I've tried the whole acne diet before, cutting out sugar, grains, and dairy. It's hard enough to maintain the discipline to eat this way, but what makes it more difficult for me is that I'm really skinny - 5'8", ~112 lbs. Actually I used to be closer to 120, but since trying this diet back in November I lost 6 or 7 lbs in a few weeks and haven't been able to really gain it back. I also didn't see any results on my acne, in fact it got worse. I was planning on trying this diet again, but I also wanted to get back to the gym soon and I'm not sure if I even should if I'm not getting any carbs. I was wondering if anybody had any tips on sticking with an acne diet and keeping their weight up?
Funny how you bring this up because I was having the same issue. Acne diets almost seem like weight loss diets too, lol. I would probably recommend something starchy and with complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes. (Somehow after juicing them for a few months I can no longer eat them and became nauseous, so I can no longer consume them). If not, try snacking every two hours. Ideally you'll want to eat more calories, so whatever you are tolerant to with the most calories may be your best bet. You know your diet better than I do.
I'm 5'5" and was 120 pounds when I started, but two months ago I went down to 113 without even knowing it! I freaked out because I thought I loss the muscle on my arms and legs, but it was apparently still there. What happened was a small area around my stomach went down, something that was never even sticking out to begin with. My belts don't buckle that small and I ended up buying a size zero pants of all things. I didn't want to get any smaller, so I started eating peanut butter with my green apples last month. Now I'm 115 which is a huge relief. Luckily I've had no eczema or acne reaction to the peanut butter, but it's probably not helping out my Omega 3 balance either, lol derp :3. I should probably find another way myself...
I've been eating an "acne diet" (gluten-free, no grains, dairy, sugar, and processed foods) a year and a half now, so I understand the struggle to maintain weight. I need to eat starch and fruits at each meal to keep myself from losing weight. I eat things sweet potato, pumpkin, bananas, avocado, and other seasonal fruit like watermelon, guave, mango, etc. I don't eat a lot of nuts because I always end up binging on them.
I only eat twice a day, but I'm able to maintain weight because I try to squeeze in those healthy carbs. I have clear skin.
Experiment with carbs and see what works for you!
I have the same problem. I have an extremely fast metabolism still and acne diets make me deathly skinny and weak. This is definitely not something I want as a 25 year old man. The issue is that a lot of healthy and nutrient rich foods are low in calories but very dense and filling. A piece of chicken, a big plate of veggies, and a big sweet potato or 2 is only like 500 calories and it feels me up for hours. I feel healthier on this diet but I can't stand being so weak.
I've been eating an "acne diet" (gluten-free, no grains, dairy, sugar, and processed foods) a year and a half now, so I understand the struggle to maintain weight. I need to eat starch and fruits at each meal to keep myself from losing weight. I eat things sweet potato, pumpkin, bananas, avocado, and other seasonal fruit like watermelon, guave, mango, etc. I don't eat a lot of nuts because I always end up binging on them.
I only eat twice a day, but I'm able to maintain weight because I try to squeeze in those healthy carbs. I have clear skin.
Experiment with carbs and see what works for you!
hey!so u're back.
glad to hear from u.
I have the same problem. I have an extremely fast metabolism still and acne diets make me deathly skinny and weak. This is definitely not something I want as a 25 year old man. The issue is that a lot of healthy and nutrient rich foods are low in calories but very dense and filling. A piece of chicken, a big plate of veggies, and a big sweet potato or 2 is only like 500 calories and it feels me up for hours. I feel healthier on this diet but I can't stand being so weak.
I am the same age as you with a fast metabolism myself. I agree with you and with Sleptember that simple, whole foods are quite filling, even though we may not be getting as many calories as desired. When you say weak, do you mean always feeling tired? How is your acne? Will fruit break you out? Maybe some fruit in the morning will help your energy levels. What kind of vegetables do you like? Do you steam/microwave/boil them?
I have the same problem. I have an extremely fast metabolism still and acne diets make me deathly skinny and weak. This is definitely not something I want as a 25 year old man. The issue is that a lot of healthy and nutrient rich foods are low in calories but very dense and filling. A piece of chicken, a big plate of veggies, and a big sweet potato or 2 is only like 500 calories and it feels me up for hours. I feel healthier on this diet but I can't stand being so weak.
I am the same age as you with a fast metabolism myself. I agree with you and with Sleptember that simple, whole foods are quite filling, even though we may not be getting as many calories as desired. When you say weak, do you mean always feeling tired? How is your acne? Will fruit break you out? Maybe some fruit in the morning will help your energy levels. What kind of vegetables do you like? Do you steam/microwave/boil them?
When I say weak, I mean I went from 180 pounds at a very low bodyfat percentage to 154 pounds in 6 months while still going to the gym regularly. My bodyfat is still low but I literally have no muscle at all now and my strength has plummeted on every exercise. Energy levels are okay for the most part though doing daily things. The only fruit that really breaks me out are oranges. For some reason every time I eat one, I get huge and painful cysts on my neck that takes months to go away. Regarding veggies, I eat spinach, kale, broccoli, and carrots daily. I either blend them for smoothies or steam then.
Acne is meh.. I am mostly clear but I do get about 3-4 random nodules per month which I hate because they always leave pitted scars now. This is while keeping a strict diet and topical routine of BP in the morning and Tazorac at night.
I have the same problem. I have an extremely fast metabolism still and acne diets make me deathly skinny and weak. This is definitely not something I want as a 25 year old man. The issue is that a lot of healthy and nutrient rich foods are low in calories but very dense and filling. A piece of chicken, a big plate of veggies, and a big sweet potato or 2 is only like 500 calories and it feels me up for hours. I feel healthier on this diet but I can't stand being so weak.
I am the same age as you with a fast metabolism myself. I agree with you and with Sleptember that simple, whole foods are quite filling, even though we may not be getting as many calories as desired. When you say weak, do you mean always feeling tired? How is your acne? Will fruit break you out? Maybe some fruit in the morning will help your energy levels. What kind of vegetables do you like? Do you steam/microwave/boil them?
When I say weak, I mean I went from 180 pounds at a very low bodyfat percentage to 154 pounds in 6 months while still going to the gym regularly. My bodyfat is still low but I literally have no muscle at all now and my strength has plummeted on every exercise. Energy levels are okay for the most part though doing daily things. The only fruit that really breaks me out are oranges. For some reason every time I eat one, I get huge and painful cysts on my neck that takes months to go away. Regarding veggies, I eat spinach, kale, broccoli, and carrots daily. I either blend them for smoothies or steam then.
Acne is meh.. I am mostly clear but I do get about 3-4 random nodules per month which I hate because they always leave pitted scars now. This is while keeping a strict diet and topical routine of BP in the morning and Tazorac at night.
Your right, I think your weight is slightly under, but not too much to have you worry over it. Was it mostly muscle you lost or a little bit of muscle and fat? You may want to reach for 170-180 lbs by building muscle (How tall are you?). What kind of protein do you consume? Meat or beans/legumes? Also, muscle builds when we rest/sleep, not when we flex/run. Are you sleeping ok?:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drobson5.htm
You're intolerant to oranges then. Your better off staying away from them. I myself simply don't like them. Anything someone is intolerant to can lead to cystic like acne. There's a lot of data about that here (In Alternativista's signature you can read that she discovered oranges were causing her cysts as well):
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/230714-good-things-for-the-many-factors-that-lead-to-acne/
Four spots is still pretty good compared to other people I have seen here. I'm hovering at about 10. I don't do anything topical so I can't guarantee what your doing may or may not be helping. Sometimes people need a combination of both. There's an article about that here:
http://www.acneeinstein.com/topical-treatements/
I'm personally still split on people focusing on topicals as well as their diet, but it may be the only way for them, I don't know.
I have the same problem. I have an extremely fast metabolism still and acne diets make me deathly skinny and weak. This is definitely not something I want as a 25 year old man. The issue is that a lot of healthy and nutrient rich foods are low in calories but very dense and filling. A piece of chicken, a big plate of veggies, and a big sweet potato or 2 is only like 500 calories and it feels me up for hours. I feel healthier on this diet but I can't stand being so weak.
I am the same age as you with a fast metabolism myself. I agree with you and with Sleptember that simple, whole foods are quite filling, even though we may not be getting as many calories as desired. When you say weak, do you mean always feeling tired? How is your acne? Will fruit break you out? Maybe some fruit in the morning will help your energy levels. What kind of vegetables do you like? Do you steam/microwave/boil them?
When I say weak, I mean I went from 180 pounds at a very low bodyfat percentage to 154 pounds in 6 months while still going to the gym regularly. My bodyfat is still low but I literally have no muscle at all now and my strength has plummeted on every exercise. Energy levels are okay for the most part though doing daily things. The only fruit that really breaks me out are oranges. For some reason every time I eat one, I get huge and painful cysts on my neck that takes months to go away. Regarding veggies, I eat spinach, kale, broccoli, and carrots daily. I either blend them for smoothies or steam then.
Acne is meh.. I am mostly clear but I do get about 3-4 random nodules per month which I hate because they always leave pitted scars now. This is while keeping a strict diet and topical routine of BP in the morning and Tazorac at night.
Your right, I think your weight is slightly under, but not too much to have you worry over it. Was it mostly muscle you lost or a little bit of muscle and fat? You may want to reach for 170-180 lbs by building muscle (How tall are you?). What kind of protein do you consume? Meat or beans/legumes? Also, muscle builds when we rest/sleep, not when we flex/run. Are you sleeping ok?:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drobson5.htm
You're intolerant to oranges then. Your better off staying away from them. I myself simply don't like them. Anything someone is intolerant to can lead to cystic like acne. There's a lot of data about that here (In Alternativista's signature you can read that she discovered oranges were causing her cysts as well):
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/230714-good-things-for-the-many-factors-that-lead-to-acne/
Four spots is still pretty good compared to other people I have seen here. I'm hovering at about 10. I don't do anything topical so I can't guarantee what your doing may or may not be helping. Sometimes people need a combination of both. There's an article about that here:
http://www.acneeinstein.com/topical-treatements/
I'm personally still split on people focusing on topicals as well as their diet, but it may be the only way for them, I don't know.
I am 6 foot 1 so 154 is really low. Unfortunately it was all muscle that I lost. My body literally does not produce fat and when I was 180, I had a 6 pack when not even flexing and I still have a 6 pack at 154 when not flexing. I guess I should be thankful that my metabolism works the way that it does but I require a ton of calories to gain weight. At one point, I was eating fast food 3 times a day while going to the gym and adding muscle only. Terrible for health but my body looked great lol. Now, I try and eat grilled chicken, salmon, and turkey for protein but I am getting sick of the bland taste as I am a terrible cook.
I honestly HATE topicals and would love to get off of them. The problem is that my skin is becoming more prone to scarring as I age and I just can not take the risk of a serious breakout that I have had before when stopping topicals. While it is not true for ALL cases, it seems like that many instances of adult acne people have very fast metabolisms. I am wondering if that is somehow a factor.
I am 6 foot 1 so 154 is really low. Unfortunately it was all muscle that I lost. My body literally does not produce fat and when I was 180, I had a 6 pack when not even flexing and I still have a 6 pack at 154 when not flexing. I guess I should be thankful that my metabolism works the way that it does but I require a ton of calories to gain weight. At one point, I was eating fast food 3 times a day while going to the gym and adding muscle only. Terrible for health but my body looked great lol. Now, I try and eat grilled chicken, salmon, and turkey for protein but I am getting sick of the bland taste as I am a terrible cook.
I honestly HATE topicals and would love to get off of them. The problem is that my skin is becoming more prone to scarring as I age and I just can not take the risk of a serious breakout that I have had before when stopping topicals. While it is not true for ALL cases, it seems like that many instances of adult acne people have very fast metabolisms. I am wondering if that is somehow a factor.
I see now! I am sorry to hear that, the same thing happened to a couple of my cousins last year when they went out of the country 
. There's some kind of formula... or the way certain men eat... that allow them to gain muscle from not so healthy food. Usually by lifestyle factors or chance (when they eat, what they unconsciously do next, etc.). Wish I knew what it was, but I've seen it before. Please don't be tempted back to fast food because overall that kind of food is just not good for you. There must be something missing that was working for you earlier.
I would take your focus away from the meat for a quick second and consider other things like nuts and legumes (I know your not vegan, neither am I):
http://jasonferruggia.com/vegan-muscle-building/
Maybe your not eating enough? Fast food is easy to come by... you were probably less stressed and had a partially full stomach most of the time. And again, are you sure your sleeping well? And I'm not the best cook either, but simple dishes that are easy to cook can have lots of flavor if you know where to start. Have you tried this recipe thread?:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/205099-food-recipe-resource/?fromsearch=1
Maybe the posts on this forum will help too:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/194249-bodybuilding-low-carb-diet/