits -- one on cheek, one under the ridge of my nose and one just above my lip (I just love the friggen randomosity of these assholes).. ofc also have a gazillion red marks aaaaand clogged pores, especially between my eyebrows and chin.

Edited by fakeplasticgirl, 29 May 2011 - 12:00 PM.

[mslily009]

I am trying a dairy-free diet. Which is really hard, because people are starting to get really "concerned" about me. I have not lost any weight. In fact I have been trying to gain weight just so they would stop being so annoying. People convince me to eat some dairy occasionally. Ugh. Why doesn't anyone understand. This isn't for my weight, this is to better my health. So much peer pressure. I don't know how you get away with this.

[fakeplasticgirl]

I feel you. My parents think I'm becoming crazy 'obsessive' over what I eat, my friends and boyfriend think I'm trying to losing more weight. I tell them that I'm doing this for my health and well-being, but they don't see how dairy + gluten are 'bad for you' and always try to prove me otherwise. I try to maintain that I think I may have food insensitivities and that my hormonal imbalance can be regulated with the aid of diet, but they still think this is all cover-up for a lurking eating disorder or something. AGH! I mean, I agree that I don't want to lose any further weight, but I am finding it hard to gain any.. that's why I try to eat oatmeal everyday and add some honey/dried fruit cuz that'll up the calorie content a bit, even though in theory I shouldn't be having any dried fruit or honey at this point (cuz of the high % of sugar which I'm trying to cut). It's tough but hang in there -- it's YOUR health & wellbeing, and despite what others may claim, you have every right to make your own choices in regards to your body!

Edited by fakeplasticgirl, 29 May 2011 - 12:21 PM.

[fakeplasticgirl]

Just did some research. Since I have low progesterone levels (indicated by hormone blood test + irregular periods + cervical dysplasia which I had 2 years ago), I need to up them to try and balance out these hormones. I looked into some more herbs + supplements that can help and have found:

*Paeonia lactiflora (peony)
*Zinc (good thing I'm already taking it!)
*Omega 3 (I really gotta get on it & get those supplements!)
*Vitex Chasteberry (of course. check!)
*Vitamin B6

Peony & B6 are two herb/supplements that I didn't know had an effect on hormonal balance, so it's worth looking into I guess.

& here's a log of foods I've been having the past few days - (if anyone has any input/advice, pls let me know)


Breakfast - ACV in water, apple + banana.
Lunch - Oven baked, spiced chicken in olive oil & spinach + quinoa salad with avocado, tomato, cucumber, celery & peas.
Dinner - Wild alaskan smoked salmon on buckwheat crispibread. + raspberries, cocoa nibs, dried blueberries & gluten-free flapjack
Drinks -“ Peppermint tea, water with squeezed lemon, Pure Synergy in green tea.

Late Breakfast/Lunch - Shrimp salad with mixed greens/leaves and avocado
Dinner - Tuna carpaccio with leafy greens + apple
Snacks+Drinks - Matcha green tea, peppermint tea, NAKD raw bar, ACV in water

Breakfast - POM juice with Pure Synergy, ACV in water, apple + cantaloupe melon
Lunch - Oven baked cod (olive oil & mediterranean spices) and buckwheat.
Dinner - Borsch soup (beets + cabbage). Low fat yoghurt for 'dessert'
Snacks - Raisins and fresh blueberries.
Drinks - Glass of red wine, matcha green tea.

Breakfast – ACV in water + oatmeal (cooked with almond milk) + cocoa nibs, dried blueberries and 1/2 tsp of manuka honey.
Lunch - Kefir and NAKD raw fruit bar.
Dinner – Turkey meatballs (made by myself, basically just turkey mince + lotsa diff spices + one egg, fried in coconut oil) in home-made tomato sauce
Drinks – Lemon water, matcha green tea and Pure Synergy.

OK, from what I can see, I guess I need some beans + seeds? Sweet potatoes would be good too, but I'm not sure how to incorporate them.. Jeeze, it really does look like I'm hardly eating anything, but I seem to fill up a lot more on eating nutrient-dense foods

Edited by fakeplasticgirl, 29 May 2011 - 04:36 PM.

[fakeplasticgirl]

Here's a list of my current 'vices' that I really ought to cut out..still, better than refined sugars!

* MANUKA HONEY -- this thing's just addictive to me. I love adding a little to my tea and oatmeal. I don't go overboard, but I guess I really shouldn't be having it..at least it has antibacterial properties!

*NAKD bars -- way way way too addictive.. quick & easy and fill me up for some time when I'm on the go..
Ingredients: Dates (49%), Cashews (31%), Raisins (17%), Raspberry (3%), Natural Raspberry Flavour. All ingredients purchased from approved suppliers to agreed specifications.

*CONSCIOUS chocolate -- okay, I have this rarely, maybe one little piece every 2-3 weeks, but I know I shouldn't. but sometimes, the craving for chocolate is overbearing so I give in..guiltyyyyy..
Ingredients: 60% minimum cacao soilds, Equadorian Cacao butter, Equadorian Cacao Powder, Agave Nectar, Coconut Butter, Carob Powder, Himalayan Salt, Cinnamon

Also...raisins are high in fructose, so I gotta cut those as well. It's just hard, cuz even though I don't like candy bars and crap like that, I do like my sweet fruit + honey for that occasional sweet tooth of mine. DISCIPLINEEEEE! gotta keep that in mind at alllll times. sigh.

Edited by fakeplasticgirl, 29 May 2011 - 04:45 PM.

[fakeplasticgirl]

DAY 18
of diet/supplements

Woke up feeling lousy today, think I'm coming down with a cold or a virus (my flatmate has been ill so might've caught it from him).

Didn't have much of an appetite, but this is what I ate..

Breakfast - POM juice with Pure Synergy, a NAKD fruit bar, 2 clementines and a handful of blueberries.

Skipped lunch because I was napping.

Dinner - Chicken + vegetable curry.. made with lentils/peas/sweet potatoes and a bunch of spices.
Drinks/Snacks - Raspberry tea, Matcha green tea, lemon water, more clementines and some no-fat yoghurt.

I try not to eat citrus fruits cos they are known to be allergens (and with my dermatitis I try to avoid them anyway) but I felt like I needed the Vit C boost cuz I'm feeling under the weather.

Skins status -- Active zits seem to have dried up and shrinked a bit overnight (might be due to the use of Diacneal?) -- still have lots of clogs on chin/forehead and ofc, lots of red marks. Not great, not bad.

Edited by fakeplasticgirl, 30 May 2011 - 02:40 PM.

[mslily009]

Thanks so much for putting up your meals (:
It's nice to see that you can have a well balanced day without gluten !

I heard pumpkin seeds were really good, and a great source of fiber
OH. and I also know you shouldn't start your day off with fruit alone, unless it's accompanied with some complex carb, otherwise you can get an insulin spike. This is especially true for people with candida.

keep up your progress ! sounds like you're doing great !

[spectacled_owl]

I'm no expert but maybe you should tone down the fruit intake, esp. juice and those NAKD bars lol, and eat more fat.

Sneak some fat in there like this: Avocados, evoo (but don't use this for high heat cooking, the oil will oxidize destroying nutrients and creating harmful ones, try to just use it raw, like as a salad dressing), free range, nitrite free, organic bacon (and save that bacon grease to cook in!), grass fed butter, coconut oil and milk, full fat Greek yogurt (this is hard for me to find, there is only one brand I've seen, The Greek Gods, that makes full fat Greek yogurt) or try some Pemmican.

[fakeplasticgirl]

thanks for the post!

yeah, I know those NAKD energy bars have got to go haha.. but I got really hooked since they're so easy & quick to eat (and 'all natural' so I don't feel as guilty) will stop buying them though, they're not cheap anyway so it's for the best.

as for fruit, I guess I should cut down, but I will never be able to give up fruit completely. I'm trying to stick to berries and apples, berries because they're a great source of antioxidants and apples add much-needed fibre. have already stopped eating bananas/pears/grapes, as hard as it was to give them up.

+ yep I try to have an avocado every day, but doesn't really work that way. I ALWAYS add it to a salad though, regardless of what's in it, and I eat salads 4-5 times a week.

& thanks for the other tips, I'll look into the bacon & the Pemmican !

[spectacled_owl]

I was hooked on Lara bars at first, but I barely care about them now. It's a gradual process heh. Even the chocolate cravings are backing down!

Berries are awesome and are good by themselves, in smoothies and with yogurt (my favs). Especially raspberries and blackberries since they have a lot of fiber and less sugar. It's not that fruit is bad... but you can easily eat too much sugar when you're eating dried fruit and fruit juices and not much else.

I hope you continue to have good luck with your diet

[fakeplasticgirl]

@spectacled owl -- definitely a gradual process! can't change eating habits overnight.. plus I strongly believe that if you suddenly drop ALL your previously loved foods from your diet, you'll get depressed/stressed out and are most likely to breakdown and binge.. so I think a slow transition is important

DAY 19
of diet/supplements

I woke up with stomach cramps again. This really confused me. I didn't consume any gluten/dairy/processed sugar the previous day. Maybe it was the spicy curry that messed with my stomach? No idea, but they were painful.
Breakfast - Two soft boiled eggs. Apple.
Lunch - Avocado, salmon, buckwheat, cherry tomato + mixed green leaf salad.
Dinner - Oven + vegetable roasted chicken breast. Some freshly squeezed grapefruit juice.
Drinks/Snacks - ACV in water, matcha green tea. 2 slices of pineapples.

++ Goes without saying I think, that I drink plenty of still water throughout the day, and take the supplements I mentioned in my first post every day. The only thing I don't consume every day is the Pure Synergy mix, because I really loathe the taste, so I can stomach it every other day at the max for now. Plus, it's sooo expensive, that I can't bring myself to gulp it down every day.

Skin Status: I just woke up, and whilst there are no miracles, I'm glad to report I only have 3 tiny pustules (two on chin, one by my eyebrow) as active zits. No papules or cysts or anything. I still have a million red marks (chin, eyebrows, some on cheek) and clogs+whiteheads on forehead and chin area, but the overall redness/inflammation seems to have toned down. IF I continue to improve at this pace, I think in 2-3 months I have a chance of actually looking half-decent...but I won't jinx anything yet.

Topical Regimen
I continue to rotate between Avene Diacneal and Dan's Regimen AHA.. (usually diacneal in the evening and AHA in morning). Bioderma H20 as cleanser.

+ I did a mandelic acid 15% peel the day before yesterday (at home)

[GreenEyes33]

This is interesting!! I have a lot of the same issues as you and am trying a similar approach- hopefully one of us (you, owl, or I!) will figure out an answer soon. Good luck!

[fakeplasticgirl]

@GreenEyes -- I hope you're right! It would be amazing if one of us is able to find a solution for our multi-faceted issues.

So yesterday I didn't eat as much as I wish I did.. I was really busy the whole day and didn't really have time to make a proper dinner.

DAY 20
Breakfast- 2 scrambled eggs (fried in olive oil) & wild alaskan smoked salmon + some fresh spring onions.
Lunch/Dinner - large salad with quinoa, poached salmon, avocado, cucumber, tomato and spinach, sprinkled with pumpkin + sunflower seeds & pine nuts.
Snacks/Drinks - 2 slices of pineapple. Handful of almonds. Matcha green tea. ACV in water.

Skin Status: One whitehead/clog came to a head during the night. Put some tea tree oil on it this morning. Apart from that, I do not have any inflamed/red spots. Red marks + whiteheads/clogs still there, but a smaller amount. So overall, feeling a lot better about my skin than I was 10 days ago.

[mei-ling]

DAY 20
Breakfast- 2 scrambled eggs (fried in olive oil) & wild alaskan smoked salmon + some fresh spring onions.
Lunch/Dinner - large salad with quinoa, poached salmon, avocado, cucumber, tomato and spinach, sprinkled with pumpkin + sunflower seeds & pine nuts.
Snacks/Drinks - 2 slices of pineapple. Handful of almonds. Matcha green tea. ACV in water.

Skin Status: One whitehead/clog came to a head during the night. Put some tea tree oil on it this morning. Apart from that, I do not have any inflamed/red spots. Red marks + whiteheads/clogs still there, but a smaller amount. So overall, feeling a lot better about my skin than I was 10 days ago.

Aaaahhh don't cook with olive oil! It is VERY unstable at high temperatures, it completely ruins it, and causes harm to your body! Oxidizing fats produce free-radicals which just tear up your insides (they are highly reactive compounds that will react with ANYTHING, so a lot of damage is caused internally). The stable high-heat oils are coconut and red palm, and I use butter on medium heat - but again, don't let the butter brown, those are the fats oxidizing. Put olive oil on your food (warm, not hot) after you've cooked it, this is the best way to get all the goodies in it.

[fakeplasticgirl]

thanks for the info mei ling. I didn't know at all..from what I had read, olive oil requires very very high + ongoing heat to make it 'harmful', but then there seems to be debate on that topic. Wouldn't coconut oil make my eggs/etc. taste coconut-y though? :/

I haven't updated in 2 days because my diet has been SHIT. I totally deserve any potential breakouts, because I have literally had no time + spent no effort into eating well. I am having so much shit to deal with, and I have literally not been at home at all the past two days, so yeah. Will hopefully get back on track from tomorrow on! gah.

[mei-ling]

thanks for the info mei ling. I didn't know at all..from what I had read, olive oil requires very very high + ongoing heat to make it 'harmful', but then there seems to be debate on that topic. Wouldn't coconut oil make my eggs/etc. taste coconut-y though? :/

I haven't updated in 2 days because my diet has been SHIT. I totally deserve any potential breakouts, because I have literally had no time + spent no effort into eating well. I am having so much shit to deal with, and I have literally not been at home at all the past two days, so yeah. Will hopefully get back on track from tomorrow on! gah.

Plasticgirl, NO ONE DESERVES A BREAK OUT, PERIOD. We all slip now and then, but try not to punish yourself in your head (or in any other way) - the stress is probably worse for you than a couple days of being lax. We're people, man, not creepy perfect machines! :)

I wouldn't risk it with olive oil. I found this excerpt today:

From Deep Nutrition by Dr. Cate, Chapter 11 - "How Inflammation Causes Scarring Acne"

"Acne is a problem of oil oxidation. When we eat easily oxidizable, unnatural oils, they wind up everywhere - our arteries, our nervous system, our face. White blood cells mistake oxidized oil for the fatty acids that coat the surface of invasive bacteria, and squads of white blood cells race to the scene. And as you know, they show up swinging and strike at everything within reach. The acne lesion swells and reddens. Once the battle is over, the site is commemorated with a permanent pit. This is called cystic-nodular acne, an example of an inflammatory false alarm generated not by infection, but by oxidized oils. So if you or your teen are fighting acne, step one is getting off of vegetable oil. And while we're at it, get off sugar too. Sugar suppresses the immune system and feeds the bacteria living in acne pustules.

When I see a person with acne, it suggests they've been eating pro-inflammatory foods full of sugar and vegetable oil. Pro-inflammatory foods send powerful disruptive signals that will override signals for less urgent metabolic needs (like muscle development, as we saw in the last chapter). So people with bad acne are prone to hormone imbalances, reproductive challenges, and a variety of other problems."

The idea of coconut in my savoury food is a little weird to me too, so here are a couple suggestions:
1. Butter is delicious, I don't think it's quite dairy, more animal fat-y. It's full of Vitamin A, too, and it's good to get these nutrients from foods, wherever possible. Again though, oxidation is an issue, so you shouldn't let the butter brown.
2. Curries are made with coconut milk, so it might be fun to mix in a bunch of curry spices into your food while you're cooking savoury things with coconut oil. Curried egg is delicious too, that's sort of a standard tea-sandwich in the UK. (Kinda of like an egg mayonnaise, but with cumin mixed in. Delish!)

Oh, that just made me think. If you still want to get your olive oil in and don't want to take it straight (my bf does by the tbsp), you can make your own mayonnaise, it's super simple.

1 or 2 egg yolks, separated (2 makes it creamier)
a squeeze of lemon
8 oz olive oil
--> In a large bowl, whisk the yolks and lemon together till very mixed, and kind of frothy. At the beginning, you want to add the olive oil veeery slowly, only bit by bit, to make sure it's emulsifying properly. Keep adding bits of olive oil, waiting for it to be properly mixed before adding some more. You can add more olive oil at a time towards the end, but be careful not to overdo it, as sometimes the mix just refuses to take more olive oil, and begins to separate. If this happens though, start again with another yolk and some lemon juice, and mix in the failed mayonnaise into the new one.

It's delicious, and I guarantee you it'll be better than any store-bought stuff you've had (they bleach that stuff to make it white - isn't that gross?) There are other ingredients you can add to make it into aoli, but I feel like I might have overwhelmed you with the number of words here, haha.

[fakeplasticgirl]

Thanks so much for your reply! That's a lot of useful info that I never even knew in regards to olive oil. + That recipe sounds so great...I didn't think it was so simple to make! I never buy mayonnaise because I'm aware that it's pretty gross how they process it etc Will definitely be something I'll be trying to make at home when I have a spare moment, which I seriously lack lately

I thought butter was supposedly really bad for you cuz it's trans-fat and all? I like butter but I was told that it's not very good for cooking... Sigh! Maybe it isn't that bad though as you've said.

Anyway, today I ate pretty okay-ish I guess..

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, fried in coconut oil
Lunch: Turkey meatballs, made from scratch by myself, with some buckwheat on the side. + White tea
Skin Status: Still breaking out, but not massively.. this is probably cuz I've been straying from my diet though and have been a bit stress with the amount of work and stuff I've had to do lately. I try to keep stress to a minimum, but I'm human and it just happens. Have like 3 active small inflamed zits, around mouth and one on forehead. Still loads of clogs and red marks. Patience!!..

Edited by fakeplasticgirl, 05 June 2011 - 10:33 AM.

[mei-ling]

No, butter contains saturated fats. These fats are what we burn for energy (ketosis). Trans-fats are hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils - things like margarine (EVIL).

Butter's really fine for cooking, as long as you don't let it burn. :)

If you're interested in reading a little about nutrition and what our bodies really need, I would recommend looking at this book by Dr. James Carlson, Genocide. The first 10 chapters can be read for free online. Don't worry, it's actually not too complicated reading, and I think he explains himself quite well. His tone is pretty conversational, and not at all intimidating. I think it's because he knows he's fighting years and years of false and bad nutritional mythology, so he wants to make himself understandable to everyone. If you get a chance, let me know what you think! :)