Strong 'Acne' and Indigestion progress

[Mireia]

I haven't had acne for long, although I believe I do have a tendency for it. Most of my life I was able to stay clear due to certain measures I took (the pill, cleansers, creams, never medication or accutane though). I always understood that this does not fix the root problem. As someone who has studied hair and skin biologly, what Wai says about Acne and the skin makes perfect sense. So even before I started on the diet, I did believe that it is a great underrated acne cure.

Another think I know is that the skin and hair mirror ones health. If this diet was truly bad for ones health like some claim, it would show. But it doesn't so that means that this diet has a lot of very healthful aspects.

I usually eat a Paleo diet, which I believe to be great, even better when raw, but I don't like the bashing of carbs and natural sugar on it. I have made horrible experiences with a low carb (high fat), nearly ketogenic Paleo diet. To name a few - thyroid problems, very high liver enzymes, chest pain, heart palpitations, strong hair loss, severe PMS and irregular, abnormal periods, inflammatory pains, fatigue, dark under eye bags, lose skin all over that was not plump, gaunt looking face...and that is also when my current acne problem started.
My carbs were only very low for a few months, and when I added some more into my diet, my body would react by breaking out. I also could just NOT have cheat days anymore. It would show in my skin. Before I used to have a cup of black coffee once a week and some other treats about every two weeks.
When I figured out that low carb could have caused my problem, I added more carbs back in.
During that time I was also taking herbal supplements that help balance out women's hormones. My acne cleared up almost completely from it, I gained sudden weight (which is welcome for me), and my Periods and PMS improved fast.
BUT, once I had raised my carbs above a certain level (80 g) I started breaking out again. I had added more veggies and fruits into my diet and my skin seemed to react to the combination. It got worse every week.

I also experienced strong indigestion problems with the addition of veggies and fruits. Most of all bloating. My stomach would blow up to the size of a pregnant belly. It was really painful. I cut out tubers, but that only bettered it a little bit.
When seeking advice on Paleo Forums, some suggested to just go low carb again, only meat...after all the problems I had experienced!

Instead I tried to eat according to a SIBO/ GAPS gut healing diet. With no improvement really...my acne would go up and down on it a little...and one cheat day (potato) could TOTALLY destroy my face and was not easy to clear up from.
My husband found the Free Acne Book online and it sounded too good to be true.

I am hoping that this diet will not only help my acne, but also my digestive pains and bloating. In a way it is all connected. Digestive problems can lead to Acne and diet can affect your hormones. If toxins show up on my skin in the form of acne, eliminating them will not only help my skin but my overall health.

[Mireia]

My Stats:

Age: *1982 (30)
Height: 165cm/ 5'5"
Weight: 48 kg/ 106 lbs
High - 110lbs, Low - 99lbs
I want to gain weight, not sure how much but I will just judge from what I see in the mirror. I have very small bones, like child size (ring size 3), so I look healthier at a low weight than most and BMI does not apply to me.
Mother to a 20 month old, still breastfed. He chose to eat a Wai diet. I tried to raise him on Raw Paleo, but he loves fruits over anything and eats only small amounts of raw meat and fish.

Former (Health) Problems:
Standard Diet - Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (TSN now at 2.2 instead of 8), Pituitary Tumor and raised Prolactin levels, HPV and pre cervical cancer (so abnormal cells but chemo is not usually done at this stage, I had LEEP surgery), fatigue, hypoglycemia, hair loss, pineal gland cyst, ovarian cysts
Low carb Paleo - Very high liver enzymes, chest pain, heart palpitations, strong hair loss, severe PMS and irregular, abnormal periods, inflammatory pains, fatigue, Acne

Current Problems:
High Carb, High Fat Paleo: Bloating and digestive pains, Acne

I am a work in progress.

I really want to make sure not to make dietary mistakes again. I don't have a spare liver and thyroid, I want to get rid of the acne before I need a face transplant, and I am tired of my hair falling out. It used to be thigh length and very healthy. But with all the hair loss and thinning it was impossible to keep it that long.

I hope that if the Wai Diet works for me, I can finally convince my family that I am not a lunatic. Despite all the health improvements I have made over the past two years, they don't think it is my diet. On the contrary...they think I am eating one sided, not healthy. Sometimes I think only rising from the dead will convince them.
They have health issues themselves, but they do not believe in diet as a cure.

[dime]

Good luck! If you have questions or wondering about anything feel free to ask, we try to help here as much as our knowledge and experience allows.

[Mireia]

Food Diary - Transition Phase

April 13:



Skin: Clearing up, less red
Digestive: Bloating, digestive pains
Energy: Sluggish, Light headed, constant hunger

April 14:



Skin: Clearing up, less red, bumps are drying out
Digestive: Bloating, digestive pains
Energy: Sluggish, Light headed, constant hunger

April 15:



Skin: Clearing up, less red, dry skin
Digestive: Bloating, digestive pains
Energy: Light headed first half of the day

April 16:



Skin: Much clearer, less red, all zits healing (scabs), only one new zit, very dry skin
Broke out a bit again in the evening though maybe because of Brazil Nuts.
Digestive: Bloating, no digestive pains
Energy: Good

I have taken pictures too. I might try to add them later.

[Mireia]

Good luck! If you have questions or wondering about anything feel free to ask, we try to help here as much as our knowledge and experience allows.

Thank you! I will ask when I have a question

[RRM]

Broke out a bit again in the evening though maybe because of Brazil Nuts.

Thats possible. Please eliminate all nuts for 2 weeks.

Digestive: Bloating

Bloating is caused by poor digestion or high fiber, or both.
Fiber cannot be digested enzymatically, and is therefore partially decomposed bacterially,
which yields gasses, which cause bloating.
Please juice all fruits for a while, and use a strainer to remove the remaining bulk of fiber.
Once juice is your main source of energy, you need to increase your meal frequency drastically, and decrease meal size.

Im pretty sure that consuming just juices and raw animal food for 2 weeks would solve your issues.

[Mireia]

I can give that a try once I am better established on the diet and stronger, but since weight and not passing out are big concerns of mine, I will have to plan something like this out really well. I really rely on bananas, avocado and coconut as food now and I think they can not be juiced?
We also don't have a juicer yet.

Could you explain in detail which fruits in my diet would be juiced when doing this, and which I would have to cut out?

[Mireia]

Skin Routine

I have cut out most products ages ago because I knew how bad they were. First thing I did in 2006 actually is switch to all organic cosmetics. For some time I was using organic Retinol A creams (so weaker that Retinoids) designed to even out the skin by increasing cell turnover. I also used fruit acid peels.
When I got pregnant I stopped using facial creams aside from my sunscreen, I was not using face wash, just water. In 2012 I stopped wearing sunscreen too. So before starting this diet I was only using moisturizer for combination skin, also organic.

I now switched to Sesame oil for moisture as recommended. My skin really likes it.
My skins condition: Dry, scaly, Lots of small to medium sized acne bumps, many without a head actually, some whitheads and blackheads. My acne is worst on my cheeks (which used to be the clearest part of my face) and at the side of my mouth. I have bumps on my forehead too. My nose is the only part free of acne.
I would say that I have strong acne when it is at its worst. I certainly don't know anyone that has it that bad.

I feel very self conscious about it and cover it with mineral powder. I never even used to wear foundation, but I feel now I have to. That said, I am not wearing any today, because it now looks bearable.

I try to be outside and even in the sun because it does wonders for my skin (not so much I burn of course) Weirdly I do not lack Vitamin D. I need to supplement with 10 000 IU to be in the normal range though.

[dime]

For a start you could easily make orange juice for example like this: viewtopic.php?p=12185#p12185

Some people like slow juicers, you can juice a variety of fruits easily with them, even bananas: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3026&p=36011

[RRM]

weight and not passing out are big concerns of mine

Then you better start juicing immediately, as the energy from juices without fiber is most easily utilized.
Also fresh raw egg yolks are perfect for that goal. In a number of Latin-American and African countries, many peoples/tribes traditionally give fresh raw egg yolks to kids when weak or sick,
to let them gain strength rapidly.

[Mireia]

For a start you could easily make orange juice for example like this: viewtopic.php?p=12185#p12185

Some people like slow juicers, you can juice a variety of fruits easily with them, even bananas: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3026&p=36011

I will basically throw away part of the fruit or banana though right?
We are planning to get a simple juicer for oranges and if we can afford it any times soon a more advanced juicer too.

weight and not passing out are big concerns of mine

Then you better start juicing immediately, as the energy from juices without fiber is most easily utilized.
Also fresh raw egg yolks are perfect for that goal. In a number of Latin-American and African countries, many peoples/tribes traditionally give fresh raw egg yolks to kids when weak or sick,
to let them gain strength rapidly.

That is very interesting about the egg yolks.
I won't pass out the way I am eating right now, but I used to deal with Hypoglycemia and fainted often from that. I was thinking juice only could be tricky and it might happen. I need to learn more and plan how I can keep my calories up when juicing. Can you give me an example of a high calorie juice that has all the nutrients I need? Without too much olive oil preferably.

[overkees]

Yolks, sugar, OO, and OJ if consumed in the right amounts gives everything you need. Although I don't prefer that kind of diet. (something like 3-4L OJ + 50 mL OO + 10-15 yolks + additional sugar).

However, my experiences are that I can best control my blood sugar by first eating something fatty and then drinking some juice (with or without added sugar). Coconut oil gives me really stabile blood sugar levels, more so than olive oil. I don't like mixing too much oil with my juice. I totally don't like mixing yolks with juices because it messes up my digestion (OJ + yolks = fair enough). I like to eat animal stuff seperated.

Anyways, if you don't want too much olive oil, you must go for table sugar. If you can't tolerate that much table sugar, you must replace it with coconut oil that you eat seperated from the juice. If that is too expensive, you're pretty much out of options.

[Mireia]

ACNE photos

I wanted to post some pictures that I took from Dec. to Mar. to show how much the acne is fluctuating. It is hard to say if it is hormones, or something I had eaten prior to the flare up. I do macro pictures, sorry if they are gross, but at least that way I can document progress best. I have been taking pictures myself since it started to see if I can influence it with diet (low GI, SIBO, Fodmap, GAPS etc.)

First, my face free of Acne (June 2011)...I was not even satisfied then. Now I wish I could get at least close to this


December 2012



February 2013


(Clearer after detox with herbs)

March 2013


Getting worse

April 1st



to be continued with bad breakout photos...

[Mireia]

All pictures are taken right after getting up by the way, so no make up, oil, etc.
My skin looks better in the morning than in the evening though.

April 10th


3 days after eating potato

April 11th



Now the transition to the Wai Diet. Much less cooked stuff and no veggies

April 15th




April 16th





Up next, strict Wai diet days....

[Mireia]

April 17th, Day 1




April 18th, Day 2




It is not a ton of progress, but my skin seems less inflamed. I seem to have less bumps under my skin, actually hardly any. I got some new zits and noticed a bunch of open black heads that came out very easily.
Gotta give it much more time.