PSMF; Day 10

Alas! Finally there is some improvement. My giants have deflated, my scars are starting to fade, and new breakouts are far, far less frequent! Hallelujah! What can I really contribute to this success? Well, I tried to eat more leafy vegetables and salads, I washed my face 2x a day (morning with Clearisal face wash, nighttime with Clearasil Nighttime Wash) and applied benzoyl peroxide nightly (Clean & Clear 10%). I totally ditched the Tea Tree Oil. Too stinky and ineffective. I still have a long ways to go though…need to up those veggies, down the water and cross my fingers that working from the inside out will help improve my skin even further! (I still look like crap, but hey, not breaking out is a good start!)

Glycemic Index Knowledge

While I am trying to cut high glycemic index foods out of my diet for the sake of my face, I realize that cutting out the high glycemic index foods could also help out other factors in my health, such as my weight. I am not an overweight person by any means, but the weight that I do have I know is not proportionate in muscle and fat. I am carrying lots of extra fat, which shows in my thighs and gut.

Basically in a nut shell high glycemic index foods are “bad” carbs. They are usually high in sugar so when you consume them in excess they raise your blood sugar, causing your body to store more fat. So I am more convinced than ever to cut these out of my diet. Here I have a list of the highest gylcemic index foods, and the lowest so that we can all shed some pounds and also clear up our acne! (Anything not listed here falls in the “medium” section of glycemic foods and can be consumed in moderation.)

High
Waffles, doughnuts.
Rice cakes, white bread, white rolls, baguettes.
Golden grahams, puffed wheat cereals, Rice krispies, Cornflakes.
Ice cream.
Watermelon (of course, my fave fruit). Bananas.
Rice pasta, brown pasta! (Shocking! Something I thought was good for me, is actually harming me?! Oh why!? Cruel world.)
Macaroni and cheese.
Chips, potatoes, mashed potatoes-basically any potatoes but sweet potatoes.
Corn chips, jelly beans, pretzels.
Broad beans.

Low
Multi grain bread, whole grain.
All bran cereals.
Rye.
Almost all fruits.
Protein enriched spagetti, fettucine, vermicelli, whole wheat spagetti.
Sweet potatoes, cooked carrots, yam. (In my opinion, gross, gross and gross. Oh well, time to broaden my horizons.)
Peanuts, jams. (Yay peanut butter and jelly!)
Tomato soup.
Basically all veggies.

Sources:
http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/glycemicfoodchart.htm, http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/548269/high_and_low_glycemic_index_foods_a.html?cat=5, workplacehealthchecks.com

PSMF; Day 3

So far PSMF has been going rather fair. Fair defined as that I’m on the way there, but getting there very slowly. Given that it’s day 3, I know that I shouldn’t have expected miracles yet but I do wish I was seeing some sort of difference. The only large changes I’ve accomplished so far is washing my face twice a day, applying the Tea Tree Oil, and not wearing makeup. Of course these are just the changes I’ve been making from the outside. Inside, I haven’t incorporated too many vegetables or fruits yet. For a vegetarian, I am a very poor veggie/fruit eater. On the other hand, I never miss a chance of consuming a carb; Which is probably my biggest problem thus far. According to information I had already found out weeks before, dairy and carbs (high glycemic index foods) are very bad for your skin and cause acne. I know this, and yet I still cannot put that piece of bread down! I need help people.

Many sources, including researchers in Australia have shown that there are “tremendous results in reducing moderate to severe acne by administrating a low carb, low glycemic index diet to patients” so I need to cut the crap, I mean carbs. Damn. I made it sound so easy to quit caffeine and pop, yet I don’t even know where to begin with carbs. I think my biggest challenge in decreasing carbs is that I need to increase fruits and veggies. Pooey. So that’s my next challenge; Finding fruits and veggies I like in order to stop eating all these carbs! (Hopefully I’ll lose some weight in the process too, no?)

So far my opinion on the Tea Tree Oil is that (1) it just smells and (2) it’s too soon to know.  I have a fear that the Tea Tree Oil has done nothing for me but make me sick from the odor. Given that it’s only day 3, I don’t truly feel that I should give up on the Tree Tea Oil just yet…but I am going to incorporate the aide of benzoyl peroxide. I understand that my face may peel a bit but you now what? Peel away! Peel away the top layer too while you’re at it! More later! Here are pictures of my “progress” (or lack there of).

PSMF; Day 1

I enjoyed a stroll through Target’s beauty section today, looking for the topical and face wash of my dreams. I’m starting to think I should have gone to Ulta. Anyways, I settled on Clearasil’s new Overnight Face Wash. I have no idea why it’s different than any other face wash since it’s active ingredient (like everything else) is salicylic acid-10%. But after looking over the label it does look like it carries other ingredients, and it also promises to reduce redness and size overnight. Hmm. Sounds good, if it works that is. So I put it in my basket. Next on the list, a daytime face wash. Well since I’m not really into mix and matching products I stuck with Clearasil’s acne face wash. Nothing exciting for this boring lassie. Alright, so far so good. I’ll give these things a try and if it doesn’t do anything, or worse, makes things more unbearable I will stop being so cheap and go to the freaking makeup counter at Macy’s.

Next, a topical. I didn’t like Target’s selection, since nothing really seemed natural enough to put on my face so I headed over to my fave place, Trader Joe’s. Here I found all natural tea tree oil. I had read online that this essential oil can kill propionibacterium acnes (big words for skin dwelling bacteria that causes zits). Compared to benzoyl peroxide (which is in dermatologist’s fave-Differin), tea tree oil has fewer side effects since it’s all natural. I shouldn’t experience itching, burning, stinging or dryness. Nice. I was even more sure of my decision when my teenage cashier said “Oh! This stuff is sweeeeeeeet!” Score! A puberty stricken teenager applauding tea tree oil!? This stuff has to work.

So tonight after washing my face I opened up the bottle of (expensive) tea tree oil. Holy crap. It smells. And not like flowers. It’s like opening up a cheap bottle of vodka  and inhaling it deep into your nostrils. Gagging will ensure. I dabbed the stuff on my face while complaining to my husband that I was going to vomit, and exited the bathroom, which now reeked of the stuff, as fast as possible. I didn’t know how I was going to go to bed tonight folks. No joke. My face smells. WIth every turn, every whiff, I smell a strange, strong, potent, mixture of cheap vodka and strong tequila. This stinks. Literally. But now that I have sat here and blogged for a while, the smell is (A) either gone or (B) I can no longer smell it.

So sweet dreams ladies and gents, lets see if there’s improvement in the morning! This smell better be worth it! Good night!

Day 1 of PSMF

Project Save My Face

When I was in the fourth grade I was already embarrassingly hideous. I wore big coke can glasses, had blunt bangs, a perm and was still wearing what my mother picked out for me. I didn’t really need anything else to contribute to my ugliness. However, mother nature had other plans for me. I awoke one day to find myself with a zit. Okay. No biggie. Then I found another. Then another. Soon I looked like a walking pepperoni pizza. This was a really traumatic experience for me, and apparently my mother. So fast forward years from that tragic stage of life…I’ve been blemish free and have found bliss. Well until now.

At my age I didn’t think I would ever have to think about acne again. Seriously, there’s a time and place for everything, and the zit ship should have sailed off a long ass time ago. Again, mother nature has other plans for me. While my husband has to consider creams to prevent wrinkles, I get to enjoy looking like a teenager going through puberty all over again! Joy. Wasn’t once enough? Ah, cruel world.

This all started in the last year…what could have done this to me? Oh, well gee, let’s see. I changed jobs. Then we moved. Then I got a new job. Then I was stressed from my job. Then I was depressed. Then I got on medication. Then I quit my job. Then I was unemployed. Then I gave up meat. Then I gave up milk. Then I gave up soy. Then I reentered milk. Then I started a new job. Then I went back to school. Oh gee. What could have stirred up my acne? Oh, yes, everything.

Now I am happy, stress free and still have a full face of acne to show for it. Super! At first I thought my face would slowly regenerate on it’s own since the stress of my mind and also my diet were finally settling down. I was optimistic and certain that I would stop breaking out. I was also positive that my skin regime was the best I could do. Time will heal my skin. Patience will be rewarded. Um, yeah, great optimistic thoughts, but no my wishes weren’t granted. I am still siting here wondering how I can peel the top layer of my skin off without access to chemical acid. I have decided not going to Target in fear of someone gawking at my pizza face is no way to live. I need to get my face back. Enter, Project Save My Face.

Goals of this project:
1. To stop waking up each morning to find that once again I am breaking out to a new batch of humiliation.
2. To control and shrink the monsters already residing on my face.
3. To treat and rid of the scars my blemishes want to leave behind to haunt me for the rest of my life.
Changes that must be made:
1. I will stop being a lazy mofo. I will strive to wash my face 2x a day.
2. I will stop touching my face unnecessarily and stop picking at it.
3. I will make it a habit to change my pillowcases regularly.
4. If my hair has any residue in it, it needs to be washed before it can reach my skin.
5. I need to up my water intake.
6. I need to up my fruit/veggie intake and lower my carb/dairy intake.
7. I will forgo makeup to let my skin ‘breathe.’
8. I will try to always get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.
Expectations: To once again allow pictures of me to be taken.

Here I go on Project Save My Face. Let’s see if I can do it myself before I need to enlist the help of a dermatologist! And, damn, here’s to embarrassing truths! Cheers!