My Bodyweight Story

Losing weight for me is easier than gaining weight. In 28 years, I’ve transformed from being thin to chubby to skinny again and finally to current me now. I’ve been body shamed and have been told that I’m too thin and weak or I got fat.

In this blog, I’m writing about my experience with my weight, body changes, humiliation and struggles to lose and gain weight.

I have to gain weight to save myself when I was in my teenage years. I was very underweight and almost too weak to do much physical stuff. Then, I gained weight and got chubby. I try to change my weight and body appearance due to body shaming and self-insecurities. I want to share my bodyweight journey and ways to cope with body shaming and loving the body that was created for us.

FIRST OF, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE BODY SHAMING

I was a skinny child back then so a lot of my schoolmates used to teased me and even called me a 'broomstick'. I wasn't keen on food as a child. I love eating a lot of sugar, and I eat very little food, and I eat very slowly too. It's super hard for me to gain weight. I was just too thin for my size.

The skinny me before

When I moved to Hong Kong, that is when I started to gain weight. I gained about 15kg very quickly. I'm not sure why I gained so much weight, but I believe it's due to my excess consumption in junk food, and I was in my adolescent years. Anyways I became chubby after a year since moving to Hong Kong. I was told that I was too fat by my ex-boyfriend, so after some time, I started dieting and completely stopped eating rice. I grew up eating rice my whole life and getting rid of rice made me lose weight drastically. I became underweight in less than a year after I became chubby. The diet completely ruins my growth. I would've grown much taller if I didn't do dieting in such a young age.

I was again body-shamed for gaining a bit of weight when I was between 24-25 years old. I was merely happy, and I was in a very healthy relationship, but people don't approve of my size again. I started working out not because of what people say entirely. Although I was affected by people's words so, in a way, they were one of the reasons why I strive myself to get fit. It is also because I couldn't fit in my shorts and jeans anymore and I couldn't afford to buy new pairs so I workout instead of focusing on dieting.

Dieting doesn't go a hundred percent well with my body type. I am aware that dieting works for other people, but unfortunately, dieting does not work fully well with me. I would say dieting may only work for about 40% on me. When I do dieting, my body does reflect very quickly but very unhealthily too. My metabolism affects my body when I do dieting. I only do dieting when it is necessary; otherwise, I would continue to eatl the food I usually eat. I believe to be healthy, we all need greens, grains, proteins and even carbs and fats to make our body well-balanced.

I was body shamed more than a few occasions. I was hurt, and I took it personally. However, I learned to accept myself and not to let those judgemental words dictate me with my weight. As long as I am happy with my body, then no one should make me feel horrible. How did I do that? Well, the answer is simple, yet it took me a lot of effort to finally surpass it.

My chubby years

Whenever I look at myself in the mirror, I focus on the good deeds that I have done to myself and to others too. Then, I started to feel good about myself. Eventually, I learned to love my baby fats, and I accepted my flaws. I was not born with a nice pair of bums, pairs of long legs and balanced torso. You see my bums were flat, I got short legs, and I got two prominent ribs. These are not perfect, but I don't believe in perfection.

However, I do think that we can change that. I can't change the fact that I got short legs so; instead, I try to shape it up by doing some cardio exercises and legs workout such as lunges, squats and burpees. My bums were flat, so I do a lot of squats, lunges, pilates and yoga exercises. Unfortunately for my ribs, there is nothing much I can do, unless of course I remove them which is not very possible.

I have achieved so much since I started working out. I feel a lot healthier and stronger. I use all those criticisms as a way to redeem myself and to help myself love my body a lot better.

As of me in 2019

WHEN I STARTED GAINING WEIGHT

I have been skinny my whole life until I moved to Hong Kong when I was 13. I began to gain weight and eventually, I became chubby. From 44kg, I became 56kg in one year. How did that happen? For starters, I was more exposed to food when I move here as my parents allowed to hang out after school since I started high school. My go-to place is McDonald's. Imagine me eating every day in McDonald's, downing those junk food every day for a year. Of course, I would gain a lot of weight. Anybody would.

Since I gained weight, an ex-boyfriend of mine started body-shaming me, telling me that I've gone too fat so I need to go on a diet. He manipulated me to stop eating rice and to eat less instead of encouraging me to stop eating junk food. I was foolish enough to listen to that boy. Anyways, I lost about 18kg! I became 38kg. How did I know that? Well, we had this yearly check-up at school, and the nurse weighed me and told me that my BMI is too low and I am beyond underweight for my age, I was nearly 17 then. After learning, I started to quit dieting, and all I want to do is to gain more weight as I am already beginning to feel weak physically and mentally affecting me. It is so hard to get back on track in eating. My appetite had changed and was very low too. I can only consume a few spoonfuls of food. There were times that I would force myself to eat more, and I would feel like I need to vomit.

I will probably not let myself become very skinny again as it was a horrific experience and health should be on top of everyone's list. No one should tell us how we should handle our body or even change ourselves. We should be the one to know what is good for us.

STEPS I HAVE BEEN DOING OVER THE YEARS

1. EXERCISE REGULARLY

   Exercising can benefit you in many things such as better lifestyle, healthier body and mind, being productive and feeling strong. I find exercising somehow a bit hard to follow at first as I work full time and most of the time, I would feel tired from work. In spite of that, I still managed to find some time to exercise at least three nights a week. I feel less stressful after releasing all the sweat and unwanted stress in my body. I feel like I am whole again and ready to conquer the world.

   However, as much as exercising is good, it is not for everyone. You must check with yourself or with your doctor about your body types and what exercises are a good fit for you.

   When I started going back to the gym, the gym offered me to have my body assessed. I did the 360 fitness test. It is a machine that scans your body and let you know your muscles, fats and core percentages. As it turned out, my core muscle and thighs muscles are my strengths, and my arms are my weakness. In that test, I was nearly going to be overweight, so immediately I knew what to focus on to get fit and healthy. Doing that test had helped me understand my body more and what exercises are suitable for me to do.

2. YOGA MEDITATION

   Spending some time doing some yoga movement is a very positive way to meditate. Not only it helps calm your nerves and any tensions in your body, but it also makes your body flexible and helps you to have a proper posture. For those who work in an office and have to sit all day will experience their neck feeling stiff and their back feeling uncomfortable. That is because we spend so much time sitting, and eventually, we forget to adjust our posture, hence adding to our stress.

   Yoga has been such a big help for me and my back problem. I was a sloucher since I was a kid. I have never really improved my posture, not since I started doing yoga. It has helped me to remind myself to straighten my back from time to time. I would go and walk around from time to time and do a bit of stretching while at work. Stretching is good as it allows our blood to circulate and to avoid having blood clots.

3. DRINKING MORE TEA

   Tea is an excellent way to start a healthier lifestyle. However, tea consisting of caffeine-free are healthy ones. Drinking excessive of teas are not good though as your body will rely on it daily. I only drink one tea bag a day for five days a week, for instance. I do not want to overdrink tea as I don’t want my body to rely on tea so much that would lead me to be immune to it that will no longer take any effect on a sleepy kind of day when I most need it.

   Tea such as ginger tea helps me with my respiratory and green tea helps me with bowel movements.

   I got my tea from 'Teapigs' as they use real leaves and the flavours are definitely there. When I dip my tea temple into my cup for a few seconds, I can already taste the delicious tea. Also, the tea temples are biodegradable. Check out their website to find out more.

   Teapigs - https://www.teapigs.com/

4. LESS ALCOHOLIC DRINKS

   I used to be an alcoholic before. I drink almost every day in my early adult years. I was stressed and depressed, and alcohol was my way to forget all my problems. That was bad. However, I was fortunate to be able to stop that. I feel a lot better, not drinking as much as I did.

   The reason why I stop my binge drinking was because of my job. When I went back to teaching, I was no able to drink as much as I used to. It has helped me change my lifestyle and to handle stress in a lot different way. I don't see alcohol as my way to de-stress.

   I still drink occasionally, and I find it more enjoyable now that I don't do it very often. However, I don't like having a hangover, who does anyways?

5. AT LEAST 7-8 HOURS OF SLEEP PER DAY

   Studies show that sleeping for 7-8 hours a day is the standard, and it will help us survive the day while at work. I try my best to follow that. Having enough sleep also helps our memory and be more attentive during the day.

   However, I sometimes find it hard to survive the day without yawning or falling asleep. I believe a lot of people suffers from that as well. The problems are usually what we do before we go to sleep. We should avoid any electronic devices such as using mobile phones or laptop while at bed may disrupt our sleeping mode. Some food and drinks such as caffeine and chocolate or even eating a full meal while getting to bed can affect our sleep mode too.

   To have a good sleep, make sure to make yourself relax, make your bedroom comfortable and no lights as much as possible. Drinking a cup of chamomile tea can also be of help with your sleep.

WORKING OUT IS NO EASY THING

When I see people working out in social media or when I watch tips from workout experts, it seems so easy, but it is not. When I went back to the gym in 2017, I struggled so much. My stamina was weak. My only source of exercise in the past was dancing, and pretty much that’s the only thing I did. I am not a sporty type of person, nor do I do any sports at all. Starting was not easy. I had to train myself and learn everything from the instructors.

Exercising needs a lot of self-motivation and commitments too. You have to make time to make yourself move around, and you can’t work out when you are too exhausted from work also because you will make yourself even tired and probably get sick from it. Eating and sleeping well are also another way to live healthily.

One thing I know for sure about working out is that it gets slightly better after some months of continuous workout. You will begin to feel that your tolerance for the intense workout will get higher and higher and the more you will be pushing yourself to do more laps and push up counts.

WATCHING WHAT YOU EAT

To live a healthy lifestyle, one must eat healthily too. Eating the wrong things can cause some deflation on the whole process. Excessive eating of junk food while working out, for instance, is not good as the calories that you lose from working out will go on waste in exchange of the amount of junk food that you consume.

I don't watch out what I eat in the past. I didn't care much about what I eat. I like to eat whatever I want at any time. It doesn't matter if I just finished working out. That was easy because I was younger, and my metabolism was fast back then, so I lose those fats quite quickly. However, the older I get, my metabolism is getting slower; hence, fats do stay in your system without proper care.

So what's so wrong about fats? It's nothing in general as long as you balance it off. We all need fats in or body system. There are two types of fats - the good and the bad ones. The good fats, for example, are avocados, dark chocolate, whole eggs, fatty fish, yoghurt, nuts and cheese. These are healthier to consume. Bad fats, on the other hand, are not so good to have, but we all need to have them from time to time to keep our nutrition well balance. The bad fats consist of junk food and processed food.

MY TRANSFORMATION

Over the years, my body weight has been shifting. From thin to chubby to thin again to chubby. It's like a cycle where it keeps changing depending on my lifestyle. I would say my lifestyle is a lot stable now. Although I am still stressed from work, I am more aware of my health and fitness. I take the time to detox and to exercise regularly.

As you can see, my transformation in the above image. It took me many years to finally settle into my current size and weight. Now I weigh 53kg, which is the right weight for my size and age.

I struggled to gain weight, and I have also experienced a hard time losing those weights and to finally decided to get fit.

My bodyweight journey will not stop here. I will continue to live a healthy lifestyle and discover myself more mentally and physically.

I have recently taken a DNA test for Diet and Fitness from 'Circle DNA'. I bought the vital package mainly focusing on diet and fitness. My result should be out soon. I will be sharing it as soon as I acquire my results.

I wish this blog has been of help. Just remember that you should change for yourself and not to for other people. You may treat other people's judgement as an inspiration to do and live better, but never do it for them entirely. Body shaming should be condemned, but in the world that we are living in is quite impossible. However, we can prevent that by not allowing ourselves to be affected by their words. We also shouldn't judge others.

If you have any questions or would like to share your experiences or thoughts, feel free to leave a comment below.

Yours Truly,

Michelle Chan

My Battle with Eczema and Hives

Eleven weeks ago, I was diagnosed with Eczema and Urticaria (Hives) possibly due to high stress, weather changes and anxiety. It was such a piece of distress news for me when I found out. I honestly don’t have any clue what Eczema and I only know a few things about Hives. It was devastating and yet I still need to fight it.

The purpose of creating this blog is to raise awareness. I notice that not many people are aware of this skin problem. Ever since I got Eczema and Hives, I have been researching and reading plenty of articles to know more about this skin problem. This condition that I have got me inspired to write a blog about my battle with Eczema and Hives.

FIRST OF, WHAT IS ECZEMA?

Eczema is also known as Atopic Dermatitis. It is a condition that makes your skin red, itchy, rough and inflamed.

Eczema is very common with young children. However, adults may get this skin problem too. Dermatitis can occur to anyone in any ages.

Believe it or not, Doctors don’t exactly know what causes Eczema. Chances are it is due to genetics, stress, abnormal function of the immune system, bacteria, weather, pollution and super dry and sensitive skin.

There is no known cure for Eczema. However, treatments are possible, and you may conduct them at home, you don’t have to stay in the hospital for treatment unless it is a severe skin condition.

Eczema is not contagious, and you will not pass it or get it from someone who has Eczema.

WHAT ARE HIVES?

Hives are also known as Urticaria. Hives appear anywhere in the body. Some hives are itchy, and some do not. Unlike Eczema, Hives does not usually stay on the skin for more than 24 hours. It usually goes away after some time and will not leave any scars, unless you scratch them too harshly.

Just like Eczema, children, adults and even the elderly can get Hives. Acute Hives usually last for more than six weeks. People who suffer Hives typically take the anti-histamine pills to prevent any Hives from growing any further. Be mindful that the tablets must be taken on a regular schedule. Another treatment could be avoiding some food and drinks that could trigger a flare-up such as, eggs, milk, soy, wheat, shellfish and many more.

WATCH OUT FOR SYMPTOMS

LOOK FOR SIGNS

Monitor your skin and what you consume on a day to day basis. If you see any red spots or bumps on your skin, check if it is either just a mosquito bite or if it is infected. When your skin is infected, that is where bacteria starts to come in so make sure not to scratch yourself too much. Avoid scratching until you bleed. Instead, you may tap them gently, soak in cold water, apply moisturising lotion or put on a pair of gloves when you sleep at night to avoid sleep-scratching yourself.

CONSULT A DERMATOLOGIST

When you think that the symptoms are getting worse, e.g. swollen spots, non-stop itchy feeling or skin infections due to scratching, you must go and see a dermatologist. Seeing a dermatologist is usually expensive so go only when you need it. A dermatologist will usually first look at your skin and the affected area to diagnose what you have. Some dermatologist will ask you to do a blood test for skin if you haven’t done it before. The purpose of this is to see if you are allergic to any food. However, a blood test is not cheap either.

A dermatologist will usually prescribe you a set of anti-histamine pills to calm and help ease your skin from the allergic reaction, lotion or cream for moisturising your skin and steroid cream for treatment. Steroid cream works very quickly. However, there are some disadvantages too. Applying steroid cream onto your skin affects your blood vessels, it thins your skin, and there is a high chance that your spots will come back after some time. I wouldn’t recommend steroid cream unless it’s mandatory.

Make sure to prepare what to ask your dermatologist and ask as much as you can.

WHAT CAUSES THESE SKIN BREAKOUTS

The causes of skin breakouts can be from many things. It can be from food or drinks that you consume, the weather, the pollution, the dust/ mites, stress and even your moods and feelings. Here are some of the leading causes of skin breakouts.

FOOD ALLERGY

If you are allergic to any food such as shellfish, nuts, beans, milk and many more, then you must avoid them. Not avoiding foods that trigger your skin to flare will only make it worse and you will suffer even more. If you have never done a blood test for skin or when your blood test said negative for any allergies, sometimes your skin is still sensitive to specific food or drink.

How will you know if you’re allergic to anything? Try monitoring what you eat and drink every day. Write them in a piece of paper and check if you start having flares, spots or itchiness. I know I can’t eat food with cow’s milk and cheese, raw beef, shellfish, chicken meat and nuts because I always feel extra itchy after taking a bite of these products, so I try to avoid them.

What you eat and what you drink daily may reflect your skin breakout so make sure that you know what you are eating and don’t overeat raw food.

STRESS

Stress portrays a big thing in our daily life. When you are stress and fatigue, your body is more likely going to fell ill. I was super stressed a few months before I got my breakouts. I was agitated, and I was mentally exhausted. My mental health has resulted in my skin breakouts. I seek advice from my dermatologist as I do not have any food allergy so he suggested that I should relax more often and not stress myself too much because stress can be one of the most cause of my skin outbreaks.

Being angry all the time is not healthy for our skin too. Our body reacts according to our moods and feelings.

CHANGE OF ENVIRONMENT/ WEATHER

Another possible reason for your skin breakouts would be the weather. Some people are extra sensitive during the cold, and dry weather while some are more sensitive to hot or humid weather. Try to avoid too much sun exposure as this may irritate your skin and cause your skin to be red and warm. Remember this, when your body is warm or hot, then that is when your skin will start to feel itchy that would make you want to scratch your skin which is completely not a good thing.

During cold and dry weather, your skin will be extra dry so you must hydrate and moisturise your skin by applying lotion at least two times daily - one in the morning and one in the evening. Some people use cream three times a day, depending on how your skin is.

IMMUNE SYSTEM IS DOWN

When your immune system is down, there is a high chance that your skin would be affected. When this happens, you feel extra vulnerable and sensitive. The best way to prevent this from getting it worse is to eat and drink more nutrients and foods with omega 3 and plenty of vegetables and fruits. Drinking antibiotic could help too but do not mix it with Antihistamine pills when you are also taking that.

HOW TO PREVENT THEM

There is no cure for eczema, but you can always prevent them from getting it worse by following the steps below.

FOOD AND DRINKS TO AVOID AND MAY CAUSE FURTHER TRIGGERS

Here is a list of food and drinks to avoid:

MEAT: Chicken (skin and fried), raw beef, marinated pork or any meat that are too saucy

DAIRY PRODUCTS: Cow products such as milk, ice-cream, cheese, butter and margarine, eggs, milk tea, salad dressing

GLUTEN: Pasta, noodles, bread, cereal, flour products, soup with cream, dumplings, ramen noodles, sandwich, wheat products

NUTS: Peanuts, almonds, walnuts, other types of nuts

FISH & SHELLFISH: Fish, shellfish such as clams, oyster, scallops, shrimp, crab, prawns, etc

DRINKS: Beer (except gluten-free beer), tea and coffee with high caffeine, sodas, smoothies with milk, alcoholic drinks

VEGETABLES: Beans, eggplant, celery, squash, peas, seaweed, broccoli, some mushrooms

FRUITS: Citrus fruits such as lemon, lime, and orange, kiwi, avocado, grapefruit, grapes, tomato, mango, strawberry, pineapple, watermelon

CONDIMENTS: Soy sauce, chilli sauce, ketchup (because of tomato)

SOY PRODUCTS: Soybean, edamame, tofu, soymilk

OTHERS: Fast food such as burger, French fries, fried food, junk food, chips/crisps, sausages, hotdog, cakes, candies, chocolates, biscuit, crackers, wheat

FOODS AND DRINKS TO HELP FIGHT ECZEMA AND HIVES

Here is a list of food and drinks to take:

MEAT: Pork, fat fish with high Omega-3 such as salmon, tilapia, sole, sea bass, halibut, cod, milkfish

NON-DAIRY PRODUCTS: Yak milk, non-cow milk, coconut milk, rice milk, yoghurt, oats

SOUP: Miso soup, chicken and beef broth soup base, pork bone soup, vegetable soup

CONDIMENTS: Vinegar, olive oil, sunflower oil, flaxseed oil, saffron, turmeric

NON-GLUTEN: Rice, rice noodles, buckwheat noodles, sourdough bread, soba noodles, vermicelli, pho noodles, rice cakes, grains, quinoa

DRINKS: Tea such as chamomile, ginger, peppermint, hibiscus, oolong tea, cranberry juice, honey, dates, herbal drink, watercress, mocktails

VEGETABLES: Spinach, okra, cabbage, morning glory (Kang kong), lettuce, bitter-melon, carrots, potatoes, green onions, onions, garlic, mung bean sprouts, bell peppers, shiitake mushroom, kale, beets

FRUITS: Papaya, apples, dragon fruit, blueberries, cranberries, banana, lychee, coconut, cherries, pears

DISHES: Baked potatoes, salad, fresh spring rolls (using rice flour), open-faced sandwiches and burger (bun on the side), sweet potatoes, many more

USE TOPICAL CREAMS, LOTION AND OILS

When your skin is dry, you must hydrate no matter what. You must apply topical lotions, creams and oils to your skin. Leaving your skin dehydrated and dry will make everything worse.

Here are some suggestions of what to use on your skin:

LOTION

• CETAPHIL ULTRA HYDRATING LOTION

• CERAVE LOTION

• AVEENO MOISTURIZING LOTION

• DOVE DERMASERIES LOTION

• BIODERMA

• MUSTELA STELATOPIA EMOLLIENT BALM

• ST IVES NATURALLY SOOTHING OATMEAL AND SHEA BUTTER BODY LOTION

CREAMS

• AVEENO ECZEMA THERAPY

• AVENE SKIN RECOVERY CREAM

• COCO DERMA CREAM

• CERAVE ECZEMA SOOTHING CREAMY OIL

• EUCERIN ECZEMA RELIEF BODY CREME

• VASELINE ORIGINAL PETROLEUM JELLY

• MANUKA HONEY MOISTURIZING CREAM

• LA ROCHE-POSAY LIPIKAR ECZEMA SOOTHING RELIEF CREAM

OILS/ GELS

• VIRGIN COCONUT OIL

• PRIMROSE OIL

• ROSE OIL

• MANUKA HONEY OIL

• ALOE VERA GEL

• CACTUS GEL

• JOJOBA OIL

• LAVENDER OIL

• CALENDULA OIL

• SUNFLOWER OIL

TAKE ANTI-HISTAMINE PILLS

Anti-histamine pills help calm your skin breakout. It does not make eczema nor any other skin allergies go away, but it helps to prevent it or make it worse. Most doctors recommend a 5mg or 10mg one dosage per day. Make sure you don’t overtake the pill. One pill for 24 hours is the standard. Make an alarm to help remind you when to take medicine and follow that routine at all times and for as long as you are required to take the pill. Always consult with your doctor first.

AVOID USING STEROIDS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

Sure, steroids provide fast effects and can let your red spots go away in a matter of 1-2 days, but the chances of having your allergies come back are high especially when you’ve stopped applying the steroid cream or taking steroid injections.

Avoid having them in your body system as much as possible. I believe steroids are only necessary for a severe skin problem.

RELAX MORE, AVOID BEING STRESS

Highly avoid being stress out as this can worsen your eczema or hives. Try your best to always think positively and avoid overthinking too. You can get a stress ball to help you calm you down every time you feel like you are going to be stress about something.

Relax more by rewarding yourself more to the spa and get a pleasant and relaxing massage. Hot stone massage helped me a lot because it’d helped me released my toxins from inside. Just to let you know that you will fart a lot when doing hot stone massage. Think of it as a good thing.

Yoga also helps with relieving stress, and it calms your nerves as well. It is peaceful and makes your mind clear and refreshed.

STAY HYDRATED

Drink plenty of water at least eight glasses per day. When you are dehydrated, your body becomes warm, and you will start to feel itchy because your skin is dry.

DON’T SCRATCH

I know this may sound hard to do but scratching your itchy spot will not help your skin situation get any better, perhaps it might get worse. Every time you scratch, you are allowing the bacteria or the infected area to spread around your body. The reason why you feel itchy is that your skin is becoming dry. So every time you feel itchy, compress your skin with a cold, wet towel and apply lotion, cream or oil.

GO FOR SAUNA

Sauna works for some people while some people find it not so compelling. I tried the sauna, and so far it helped me relax, and I feel somehow refreshed especially after working out at the gym.

Sauna is a good detox therapy for your skin, and it brings out the toxins out from your system. However, some people cannot handle the heat and humid temperature in a sauna room. It is essential to test this a few times and see the results.

AVOID DRINKING TOO MANY ALCOHOLIC DRINKS

When having eczema, avoiding alcoholic drinks is probably the best. However, a glass of wine or beer per day or occasionally wouldn’t hurt if you are suffering from mild eczema. Just make sure that you have water on the side.

I love drinking, and for me, it was hard to stop for some time. When I started introducing alcoholic drinks again, I give myself a limit up to two bottles or glasses on a night out, and I drink water every sip of an alcoholic beverage.

Drinking alcoholic drinks make our body warm. Hydrating yourself with water is probably the best to avoid any bad flare up.

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

HOW DID I FIND OUT I HAVE ECZEMA AND HIVES

Finding out what I was having was probably the most crucial matter. It all started with a frequent sore throat, runny nose and coughing followed by a high fever which resulted in my first sick-leave from work in 3 years. My body was feeling very weak, and on top of that, I was super stress as well mainly with work. I started having red spots around my legs, thighs, arms, wrists, tummy and soon on my neck and chest area. The red spots spread quite quickly, and the itchiness went worse in a few days, so I decided to see a dermatologist.

I’ve done some research before seeing the dermatologist. I was expecting Hives due to my symptoms, and the spots appearance. I was shocked to hear that I got eczema as well. I never knew I could get eczema at this age. I was 27 years old at the time by the way. I was dismayed but at the same time relieved because at least I found out what was wrong with me and it is not something super serious. The dermatologist told me that my eczema was just a mild one, so I still got plenty of chance to improve my skin problem.

THE STRUGGLES ARE REAL

The first three weeks after I was diagnosed with eczema and hives, I was devastated and agitated.

I avoided several food and drinks that may cause even more triggers. I was on a strict diet. Eating out was very hard. I stopped going to the gym because sweating is not ideal at that moment while the red spots were still around my skin. I quit drinking while taking anti-histamine pills. I have to apply lotion and creams onto my skin now and then throughout the day for as many as I needed. I cannot wear anything too tight, and I avoided any fabrics that will make my skin itchy. I have to stay out of sunlight as much as possible and avoid making my body warm. I got rid of most of my beauty products that didn’t imply “hypo-allergenic”. I got rid of my old beauty products, and I spend so much money buying new beauty products that have hypo-allergenic. I switch to Cetaphil, Aveeno and so on.

Lastly and probably the hardest to handle was having to avoid feeling stressed, unhappy, angry and restless. Dealing with emotional feelings was not easy because we cannot control what we think. We may be able to control it, but it’s harder to control your emotions when you are dealing with something else. In my case, it was a struggle, but I am glad I got through my nightmares. After two months, I have begun to see some improvements.

HOW DID I HANDLE IT

So right after I found out what was wrong with me, I immediately started researching about eczema. I read so many different articles, and I wrote that information down and started making a list of things I have to avoid and food and drinks to avoid. It was crazy. I felt even worse. However, I did not let myself lose hope just yet. I tried to follow whatever tips that I think are reasonable and comfortable for me.

It was complicated at first, especially in the first three weeks. I struggle a lot. There were many nights where I couldn’t sleep and would cry myself to sleep. I suffered from insomnia as well. It affected my daily life. You can say I had a mild-depression at the time.

THINGS I DID PERSONALLY TO PREVENT IT

I did so many things, tried so many things, spend plenty of money buying treatment creams, oil, lotion, nutrition drinks and many more others. Below are the steps I did to prevent my eczema and hives.

Step 1 - I avoid many food and drinks that could trigger a flare-up for at least six weeks, and I started re-introducing some food and drinks again slowly after eight weeks.

Step 2 - I started taking nutrition drink from EXCEL daily.

Step 3 - Daily topical treatments. I apply Cetaphil Ultra Hydrating Lotion every day right after a shower. I use Aveeno Eczema Therapy at least three times a day. I apply Coco cream at least twice a day to the itchy and scars area. I apply Evening Primrose Oil before I go to sleep at night.

Step 4 - I take one Aerius anti-histamine pill at 11:30 pm daily

Step 5 - I ditch intense working at the gym and stick to Yoga classes for six weeks

Step 6 - I go for the steam sauna at least twice a week for 10 minutes

Step 7 - I avoid wearing tight clothing for six weeks

Step 8 - I make sure I drink 7-8 glasses of water a day every day.

Step 9 - I relax more and avoid being stress and angry. I try to be sane and confident about my situation.

Step 10 - I go for hot stone spa once every month which I personally think is very effective.

I still have eczema and hives up until this moment. However, I felt a lot better. My eczema and hives have improved rapidly because of the steps I did. Many people told me that there is no cure and it is a long-term sickness. However, I did not let that stop me from getting better. I don’t believe I will have eczema and hives forever. In time, they will fade away slowly.

For those who are suffering from eczema, hives or any other skin disease, always remember that there is always a solution to your problem. Don’t lose hope and don’t give up. Try and try everything until you see the result. Being patient is also very important.

I hope this blog is helpful. If you need any help or advice, feel free to leave a comment below. I will be more than happy to help.

Yours Truly,

Michelle Chan