I'm only just finished week 3, but I started my AAM yesterday because my skin is really struggling with this diet. I've never exactly had the clearest skin in the world, but it has improved over the last few years... right up until I started Exante TS! Of course, it didn't help that I've just had an important exam so have been extremely stressed with that and work, which have probably contributed to the massive break-out that used to be my face.
The problem is that my skin isn't healing, so it was just looking worse and worse everyday - I was starting to feel like a teenager again, and leaving the house, or in fact my bedroom, has become a bit of a self-conscious struggle.
So I decided to AAM in an attempt to give my body the nutrient excess it obviously needs to heal itself - and I'm only one 600 low-carb meal in but already my skin is already feeling much less distressed.
I may split the AAM and do four days now and three days in a weeks time when I was meant to, but I am firmly convinced that I need to do the AAM as part of my TS; dieting can be miserable enough, but it's counter productive if you're becoming less likely to want to leave the house because of your skin despite the fact that you're feeling more and more confident about your body shape.
I've also proved to myself that I won't be doing myself any favours when the cold/flu season starts if I don't increase my nutrient/calorie intake when I'm feeling ill. The more wretched I feel, the less resolve I will have to stick to this long term. My weightloss is a journey where it's the destination not the travelling time that is important. I'll get to the weight I want to be, and there's no rush - I've managed 15 years of being overweight, what's another few months, especially if it'd be at the expense of my health and well being?
So, there are advantages to AAM. I can't tell you if there are any disadvantages, but I know last night I didn't want to eat a meal, and when I was eating a meal I didn't think I'd be able to finish my portion, and when I finished my portion I did think to myself "Phew. That was more than enough, no more food for me tonight." It's reassuring to confirm that I'm not going to immediately start gorging myself just because I'm relaxing on TS!
I'm STS on my weigh in this morning, but it's my TOTM (which for me lasts from a couple of days before ovulation to the departure of AF, i.e. 50% of my cycle!) so I'm retaining water anyway. I've lost inches off my body measurements though, so I know that I've still lost fat this last week - I'll discover how much in a couple of weeks when my body decided to stop hoarding all this water!
Eep. I've written a lot more than I thought I was going to. So, in summary, when it comes to AAM do what you feel is right for you!