15 replies to this topic

[thomasfrank09]

Edit: Ha, I spelled the title of my thread wrong. I blame finals week stress.

Alright. Time to make myself accountable and get back on my diet, and finally kill this acne once and for all.

Background: I'm 20. Male. I all but completely cleared up my acne two years ago by eating right and drinking tons of water. Then I got lazy, and it's back. So now it's time to fix it again.

In this thread, I'll be posting daily progress pictures along with everything I eat and drink for the day, as long as I can remember.

Daily goals:

• No sugar, no caffeine
• Drink 16oz of fresh veg/fruit juice a day (I make this with a juicer)
• Eat healthily - nuts, veg, fruit, meat. No prepackaged crap.

End goal:

• Clear up my face and back completely before school starts again in the fall.

Day 1

Progress pictures:

Face:


Back:


Nutrition (will be updated throughout the day):

• 1 peanut butter sandwich (white bread, store was out of wheat, and natural peanut butter)
• half glass of 1% milk
• vitamin d, magnesium, 2 fish oil
• handful of unsalted almonds
• 2 hamburgers on wheat buns with grass-fed butter instead of cheese
• 16oz of apple/carrot/celery juice
• Orange chicken and rice from panda
• Apple

Water intake:

• about a gallon

Workout: http://www.fitocracy...orkout/7225920/

Edited by thomasfrank09, 03 May 2012 - 09:03 AM.

[doodleme123]

I like these kinds of topics, progress report with proof.

[thomasfrank09]

Day 2 - May 2, 2012

Face:


Back:


Nutrition: (so I'm basically out of food in my apartment and need to go shopping badly)

• handful of almonds
• whey shake with 1% milk and creatine
• vitamins
• french dip sandwich
• jimmy john's #10
• 2 cookies (big, and dammit I'm addicted but will get over it)
• Apple
• 16oz apple/carrot/celery juice

Water:

• 90oz

Workout: http://www.fitocracy...orkout/7270970/

Edited by thomasfrank09, 03 May 2012 - 12:15 AM.

[thomasfrank09]

Day 3 - May 3, 2012

Face:


Back:


Not sure if my back is clearing up yet, but I didn't notice anything new, so that's a plus.

In addition to my normal BP face wash, I'm now using Stridex pads as toner. Those are the only two things I'm using, though; I'm confident that this problem is mainly nutrition-based. However, I am taking cleanliness into the equation - I'm now wearing a clean shirt to bed every night and changing the pillowcase nightly as well.

On May 16 I'll be going on a three-week trip to San Francisco, Japan, and NYC. Not sure how well I'm going to do with this journal during that time...

Nutrition:

• natural peanut butter sandwich on wheat bread
• handful of almonds
• vitamins
• jimmy johns #10
• cookie
• half pint of ice cream
• turkey/salami wrap
• apple
• 16 oz apple/carrot/celery juice

Water: 90oz

Workout: http://www.fitocracy...orkout/7319298/

Edited by thomasfrank09, 04 May 2012 - 12:08 PM.

[thomasfrank09]

Day 4 - May 4, 2012

Face:


Back:


At this point I've nailed down the whole staying hydrated and cleaning my face more often bits, but staying away from sugar is still trying. Once I move into my new apartment and have all my stuff in one place, I'll be cooking more and it should be easier since I won't be as tempted to eat out.

Nutrition:

• handful of almonds
• jimmy john's #10
• cookie
• 16 oz apple/cucumber/celery/carrot juice
• popcorn
• steak ranchero plate
• hydrive energy drink (drove back from Council Bluffs at 1am, needed it)

Water: 75oz

Workout: http://www.fitocracy...orkout/7354948/

Edited by thomasfrank09, 05 May 2012 - 01:50 PM.

[thomasfrank09]

Day 5 - May 5, 2012

Face:


Back:


Nutrition:

• double cheeseburger
• cheese crackers
• banana
• whey shake
• jimmy johns #10
• cookie
• mint choc. chip ice cream
• 16 oz apple/cucumber/celery/carrot juice

Water: 116oz

Workout: http://www.fitocracy...orkout/7392955/

I think the continued hydration is working well to prevent breakouts. Steadily decreasing sugar intake now. Just waiting for current stuff to heal.

Edited by thomasfrank09, 06 May 2012 - 09:26 AM.

[Sasch83]

Great Log so far, just something noteworthy, many people break out from dairy/grains (not everyone).

You may want to cut out/or limit those products (just in case you're one of the unlucky ones)

Also, peanut butter and creatine are 2 ingredients that promote breakout in some (again, not everyone)

I think juicing is GREAT for acne - blending also does wonders as you get to benefit from not only the juice but the skin from fruit and thus, the fiber content.

Enjoy your travels - NYC is great this time of year if we can keep the rain away

[fadedjay]

great blog, i wish i had the courage to do something like this and record my progress.

I agree with Sasch that certain common foods that contain gluten and wheat causes issues for people.

Its always about trying to find a balance, which i still haven't found yet my self!

[thomasfrank09]

Great Log so far, just something noteworthy, many people break out from dairy/grains (not everyone).

You may want to cut out/or limit those products (just in case you're one of the unlucky ones)

Also, peanut butter and creatine are 2 ingredients that promote breakout in some (again, not everyone)

I think juicing is GREAT for acne - blending also does wonders as you get to benefit from not only the juice but the skin from fruit and thus, the fiber content.

Enjoy your travels - NYC is great this time of year if we can keep the rain away

Thanks for the reply. I actually tried cutting out those things two years ago and didn't notice too much of a difference. The real kicker for me is the sugar and greasy foods, so I just need to figure out how to consistently stay away from them.

[thomasfrank09]

Day 6 - May 6, 2012

Face:


Back:


Nutrition:

• handful of almonds
• vitamins
• 2 peanut butter sandwiches
• chicken nuggets with ranch
• 16 oz apple/carrot/celery juice
• jimmy johns #10
• cookie
• way too much ice cream

Water: 140 oz

Workout: none today. Resting.

My short haircut almost makes me look bald from certain angles. lol.

Good water consumption today. Bad food intake.

Edited by thomasfrank09, 07 May 2012 - 10:54 AM.

[KillAkne]

The juicing and water consumption is great but don't you have a skincare routine?
Supporting your body from the inside is the best way but don't forget the outside!

You need to exfoliate your skin no matter what to remove dead skin cells. Steam your face 2 times a week and try some natural face masks.

Keep log updated it is exciting!

[thomasfrank09]

The juicing and water consumption is great but don't you have a skincare routine?
Supporting your body from the inside is the best way but don't forget the outside!

You need to exfoliate your skin no matter what to remove dead skin cells. Steam your face 2 times a week and try some natural face masks.

Keep log updated it is exciting!

Thanks for the tips - my routine right now isn't perfect, but I do wash my face with a BP wash every day and use Stridex pads.

Day 7 - May 7, 2012

Face:


Back:


Nutrition:

• handful of almonds
• cheerios and milk
• vitamins
• whey shake
• 16oz apple/celery/carrot juice
• 2 hamburger patties with ranch (no buns)

Water: 64 oz (3:00pm)

Workout: http://www.fitocracy...orkout/7462271/

Tomorrow is moving day, which for me will basically be a huge reset. I'll be organized and ready to start again. Still worried about my nutrition during my trip, though.

Edited by thomasfrank09, 07 May 2012 - 05:47 PM.

[thomasfrank09]

Day 8 - May 8, 2012.

Moving basically took all day and threw me off. Didn't get time to take pics and didn't eat anything good all day. Just pizza with the guys once we finished. All around a setback.

Day 9 - May 9, 2012

Face:


Back:


Nutrition: Gotta go to the store; I'm out of food. Will update later.

Water: 24oz (10:50am)

[thomasfrank09]

Day 10 - May 10, 2012

Face:


Back:


Damn. I'm finding it really hard to stay away from sugar. I think I have a plan though: I've created a mock-up of what my goal is. If I just put this on the fridge, maybe it will stop me from wanting sugar:


Bam. The goal.

Nutrition;

• off-brand cocoa pebbles in milk
• 16oz apple/celery/carrot juice
• cheese crackers
• two burger patties with ranch
• choc. chip granola bar
• cheese crackers
• handful of almonds

Water: 96oz

Workout: http://www.fitocracy...orkout/7586663/

I'm trying something new today as well - tanning (in sunlight, not in a bed). I'll try to do this every day for about an hour while reading. It probably won't happen during my trip, but in Japan at least I'll be outside walking for much of the day.

Edited by thomasfrank09, 10 May 2012 - 05:09 PM.

[Sasch83]

Great idea with putting your goal out there. What program did you use to change your picture like that....pretty cool! Good Luck.

[thomasfrank09]

I actually just used Photoshop to make that - I just used the Clone tool to clone over red spots with a section of clear skin.

I'm back from my trip now (which was horrible for my skin) and have been on a heavily modified diet for about a week now. Basically all I eat is homemade stir fry and fresh vegetable juice, along with a lot of water. And... I'm clearing up! Can't wait to see what happens in a couple weeks.