For the protein thing, I got that wrong. I'm actually supposed to eat around my weight in protein, that's it.
Before I see you type this somewhere else, can you please fix it. I assume you mean something like 5g-protein per pound of bodyweight or that protein should represent 50% of your daily calories. Think about it, how can you eat your weight in protein??
This approach, even if it works couldn't be entirely satisfying in my opinion. I mean, why do we have to makes such great sacrifices to have clear skin? There has to be something else wrong with us that makes us unable to cope with the binge eating, this in my opinion is still addressing the symptoms. It might be a good treatment, but it sucks to be reminded of your acne every time you sit down for a meal. WTF is wrong with us? Is our acne really a result of our excess and addictions? Are we that much more excessive and addicted then our friends, or are our body's just weak. I mean if acne is simply punishment for a glutinous lifestyle then fine, I could understand cutting back, but if its just our bodies malfunctioning then there has to be something better. I don't know, it seems that the OP has adjusted to the diet and doesn't feel compelled to pig out, but if the craving doesn't go away then this would be daily torture. Gonna keep taking my 10mg of accutane every five days for now, thanks.
This approach, even if it works couldn't be entirely satisfying in my opinion. I mean, why do we have to makes such great sacrifices to have clear skin? There has to be something else wrong with us that makes us unable to cope with the binge eating, this in my opinion is still addressing the symptoms. It might be a good treatment, but it sucks to be reminded of your acne every time you sit down for a meal. WTF is wrong with us? Is our acne really a result of our excess and addictions? Are we that much more excessive and addicted then our friends, or are our body's just weak. I mean if acne is simply punishment for a glutinous lifestyle then fine, I could understand cutting back, but if its just our bodies malfunctioning then there has to be something better. I don't know, it seems that the OP has adjusted to the diet and doesn't feel compelled to pig out, but if the craving doesn't go away then this would be daily torture. Gonna keep taking my 10mg of accutane every five days for now, thanks.
oh. ok...
This approach, even if it works couldn't be entirely satisfying in my opinion. I mean, why do we have to makes such great sacrifices to have clear skin? There has to be something else wrong with us that makes us unable to cope with the binge eating, this in my opinion is still addressing the symptoms. It might be a good treatment, but it sucks to be reminded of your acne every time you sit down for a meal. WTF is wrong with us? Is our acne really a result of our excess and addictions? Are we that much more excessive and addicted then our friends, or are our body's just weak. I mean if acne is simply punishment for a glutinous lifestyle then fine, I could understand cutting back, but if its just our bodies malfunctioning then there has to be something better. I don't know, it seems that the OP has adjusted to the diet and doesn't feel compelled to pig out, but if the craving doesn't go away then this would be daily torture. Gonna keep taking my 10mg of accutane every five days for now, thanks.
oh. ok...
Yeah, right?
My question is did our ancestors live like this? I mean, if so, it wouldn't have been intentional; thats a no-brainer. But when you think about it they probably spent alot of time eating easily-accessible food like vegetables which don't make you feel that full, whereas killing a deer or cow or whatever probably wasn't a daily event. What they did do though is alot of physical activity every day. Perhaps it just ties in to how much energy you expend a day, is a determination of how much you can get away with eating. It's pretty darn likely very few of us would compare to our ancestors in that department. Just throwing this out there.
I have had smooth skin that looks flawless the last couple days and I'm willing to bet that the reason has been caloric restriction. It is more complicated than that. I find that I will still get acne on less calories. The real solution for me is to eat SLOWLY with smaller bites and smaller portions (I usually never even eat the whole 'small' portion because if I am careful, I realize I am not hungry for the whole portion).
If you start to feel itching or irritation anywhere on your face, you are eating without thinking (ie thinking/worrying/distracted by something else). IMO when I eat in this frame of mind, I get acne.
What I do is choose to eat when it is most relaxing for me to do so. Yesterday for example, my sister was stressed out and I stayed with her talking untill 4pm. After that I was a little hungry but I knew supper was coming so I poured myself a small glass of this creamy vanilla atkins advantage protein shake (I know, not the healthiest thing in the world) mixed with cold water and ice. I will no longer force myself to eat healthy if it's not what I really want to be eating. I no longer force myself to drink /eat the whole portion. This is the key IMO. If I start to itch, I get stressed, which usually makes me want to gulp the rest of that something down and be done with it. Now I just see it as being that much fuller will be that much more stressful, life will be that much harder and I'll have that much more acne. I think acne sufferers worry about not finishing the whole portion, seeing it as wasteful. The serving sizes of packaged foods where I'm from are HUGE. I would be much happier if things came iin little taster sizes. That way there would be more to go around and less money spent on too much food. I know I had a really hard time not finishing my drink, and it wasn't that I wanted to be the one who was drinking it, it was just that something so yummy should be enjoyed. I was really sad, I realized I worry about this all the time. Subconsciously I know I am very fortunate, and I have a lot of sympathy for people I know who are not as fortunate as I am, and with the media, I know about people all the way around the world who are severely less fortunate. IMO, maybe acne sufferers are very empathetic, kind people who worry too much! =) (this applies to veganism)
So I ended up taking a couple sips of this shake and my hunger faded away (as did my mild headache). I stopped drinking, then decided to do a couple chores and help with making supper. An hour later, I ate less than a palm of wine/seasoned chicken breast (lean no skin), a hand of ginger-almond salad and sour cream and dill mashed potatoes (equivalent of half a large potato minus skin). I also had several half-glasses of white wine, a half a glass of ceasar, and some gingerbread cake and lemon sauce. I ate slowly while talking to friends and family with smaller bites, alternating with wine. Any acne sufferer would probably cringe at what I ate, but the food was spread out slowly and eaten carefully, and lo and behold, I am sitting here with my cup of coffee with clear skin!
I also want to mention that I do avoid beef, lactose and whole wheat, as even in small amounts I can develop acne. I use 100% pure NOW stevia if I want something a little sweeter.
I also want to mention that I use Fitday.com to help with the caloric restriction. I find that if I don't write what I am eating down, I will overeat at night. Last night I was fighting a binge by eating small amounts, and while I entered a chocolate mint girl guide cookie in Fitday, I realized it was past midnight and those calories counted towards today. That made me feel so good, because I was scared that I would overeat (because I was alone). It gave me the will power to stop eating and go to bed, because I didn't want to start a new day on the wrong foot.
This post is full of anecdotal evidence, but I hope some people try this out. I have been really happy and satisfied and a lot less worried. With less calories I sing every morning and I have the energy to give social situations my all, everything goes a lot more smoothly when I'm not full.
Also want to mention after three days of eating MUCH less, I randomly had a date last night! I haven't had a date in SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO long lol!! It went beautifully, and I have had those happy thoughts replaying in my mind all morning. Seems like my life is fuller now that I am not.
Also, That can of atkins advantage vanilla shake...My serving was 1/4 cup mixed with 1/4 cup water and ice. I put the remains of the can in a container and into the fridge, which is great, because I feel like by opening that can, anyone who goes into the fridge and wants to try the shake CAN. That 1/4 cup was still TOO MUCH for me to drink, and I admit I did throw the rest away...Next time I will pour myself much less.
My question is did our ancestors live like this? I mean, if so, it wouldn't have been intentional; thats a no-brainer. But when you think about it they probably spent alot of time eating easily-accessible food like vegetables which don't make you feel that full, whereas killing a deer or cow or whatever probably wasn't a daily event. What they did do though is alot of physical activity every day. Perhaps it just ties in to how much energy you expend a day, is a determination of how much you can get away with eating. It's pretty darn likely very few of us would compare to our ancestors in that department. Just throwing this out there.
Thats a good point, makes me think of Michael Phelps who as we all know eats like a total pig and well, look at him! Food = Energy in need of burning huh? and I thought it was just designed to taste good, what a novel idea! lol
Oh, and very inspiring post meat pirate, it sounds like there's definitely something to this and I agree with the need to pay full attention to your food when your eating, as you should to each moment of your life no matter how mundane it might wrongfully appear to be. This is straight out of Mindfulness meditation practice and really is a beautiful idea.
Meat pirate, wasn't it you who recommended eating nothing but beef for a month and see if you clear up and that it worked for you? Just saying, it's a radical shift from your current ideology. Sounds like you found something that really works for you though. Restricting calories actually made my skin worse D:
Rubbish, if you're really eating 1200 calories a day, even avid calorie restricted dieters eat at least 1500 calories a day, and strive for a BMI of 18-20. Do you think that's a bit too low?
Meat pirate, wasn't it you who recommended eating nothing but beef for a month and see if you clear up and that it worked for you? Just saying, it's a radical shift from your current ideology. Sounds like you found something that really works for you though. Restricting calories actually made my skin worse D:
Rubbish, if you're really eating 1200 calories a day, even avid calorie restricted dieters eat at least 1500 calories a day, and strive for a BMI of 18-20. Do you think that's a bit too low?
I did recommend that. I didn't know that a limited diet was causing me to limit my calories, which IMO is the real reason behind my acne. However it is not just restricting calories, it's the speed that I eat at one time. I'm sure I could eat a regular amount of calories as long as I eat slowly and stop eating when I know I've had enough/I start feeling itchy/distracted/rushed.
I popped in to see somewhat renewed interest in this thread.
Cool that this is registering hence my reply...
Yeah this works for sure...
I have not deliberately restricted to 1200 I just ended up there.
I am not trying to be insulting, but honestly, we hear how come he or she can eat this and have flawless skin?
It is not what they eat is HOW MUCH they eat!
A friend of mine usually with flawless skin had a big zit on cheek from Monday!
He don't give a shit about stuff like that but did comment on it.
I said have you been pigging out?
He said yeah!
I smiled 
!
We are insulin resistant pure and simple!
After long enough cal restriction we may become sensitive enough to increase calories.
BUT ultimately we need to listen and distinguish REAL hunger from boredom.
Good luck all this is truly my last post!
You might develop a eating disorder at 1200. How are you not shedding pounds like crazy? I can't imagine engaging any of the type of heavy exercise with so little calories. And what's the difference between obsessively limiting calories to stay skinny and limiting calories to prevent acne? Both are related to the preservation of self image. I used to be all about calorie restriction, but I realized that any calorie restriction that doesn't allow for satiation is not natural. Nor true calorie restriction for that matter. It's one thing to not stuff yourself; it's another to undereat and feel hungry the whole day. It has been realized over the years that any diet that forces undereating is doomed to failure in the long run. Why not eat unlimited low caloric healthful foods like kale or spinach or collard greens? That's the best way to ensure optimal nutrition and limited calories. If you constantly hold back, that's asking for a binge in the future. Also, most benefits of diets are due to weight loss if you haven't noticed. That's what happened to Dan. The moment you stop losing weight, the moment the acne comes looming back. Trust me, down the road calorie restriction ain't goin to help you, though I hope it does.
I think he the initial poster is correct. I have had very bad acne and have random total clearings. I traced back through these clearing trying to find out why and found that one way or another I was dieting. So I dieted with just eating 2000 calories for three weeks and guess what, my acne greatly reduced. For my diet I did not specially cut out any foods, I just cut back everything to 2000 calories.
Well, many people can eat 1200 and still stay satiated by eating protien and fats. But still its not the best thing to do. And theoretically, couldn't the reason why this is working be not from the restriction of calories per se but the restriction of carbs that make up those excess calories?
I have dropped down to 1200 calories and am not hungry.I seriously have come to the conclusion if you pig out you get acne!
Acne correlates with how rich and prosperous a country is.
Or should I say how downright greedy.
You wanna pig out, then don't complain about acne!
Take on board or refute in denial.
I really really
do not care!
You will never hear from me again!
kinda true!!
sometimes I look at homeless people and thought to myself.." his/her skin is better than mine...at least they dont seem to have acne...how ironic.........."
but then I never look up close 
I have some info that might help us better cope with our cravings. I recently started taking 5-htp on a whim and I did a little research on it last night and it turns out that it is a pretty effective appetite suppressant. It works by releasing serotonin, which is what is released when you binge on carbs, which is what I feel the most compulsion towards. So it might help, but I'm still titrating up to a dose that I can feel so I can't say from experience. On that note after Reading peoples opinion on 5-tp off of amazon I came across this book which purports a technique to reduce, or eliminate your binge cravings by working with serotonin as well, but in a simpler way. This lady, who is a scientist from MIT mind you insists that by eating a carb rich snack about a half hour before your meal serotonin will be released while your eating your main meals and you won't feel the insatiable urge to scarf down your food, and will find satisfaction in a protein and veg only meal.
Its an interesting concept and I thought it might help some of you. Ive personally been trying not to binge the last five days or so and Ive definitely been better than before. Ive actually been taking home dogie bags and extending what I would normally gorge in one sitting into two or three goes. yeeha.
I have some info that might help us better cope with our cravings. I recently started taking 5-htp on a whim and I did a little research on it last night and it turns out that it is a pretty effective appetite suppressant. It works by releasing serotonin, which is what is released when you binge on carbs, which is what I feel the most compulsion towards. So it might help, but I'm still titrating up to a dose that I can feel so I can't say from experience. On that note after Reading peoples opinion on 5-tp off of amazon I came across this book which purports a technique to reduce, or eliminate your binge cravings by working with serotonin as well, but in a simpler way. This lady, who is a scientist from MIT mind you
Its an interesting concept and I thought it might help some of you. Ive personally been trying not to binge the last five days or so and Ive definitely been better than before. Ive actually been taking home dogie bags and extending what I would normally gorge in one sitting into two or three goes. yeeha.
so what exactly is this stuff and where do u get it?
sounds like a miracle to me.
