Spotless - Week 7

I know many of you are wondering, "Why hasn't Wendy updated her blog since Christmas?" Well, I have been busy. Busy researching skin and diet. I've learned a lot.  And while my skin has a little way to go still, I feel the changes I have made are making a difference. Take a look at the pictures and see for yourself. What have I been doing that is different? Well, let me tell you.

Week 1 - Left Side

Week 7 - Left Side

Week 1 vs Week 7 comparison.

Week 7 - Right Side

Week 1 - Right Side

Sensitive Skin

The first and most important thing I've discovered in the last few weeks it that I have sensitive skin. What? You're kidding, right? So, it turns out that I have defined sensitive skin wrong my entire life. I thought sensitive skin was skin that is easily irritated, dry, cracks easily, reacts to chemicals in a harsh way, etc. Well, I was right except I never once associated acne with a sensitive skin reaction. I fell upon a website about acne around 4 weeks ago that has taught me a few valuable lessons on how to wash sensitive skin. 

First, don't touch it. Like an itchy paper cut, touching an infected area will only increase the irritation on the skin and lead to redness, itchiness, soreness and more infection. When you wash your face you should hardly even feel your fingers run across your skin. Splash water to rinse. Dab dry with a soft towel and allow to air dry. Never rub.

Second, oily skin is an overreaction to dryness and irritation. Always apply a generous amount of moisturizing lotion after you wash your face. Until recently I thought lotion was for older women who were scared of wrinkles or people with dry skin, not oily skin like mine. I have always shied way from putting anything on my face. From lotion to sunscreen to foundation, I have generally refused. But now... I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't seeing it myself ... applying lotion morning and night has significantly reduced the amount of oil my face produces. It is a miracle.

Irritated sensitive skin takes a long time to heal, but for the first time in over 6 months I feel like I am on my way. I recommend you take a look at the links I have provided if you want more details on what I've learned.

Nutrition

The next thing I would like to share is about nutrition. I have been doing a lot of research on blood sugar because I believe insulin response has been a big player in my hormone imbalance. About a week ago while I was website browsing I came across something called the DSP. While I am certainly NOT into diets and so called 'solutions,' I have found the information in this program to be very sound and quite educational. As I generally agree with everything I've read from the program, I thought I'd share it with you.

What I found to be the most intriguing was the Metabolism Type Test. I took the test and learned that I have a Protein Type Metabolism. From the program:

Protein Types

Protein Types typically crave rich, fatty foods such as pizza, sausages, and salty roasted nuts. If you are a Protein Type, chances are that you love food. You may not feel satiated after a snack and may often feel hungry, even after eating a large meal. When you have eaten too many carbohydrates, you tend to crave sugar. And once you start eating sugary foods, you want more and more and may find it difficult to stop. Sugar often causes you to feel jittery and will quickly make your energy levels drop.

Protein Types may have tried to lose weight by using extreme calorie-cutting methods, only to be unsuccessful—and feel miserable in the process. Protein Types cannot successfully lose weight by drastically decreasing calorie intake.

When Protein Types eat the wrong kind of food, they may notice energy problems—extreme fatigue or a wired “on edge” feeling. Eating often makes them feel better when they feel anxious, nervous, or shaky, but then they feel worse soon afterward. These cycles of energy ups and downs are definite signs of a mismatch between metabolism type and food consumption.

What Does a Protein Type Need?

Protein Types need a diet high in proteins and fats and low in carbohydrates. But think balance—not the Atkins Diet! Protein Types can eat various carbohydrates in the form of some grains, fruits, and vegetables, as long as they are adequately balanced with proteins and fats.

Because Protein Types metabolize food more quickly than other metabolism types (which is why they feel hungry all the time), heavier protein choices such as whole eggs, dark-meat poultry, beef, and dairy are essential for ideal meal planning. These foods have long been considered “unhealthy” because of their high fat content, but as you will learn in the Chapter on Fats, saturated fat is not the cause of disease; refined carbohydrates, processed foods, and hydrogenated oils are. Protein Types who do not eat heavy proteins with a high fat content will be hungry all day and struggle with their weight. Even worse, they will almost always feel fatigued and anxious.

“Must Dos” for Protein Types

- Eat protein at every meal and with every snack. Eating only carbohydrates at a meal causes your blood sugar to spike and then drop quickly, which will leave a Protein Type feeling hungry, fatigued, and anxious as well as cause cravings for more carbohydrates shortly afterward. Eating protein—especially animal protein—at every meal and for snacks will help to control your blood sugar levels and leave you feeling satiated and steady throughout the day. Again, remember to listen to your body; pay attention to which meals and snacks leave you hungry or craving more.

- Eat small meals frequently or healthy snacks between meals. Protein Types need to eat often; otherwise, they’ll suffer from extremely low blood sugar levels. Going too long between meals (or snacks) also will create ravenous hunger, which in turn will cause overeating at the next meal—only to lead to lethargy and an uncomfortable feeling afterward.

- Avoid refined carbohydrates. Foods such as bread, crackers, and pastas— especially those made from wheat—can be extremely disruptive for Protein Types. Wheat breaks down into sugar faster than any other grain and causes the rapid release of large quantities of insulin. That is why sprouted whole grain bread products are the only allowable sources of bread on the Diet Solution Program. These products are described in the Chapter on Grains.

- Avoid most fruits and fruit juices. Fruits are a wonderful, healthy food, but Protein Types need to be extra careful with their fruit selections. Some fruits are quickly converted to sugar in the bloodstream and cause extreme blood sugar fluctuations. The best fruit choices for Protein Types are apples and avocadoes (high in fiber and low in sugar). Some people may be able to eat more of these fruits than others.

I don't generally eat a lot of meat. I don't really like it all that much. I love vegetables and fruit. But I also crave pizza, crackers and bread on a daily basis. I often feel fatigued and hungry. In fact I am almost always hungry... to the point where my mind is telling me that if I don't eat I will soon die of starvation. True to form, when I do eat I typically eat anything I can get my hands on and generally too much of it. And when I eat pizza, crackers or bread, I become more hungry and I start craving cookies and ice cream. I have learned in the last few weeks that I am very sensitive to carbohydrates and now I am considering the possibility that I do not eat enough protein to give my body what it needs to feel satisfied.

Thompsons are big eaters.

Having learned all this, I am going to do the next logical thing. I will adjust my diet to fit the DSP. Over the next three weeks I will be following the meal plans suggested in the program and keeping a daily journal on how my body reacts to the new food. I say new food, but the only thing that will really be changing is how much protein I eat. If my experiment proves successful not only will I stop feeling ravenous all the time, but I will have a much better understanding of my body and what makes it behave the way that it does. All Thompsons can benefit from that.