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Daily Updates Of Fasting (Ramadan) For 30 Days On Skin

 
MemberMember
24
(@silverlight22)

Posted : 06/29/2014 9:16 pm

 

What's up everyone, it's your boy Silverlight22 (no idea why I chose this username) and I will be giving you daily updates on how fasting during the month of Ramadan is impacting my skin.

 

Quick background - I have cystic acne/perioral dermatitis on my chin and sides of my mouth. Been on antibiotics for 2 years. Got resistant to Doxy. Switched to Minocycline 100mg. I think I am resistant to that now as well but scared to let go off it.

 

OK SO let's begin this 30 day journey and see how fasting will help my skin. So just for those who don't know Ramadan is an Islamic month where we are supposed to fast for 30 days from sunrise to sunset. We cannot have any food or water during this time. Since I live in Canada, fasting will last 18 hours.

I also try to follow a low GI diet and I consume no chocolates, sugary snacks, refined sugar or any type of sugar! I eat bananas, apples and cherries to satisfy my sugar cravings.

Stuff that cause acne and that I have eliminated

-Chocolates

-Milk

-Sugar

-Tomatoes

-White Rice

-White Bread

-HOT PEPPERS or any SPICE containing these

-Avocados

- Cinnamon? (Started taking 500mg capsules after every meal but started breaking out on Day 3 of this regimen, quit immediately as I read it has a big impact on perioral dermatitis)

I am confident that my skin breaks out due to high GI food and Insulin spikes so I am trying to battle this as much as I can. This is why I started taking cinnamon supplements but they gave me whiteheads. I stopped immediately and my skin is doing better.

 

Current Acne Status = Two inflamed region on the bottom sides on my mouth - have had 2 - 3 whiteheads in that region for the past 1 week. Ate some stuff I shouldn't have and suffered. They're healing up now but a whitehead pops up in that region every now and then

Current Regimen - Low GI food, No spices that contain hot peppers, 2 bananas daily, 100mg Minocycline (pretty sure I am resistant to it by now)

THERE IS A NEW ADDITION TO MY REGIMEN - BLACK SEED OIL(NIGELLA SATIVA).

I researched a bit and found there are quite a few studies done on this. I came across this because it is mentioned in Islamic medicines and described as a cure for everything except death so I was like why not?? and bought some. I consume a 500mg tablet after every meal! Started yesterday but let's see how it turns out. Really hoping for this to do the trick. It is believed to cure candida overgrowth.

 

Here is a link to its many benefits - http://naturalsociety.com/10-health-benefits-of-black-cumin-seed-nigella-sativa/

I have faith in this product and it is believed to lower glucose level in our body so I will take 2 grams everyday and see how I respond to it.

Medication I am on - Minocycline - 100mg

Supplements I take - Probiotics, Vitamin D(1000UI), Black seed oil tablets (500mg after every meal).

This combined with fasting and let's see how it goes.

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MemberMember
20
(@acnewonderland)

Posted : 06/30/2014 8:03 am

what do u mean fasting 18h, from when till when and what are u gonna do other time?

 

Current Regimen - Low GI food, No spices that contain hot peppers, 2 bananas daily, 100mg Minocycline (pretty sure I am resistant to it by now)

THERE IS A NEW ADDITION TO MY REGIMEN - BLACK SEED OIL(NIGELLA SATIVA).

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MemberMember
410
(@alternativista)

Posted : 06/30/2014 9:14 am

Tomatoes and peppers belong to the nightshade family. It's very common to be intolerant to nightshades. If you have found you break out from two nightshades, you might want to try avoiding the others like eggplant,

 

But an 18 hour fast during the daytime only leaves you 6 hours to eat and sleep? That's not enough. Can't you go by the sunrise and set times in Mecca or somewhere in thus hemisphere but at the same latitude?

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MemberMember
24
(@silverlight22)

Posted : 06/30/2014 11:00 am

Tomatoes and peppers belong to the nightshade family. It's very common to be intolerant to nightshades. If you have found you break out from two nightshades, you might want to try avoiding the others like eggplant,

But an 18 hour fast during the daytime only leaves you 6 hours to eat and sleep? That's not enough. Can't you go by the sunrise and set times in Mecca or somewhere in thus hemisphere but at the same latitude?

So my fast will be from 3am to 9pm. I get back from work at 5pm so I'll sleep till 9pm. Stay up till 3am and eat and do my prayer thing that needs to be done. Then sleep till 6am and get up for work. I end up getting 8hours of sleep that way. Its a bit odd but works well. I could follow the Mecca timings but that's only recommended in a region where you can't differentiate between night and day but here you can so we follow the normal timings.

And thanks a lot for that info on nightshades!! That explains why ive been breaking out for the past 10 days! I've added cherries to my diet and just found out it belongs to the same group.

I'll post day 1 results today later !

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MemberMember
410
(@alternativista)

Posted : 06/30/2014 12:34 pm

Tomatoes and peppers belong to the nightshade family. It's very common to be intolerant to nightshades. If you have found you break out from two nightshades, you might want to try avoiding the others like eggplant,

But an 18 hour fast during the daytime only leaves you 6 hours to eat and sleep? That's not enough. Can't you go by the sunrise and set times in Mecca or somewhere in thus hemisphere but at the same latitude?

So my fast will be from 3am to 9pm. I get back from work at 5pm so I'll sleep till 9pm. Stay up till 3am and eat and do my prayer thing that needs to be done. Then sleep till 6am and get up for work. I end up getting 8hours of sleep that way. Its a bit odd but works well. I could follow the Mecca timings but that's only recommended in a region where you can't differentiate between night and day but here you can so we follow the normal timings.

And thanks a lot for that info on nightshades!! That explains why ive been breaking out for the past 10 days! I've added cherries to my diet and just found out it belongs to the same group.

I'll post day 1 results today later !

That's screwing up your circadian cycle. Cherries aren't a nightshade. They are stone fruit. Genus Prunus. As are almonds, btw.

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MemberMember
24
(@silverlight22)

Posted : 06/30/2014 1:17 pm

Tomatoes and peppers belong to the nightshade family. It's very common to be intolerant to nightshades. If you have found you break out from two nightshades, you might want to try avoiding the others like eggplant,

But an 18 hour fast during the daytime only leaves you 6 hours to eat and sleep? That's not enough. Can't you go by the sunrise and set times in Mecca or somewhere in thus hemisphere but at the same latitude?

So my fast will be from 3am to 9pm. I get back from work at 5pm so I'll sleep till 9pm. Stay up till 3am and eat and do my prayer thing that needs to be done. Then sleep till 6am and get up for work. I end up getting 8hours of sleep that way. Its a bit odd but works well. I could follow the Mecca timings but that's only recommended in a region where you can't differentiate between night and day but here you can so we follow the normal timings.

And thanks a lot for that info on nightshades!! That explains why ive been breaking out for the past 10 days! I've added cherries to my diet and just found out it belongs to the same group.

I'll post day 1 results today later !

That's screwing up your circadian cycle. Cherries aren't a nightshade. They are stone fruit. Genus Prunus. As are almonds, btw.

Just looked up circadian cycle. I don't know much about it but I guess my body will get used to it over the month? I usually don't get enough sleep anyways as I work night shifts sometimes but for this month I'll only be working day shifts and following the routine mentioned above.

And you're right I looked into it again and "ground" cherries are nightshades not the normal ones. I think it was the cinnamon that broke me out then..

"..as are almonds"

I'm allergic to almonds and nuts in general

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MemberMember
24
(@silverlight22)

Posted : 07/01/2014 1:59 pm

Here are the first set of updates

DAY 1

- Acne Status = 2 pustules- 1 beside my nose and 1 towards left bottom corner of my mouth (had 6 active whiteheads in the inflamed regions 2 days ago). Skin seems red and itchy for now

- Fasted 19 hours - Energy Level = 75%| Hunger = 50%|

- Didn't go to work today (Sunday)

- Meal 1-(1020pm) Broke fast with 2 small dates and water. 25min later had homemade beef strips, hummus, 2whole wheat (WW) pita breads - lots of veggies and water(mixed with black seed) and a small fruit salad (banana, apple, blueberries). Took a 500mg black seed capsule after that

Meal 2 - (2 15 am) - 2 boiled eggs with another beef strip

Meal 3-(2 45 am) - fried ground beef and 2 WW pita breads and a banana

Start fasting 3 15 am - 10 20pm till next day.

Felt good overall, didn't feel that hungry throughout the day. Had lots of water and felt pretty hydrated.

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MemberMember
24
(@silverlight22)

Posted : 07/01/2014 2:39 pm

 

DAY 2

 

 

- Acne Status = NO NEW ACNE. 2 pustules reducing is size. Inflamed regions beside corner of my mouth are healing. Skin seems calm

 

 

- Fasted for 19 hours - Energy Level = 65%| Hunger = 40%|

 

- Work from 8am to 5pm. Woke up at 6am.

 

- Meal 1-(1020pm) Broke fast with 2 small dates and water. 25min later had 2 chicken drumsticks, hummus, 2whole wheat (WW) pita breads - lots of veggies and water(mixed with black seed) and a medium banana. Took a 500mg black seed capsule after that

 

 

 

100mg Minocycline. (Again I believe this has stopped working)

 

 

 

Meal 2 - (1 30 am) - 2 boiled eggs

 

Meal 3-(2 45 am) - fried ground beef and 2 WW pita breads and a banana. 500mg black seed oil cap.

 

Start fasting 3 15 am - 10 20pm till next day.

 

Felt good at work today, didn't feel tired hungry throughout the day. Had lots of water previous night and felt pretty hydrated. By the time I reached home I was kinda tired and slept from 5pm to 10pm.

 

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MemberMember
24
(@silverlight22)

Posted : 07/03/2014 3:45 am

 

DAY 3

- Acne Status = 1 small whitehead in the corner of my lips(must be because of this spicy piece of chicken i had yesterday). 2 pustules gone. Inflamed regions beside corner of my mouth have healed.

- Fasted for 19 hours - Energy Level = 70%| Hunger = 40%|

- Was at home all day

- Meal 1-(1020pm) Broke fast with 2 small dates and water. 25min later had 4 homemade beef strips, hummus, 2whole wheat (WW) pita breads - lots of veggies and water(mixed with black seed) and a medium banana. Took a 500mg black seed capsule after that

 

100mg Minocycline.

 

Meal 2 - (1 30 am) - 2 boiled eggs

Meal 3-(2 45 am) - fried ground beef and 2 WW pita breads and a banana. 500mg black seed oil cap.

Start fasting 3 15 am - 10 20pm till next day.

Quote
MemberMember
410
(@alternativista)

Posted : 07/03/2014 9:21 am

That's screwing up your circadian cycle. Cherries aren't a nightshade. They are stone fruit. Genus Prunus. As are almonds, btw.

Just looked up circadian cycle. I don't know much about it but I guess my body will get used to it over the month? I usually don't get enough sleep anyways as I work night shifts sometimes but for this month I'll only be working day shifts and following the routine mentioned above.

And you're right I looked into it again and "ground" cherries are nightshades not the normal ones. I think it was the cinnamon that broke me out then..

"..as are almonds"

I'm allergic to almonds and nuts in general

That you've routinely had a messed up circadian cycle could be a major factor in your acne. It's bad for health in general and has about as big an effect on insulin resistance as diet.

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MemberMember
24
(@silverlight22)

Posted : 07/03/2014 7:27 pm

 

DAY 4

- Acne Status = 1 huge colorless bump forming between my lips and chin. This is strange, I have never gotten such a huge bump like that in my mouth area. I'll have to wait and see if it turns out to be a cyst or something. For now I put my 10% sulfur ointment on it.

- Fasted for 19 hours - Energy Level = 70%| Hunger = 40%|

- Was at home all day

- Meal 1-(1020pm) Broke fast with 2 small dates and water. 25min later had 4 homemade beef strips, hummus, 2whole wheat (WW) pita breads - lots of veggies and water(mixed with black seed) and a medium banana. Took a 500mg black seed capsule after that

 

100mg Minocycline.

 

Meal 2 - (1 30 am) - 2 boiled eggs

Meal 3-(2 45 am) - fried ground beef and 2 WW pita breads and a banana. 500mg black seed oil cap.

Start fasting 3 15 am - 10 20pm till next day.

A bit concerned about the bump forming. My skin was clearing up nicely but then I got this bump all of a sudden. I don't know if its going to turn into a huge cyst or what. I've been under immense stress since yesterday and also my sleep cycle has been all over the place. Also, I have started having 2 small dates everyday. Not sure which one is contributing to this cyst. I will have to wait and see if I get more acne, because I usually break out quite a bit when i get acne. Not used to having just one huge cyst on my face.

 

 

 

That's screwing up your circadian cycle. Cherries aren't a nightshade. They are stone fruit. Genus Prunus. As are almonds, btw.

Just looked up circadian cycle. I don't know much about it but I guess my body will get used to it over the month? I usually don't get enough sleep anyways as I work night shifts sometimes but for this month I'll only be working day shifts and following the routine mentioned above.

And you're right I looked into it again and "ground" cherries are nightshades not the normal ones. I think it was the cinnamon that broke me out then..

"..as are almonds"

I'm allergic to almonds and nuts in general

Quote
MemberMember
410
(@alternativista)

Posted : 07/04/2014 7:34 am

What about your job? Night shifts are really bad for you.

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MemberMember
24
(@silverlight22)

Posted : 07/04/2014 1:44 pm

What about your job? Night shifts are really bad for you.

I changed that for this month. And next month I am changing my job so it shouldn't be an issue anymore. Thing is I have had sleep problems for the longest time, I would always sleep either 10 hours straight or just 3 hours at night and 3 in the afternoon. Never knew it affected your insulin sensitivity. But even if I slept properly back then, I was not knowledgeable about I.S. so I guess it wouldnt really have mattered.

Maybe I'll start seeing proper results from next month when I fix everything.

Btw, I googled Ramadan, sleep and insulin and few research articles came up. Some state that it affects your IS some said it doesn't. For me, I have seen my skin has become pretty stable over the last week except for that one random cyst on my chin. Maybe that really is because of the spice chicken I had. But it was a small piece so can't tell. Will have to wait a few more days and see..

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MemberMember
24
(@silverlight22)

Posted : 07/04/2014 2:36 pm

 

DAY 5

- Acne Status = Colorless bump is now a cyst! Damn it. Its pretty huge and I am really confused. I have never gotten such a huge cyst in that area. It doesn't itch or hurt, its just there - red, swollen and turning into a whitehead.

Rest of the face is pretty much clear..Improvement?

 

- Fasted for 19 hours - Energy Level = 70%| Hunger = 40%|

- Was at work today

- Meal 1-(1020pm) Broke fast with 2 small dates and water. 25min later had 2 chicken drumsticks, hummus, 2whole wheat (WW) pita breads - lots of veggies and water(mixed with black seed) and a medium banana. Took a 500mg black seed capsule after that

 

100mg Minocycline.

 

Meal 2 - (1 30 am) - 2 boiled eggs

Meal 3-(2 45 am) - fried ground beef and 2 WW pita breads and a banana. 500mg black seed oil cap.

Start fasting 3 15 am - 10 20pm till next day.

So I am not sure what caused this cyst. Could be stress, spices or the dates I have been eating everyday to break my fast. Or maybe the black seed oil is causing this purge. No idea. This is very strange because I never get such a huge cyst. It almost looks like a mosquito bite.

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MemberMember
20
(@acnewonderland)

Posted : 07/04/2014 3:59 pm

What about your job? Night shifts are really bad for you.

lol but somebody has to do them? :S

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MemberMember
24
(@silverlight22)

Posted : 07/04/2014 5:27 pm

Hmm..got a dinner party coming up tonight. Should I go or not..I know it will be full of white rice/bread, spicy food and sweets. decisions, decisions..

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MemberMember
24
(@silverlight22)

Posted : 07/05/2014 1:10 am

 

DAY 6

- Acne Status = One new small pustule in the corner of my nose. As for the huge cyst, I saw a little whitehead forming and popped it. It is reducing in size now. But at the same time i see 2 very little white heads forming on the same area. This is pretty annoying because the cyst has definitely gotten a lot smaller but I want those whiteheads gone too!

 

- Fasted for 19 hours - Energy Level = 40%| Hunger = 60%|

- Had to walk in the sun for 25min today during my fast. Tired me out. Haven't slept properly. Sleep cycle is all over the place

- Meal 1-(1020pm) Broke fast with 3 small dates and water. 25min later had 4 beef strips, hummus, 2whole wheat (WW) pita breads - lots of veggies and water and a medium banana. Replaced 500mg blackseed oil capsule with a teaspoon of liquid black seed oil

 

100mg Minocycline.

 

Meal 2 - (1 30 am) - 2 boiled eggs

Meal 3-(2 45 am) - chicken, 2 eggs and 2 WW pita breads and a banana. Teaspoon of black seed oil

Will start fasting 3 15 am - 10 20pm till next day.

It seems my face is pretty calm during the day and as soon as I break my fast and eat, I start noticing that it gets kinda red and sensitive and that is when I notice any new acne that has formed. I am more concerned about the acne around my mouth since that is where I get majority of my breakouts. I have had insane breakouts in that regions, sometimes around 20 pustules/cysts all around my mouth!! However, at that point in time I was not familiar with low GI diet and effect of sugar on acne so I would eat chocolates, chips, junk and spicy food everyday.

 

12 months later, I have all these breakouts under control but I am still scared that I will get one of those flare ups again. Thing is I am still not sure if the reason I am not getting these huge breakouts anymore is because of minocycline or because of my new diet. I believe minocycline has stopped working because if I cheat on this diet, I break out instantly and this wasnt the case when I first went on Mino. But I am just scared of stopping it, I don't know why! Like I know it is not working anymore but I keep thinking "oh maybe somehowww its still working a bitt and if i stop taking it, it will result in hugee breakouts" and if i try going back on it again, it wont work and ill be screwed. Lol all in my head..just scared to let go off it. Its almost like an addiction..And I know I am messing up my immune system. I wish I was brave enough to let go off it and see what happens

Sorry to go off topic! So that cyst..yeah, I popped it..its quite small now compared to what it was but now it has 2 really small whiteheads too. Lets see what happens tomorrow morning, if those whiteheads take over and expand or just die quickly.

`

  • tick_10px.png

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MemberMember
24
(@silverlight22)

Posted : 07/05/2014 6:19 pm

 

So I have noticed that when I don't trim my beard, I start getting these red dots near my mouth and they become kinda itchy. By next day, if I have not trimmed my beard, that area looks red and inflamed.. but as soon as i trim over it, it goes away by the following night. If i Dont trim, it turns into acne.

 

So now I am thinking again..do I have some type of folliculitis? I am also a hairy guy so my back and chest have a few random acne. Its very mild..but only in the region where I have hair.

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MemberMember
24
(@silverlight22)

Posted : 07/06/2014 2:53 am

 

DAY 7

- Acne Status = One new inflamed region with a pustule. I got a small inflamed region above my lip towards the right. Its hidden by my beard around that region. That huge cyst which I got few days ago is going away and reducing in size everyday. I see faint pink areas around corner of my mouth..

- Fasted for 19 hours - Energy Level = 40%| Hunger = 60%|

- Home all day

- Meal 1-(1020pm) Broke fast with 1 small date and water. 25min later had 4 beef strips, hummus, 2whole wheat (WW) pita breads - lots of veggies and water and a medium banana. Teaspoon of liquid black seed oil

 

NO MINOCYCLINE

Meal 2 - (1 30 am) - 2 boiled eggs

Meal 3-(2 45 am) - 4 eggs and 2 WW pita breads and a banana. Teaspoon of black seed oil

Will start fasting 3 15 am - 10 20pm till next day.

So today I kinda noticed that the area above my lips was itchy and felt kinda bumpy. Its hidden by my faint beard, upon closer inspection it seemed a whitehead had formed there. Also realized both the corners of my mouth are slightly pink and we know what that means.. SO I totally lost it and cursed everything around me and lost hope for a few hours with everything. I thought following a low GI diet, I had everything in control since the results had been promising for the past couple of months but it seems like I am no longer in control of my acne.

 

I know i have a few food items in my diet that are mid-high GI/GL for example bananas and whole wheat bread. BUT I CANNOT let go of these. I mean cmon how on earth will I get my carbs then! I refuse to believe that I will have to live a carbs free diet (no rice and bread) when everyone around me can eat it and live a normal life. I have given up on rice but no way I am giving up on bread. I have been bulking and working out for past 8 months and I need to maintain my weight. If i do not have carbs in my diet I will lose weight rapidly.

So after crying for a bit, and pulling out my hair, I got a hold of myself(yes I am a 22 years old grown ass man..acne can do this to you sometimes) and decided to hang in there. Hopefully things get better soon

 

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MemberMember
24
(@silverlight22)

Posted : 07/06/2014 3:39 am

 

Important Update - I took a big personal decision and decided to let go off antibiotics after being on them for almost 2 years. Its a big big decision but after realizing it has lost its magic( in other words I became resistant to minocycline), I have decided to wean off it anyways instead of going cold turkey. To be honest, I have no idea how my skin will react. I remember becoming resistant to Doxy last year in July but I still continued taking it till September 2013 and then switched to Mino.

I have been scared to let go off Mino. I had an option to up my dosage to 200mg 2 months ago and get acne free skin for another 4 months but I decided against it and have decided to finally stop taking it. I hope my skin does not go berserk. I mean.. I break out anyways these days, and if I eat refined sugar i break out really bad..so I guess stopping it now shouldnt make any differemce, right? Now that I am resistant to it anyways..Let's see..

 

I really want to heal my gut by taking apple cider vinegar and black seed oil and probiotics daily. I have 2 months left before I go back home to see my friends and family and I want to heal my gut by then. I know my acne is related to my gut and being on antibiotics this long has destroyed it. But now that I am on a low GI deit, and never consume anything with refined sugar, I think I will be able to control my acne.

 

If the break out gets out of hand..I am going for Bactrim and dropping the idea of low GI diet for the next few months.

This has been a big decision, but I have finally decided to face the worst that might happen in case I react to no more antibiotics. I hope everything will be fine. I am taking one pill every other day for a week. Will go to taking a pill every 2 days the next week. And a pill every 3 days the week after that and finally stop it.

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MemberMember
410
(@alternativista)

Posted : 07/06/2014 7:43 am

DAY 7[/size]

- Acne Status = One new inflamed region with a pustule. [/size]I got a small inflamed region above my lip towards the right. Its hidden by my beard around that region. [/size]That huge cyst which I got few days ago is going away and reducing in size everyday. I see faint pink areas around corner of my mouth..[/size]

- Fasted for 19 hours - Energy Level = 40%| Hunger = 60%| [/size]

[/size]

- Home all day[/size]

[/size]

- Meal 1-(1020pm) [/size]Broke fast with 1 small date and water. 25min later had 4 beef strips, hummus, 2whole wheat (WW) pita breads - lots of veggies and water and a medium banana. Teaspoon of liquid black seed oil[/size]

NO MINOCYCLINE

Meal 2 - (1 30 am) - 2 boiled eggs[/size]

[/size]

Meal 3-(2 45 am) - 4 eggs and 2 WW pita breads and a banana. Teaspoon of black seed oil[/size]

Will start fasting 3 15 am - 10 20pm till next day.[/size]

So today I kinda noticed that the area above my lips was itchy and felt kinda bumpy. Its hidden by my faint beard, upon closer inspection it seemed a whitehead had formed there. Also realized both the corners of my mouth are slightly pink and we know what that means.. SO I totally lost it and cursed everything around me and lost hope for a few hours with everything. I thought following a low GI diet, I had everything in control since the results had been promising for the past couple of months but it seems like I am no longer in control of my acne.

I know i have a few food items in my diet that are mid-high GI/GL for example bananas and whole wheat bread. BUT I CANNOT let go of these. I mean cmon how on earth will I get my carbs then! I refuse to believe that I will have to live a carbs free diet (no rice and bread) when everyone around me can eat it and live a normal life. I have given up on rice but no way I am giving up on bread. I have been bulking and working out for past 8 months and I need to maintain my weight. If i do not have carbs in my diet I will lose weight rapidly. [/size]

So after crying for a bit, and pulling out my hair, I got a hold of myself(yes I am a 22 years old grown ass man..acne can do this to you sometimes) and decided to hang in there. Hopefully things get better soon[/size]

Low GI doesn't mean low carb. Get carbs from vegetables. Also, it's the glycemic load of the meal that matters.

That said, whole wheat bread is basically junk. And you need to try avoiding all wheat and gluten for a few months to test for intolerance.

Also, the people around you aren't living normal lives, they are sickly. Although sick seems to be the norm now.

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MemberMember
24
(@silverlight22)

Posted : 07/06/2014 2:57 pm

DAY 7[/size]

- Acne Status = One new inflamed region with a pustule. [/size]I got a small inflamed region above my lip towards the right. Its hidden by my beard around that region. [/size]That huge cyst which I got few days ago is going away and reducing in size everyday. I see faint pink areas around corner of my mouth..[/size]

- Fasted for 19 hours - Energy Level = 40%| Hunger = 60%| [/size]

[/size]

- Home all day[/size]

[/size]

- Meal 1-(1020pm) [/size]Broke fast with 1 small date and water. 25min later had 4 beef strips, hummus, 2whole wheat (WW) pita breads - lots of veggies and water and a medium banana. Teaspoon of liquid black seed oil[/size]

NO MINOCYCLINE

Meal 2 - (1 30 am) - 2 boiled eggs[/size]

[/size]

Meal 3-(2 45 am) - 4 eggs and 2 WW pita breads and a banana. Teaspoon of black seed oil[/size]

Will start fasting 3 15 am - 10 20pm till next day.[/size]

So today I kinda noticed that the area above my lips was itchy and felt kinda bumpy. Its hidden by my faint beard, upon closer inspection it seemed a whitehead had formed there. Also realized both the corners of my mouth are slightly pink and we know what that means.. SO I totally lost it and cursed everything around me and lost hope for a few hours with everything. I thought following a low GI diet, I had everything in control since the results had been promising for the past couple of months but it seems like I am no longer in control of my acne.

I know i have a few food items in my diet that are mid-high GI/GL for example bananas and whole wheat bread. BUT I CANNOT let go of these. I mean cmon how on earth will I get my carbs then! I refuse to believe that I will have to live a carbs free diet (no rice and bread) when everyone around me can eat it and live a normal life. I have given up on rice but no way I am giving up on bread. I have been bulking and working out for past 8 months and I need to maintain my weight. If i do not have carbs in my diet I will lose weight rapidly. [/size]

So after crying for a bit, and pulling out my hair, I got a hold of myself(yes I am a 22 years old grown ass man..acne can do this to you sometimes) and decided to hang in there. Hopefully things get better soon[/size]

Low GI doesn't mean low carb. Get carbs from vegetables. Also, it's the glycemic load of the meal that matters.

That said, whole wheat bread is basically junk. And you need to try avoiding all wheat and gluten for a few months to test for intolerance.

Also, the people around you aren't living normal lives, they are sickly. Although sick seems to be the norm now.

I understand that Low GL is what counts more..but I did not know there are other carb sources out there with low GL. Can you list a few? Also, is quiona a good substitute? Thing is I'm just worried of rapidly losing weight if I cut out wheat from my diet. This one week I tried eat 1 avocado a day and 2 teaspoons of olive oil but ended up getting acne. So I don't know how to balance out the calorie aspect of no wheat diet..

But now that I am trying to wean off antibiotics, I am praying that I don't get a crazy break out..if I do.. I guess whole wheat bread is out of my diet. I am really stressed out about stopping antibiotics because I remember when I went cold turkey on Doxycyline in Jan 2013(when it was working really well and I had no idea food caused acne..would eat junk everyday) and all hell broke lose. This time around, I think Ive become resistant to mino anyways since food is breaking me out again but now that my diet is in control im not sure if stopping antibiotics will make a difference or not. Really confusing and stressful!

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(@corporeal)

Posted : 07/06/2014 5:56 pm

Props on doing the fasting thing. But if you're gonna do it I'd say you'd have to eat extremely clean as well to get full benefits.

I STRONGLY suggest resisting all refined carbs (those break me out), as well as gluten (causes me inflammation/constipation O_O) & alcohol...oh and anything fried is just so bad- I had falafel 2 meals in a row and the next morning I was like WTF. And meat...no bueno (bc of the hormones, if it's not grass-fed organic stuff). It's just like, do you want to eat things that could be causing you acne? Or do you want to be cleared up? Plus, these foods are betta fo you. Also, read up on foods that have antibiotic/antiviral properties:

http://www.naturalnews.com/035516_natural_antibiotics_superbugs.html

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/common-foods-herbs-with-antibiotic-properties.html

Also also, whenever I get breakouts on my chin it usually has to do with diet or hormonal issues. If I eat things that spike my blood sugar my chin won't hesitate to let me know (the very center of my chin). Hormonal breakouts are usually around the side of my mouth. Curb your sugar cravings by munching on carrots, celery, or cucumber.

Don't stress! Getting your mind off of your skin issue will make it worse, truuuust me. Hope this helps, stay strong & positive!

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(@silverlight22)

Posted : 07/06/2014 6:55 pm

Props on doing the fasting thing. But if you're gonna do it I'd say you'd have to eat extremely clean as well to get full benefits.

I STRONGLY suggest resisting all refined carbs (those break me out), as well as gluten (causes me inflammation/constipation ) & alcohol...oh and anything fried is just so bad- I had falafel 2 meals in a row and the next morning I was like WTF. And meat...no bueno (bc of the hormones, if it's not grass-fed organic stuff). It's just like, do you want to eat things that could be causing you acne? Or do you want to be cleared up? Plus, these foods are betta fo you. Also, read up on foods that have antibiotic/antiviral properties:

http://www.naturalnews.com/035516_natural_antibiotics_superbugs.html

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/common-foods-herbs-with-antibiotic-properties.html

Also also, whenever I get breakouts on my chin it usually has to do with diet or hormonal issues. If I eat things that spike my blood sugar my chin won't hesitate to let me know (the very center of my chin). Hormonal breakouts are usually around the side of my mouth. Curb your sugar cravings by munching on carrots, celery, or cucumber.

Don't stress! Getting your mind off of your skin issue will make it worse, truuuust me. Hope this helps, stay strong & positive!

Hey corporeal,

Thanks for the comment! I know wheat and meat is a big no for acne. But I want to maintain my weight(or even increase it further to gain more muscle mass) and don't see how that is possible without having meat. Also, I have heard to improve insulin resistance, weight training is a good idea which I normally do but not eating wheat and meat will decrease my weight. I don't know any other high calorie substitute! Do you have any mind?

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(@corporeal)

Posted : 07/06/2014 9:12 pm

Oh man, you definitely do not have to rely on wheat and meat to maintain weight. For protein I use spirulina. It has way more protein than meat and legumes.

Here is a pretty general article about it:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/01/spirulina-the-amazing-super-food-youve-never-heard-of.aspx

You might wanna take a sec to research about nutrient dense foods ( http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php ) and healthy high-calorie foods. Do you work out too? Is that why you are worried about losing weight? Or is it just the fasting part? Once your body has the correct amount of nutrients it needs it won't be hungry anymore. If you eat nutrient dense foods, which are whole foods, then you won't need to rely solely on wheat or meat to maintain your weight. Salads can be pretty filling and full of all the nutrients you need! Spinach/kale + avocado + flax/sunflower seeds + olive oil + balsamic + (any other veggies, or even slice some strawberries for a blast of flavor) = amazing!!! and filling.

I bought the book from the World's Healthiest Foods site several years ago. It was one of the most informational books about food that I've ever come across. You should check out that website, it has a LOT of need-to-know info!

ps: I just realized in my first comment I meant "Getting your mind off of your skin issue will make it BETTER!". HAHA...........oops O_O

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