whew. this is a post i never ever ever thought i’d write.*
*also, perhaps a post with the least amount of photos i’ve ever written.
before i dive into the bad news, there’s some background info you need to know.
1. i have always suffered from mildly severe acne since high school (not severe acne, but definitely worse than mild…). my face had phases of looking good and being a complete disaster, but my back and chest are pretty much always broken out. this has led to not wearing many tank tops or strapless dresses, taking birth control for almost 10 years to try to regulate my hormones and help with the acne, trying every over the counter medicine i could find, taking some prescription meds for the acne, and even going to the point of going tanning to try to make it go away.
2. my skin has been really really really bad lately. i went back to a dermatologist about two weeks ago and she prescribed me two topical treatments for the acne. but warned me that it would probably get worse before it gets better when i started using the medicine. it’s gotten worse. and that’s really an understatement.
3. i’ve been talking monthly with my health coach (a perk of being an iin student – we get our own health coach!). during our conversation this month, i mentioned my skin and i updated her on my dermatologist visit and the prescriptions she gave me.
—–
there. i think we’re all caught up now.
now it’s time for the sad/bad news.
while i was speaking with my health coach, she asked if i’ve ever tried changing my diet to help with my skin. i answered her honestly that i knew it would probably be a good idea to do an elimination diet and try to see if anything really seems to trigger my acne, but that i had never even really considered trying it.
note – my acne does seem to be at least partially tied to hormonal cycles, but even if dietary changes could help a little, i’m all for it!
so of course, she gave me some tough love and helped me realized that if i want to get down to the root of the problem and not just put a band aid on it and treat the symptoms, i’d have to put on my big girl panties and try eliminating some things to see if i have any dietary sensitivities.
oh, but she had a tidbit to soften the blow (or so she thought).
she said that dairy is often something that can affect acne and that she thinks i should start by just eliminating dairy for at least a month and see if i can tell a difference.
ouch.
but i’m a wisconsin girl. there really isn’t much that i love more than some good, flavorful, cheese. pair it with wine or beer or crusty bread and i’m in heaven!
but then she said something that really made me stop freaking out.
if you have a hard time with it, just remember that you’re doing it for your health.
ok ok. if you bring my health into it, i can do anything for 30 days.
so that’s where i am.
i’m eliminating dairy from my diet for 30 days and then seeing where i go from there.
it’s definitely going to be a challenge. yesterday was the first full day of no dairy and i definitely had to be conscious of not grabbing some cheese to put on my tacos for dinner or not eating a chobani for a snack, but i was totally satisfied by all of my snacks and meals once i chose an alternate option. i just had to mix things up a bit compared to how i usually eat.
also, brad made it pretty clear that he has no interest in joining me on this little diet adventure. so there will still be cheese and milk in the fridge. it would definitely be easier if we kept it out of the house so it wasn’t staring me down every time i go get something to eat, but i still think i’ll be able to manage.
and now i’m torn.
do i hope that my skin improves after this month and i find out one of the things that is contributing to my acne?
or do i hope that nothing changes so i prove it’s not dairy that’s a problem and i can return to my beloved cheese?
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