Skin Update – Three Weeks In

Sheesh guys.  I’m not going to lie.  This last week and a bit on the whole NO dairy, grain and sugar train has been HARD!

I think the fact that I have no natural affinity to all things healthy really doesn’t help me.  Like to give you an example, if I’m feeling peckish, my natural inclination is to grab some Salticrax, slap on some butter and top them with a big slice of mature cheddar.  Note the “them” being plural.  And tea.  With milk and sugar.

And, well, an apple is just not the same.

Somehow getting to the 10 day mark was easier.  It was new, it was kind of exciting and I felt super motivated that I could in fact do this thing.  And now, just another 10 days later and I’m feeling dejected, despondent and all the other des words you can think of.

Except for one thing…

My skin is looking amazing!  Like really.

Look, we all know that it’s still not possible to wake up and look in the mirror without getting a fright, BUT the break outs of loads of little and big pimples has died down exponentially.  Even the redness has subsided a lot.  So it’s working.  Combined with my skin care routine (which I’m going to go into more detail about next week), we’ve managed to get my skin together.  So there aren’t anymore dry patches, or scaly sections or even brokenness.  I’ve also changed my make up and it’s only been 3 days but I have already noticed a difference there because this one is breathable.

Which means that even though I desperately don’t want it to be so, it really does seem that my diet affects my skin.

I think this is why I’m feeling so unhappy about the whole thing (even though we’re making progress).  It means that I may never be able to eat these things again.  I was honestly hoping that I’d cut it out and nothing would change.  That all I needed was a few face peels to scare my skin into submission.  That I could reintroduce all the good things in life and live the rest of my days happily stuffing cheese into my face by the minute.

And now this might not be the case and I am sad.

And what has made me even sadder is the fact that I think wine (and all alcohol) might be messing me up too.  Not that I drink a lot or anything but it’s something that I enjoy, especially at the end of a long, tiring day.  So when I went a week and a bit without it and then had a glass or two again, I saw the effect of the red nose and I got sadder.

Then at a house warming with our wonderful friends, sitting at a table covered with all the delicious treats imaginable (that I couldn’t eat), I was chatting to a lovely woman who told me that I should try organic wine.  I thank her for this glimmer of hope she has instilled in me.  Because I’m going to give it a shot.

And so, any tips or specific thoughts that I can share?  Here’s a few:

• Get rid of all the bad things in your house.  Your face will thank you.  If you’re not doing it for your face, then your body will thank you.  Either way, not having it there means you’re less likely to cheat.
• Finding stores that sell these things in my area has been a mission.  Get it into your head that this is not going to be easy.  You are going to have to set aside a specific time to go into a Wellness Warehouse or other health shop in your area to stock up on things like almond milk, nuts, bone broth etc etc.
• Woolies almond milk is gross.  Don’t even bother.
• Make a “cheat” snack.  Like date balls or brownies or I don’t know, whatever floats your boat.  Then when you’re feeling like something sweet – grab that.  It’s helped me so much!
• Invest time into the change.  Practise new meals, research on the internet, by cook books.  If you’re anything like me, winging it by the seat of your pants is just going to make you miserable.
• And lastly, get a support system.  So many of you wonderful people have been so encouraging with ideas, recipes and just general support – which I truly value.  It’s made the process so much easier.  You’re the best!

Next week I’ll get a good photo of how well things are coming along to share.

I’m going to end off with some of the meals that we ate over the last 10 day period (to see the others check here).  Our kids are still upset with me for making them eat all these things, but they seem to be complaining less now which is great.

Breakfasts…

Lunches…

Snacks…

Dinner…