Kev (my fiancé) and I decided to do the Whole 30. We are on day 27 and I feel AWESOME. I'm sure I've lost a little bit of weight, but the best part of this whole thing is that I feel great. Truly the only thing we had to cut out of our diet was dairy, but we also had to slim down our 20% of cheat room with the Primal Blueprint to 0%.
The biggest change for me: my acne! I'm going to give you a series of before pictures so you can really understand what I've been combating.
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| This is a rather embarrassing picture of me from April 2009. This is wayyy before we even thought about eating reasonably. We regularly dined on fast food, carbs, pizza, etc. Look at how bad my acne is and how fat I was! Even my son's face is chubby! Ugh. |
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| This is April of 2010. We had been primal for about 5 months at this point. We both look better than we did the year before - but I still have that nagging acne. |
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| This is June 2010. Close to the same as above. |
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| This is August 2010. A little better, but this is about as good as I could get it and I was using basically bleach on my skin (okay, it's benzoyle peroxide, but basically the same thing.) I was also using an antibiotic and this is about as clear as I thought I'd ever be. |
Okay, so now that I've properly introduced you to my acne problem. Here is me now. Today.
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| WOWWW! |
Not only do I feel healthier, but I look healthier too!
So, in three days our Whole 30 will be officially over. But, honestly, how could I ever go back?
Congratulations on such "clear" results. After trying the Whole30 myself, I agree with you - "how could I ever go back?"
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I'd like to say congrats, as well. A friend passed this article along to me - she has been on the Paleo diet for a while now. I myself suffer from acne and have been on the diet for a few months now. I noticed a considerable change, and when I "splurged" on the "bad foods" things did get worse. It is great to know there are others out there like me who are very sensitive to the foods we ingest.
Speaking of, I still have the occasional breakout due to the sugars. I have to watch my nut, fruit, and wine intake, as a result.
Nevertheless, keep up the diet!
Wow, awesome results. Just saw your testimonial from the Whole9 site...my story is like yours except I would get them on my arms. I went strict paleo for thirty days and they went away completely, these days I can cheat a little, but when I go too far they start to come back.
ReplyDelete"It's almost like this stuff works"-Robb Wolf
Congratulations on your success!
Could you have a dairy allergy?
ReplyDelete@Tom: It sounds so infomercial-ly, but... 30 days really can change your life!
ReplyDelete@Christopher: I actually did not lose any weight on the Whole 30, so I think I'm going to cut back on my nut intake and see if that helps. Dairy is definitely my main culprit, though!
@Scott: I had a couple pieces of dark chocolate last night to celebrate the completion of my Whole 30 and my face already feels greasier. It's incredible how quickly these things happen. Thanks for the congrats.
@Anon: Most likely. It's high inflammatory for most people, from what I hear. I happen to be more sensitive to it.
Congrats! Your skin looks amazing.
ReplyDeleteWohoo. Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteWow, wow, wow! My results are not so dramatic, but I did start seeing clearer skin around week three. Whole 30 is pretty amazing--never again can I underestimate the difference between mainly clean eating and W30 style clean eating. I got on board mainly as a detox stage for an exclusion diet, but now I don't care to go back to flours or dairy at all.
ReplyDeleteDo you allow yourself eggs? And did you limit your fruit intake?
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome! I'm on day 10 myself and I was eating primal too. It's crazy the huge difference between 80/20 & 100/0.
ReplyDeleteLooks terrific! I am starting my Paleo Diet today, I cant wait to see what benefits lay for me around the corner :)
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - yes, the Whole30 program includes eggs. Check it out at http://whole9life.com/2011/06/whole-30-v4/.
ReplyDeleteonesekzimama - congratulations on a successful Whole30 and such great results! I'm on day 6 and it's hard, but good.
Amazing progress! Your story is proof positive that some folks need to eliminate all cheat foods to fix an ailment. FYI - I reposted your story at theprimalchallenge.com Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! You look great! I suffered with acne for 6 years... as soon as I went from 6 glasses of 1/2% milk a day to zero it improved dramatically. It hung around and then was just about as clear as possible last year. I then got super stressed and was not eating the best so it came back. Today, right now, my skin has never been this clear in my entire life. No joke. Ok, maybe it was more clear when I was a baby...
ReplyDeleteNo dairy. No junk. Lots of sun. Little stress that only lasts for minutes. Play. It's easy. I don't use soap or anything on my face. Just water!
Congrats! You look amazing! I was also shocked by the changes I felt and saw when I removed dairy. Not necessarily in my skin, but my emotions. When I reintroduced dairy after my Whole 30 I became a nervous wreck! Never would have guessed...and don't plan to go back anytime soon!
ReplyDeleteHi Sekzi Mama,
ReplyDeleteI see that you haven't posted in a long time, but I am hoping you still read the comments. I was wondering how your acne has been since you did that Whole30 a year ago. Thanks!
You still there?
ReplyDeleteI have REAL SCIENCE for you.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/exd.12142/pdf
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/exd.12172/pdf
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/exd.12180/pdf
They are open access
Read 12180 first.
Heavy going but real - bottom line is you did the right thing(s)!
Oh, wow. That's just amazing. You look so clear and healthy. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for posting this!!! You rock! I know how hard it must have been to share and I really appreciate it. I'm hoping Whole30 helps me conquer my own skin issues for good.
ReplyDeleteWhat great results!!! I am contemplating the Whole30 but in my house I'd be the only one doing it!! Milk (goats) is a daily thing for me!!! I love milk!!! Its so hard to kick habits you've had all your life!!!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I wanted to share a naturally based facial cleanser that you might be interested in! Its made from natural & healing ingredients and will help with any scarring you might have (as well as the moisturizer that goes with it). Here is the link if you want to check it out (the entire line of cosmetics/skin care is made from naturally based ingredients with no harsh chemicals or harmful ingredients): https://www.youniqueproducts.com/southernsimplicity/products/view/US-1072-00#.U3TuJoFdWSo
I need help. I struggle from acne as well, as bad as your pictures were. I'm on day 19 and have seen no improvements. Actually it's gotten worse. Why isn't this working for me? Did you struggle with that at a? Please help!!
ReplyDeleteI need help. I struggle from acne as well, as bad as your pictures were. I'm on day 19 and have seen no improvements. Actually it's gotten worse. Why isn't this working for me? Did you struggle with that at a? Please help!!
ReplyDeletei posted this as a comment but should have done it as a reply: I haven't done the diet yet (just ordered my book), but I'm a personal trainer and health coach and can say if things are getting worse it probably is a detox response. If you weren't already a pretty healthy eater before going on the diet your body has a lot of toxins to release and in turn, ailments may get worse before they get better. Keep it up, I'm sure things will turn around soon! (also if things don't improve you might consider doing the non-egg version of the whole30 as it's a top allergy food for a lot of people). Best of luck!
Deletechelsea: I haven't done the diet yet (just ordered my book), but I'm a personal trainer and health coach and can say if things are getting worse it probably is a detox response. If you weren't already a pretty healthy eater before going on the diet your body has a lot of toxins to release and in turn, ailments may get worse before they get better. Keep it up, I'm sure things will turn around soon! (also if things don't improve you might consider doing the non-egg version of the whole30 as it's a top allergy food for a lot of people). Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteTHANKS AND I HAVE A DANDY PRESENT: HOW MANY HOUSES HAVE BEEN RENOVATED ON HOMETOWN SIMPLE HOME RENOVATIONS
ReplyDelete