It is a hard reality and on my website, I speak truthfully about the cold facts about eczema healing. There is no quick fix and as a man You have to dig deep to find the natural power to win this battle.

For years now I have not had a single eczema flareup. I have been using the knowledge and routines you can find in my free book and app. But remember that knowledge is useless without the discipline to implement it. And that is what this article is all about.

Discipline is what keeps you on the right path and in time you will find it to be your best friend on the journey towards eczema healing.

Mr. Eczema is always just behind you. He is ready to attack if you let your guard down. Eczema flareups are the pain he will inflict on your body and you instantly know that you have failed.

To stay on the right path and do what is right I often look to Jocko Willink. He is my Eczema Drill-instructor and his no-nonsense approach to daily discipline inspires me. His book Discipline Equals Freedom is a MUST-READ for every eczema-warrior. In the following, you will hear snippets from the book spoken by Jocko himself.

TRAILER for the book

Jocko’s message and voice is making Mr. Eczema duck for cover – He is really in trouble now!

The warpath

When I finally decided to confront Mr. Eczema head on I knew I had to go on the warpath. I felt there was no other way. Either I did it 100% or the path to permanent healing would be a long drawn-out endeavor.

Diet

You have to stay clear of all the daily temptations that look so delicious, but you know will provoke a flareup. Even if the foods you are craving are not directly causing a flareup it might not be good for your overall health. As eczema-warriors we need to stay on the right path and always choose the healthier alternative. If no healthy alternative is available, it is better to have nothing at all. A short faste is always better than a sugar-coated cookie!

For me the exclusion of milk and eggs have been an issue that took a while to get on top of. These ingredients are in many of the foods I used to eat, so finding alternatives was quite a challenge. Slowly learning to find alternatives was hard, but I found out that products labeled VEGAN is safe to eat. So much so that when we go to a burger restaurant, I order the VEGAN burger with a large steak. By being flexible and using your ingenuity daily life is suddenly not so hard afterall.

The diet-choices meant no more cakes, milkshakes, milk on the daily cereals. But also finding the willpower and confidence to ask for alternatives when at a party or eating out. All these daily trials build and exercise your ability to handle your diet in a disciplined way. In time you will learn to stay clear of the small daily temptations and things that might cause an eczema flareup.

I have not had a flareup for several years now, but I have not taken the chance on any food in that period either. You can do the same and trust me, its getting into a habit sooner than you might think. Discipline regarding diet is your best friend and make it able for you to go after other goals. It might be getting in shape and fit for the beach season next summer or some otherwise unattainable accomplicement.

As you know the road to eczema healing is not covered with cookies and doughnuts, instead it consists of healthy foods. So when somebody suddenly comes by and offers free doughnuts…. I think Jocko has an opinion about that!

Stay disciplined every day

Even how hard you try sometimes you will make a wrong choice and an eczema flareup will come seemingly out of the blue. When that happens it is normal to feel overwhelmed and sorry for yourself. It is here you start doubting yourself and whether you have what it takes.

Instead of getting soft – Get angry.! Get more motivated than ever before and analyze the time up to the flareup like a forensic expert. Where did Mr. Eczema come from and what was his weapon?

I have had these seemingly out-of-the-blue eczema flareups a number of times until I found the source and could eliminate it.

Suddenly you feel the itching, stinging sensation of an eczema flareup about to explode in your face. But what can you do?. You will just have to take it head-on and focus on staying strong in the coming healing process.

Each time this has happened to me I have gotten a little closer to knowing my own eczema. By applying that knowledge and staying disciplined to do what is right, you can, like me, in time become 100% healed from eczema.

Stay Focused

Every day is a new day to heal your eczema. By doing the right things and staying clear of all the temptations that can ruin your progress. Think of every day as an opportunity to become a tougher, more disciplined, and better version of yourself. Having this in mind you will eventually get there.

Challenging yourself is a great way to discipline your mind so it is strong when temptations come. Discipline also helps you to do the daily skincare routines and stay clear of unhealthy foods and soaps in the shower.

I personally use the daily shower to train my mental will-power. By ending the shower with a cold rush I do something that is not pleasant at the moment, but afterward, you feel like a superhero.

When the opportunity for a winter-dip in the fjord presents itself my mental will-power is really challenged. But there is no way I will pass on such a great opportunity to show Mr. Eczema who he is up against!

So stay focused and stay disciplined. You can win this war, but some battles will be lost in the process. Accept that and just keep moving forward with a strong focus on the overall goal – To become eczema-free.

You can do it!

Jocko motivational videos

I am a great fan of Jocko´s motivational messages. He has a podcast and a bunch of videos that show how you can utilize discipline in other aspects of your life.

Here are some of my favorites.

The post No Discipline – No Healing appeared first on Man's guide to eczema healing.

Turn on your favorite music and take your morning coffee into the bathroom. Now is the time to relax and take care of your skin so you are ready to step out into the world.

Eczema and bathing can be difficult to discipline. How to wash when the skin is affected by eczema.

The most important element in my skincare is the daily bath. This is where the skin is cleaned so that any eczema does not become infected with a bacterial or fungal infection. Clean skin is the basis for effective treatment with prescription creams. During the process, it is important to keep the skin barrier as undisturbed as possible.

The top layer of the skin is a combination of skin cells and natural fats (lipids). Therefore, the skin barrier can be easily damaged by soap. For that reason, I have stopped using soap, unless it is for local washing of eczema spots before I disinfect them. Instead of soap, I use fine table salt or a washing cloth. Soap is a collective term for shower gel, shampoo, and whatever else you normally wash with in the bath.

Salt may be a new thing in your bathroom, but it is very effective in keeping the skin clean. It is inexpensive and contains no problematic chemicals. It will even gently tell you if the skin is damaged by burning a little bit. Pay special attention to these areas when applying your prescription creams after the bath.

There are two types of baths, depending on whether you have active eczema or not. I will describe the bathing procedure in two different ways. The first is used when the eczema is active and must be treated with prescription creams. The second is a normal bath when the skin is healed and in a healthy state. Here, however, it still needs care and attention to keep the skin barrier intact.

The water should be lukewarm during the bath and the final rinse can be cold if you dare.

Before you begin, take the time to inspect your body to assess where you have spots that need to be treated with the creams prescribed by your doctor after bathing. This makes it easier to focus on these places during the bath and when applying different creams afterward.

Take out the various creams, deodorants, and other medications and place them in “order of application” on the table in the bathroom, so they are ready when you get out of the bath.

Active eczema bath

• Fine table salt
• Mild hypoallergenic soap
• 0.2% chlorhexidine
• Towel

• Start by rinsing with lukewarm water.

• Apply mild soap to the areas where the eczema is present and massage it gently.

• Rinse off the soap.

• Take a handful of fine salt and gently rub the whole body.

• Rinse the body with lukewarm water.

• Gently dry the body parts where eczema is present or usually occurs. Apply 0.2% chlorhexidine to these areas. Wait for approximately two minutes for the next step.

• Rinse in lukewarm or cold water until you feel refreshed.

• Pat yourself dry.

• Apply the cream prescribed by your doctor to the eczema spots. Do not apply other creams to these areas for at least ten minutes, so that the active substances can be effectively absorbed by the now clean and disinfected skin.

• Apply moisturizer to the parts of the body that have not been treated with the prescription cream.

• Apply moisturizer to the eczema spots after approx. ten minutes.

Normal bath

• Fine table salt
• Towel

• Start by rinsing yourself with lukewarm water.
• Take a handful of fine salt and gently rub the whole body.
• Rinse with lukewarm water.
• Rinse with cold water until you feel refreshed.
• Dry the skin gently.
• Apply moisturizer all over your body.

For practical reasons, I use a plastic jar with a screw-on lid for the salt. If I drop the jar in the shower, it doesn’t splinter and you often have small empty plastic containers of food supplements, vitamins, etc. in your home.

When using prescription steroid creams, it is important to continue using them even when there is no visible eczema. If you suddenly stop using them, you risk the so-called rebound effect, where the eczema comes back again and a new cycle of treatment has to be started. In the long run, you will use less prescription cream than if you use a stop-and-go strategy.

Experiences with this bath have shown me that I smell significantly less sweat than when I used soap products. I don’t know the specific reason, but I suspect that a body in balance returns to a more natural state. When we lived out in nature, we didn’t wash with soap, so maybe the smell is an expression of the body’s natural balance being disturbed.

Have a nice Bath :-).

The post The Bath appeared first on Man's guide to eczema healing.

If you want to keep healthy body weight, they can also be a good alternative to other more unhealthy snacks. When one’s candy craving comes in the evening, it’s perfect to thaw a frozen banana bite instead of going in the candy closet.

Banana bites are easy to produce and children can easily help make them in the kitchen. It’s a simple recipe and there are many ways to improvise with other ingredients than the ones I have chosen.

Ingredients

• 6 well ripe bananas, dark brown with “leopard spots”

• 0,5 tsp salt

• 1 tsp vanilla sugar

• 1 deciliter Oat-milk

• 0,5 deciliter wheat flour

• 1,5 deciliter oatmeal or müsli

• 1 deciliter coconut flour

• 50 grammes 70 % dark chokolade (chopped)

• Chopped nuts

Procedure

Once the bananas, spices and oatmeal are in, whisk well with a hand mixer.

Then add the wheat flour and whish again. The rest of the ingredients are added and stirred until well mixed. It can be done with a pot spoon, but not with a hand mixer, as it crushes it too much into a moochi blend.

By using the metal ring from a Eva Solo steak presses you can easily shape the cakes. Dip the metal ring in water before and in between each filling and the dough will release easily. You can also put blobs of cake dough on the baking paper and then they get a more organic shape :-).

The banana bites are baked at 200 degrees for approx. 30 min. They are done when they get a little brownish ontop.

After cooling down, you can eat them immediately or put them in the freezer for later use. It’s a good idea to use the “black” bananas that no one really bothers to eat anyway. This minimizes food waste and saves money on a tight budget.

When the cakes are done baking, you can let them cool on a rack. They can stay in the fridge for a relatively long time, and are best kept in the freezer if you do not get to eat them within a few days. Then they are also easy to pick up and put in the lunch box in the morning.

The post Banana-Bites – Healthy snack without dairy and eggs appeared first on Man's guide to eczema healing.

Vegan chia porridge is a healthy supplement to your diet and super easy to make as it does not need to be cooked. Just put it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight and it is done. It can do this because chia seeds can absorb water 10-12 times their own weight.

The chia seeds swell and become jelly-like, giving a consistency like other types of porridge. I season with cinnamon, stevia and a little salt. But you can decide for yourself what taste you want the porridge to have. It is only the imagination that sets the limit, as the chia seeds themselves are almost tasteless.

When the time comes to eat the porridge, you can mix in some fruit or berries. A bit of your favorite jam is also a good choice and gives a nice color.

As chia seeds are full of fiber, the porridge gives a good and long-lasting feeling of satiety. If you use stevia as a sweetener, you will get a porridge that contains very few calories. That is also why chia porridge is perfect if you want a healthy and low-calorie meal.

Recipe

• Pour 20 grams of chia seeds into a glass
• 1 dl water
• 1 dl oat drink / barista oat drink
• Grated coconut
• A little salt
• 1 teaspoon Stevia (or sugar / honey)
• A little Cinnamon
• Put in the fridge overnight or just a few hours

If you want to play a little more with the recipes, here is a video that shows a lot of other combination options. Chia porrigde is also nemed “Overnight Oats”, because they are left to sit in the fridge overnight. The concept and procedure are the same as with porridge made from chia seeds alone.

However, some of the recipes are not vegan, as there is yoghurt in it, but you can just omit it or replace it with vegan soy or oat yoghurt. My favorite is Naturli’s JOE ‘KURT – NATURAL . Their fruit-flavored versions are also just delicious:-).

What are chia seeds?

Chia seeds are small seeds that originally came from South America and have now found their way into the Western diet. This is a great advantage as these seeds are full of good properties and can help add important vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein to your diet.

Chia seeds are high in protein

Like other nuts and seeds, chia seeds contain relatively much protein. In addition, chia seeds are pure whole grains, as all parts of the seed are used and thus you get many of the nutrients that are found in the shell parts of the seed.

Chia seeds contain 17% protein and 9 essential amino acids. These amino acids are essential because our body cannot make them by itself, but is dependent on getting them supplied through the diet. Protein is necessary to improve and maintain our muscles, just as it gives a longer feeling of satiety. This is because protein takes quite a long time to be broken down in the intestinal system and the body also uses a lot of energy in this process. This makes it a good choice for the health- and weight-conscious person.

Chia seeds are gluten-free, making it a good choice for those who suffer from gluten intolerance .

Rich in fiber

Chia seeds contain approx. 35 g of fiber per 100 g, and is thus extremely rich in dietary fiber. In fact, it is five times as much fiber per. 100 grams compared to quinoa and corn.

As fiber is not digestible, it also gives a longer feeling of satiety and can help in the weight-loss process. Fiber also helps keep bowel movements going and prevents a hard stomach.

The high fiber content of chia seeds makes it easy to get the recommended 25-35 g daily.

Chia seeds contain healthy omega-3 fatty acids

Chia seeds contain so many of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. For that reason, chia seeds can be processed into chia seed oil. Omega-3 fatty acids are the specific type of unsaturated fat that has been shown to improve heart health and reduce inflammation in the body. It is part of the so-called anti-inflammatory diet, which has proven good for your health.

Chia seeds contain three specific fatty acids: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), but are highest in ALA. DHA and EPA are the fatty acids that have the largest association with cardiovascular health.

High calcium content

Chia seeds are the perfect example of a vegan non-dairy product that is a rich source of calcium. Gram for gram, chia seeds contains more calcium than a glass of milk. Calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus are all essential for heart, dental, and bone health and can be difficult nutrients to get enough of for those with lactose intolerance or dairy allergies. Therefore, chia porridge can provide an alternative source of the nutrients that are otherwise found in milk and dairy products.

Magnesium

The magnesium content is higher than in cow’s milk. Magnesium is an important mineral that plays a crucial role in the transmission of signals through the heart and the rest of your body. It is also important for the health of your muscles, including the heart muscle. 100 g of chia seeds contain 340 mg of magnesium. The recommended daily intake is between 300-400 mg.

Phosphorus

Like magnesium and calcium, phosphorus is a mineral that is essential for good health. It is an important part of our cell’s energy storage molecule called ATP. It is essential for the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats and works together with calcium to keep bones and teeth strong and healthy.

The post Vegan Chia Porridge – Easy, healthy and delicious appeared first on Man's guide to eczema healing.

As an eczema patient, it’s important to display some kind of bodyweight management. When a person develops eczema he is 8% more likely to become overweight or obese. But the opposite is also the case. A person that develops overweight or obesity is more prone to having skin problems like atopic dermatitis.

Effects of obesity on the skin

A 2017 study of American women found that skin barrier and moisturizing functions were significantly impaired by obesity, resulting in considerable dryness and roughness, compared with nonobese women.

Atopic eczema becomes a problem due to chronic inflammation in the whole body due to high caloric intake. That creates systemic inflammation combined with insulin resistance, demonstrated by altered levels of interleukin (IL)-6, leptin, adipokines, and insulin.

In another study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, online March 16, 2011, the findings point to the same conclusions:

• Small children who are obese may be more likely to develop severe eczema
• Compared to children who weren’t obese, kids who became obese between the ages of 2 and 5 years old had more than three times the risk of developing the condition. If they were even younger when they became obese – babies or toddlers – their risk of the uncomfortable skin disease seemed to be even higher.
• Children who are obese for a long time are more likely to get eczema. If you’re able to reverse the obesity with weight loss, children may be less likely to develop eczema, or eczema symptoms may improve.
• Overall, the researchers found that obesity was nearly twice as common in children and adolescents with eczema. About nine of every 100 study participants with eczema were obese, compared to only five out of 100 without the skin disease.

The cost of overweight and obesity

The economic side of the matter is quite disturbing and the future outlook is not good. Healthcare costs are expected to rise dramatically in the coming years and place an already hard-pressed global healthcare system under even more pressure. For example, obesity is responsible for 70 percent of all treatment costs for diabetes, 23 percent of treatment costs for cardiovascular diseases, and 9 percent for cancers.

BodyMassIndex

Health care providers use the Body Mass Index(BMI), which is a measure of your weight in relation to your height, to define overweight and obesity. People who have a BMI between 25 and 30 are considered overweight. Obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30 or greater. You can calculate your BMI to learn if you are overweight or obese. Being overweight or obese may increase the risk of health problems. Your health care provider can assess your individual risk due to your weight.

A good indication of whether one is eating healthy is by looking at BMI and the body’s overall impression. A BMI in the lower part of the normal spectrum may indicate that you are staying clear of too many unhealthy foods and controlling your general intake of sugar. If the body appears “trimmed”, it is a good indicator that you are on the right track with the current diet.

To keep the weight in check you have to exercise and eat healthily. In my free book Eczemahealingguide you can read more about a healthy diet that is optimal for fighting both eczema and weight problems. You will also learn some mental techniques to keep doing the right thing as a part of your future life.

My way of managing weight is to keep an eye on whether my body changes over time. I do that quickly and easily every day by using a smart scale, which in addition to measuring your weight also analyzes a wide range of parameters such as muscle mass, fat percentage, bone mass, water content etc.

For that purpose, I use a Scanfit Bodypilot scale. It works by measuring the body’s electrical resistance (BIA) at different frequencies and matching it up against known values in databases, can derive so many precise parameters about one’s physical condition.

If you are a little geeky with training, diet and technique, then this type of analysis device is quite exciting. The fact that it automatically sends data to Apple health and the app is also a huge plus in a busy everyday life!

Read a really good review of the scale here and see if such a device might be something for you. In any case, it is a great help to me in the eternal effort to stay slim, strong, and healthy.

Diet to stay lean and strong

I think that my diet is quite an effective way of keeping the weight stable and at the same time build muscle. The dilemma is always how to get enough of the essential building blocks for muscle growth, but at the same time not have too many calories, so that you also gain weight.

I found out that oscillating between a muscle-building phase and a fat-burning phase during the week is the way to go. Thereby you eat what you need for the phase you are in and your food choices have a higher meaning than just keeping you full and satisfied.

The routine

• Only coffee (with a little oat milk) and carrots from I wake up until lunch
• At lunchtime, I have three pieces of rye bread with eg. cold cuts, salmon, mackerel, hummus, and pâté.
• At about 15 o’clock porridge made from oatmeal and müsli, no added sugar
• For dinner, dishes with meat, fish, or vegan steaks, falafel, etc. as a protein source. Rice, bulgur, lentils, pasta, couscous, etc. are carbohydrate sources. Rough green vegetables e.g. fried aubergines, broccoli, cabbage, scallions, carrots, etc. as a fiber/vegetable source.
• After dinner, there is no more food meaning that I will be fasting for about 16 hours, before I have my next meal at about 12 o’clock the day after. That is called intermitted fasting and a very healthy way to live. You give your body a chance to digest correctly and pause to have some of the many benefits of fasting. I use the app Zero on my phone and apple watch to keep track of my progress in this matter.

The porridge is made like this:

• 35 grammes of oatmeat + 35 grammes of müsli with no addad sugars
• Add about 2 dl. cold water
• Microwave for about 2.5 minutes at max wattage
• Add 1 dl. of oat milk and 1 teaspoon of raw cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon of Sukrin (zero calorie sugar alternative)
• Stir and let it sit for about two minutes

By keeping with this routine you do not have to think too much about what to eat and convincing yourself to eat healthy at every meal.

Of course, this diet is a little boring, but it is healthy and cheap. In fact, I find it to be the best fat-loss diet since it is so straightforward. It keeps you full and you always know what and when the next meal is there. By dividing the day into small manageable timeslots it is much easier to “stick-it-out” to the next meal.

Food choice for training days – maximizing protein

If you want a stronger body, but at the same time do not want to gain fat, then this meal plan is perfect. I’ve been doing it for many years and it works. It’s pretty impressive what an increased amount of high quality protein can do when you combine it with strength training a few times a week.

• Peeled carrots (about 200 g) for the drive to work
• At lunchtime : rice dish consisting of 250 grams of minced chicken, 100 grams of peas, curry, salt, one can of pineapple in pieces and a shot of coconut milk. Made in Rice cooker from Sistema.
• Fruit or the rest of the rice dish from dinner relieves hunger until dinner.
• Dinner, dishes with meat, fish or vegan steaks, falafel, etc. as a source of protein. rice, bulgur, lentils, pasta, couscous el. lign. as a carbohydrate source. Rough green e.g. fried aubergines, broccoli, cabbage, scallions, carrots, etc. as a fiber/vegetable source.

The rice dish with chicken, pineapple and coconut milk is made as follows:

The rice cooker is filled with the following:

• One cup of rice + 2 cups of water
• 450 grams of minced chicken
• Salt
• 100 grams of frozen peas

Heat the minced chicken meat, rice, salt, and water in the microwave for approx. 12 minutes at max. Wattage.
Add 1 dl. coconut milk, 1 teaspoon curry, a can of sliced pineapple in juice, and the frozen peas.

Stir and wait for approx. two minutes. Then there is a healthy hot dinner dish with high protein content.

During the day, I have no sugary soft drinks. Only juice, coffee, non-alcoholic beer, diet-coke or clean water with or without bubbles. As a snack, there is fruit, nuts and more carrots.

By following this routine, one does not have to think so much about what the next meal should consist of. Thus, it is easy to eat healthy at every meal. The bonus of this meal plan is that you can feel a marked improvement in the gym, while not gaining fat.

Of course, these meal plans are a bit tedious, but they are healthy and inexpensive. They keep you full and you always know what and when the next meal is. By dividing the day into small manageable time slots, it is much easier to “persevere” until the next meal.

Protein is not just protein

Many people probably think that proteins are simple building blocks that you just have to have enough of to stay healthy. But few are aware that proteins are a key term for a collection of amino acids. They are the real building blocks that our body needs to do everything relating to repairing cell damage, maintain and build muscle, secrete hormones, etc.

Proteins are made up of chains of amino acids. The composition of amino acids can be very different, depending on the type of protein in question. Here the difference between vegetable and animal is noticeable, as the animal proteins to a greater extent contain the combination of amino acids that the human body needs. It is actually quite logical that meat products contain the building blocks that is needed to build muscle, etc., while the composition of our body is less reminiscent of a plant.

There are 20 different amino acids from which the body can make protein. A distinction is made between the essential and the non-essential amino acids. There are 8 essential amino acids. They are characterized by the fact that the body can not make these from other substances. There are also 12 of the non-essential amino acids and these the body can produce from other substances.

No sugar

A major part of a healthy diet is to get rid of added sugar in your foods. This study shows that high sugar levels can damage your brain and cause or worsen dementia.

The exclusion of sugar is no big problem and your body adapts quite rapidly. It is just like turning the volume of your stereo down and your ears will adjust. The craving for sugary foods hangs on for the first couple of days. At the beginning of the process, you are most motivated and eager to do the right thing. That helps to get through the first “tough” days and after that, it becomes much easier. Things like raisins, fruits, and daddles are small explosions of sugary taste and you will be surprised how easy it is to relinquish added sugar.

The video below is one of the best if you really want to learn about the mechanics behind the obesity epidemic. They are need-to-know knowledge if you are serious about your health. You that you will be surprised by the facts that are presented.

Morning boost

To start the day with coffee and carrots are my prime choice. It is a power-boost of caffeine, fibers, vitamins, and antioxidants. Did you know that coffee has higher levels of antioxidants than blueberries?

Sometimes you will feel a little hungry at about 9 o’clock, but in a few hours, you will start your daily eating window. The foods I have use as part of my diet contain a high amount of protein, medium fats, and low natural sugars. On top, they have lots of fibers and healthy whole-grain carbohydrates to give energy and provide a feeling of satiety.

If you buy it – You eat it !

Another important part of the healthy diet is to clean out your house of any food that is not in sync with your goals and diet. This is again an important part of what I think is the best fat-loss diet.

To keep on the right path you must make a grocery list and stick to it. I have a saying: “If you buy it, You eat it”. Healthy foods need to be the only ones leaving the supermarket with you.

For the tempting times in the evening where the cravings come rushing in it is important to have a backup-plan in place. The plan is to have some healthy snacks ready in the cupboard. A bag of raisins, nuts, daddle or salty breadsticks can be the “emergency foods”. And when you crave a coke, then have some fruit juice. They may have the same calories, but now you got all the good vitamins instead of empty calories.

In the video below you will get even more knowledge about why we are in the midst of an obesity epidemic. This knowledge is good if you want to take back control of your lifestyle choices.

Weigh yourself often to stay on track

It is crucial to jump on the scale every single day to maintain progressive fat loss. It has been confirmed by science that people who lost weight and kept it off have daily weigh-ins. If you get two “high” measurements you might feel your progress has stalled. That is normally not the case. You can just not see the trends if you only step onto the scale some days. Below you see the fluctuations of my daily measurements. They are canceled out when you zoom out to Year-view.

When I follow my diet plan the result is a slow, but steady lowering of my body weight and body-fat percentage. The rate of weight loss is just above one kilogram a month, which is a healthy rate to reduce your weight.

As mentioned at the start of this article I use a smart scale to record my bodymetrics. If you haven’t found a good scale I can again recommend a scale like ec. the Scanfit BodyPilot or equivalent type of scale. It helps you to get insights into your body composition that make a huge difference in your journey to stay of becoming lean, fit, and strong.

Exercise – Keep muscle and lose fat

You have to find some kind of exercise that appeals to you. I lift weights for one hour two times a week and aim at getting 10.000 steps every day. My apple watch keeps track of all the exercise data and the daily weigh-in is also going into Apple-health.

By exercising you maintain your muscle mass and by performing weight- or resistance training you build bigger muscle. When your muscle mass is greater your body burns more calories even when you are not training. It is just like a car with a big engine. It will have a higher fuel consumption when idle than a car with a small engine.

Going slowly in the weight loss process minimizes the risk of losing muscle mass. And doing progressive resistance training while in a caloric deficit, you tell your body to hold on to the muscle. Because of the high nutritional content on the diet, I experience muscle growth while slowly becoming leaner. That is really what you want!

Walking – Fat loss acceleration

Walking is the easiest way of spending more calories and keeping muscle mass. The activity can be done everywhere and is free. The risk of injury is also extremely low compared to eg. running, playing football, or any other high-intensity sport. Combined with the fat-loss diet that I find to be the best, you can expect to see a gradual weight loss. But remember to be patient. Sometimes it takes just as long to fix it as it took to break it :-).

If I should recommend two videos about weight loss and walking it would be these two. They are my “go-to”-videos if I need some motivation myself or if people are asking about weight loss advice.

Discipline

Committing to a healthy diet and getting the exercise done can be hard. But if you do not eat healthily and burn more calories by training you will keep gaining weight. Some application of daily discipline is needed to stay on the right track. After the initial motivation has faded you have to rely on rules, routines, and self-discipline. It might be helpful to read my article about how I use and apply discipline to stay clear of my eczema condition and keep fit. Every day!

The post Bodyweight management appeared first on Man's guide to eczema healing.

Dairy products are things like cow’s milk, cream, cheese, and yogurt, but also other foods can have ingredients that contain milk proteins. Fortunately, international regulations advice to have these allergens in the ingredient list on food products and the word milk must be included.

It was after a long period of bad eczema that I first started looking for other people’s experiences with diet change, as a way to treat atopic eczema.

I came across a post on the internet, where a guy describes how dietary changes have made his eczema disappear. Especially the exclusion of dairy and cow’s milk had made a great impact.

Motivated by the prospect of an eczema-free life, I instantly stopped drinking milk and also refrained from eating products that contained milk as an ingredient.

After a short while my eczema almost disappeared and to test if milk was the cause, we did some quite unscientific tests at home with me as a guinea pig. The test was to refrain from all kinds of dairy products and then drink a small amount of milk after a couple of eczema-free days. The result was clear every time. After a minute or so of having milk eczema came again and always first as a tingling sensation in the skin which after a day became a visible eczema flare-up.

As an alternative to milk, I use oat milk from the supermarket. It is really good in coffee and muesli is now something I can eat again. In addition, oat milk has the advantage of very long shelf life and it stays fresh in the open state as long as it is in the refrigerator.

There are a growing number of brands so you have to test out which one you like the best.

A dairy-free diet seems to do the trick

Online you will find a lot of similar stories of eczema healing by excluding cows’ milk and dairy from your dairy. A good example of such a story is the one from Susan Marque in her post I Almost Died from Eczema: How a Nondairy Diet Saved Me.

It can be a combination of eczema and food allergies that make the road to healing more difficult. In this article from Healthline.com – How to Create an Eczema-Friendly Diet, this aspect is explained in an easy-to-understand way.

It reinforces my own experience in adjusting my diet to a dairy-free one and tells me that there is more to this subject than the established healthcare system and the dairy industry like to tell us.

Goodbye to sore throat

When I drank cow’s milk and ate dairy products I had a sore throat every winter. It was a recurring phenomenon and if you have had a sore throat once, you know how painful it can be. Therefore, I was very relieved as after the first milk-free winter I had not had a sore throat.

It has been like that since my diet change abstaining from dairy and cows milk.

Prostate cancer

If you are a man then your risk of having prostate cancer is increased by drinking milk. The higher the amount of fats in the milk, the more fatal the prostate cancer will be. High-fat content translates into aggressive cancer, whereas skimmed milk increases the chances of low-impact cancer. But both increase the overall risk of attracting this cancer that is widely spread in countries with a western diet high in sugars, processed foods, and dairy products.

You can read all about how a dairy-free diet has helped me to become eczema-free in my book Ezcema Healing Guide. But also just as important as why I just had to write a book, so that other eczema-sufferers can be inspired by my long journey to eczema-healing.

The post Dairy-free diet helps eczema appeared first on Man's guide to eczema healing.

The nasal cavities act as a filter for the air you breathe in and are filled with cilia. Their job is to catch pollen and impurities before they reach the lungs.  This “air filter” is important for keeping the body healthy, but can also be a place where allergenic pollen and dust can accumulate over time.

In many Asian countries, it is just as normal to wash the nose in this way as it is to wash the rest of the body.

I’ve been using the nasal horn several times a week and have fallen in love with it. The first time you rinse your nose you have that great feeling of the free airway – a bit like if you take a strong menthol candy. There is just so much more “throughput” that you become addicted to using your nasal rinser.

Since the rinsing of your nose can cause some splashing of water I use it as part of my bathing routine.

How to use the nasal rinser

The way I use the nasal rinser is:

• Fill the nasal rinser jug 3/4 with cold water.
• Pour in salt with the included spoon. 
• Pour to the brim with hot water from an electric kettle.  Thus you get approx. 37 degrees.
• Stir with the back of the spoon until all the salt is dissolved.
• Go into the shower and put the horn’s spout against one nostril.
• Turn your head slowly and the water will run through your nasal cavities and out of the free nostril.
• When approximately half of the water is used, you put your finger on the nostril where the nasal rinse’s spout is and blow water, etc.!  out of the free nostril.
• After a few calm breaths, the procedure is the same on the other nostril.
• Take a deep breath and enjoy the wonderful feeling of clean and free airways

Do not use lukewarm tap water, which could contain bacteria and other small insects that live in lukewarm water. That is most likely to occur in countries with primitive water distribution systems.

My preferred type of salt is sea salt. It does normally not contain an anti-caking agent, but there can be small impurities that you have to look out for.

To keep the nasal rinsing jug clean, I regularly give it a go in the microwave at 100% power with a little water in the bottom for about a minute. Be careful when you take it out, it is very hot.  Let it cool and it is fresh and ready to use again. 

I use the nasal rinse from Rhinohorn.dk, as the quality is top-notch. It is sold in danish pharmacies and I give it my best regards.

The post The Nasal rinser is my new best friend appeared first on Man's guide to eczema healing.

Skincare and treatment

To avoid a worsening of the eczema on your hands, it is essential to rebuild the skin barrier and at the same time treat inflammation.

After each hand-wash all soap should be rinsed well off and while hands are still moist, plenty of skin cream should be applied. You need a skin cream that is made for eczema skin and can replenish the skin with the compounds that are a natural part of our skin. It should be a cream that contains the same fats the skin now lacks and has lost due to the frequent washing. These are ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids. They are binding agents between the individual skin cells and create a skin that does not allow allergens to enter, but keeps in the body’s moisture.

I have sensitive skin and have for more than ten years been investigating what works in my personal skincare. Countless products have been tested, but so far the most effective skincare cream is the one from CeraVe. It contains the right combination of ceramides, lipids and fatty acids naturally used by the body in production and maintenance of healthy skin.

By using CeraVe cream or creams with similar ingredients you can help your skin to cope with the hardships it is now beeing exposed to.

Use cream in the morning after your morning-bath, after each wash and before bed. Since the cream absorbs quickly into the skin you can use it frequently, especially during the first “reconstruction phase”.

To reduce inflammation, the eczema you may have should be treated with a topical steroid cream. I would choose Locoid, which you need a prescribtion for. It is a class 2 cream and is quite effective, but the risk of side effects is very small.

It is important not to be nervous about using topical steroids. It should be remembered that skin with eczema and inflammation itself is a dangerous condition that poses a risk of worse things in the future. Therefore, it is important to treat your eczema and follow up with effective skincare.

It is only when using class 3/4 creams for a very long time in the same area that you can experience side effects in the long run.

The post Hand-eczema during the Corona-times appeared first on Man's guide to eczema healing.

On Amazon I saw thousands of positive reviews of the CeraVe-cream. After reading a lot of these reviews I had to try this cream and learn what this CERAMIDE was all about.

I bought two jugs of CeraVe moisturizing cream 340 grams from lookfantastic.dk. It was reasonably priced compared to a lot of other moisturizing creams made for eczema. These often tend to be quite expensive and thereby being unattractive in the long run. 

Before we go my experiences with the cream we need to learn more about the main active compound in CeraVe creams, the ceramides.

Ceramides

Us with atopic dermatitis has dry skin and our skin barrier is compromised because we lack fats called lipids in the top layer of the skin. Ceramides are skin-identical compounds that are a normal part of our skin. In normal skin these fatty lipids represent approximately 50 percent of the top layer. They keep the skin resistant against allergens and inhibit water from escaping the body. Normal people can produce these lipids including ceramides to keep the skin barrier tight and sturdy. Eczema patients do not produce enough to fill the spaces between the skin cells and therefore the skin barrier becomes leaky.

By applying lipids and ceramides to the skin in the form of cream you can help the skin to hold cells together by adding these essential fats to the skin barrier.

As we age the skin becomes drier as the level of lipids in the skin diminishes. For that reason the importance of adding creams containing ceramides becomes more important as time goes on.

Ceramides can is made synthetically or from natural sources, but chemically they are the same. Together with other fatty lipids like glycerin, fatty acids, and cholesterol, ceramides can work wonders for eczema skin.

CeraVe cream is recommended by the National Eczema Association in the U.S. 

My verdict

This is the best cream I have ever used. The cream is silky smooth to apply and absorbs quickly into the skin. My skin is now soft, moist and feels more robust than ever before. The use of steroid creams have gone down and for now I am in a period where I do not use them anymore. If this holds up in the long run we will have to see, but for now I am very pleased.

When I shower and use mild soap and salt my skin is now still oily and feel not as exposed as before. It seems like this cream in a way fills up the skin with oils, so the barrier is intact even after the shower.

I have been using the cream daily for a week after the shower, at high noon and before bedtime. In that short amount of time I can literally say that my skin has changed.

All in all I am very impressed and my skin just loves this cream. Hopefully it will keep doing its job at keeping the steroid creams at bay. 

Read more about diet, skin care and much more in my book.

References:

Wikipedia/Ceramide

The post CeraVe – Moisturizing cream for eczema appeared first on Man's guide to eczema healing.

It takes some self-discipline to avoid foods that you know will trigger your eczema. However, since you know the itching of red and inflamed skin from your own body, the risks of “taking a chance” are clear to you. That’s why you must firmly say “no!” to the food that you know or think may provoke an eczema flare-up.

The risk of “taking a chance” frequently leads to an eczema flareup that you have to treat with steroid creams for at least a week.

We all have a special mental tool we can use in a crisis situation. It is called the Warrior Mind and we all have it deep within ourselves. The Warrior Mind is a big asset in the healing process and will often provide you with the right course of action.

When weak-mind says CANDY, Warrior-mind says CARROT!!

Weak Mind is the voice in your head that’s always chattering and commenting. It likes instant pleasures no matter the consequences.

Warrior Mind is your intuition, your feeling that something is right. It will guide you to the best choices even if Weak Mind is complaining like a spoilt child.

Activate your Warrior Mind NOW!

The post Make a stand now! appeared first on Man's guide to eczema healing.