16 replies to this topic

[JoeBloggs]

I usually eat alot of food, most of it healthy, some of it not so (but nothing that is terrible for you).

 

My skin is pretty much clear but I still get a bit of mild acne here and there depending on my diet.

 

However, the sport that I do requires me to stay within certain weight limits, so whenever I have a competition coming up I end up reducing my food intake drastically, I'll eat enough to keep my body going and to get all the right nutrients I need but compared to my usual diet its much much less calories.....mainly coming from vegetables, with a small amount of grain based carbs to keep my body fuelled.

 

Ive noticed that everytime I do this, my skin pretty much goes perfectly clear, my mild acne clears right up, its like magic! And it starts to kick in after about 4 or 5 days of the reduced calorie diet.

 

Just thought I'd throw this one out there! Like I say I usually eat healthy anyhow, but I just consume ALOT of calories, and although my skin doesnt trouble me too much its enough to give me mild acne, sometimes slightly moderate depending on how much Ive eaten.

 

But just to reiterate, everytime I go on this reduced calorie diet, I literally clear up 100%, granted I avoid my food intolerances of course, which I do anyway.

 

Hope this helps anyone out there who is wondering. I guess its not much use if you are trying to gain weight though!

[sepsi]

Caloric restriction has been shown to improve insulin resistance and reduce inflammation, both of which are good for acne.

 

When I was dieting to lose some weight I also noticed that my skin was less oily during that time. Less insulin = less oily skin for me.

[alternativista]

Yes. This is the reason for the interest in intermittent fasting, which produces the same benefit but doesn't necessarily involve reducing calories.

[Ind1g0]

I'd like to know WHY (out of curiosity, scientifically speaking, that caloric restriction improves insulin resistance.

[broscience]

Less calories -> more cortisol

Cortisol is the counter for insulin. Cortisol also hels carb digestion.

[sepsi]

I'd like to know WHY (out of curiosity, scientifically speaking, that caloric restriction improves insulin resistance.

 

I'm not sure that anyone knows this yet. It could be that eating too many calories is one cause of insulin resistance. Fat mass can also reduce insulin sensitivity, so eating fewer calories starts to reverse that.

[Chillman266]

in order to eat more calories without getting acne you have to increase your activity level especially before and after a meal, It can be low intensity like walking 30 minutes or a 15 min light jog.

[Peony7]

I usually eat alot of food, most of it healthy, some of it not so (but nothing that is terrible for you).

 

Hiya,

 

I have pcos so my acne is also insulin related. My acne is better since diet changes but there is a little that doesn't seem to shift. Could you give an idea of what you define as reduced calories and also how much of the starchy carbs you limit yourself to?

 

Thanks x

[JoeBloggs]

Hey Peony

 

Well, the week before my competition my diet usually looks like this

 

Breakfast - I dont eat anything mainly due to having no time in the morning

 

Lunch - about 70g (dry) of low-medium GI carbs such as Brown rice or quinoa, with half a chicken breast

 

Before training - A banana or two

 

Dinner - Basically just a massive plate of vegetables and mushrooms, I dont even bother limiting how much I eat because veg and mushrooms have hardly any calories between them and having a lot of veg fills you up

 

After dinner snack - Depending on how my weight is looking I'll have a bit of fruit, doesnt really matter what type of fruit to me since Im only going to be having a small/normal portion.

 

 

If Im not training that day, I usually dont eat anything for lunch apart from maybe a banana or a packet of crisps, but dinner will be the same.

 

Couldnt live on this diet forever otherwise I'd get bored real quick! But on this pre competition diet my skin usually clears up really really fast. Its pretty amazing actually, only problem is that when I dont have any competitions near I'll start eating alot more stuff and my skin starts slightly breaking out again.

 

Hope this helps!

[o Havoc o]

I'm sorry but this just isn't true.

 

Going low calorie is one of the best ways to knock out hormonal balance which is key for any health benefits.

 

Even the arguments for IF are flawed in this manner as with IF you still eat the same amount of calories per day. All that is happening is the calories have a different delivery method.

 

Low calorie is the easiest way to cause metabolic damage.

 

It is very rare that anyone has any health or weight issues with the over consumption of high quality nutrient dense foods.

 

So i say provide the study that proves low calorie is good for ANY health benefit.

Edited by o Havoc o, 25 February 2013 - 04:37 AM.

[JoeBloggs]

I never said it was healthy I just said it cleared me up which it does

[alternativista]

I never said it was healthy I just said it cleared me up which it does

 

It is healthy to reduce calorie intake once in a while, as long as you don't go too low, or go too long without adequate calories and nutrition.  Which is why intermittent fasting is the way to go. Havoc keeps making the same posts over and over in the IF thread which is filled with links to articles and studies.  We are not meant to have plenty to eat all the time. Going a little hungry triggers events such as autophagy which involves the recycling of old tissues to make new.  And improving insulin sensitivity improves hormone balance. 

Edited by alternativista, 25 February 2013 - 11:42 AM.

[kyou]

I've got a question.

Does dark choclate affect acne??

[JoeBloggs]

I never said it was healthy I just said it cleared me up which it does

 

It is healthy to reduce calorie intake once in a while, as long as you don't go too low, or go too long without adequate calories and nutrition.  Which is why intermittent fasting is the way to go. Havoc keeps making the same posts over and over in the IF thread which is filled with links to articles and studies.  We are not meant to have plenty to eat all the time. Going a little hungry triggers events such as autophagy which involves the recycling of old tissues to make new.  And improving insulin sensitivity improves hormone balance. 

 

Well Im not going to lie, I think my pre competition diet is borderline when it comes to getting adequate calories. Since my job is pretty physical and my training is intense I dont think the amount of carbs I eat is enough really because I'll usually feel slightly weaker than usual throughout the week. Im literally eating just enough carbs to keep me going. Plus I dont eat enough fat to offset the carb reduction (its supposed to be one or the other energy wise right?). So if both carbs and fats were increased slightly then I guess it would be healthy since Im getting enough nutrients and stuff from the veg and fruit and enough protein from the lean chicken.

 

Thing is though, its not a long term thing, once my competition is over I'll go back to eating normally until the next time....long term it would be healthy if I upped the carbs and fats a bit though. But like I say, eating that diet all the time Id get real bored real quick.

Edited by JoeBloggs, 25 February 2013 - 11:54 AM.

[Riddled]

Might just be the affect on your hormones like lowered T etc. I'm pretty sure eating below maintenance calories lowers your testosterone etc and vice versa [short term for excessive anyway] but this may also be affected by any "supplements" etc.

 

This type of thing:

 

http://180degreeheal...fat-loss-secret

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/23412685

 

 

I think the reason most people see early success with acne [and weight loss] when they try new diets [paleo, atkins, gluten free, pufa free etc] is they are simply eating less calories, by removing some sources of food it is almost impossible not to eat less.

 

 

Just to throw a spanner in the works, when i fast, or go long periods of time without eating, i swear i get ill more and it negatively affects my immune system, seems to put some kind of stress of my body. Can break me out also. Whereas when i eat less but more often, but still below maintenance calories, my skin does seem to  improve. In my case i think it's probably all hormonal and i am just lowering my T. Maybe cortisol is the significant factor when i fast.

[whoartthou1]

I noticed too when i eat a lot, my skin explodes

[austra]

Less calories -> more cortisol

Cortisol is the counter for insulin. Cortisol also hels carb digestion.

It's not really quite that simple. Cortisol is a stress hormone and its purpose is to, among other things, guarantee there is enough glucose in the blood for vital functions in stressful situations. Cortisol causes insulin resistance, and gluconeogenesis, which both raise blood glucose levels. It also inhibits the use of glucose for energy. Too much cortisol can even cause diabetes.

 

During fasting, all antagonist hormones to insulin - glucagon, epinephrine, and cortisol - are raised. Glycogen stores in the liver (and possibly muscle) are used for energy. The depletion of glycogen stores and a "negative" energy balance in the tissues during intermittent fasting are most likely the factors that improve insulin resistance.