Update:
I followed as many of your guidelines as possible trouble. Here are my daily intakes and results:
In the Morning
Sam E = 400mg
Zinc = 15mg
B6 = 100mg
b12 = 1000mcg
Folic Acid = 100mcg
Accutane = 1 squeeze dropper's worth ???
Before Bed
Ambien = 15mg
Magnesium = 500mg
Valerian Root = 800mg
Melatonin = 6mg
Diphenhydramine = 50mg
Daily Diet
Meal 1: 3 egg whites, 1 egg, 1 cup of (Grape nuts or Flax Plus or Bran Flakes)
Meal 2: 8oz-10oz (Salmon or lean beef or chicken) and (Grape nuts or Flax Plus or Bran Flakes) and 2 cops broccoli
Meal 3: 8oz-10oz (Salmon or lean beef or chicken) and 2 cops broccoli
Meal 4: 8oz-10oz (Salmon or lean beef or chicken) and 2 cops broccoli
Meal 5: 8oz-10oz (Salmon or lean beef or chicken)
Meal 6: 2 cups cottage cheese
*Note: Meal 6 often replaces another meal when I am in a pinch for time and don't have time to prepare a meal.
On Friday and Saturday my diet is different due to my long working hours. I mix up a giant bowl of tunafish made with 8 cans of tune, 1/2 of a red apple, 3 big spoons of mayo, 7 egg white, and pickle relish. I carry the tuna and a loaf of multigrain wheat bread to work and eat tunafish sandwiches every few hours.
The sudden introduction of bran into my diet as been interesting to say the least. Without being too graphic, I have spent much more time on the toilet. The bran seems to make me hungrier than I was before. I did research on this that suggest that the bran cleans a person out and makes the digestion process a little faster thereby making room for more food. I have no idea if this is true but it sure seems like it.
Sleep:
My sleeping is better, but still not correct. I can't go to sleep earlier than 11:00 on most nights, and I wake up at 7:30-8:30. I am getting a full 8 hours almost everynight which is a huge improvement. The problem is that I have to take massive amounts of drugs to get to sleep. Last Friday I ran out of ambien and tried to sleep without it, and I never fail asleep. I went 2 days straight without sleeping once. Coincidentally, that was about the time when my knee and elbow started hurting.
Gains:
Gains in the gym have been stellar. My diet is airtight, and until my joints started hurting I was shattering records in almost every lift. I have taken the last week off, and I will take one more week off, until I feel confident that my elbow and knee is healed.
Skin:
My skin is finally in the recovery stage. I have attacked the problem from every angle. My fat intake is as low as it has been ever. I have been eating salmon at least 10 times a week. I have been eating flax cereal, also. I think I am getting ample Omega-3s, so I didn't think supplementing was necessary.
*Question: should I be supplementing more omega-3s or omega-6s?
I bought a porous stone, and I remove all dead skin from my body in the shower twice a day. I wash with Neutrogena exfoliating body wash.
I have been taking accutane which I ordered from AG-guys for the last 3 days. Old bumps are starting to heal, and new bumps don't mature anymore. They turn into tiny red dry bumps instead of giant puffy volcanoes. My skin is starting to dry out some, so I bought some Johnson's shea & cocoa butter to moisturize my skin twice a day.
* Question: If the accutane begins to over dry my skin which I am sure it will, should I shower only once a day?
Mood: I have had some serious ups and downs in the last few months. I find myself rapidly cycling up and down more so than usual. I have done as much as I possibly can to eliminate stress. My grades are great, my school workload isn???t too much, and my work hours are just enough to not go broke while not so much that I feel like I'm suffocating. I am scared shitless to socialize with people right now. I don't answer calls from my friends, and I have been making excuses for why I can't do things with people. I'm not depressed. In fact, this is as content as I have been in a while. Anyhow, I have IM, which provides me with more than enough socializing right now.
I have tried following your advice to the letter, and I have seen improvements. I am sure that if I keep this up, I will see more improvements with my training and my skin, but I don't see my mental state as ever being normal.
Thanks so much trouble to your time and advice.