Shoney
03-08-2007, 07:49 PM
I have been a vegan since early November of last year. No slip-ups whatsoever in terms of meat, and only in the last month I have had anything with dairy in it, which was minimal. My being vegan has meant that I've been eating a lot of raw-most days are at least 50%. Of course, some days have also been close to zero, some days 95% or even 100. I eat a lot of raw "cheese," salads, vinegar, Ezekiel bread, nuts and seeds and fresh fruit. I drink water, fresh lemon or limeade with maple syrup or herbal tea when I'm thirsty, and except for the past month had no coffee or alcohol whatsoever. I have experimented with colon cleansing in the form of salt water flushes, bentonite and psyllium. Laxative tea is not an option as I used to abuse chemical laxatives, and so using senna causes severe and excruciatingly painful cramping.
At first I lost 10 pounds, which has fluctuated, now it's more like 8. My skin, and only on the left side of my face, has been breaking out like crazy and it has nothing to do with the time of the month. I use organic/vegan skin care products 99% of the time and have tried all my old "tricks" (honey/brown sugar/apple cider vinegar scrubs; chamomile tea, etc.). My periods, which have always been extremely heavy and painful (one time lasted six weeks and required medical attention to keep me from bleeding out), have been getting lighter, PMS symptoms fading FAST, and no cramping now at all which is, to me, a miracle. My cramps were near-debilitating.
This is the thing, though. My face is still breaking out, I'm about 60 pounds overweight, and have tried juicing, the Master Cleanse, etc., but it triggers too much e.d. stuff for me. I am very very frustrated about my weight and skin problems. Not to mention the fact that I am no longer having 5 large easy bowel movements a day, it's more like one small one and I never feel "done" afterwards. I've been breaking out most of my life but NEVER like this, and even if I don't pick at the acne most of the zits leave scars. A part of me is ready to throw in the towel and just go back to eating the way I used to - lots of milk, meat daily, white bread, lots of sugar and diet Pepsi. But I don't want to throw away the improvements in my menstrual cycle. And, hey, 8 pounds down is 8 pounds, you know?
I know our society often expects the instant cure miracle pill and all that, but I don't feel that I do. I have put a tremendous amount of effort (not to mention money) in eating healthy for 4 months and exercising as my back problems allow (and usually I gain weight exercising anyways). But my weight is driving me nuts, I have never been this depressed about it before, and feel, well, a bit down.
Any words of advice, particularly from those who have overcome these things, would be very much appreciated.
Blessings,
Shoney
At first I lost 10 pounds, which has fluctuated, now it's more like 8. My skin, and only on the left side of my face, has been breaking out like crazy and it has nothing to do with the time of the month. I use organic/vegan skin care products 99% of the time and have tried all my old "tricks" (honey/brown sugar/apple cider vinegar scrubs; chamomile tea, etc.). My periods, which have always been extremely heavy and painful (one time lasted six weeks and required medical attention to keep me from bleeding out), have been getting lighter, PMS symptoms fading FAST, and no cramping now at all which is, to me, a miracle. My cramps were near-debilitating.
This is the thing, though. My face is still breaking out, I'm about 60 pounds overweight, and have tried juicing, the Master Cleanse, etc., but it triggers too much e.d. stuff for me. I am very very frustrated about my weight and skin problems. Not to mention the fact that I am no longer having 5 large easy bowel movements a day, it's more like one small one and I never feel "done" afterwards. I've been breaking out most of my life but NEVER like this, and even if I don't pick at the acne most of the zits leave scars. A part of me is ready to throw in the towel and just go back to eating the way I used to - lots of milk, meat daily, white bread, lots of sugar and diet Pepsi. But I don't want to throw away the improvements in my menstrual cycle. And, hey, 8 pounds down is 8 pounds, you know?
I know our society often expects the instant cure miracle pill and all that, but I don't feel that I do. I have put a tremendous amount of effort (not to mention money) in eating healthy for 4 months and exercising as my back problems allow (and usually I gain weight exercising anyways). But my weight is driving me nuts, I have never been this depressed about it before, and feel, well, a bit down.
Any words of advice, particularly from those who have overcome these things, would be very much appreciated.
Blessings,
Shoney