Like….Bills Bills Bills….get it? OK, this isn’t a post about me popping hard drugs. This is about my vitamin and supplement history.
Over the past few years, I have starting caring more about myself. There is something about falling in love that really makes you start doing positive things to better your well being. I attribute this interest to that and just getting older.
As a woman, you are given all sorts of advice about how to make your skin glow, look younger, have fuller and better hair, whiter teeth, toned physic, better eyebrows, no mustache, etc etc etc. The list is really never ending because as soon as you get a hold on one thing, you wake up noticing another. We are raised to be this way and although I know this, it doesn’t prevent me from obsessing about a mustache I appear to be growing now.
This all being said, I’ve tried a ton of things. My daily ritual has changed so much in the past 5 years, I’m starting to actually run out of new things to try. Vitamins have always been a mystery to me. I have read so many articles about them working and not working. I still don’t know if they work actually. Part of me truly believes that all I’m doing is telling myself my hair is better or my nails are better. But really I would get the same results if I waved a magic wand over myself.
At one point, I was walking around this city with a days of the week pill container like I’m 80 years old. Well eventually, after being tired of rattling around the city, I had to ask myself if this stuff was really working. I wasn’t feeling any different then I was before. And all these pills can add up to a lot of money a month:
Digestive Advantage Daily Probiotic
I really thought these were helping me. I have a lot of anxiety around going to the bathroom. It sounds crazy but at 34 years old I get stage fright if I have to go to the bathroom with people around and I know they can hear me. It really sucks actually because what ends up happening is I end up getting super bloated because I really do have to go to the bathroom but my mind will not let me. I think it also lead to a lot of urinary tract infections due to me not being able to flush certain things out of my body.
It’s an issue that is slowly getting better. I do think the daily probiotic helped. It regulated the time when I had to go to the bathroom. When I expected it to happen I was able to go.
As of January 2nd, I have not taken them. When I did the Whole 30 it helped with my digestive issues. So although I think this really did help me, I didn’t seem to need help with this anymore. I don’t want to take a pill if I feel I don’t need it.
Diurex Water Pills
This ties in with the previous issues. Although they worked, they were not the best to take. They would give me headaches occasionally and when I would drink, it would make my hangovers exceptionally brutal. Taking a water pill when you are already dehydrating yourself is probably one of the dumbest thing you can do to yourself. First, your skin takes a beating. I looked like an actual skeleton in the mornings. Pale, dark circles and Grand Wrinkle Station. It was actually one of the reasons I started using so much facial lotion. And although that is also good to do, it would take a few days for my skin to return to looking normal.
(This was basically my look on Sundays)
So, although having a little water weight can be annoying. It’s not worth looking like the Crypt Keeper the next day. Plus, they aren’t that great for you if you are using them to lose some extra pounds [Are Water Pills Healthy? – LIVESTRONG]. For me specifically, my potassium levels became crazy low when I was taking them and the headaches really sucked.
Apple Cider Vinegar (Pills)
This is kind of a funny story. I started drinking apple cider vinegar because I read it is very good for you. And at the time, I was pretty desperate because I was not feeling great every day.
Anyway – I go to the story and I grab a bottle of this. You can make a bunch of stuff with it like dressing etc so it was right there with all the other types of oils and vinegar’s. I brought it back to my office and mixed it with some water. Took a sip and I almost vomited. It tastes terrible and unless I felt some immediate wave of relief, I thought there was no way I was going to take this shot of shit every day. But I did for a week. Then I was on the phone with my mom and she asked me why I didn’t just take the pill version. THE PILL VERSION?! I should have known they would make this into a pill. Anyway, I headed down to GNC, bought a bottle and threw it in my pills case.
Sadly, I noticed nothing from taking this. I wish I did and I know other people that swear by it but at the time it just didn’t do enough to mask the other things I was going through. (I was lactose intolerant and had no idea.) Perhaps, I will try taking it again and see if anything happens…but you know the pill version.
Vital Proteins – Collagen Peptides
This is the most recent and biggest life changer so far. The name itself turns me off, but ever since I started taking this, my skin condition has been like 90% better. While doing the Whole 30, I had read about this in the book. They even write on the package itself that it’s Whole 30 compliant. Then a friend of mine said she took it and it was great for her. I had given up the pills above at this point so I thought why not. Then I realized it’s a powder and I probably can’t put this in my pill case. BUTTTTT that’s OK.
I noticed changes almost immediately which is something that I love. Instant Gratification and Pie are among my favorite things in life. My skin is so much more hydrated and almost glows. My Folliculitis on my legs started to dry up and I found shaving less painful. For someone like me, who feels like they have tried everything I could try, I can’t believe how well this worked. Working it into my morning coffee is so easy and I almost look forward to it. It’s tasteless and dissolves so easily. As Tom would say “SWISH”. You can get it at Whole Foods but my advice it to order it on Amazon [Vital Proteins].
Anyway – I have put away my pill case and will save it for when I’m 80 years old. Vital Proteins and giving up lactose ended up being the 2 things that have really made all the difference. It is sort of frustrating that I did have to go through so many things to get to this place. There are some things I didn’t even mention only because they were so ridiculous and short lived (i.e. I tried Witch Hazel…what the hell, don’t even ask). I still haven’t solved my mustache issue either but I’m guessing that can only be handled by tweezers for right now. That’s way down the list.
Gurl Jonez 
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