mompoet Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 Here's a thread for the March 6 gang (and anyone else who wants to join) about Food Freedom Forever. Let's share our insights and reflections as we prepare and enter re-introduction, with the help of this great resource. Thanks @ShannonM816 for the suggestion to post here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eye of the Tiger Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 Thanks for starting this thread @mompoet. I started w30 on March 5th. I haven't decided how I'm going to approach my reintro yet. I've been dairy free for 9 months, and gluten free for almost 2 years. I don't think those are making it into my reintro, at least not this reintro. I might try to reintro them after months of my gut being healed. I have autoimmune diseases (Hashimoto's and mild psoriasis). I have some other health issues as well. But wow how has everything improved!!!!! I go to get thorough blood work done April 7. And I can't wait to see if all or some of my health issues have improved from this diet! Oh, I won't be adding soy back to my diet either. So basically I think I'm going to reintro legumes first, then non-gluten grains, and then sugar. Would love your thoughts. Anyone else not reintro-ing everything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mompoet Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 Glad you are here, @Eye of the Tiger This is just my second Whole30, so I'm learning as I go. I am curious to know how your health check results turn out, and how your reintro plan works for you. I'm going to do a slow roll, leaving dairy and gluten out for as long as I can, then trying them very carefully. Let me know also what insights you find from Food Freedom Forever. Congrats on your Whole30 All the best on your reintro! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiJG Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 Thanks so much for starting this up @mompoet! I'm reading FFF and plan to really have a lifestyle change when we are done. Looking forward to reading the part about triggers - I have so many and I'm looking forward to calling them out and being prepared for them. Will share them here when I am ready! I got a breast cancer diagnosis last summer (I'm cancer free now - yay), and following that had 6 months of no alcohol/sugar/dairy/gluten/red meat. Felt good but I think it's even better not having grains and legumes. I got derailed from my health kick when the holidays struck (survived thanksgiving, didn't survive new years and Jan/Feb), so this has been a great reset for me. I'm still pretty much not eating red meat, and plan to eliminate that going forward (but will have occasional bacon). Looking forward to sharing and learning on this forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mompoet Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 Welcome @KiwiJG That's wonderful news about your recovery from breast cancer. Congratulations on embracing a healthier relationship with food. I know what you mean about triggers. I am finding a few of them too, during this Whole30! I am confident we will get more out our reading of FFF through this forum. Talk to you soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mompoet Posted April 1, 2017 Author Share Posted April 1, 2017 Quiet Saturday morning and I just sat down with Food Freedom Forever. It's day 26 on my second Whole30. I read partway through FFF at the end of my first Whole30 (October), and here I am again. I have just finished the very encouraging welcome chapter, in which Melissa Hartwig outlines what Food Freedom Forever means. I am reminded that it's going to be a journey, like the Whole30, and a lifetime of learning, with slips and resets, triumphs and learning curves. As I begin thinking about reintroduction and reading this book, I am trying to notice what's different now, on day 26, from day 1. I am a generally very healthy eater, so the nutrition changes were not too difficult for me in the sense that I did not have to give up processed food, fast food, or junk food. I don't feel "tiger blood" in the sense of increased power, energy and feeling GGGGRRRREAT! because honestly I feel GGGGRRRREAT a lot of the time already! But there is something different. My body and mind feel calmer. I am not hungry between meals. I am not craving salty/sweet/empty snacks. I am do not put food into my mouth distractedly then think, "What did I just eat?" My tummy is flatter than it has been in a long time and my pants fit a bit better. My stomach and gut are quiet (no gurgling, puffing, talking to me after supper about being too full or still hungry). I like this calm. Now I would like another kind of calm. I would like to stop thinking about "What is my next meal?" as if it were an urgent issue. I know right now it's part of the Whole30 prep cycle, thinking ahead to be sure I have the food I need in the house, and the time to cook it. But honestly, I feel that a lot of the time when I am not on the Whole30. While I would never consider myself a hoarder in the classic sense, I think I am a bit of a food hoarder. I often buy more fruits and veggies than my family can eat before some of it goes past its prime. Sometimes I can rescue it in a soup or smoothie, sometimes I throw it away. I also have irrational thoughts like, "We have only 2 cans of coconut milk on the shelf." What if I want to make 4 recipes today that each need a can of coconut milk?" Then I start thinking about where I can fit a trip to the grocery in my busy day. If I do follow through, I'm logically sure that the coconut milk will sit on the shelf before I have time to cook anything with it. But my emotional mind won't sit securely until I have a bit of a stash of whatever thing I think I will need. I have that panic thinking sometimes about social situations "What if they only have potato chips, brie melts and pizza pops at that party?" which causes me to bring big, hearty salads to almost every social event (healthy, but sometimes overkill). You get the picture. I'd like to stop doing that because there is always healthy food available, and if there isn't, it's usually only an hour or two before I am in a place where there is healthy food available, and I am smart enough to plan (without obsessing) about how to manage it. So that's one thing I need to learn during my Food Freedom Journey. So there's my stated intention (probably one among many as I take this journey). I hope you are enjoying the book. Going now to read the next chapter - Melissa's own journey. It's good to know we all start somewhere, and we are all going somewhere. It's good to be going in the same direction as you all. It feels easier together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eye of the Tiger Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 I started March 5th. So my reintro starts tomorrow. I still haven't decided for sure, but I think I'm going to start with rice. I'm starting with the things that I don't "think" I have issues with. I will probably learn some things that do affect me that I didn't think did. But I'm going with my gut first (LOL). I have been dairy free for 9 months, and gluten free for almost 2 years. So those will be the last things I try to reintro. I might wait another month or 2 before reintroing those. Right now I'm thinking I have issues with corn, oats, sugar, dairy, and gluten. We'll see what I find out. What are everyone else's reintro plans? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted April 3, 2017 Moderators Share Posted April 3, 2017 1 hour ago, Eye of the Tiger said: I started March 5th. So my reintro starts tomorrow. I still haven't decided for sure, but I think I'm going to start with rice. I'm starting with the things that I don't "think" I have issues with. I will probably learn some things that do affect me that I didn't think did. But I'm going with my gut first (LOL). I have been dairy free for 9 months, and gluten free for almost 2 years. So those will be the last things I try to reintro. I might wait another month or 2 before reintroing those. Right now I'm thinking I have issues with corn, oats, sugar, dairy, and gluten. We'll see what I find out. What are everyone else's reintro plans? If you intend to stay dairy free and gluten free going forward, you don't have to reintroduce them, especially if you already know you react badly to them. If you're not really sure how you react to them, then it probably makes sense to reintroduce them just so you know for sure what happens, but if you already know they cause problems, there's no particular reason to put yourself through those negative reactions if you don't want to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eye of the Tiger Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 25 minutes ago, ShannonM816 said: If you intend to stay dairy free and gluten free going forward, you don't have to reintroduce them, especially if you already know you react badly to them. If you're not really sure how you react to them, then it probably makes sense to reintroduce them just so you know for sure what happens, but if you already know they cause problems, there's no particular reason to put yourself through those negative reactions if you don't want to. I'm not really sure. IGG food sensitivities test shows high sensitivity to dairy, but when I did that test I was already gluten free. It showed a level 1 sensitivity to gluten, which my doctor said that usually means I'm very sensitive to it since I had been gluten free for over a year when I did the test. But I was eating all the other things that are not whole30 compliant then. If I do try to reintro gluten it will be months from now, if then. I'm slowly trying to come to terms with most of the whole30 rules will apply to my permanent way of life. I'm anxious to start figuring it out, but I know I will probably be taking the reintro slower than most. Thank you @ShannonM816 ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eye of the Tiger Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 How is everyone doing on day 1 of reintro? Any issues so far? Day 1 reintro for me was yesterday. Legumes at all 3 meals. No issues. I had so much energy I wanted to jog during my lunchtime walk at work. So I only had a positive effect of the added carbs. I walked again after work. Of course I'm not going to incorporate legumes in every meal, but I did what Melissa Hartwig suggests in the book and ate them for all 3 meals. What I learned from it is that for at least right now I can eat them hours before I need a lot of energy, like before a good workout on the weekend. Or maybe the night before a run in the morning. Now I'm back to eating completely w30 compliant until Sat. That's when I reintro corn. I could be wrong, but I'm preparing my mind for a not-so-good reaction to corn. Happy Phase 2 to everyone!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogtox Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 So far so good here, although it's only been a few hours, lol. One of my biggest challenges going back to less strict food guidelines is following the food template. When on the Whole30, it's relatively easy to follow the rule of veggies, starches, protein, fats on your plate, but it's more difficult for me to follow for some reason when I'm not on plan. That makes me worry I get too much fat, and I cut that back and the wheels come off the whole process. This time around I've been focusing on retaining the food template, while simply having more options to use to fill it. I'm leaving for vacation tomorrow... I have my blank notebook to log my food choices and will hopefully stay on track! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mompoet Posted April 5, 2017 Author Share Posted April 5, 2017 @Eye of the Tiger Great news about the legumes! I'll cross my fingers that corn is okay for you - is it a favorite of yours? @frogtox I know what you mean about the security of the food template. I think you have a good idea there about keeping the proportions, and using your reintroduced foods as more options to fill it. Enjoy your vacation! It sounds like you are prepared to keep intentional, and feeling good with your food while you are away! Will you be keeping in touch with us while you are away? I woke up this morning still not sure what to reintroduce. Having decided on a "slow roll," I don't actually have a plan about what comes first, second, third. I read a few pages for FFF this morning. I'm on the chapter about reintroduction, so it's very timely. Melissa has some great insights about the process, and some good detailed explanations about how to do it, and why to do it that way. I thought, "She is inside my head!" If you have the book, it's a great chapter for us now! I think I will have glass of red wine this evening with my husband. (Alcohol is the one food that you don't consume at all 3 meals on reintroduction day.) Then I will wait and see what comes up in my life to suggest what's next. My vacation is a week away, but it's to visit my daughter in NY, and she's a Whole30 person too, so there will be no pressure to eat anything that would mess up my slow reintro. Welcome to the next phase! I feel more confident going through it this time with the help of my online friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eye of the Tiger Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 @mompoet I just started with legumes because the book suggested to start with that or alcohol since they are usually the least of the gut offenders for most people. And, I wanted to start with something that I didn't think would undo my reset. And, because I won't be reintro-ing dairy or gluten for a while. I've been told through medical tests that I have food sensitivities to those. And I do want to try to eventually reintroduce those, but only after my gut has been healed for a long time. That way I will know for sure if, since my gut will be healed, if I react to them, or if it was just a combo of those foods with a toxic gut from other sensitivities. Definitely not in a rush to find out though. And, I really have no desire to find out if I have a soy sensitivity. I cook with coconut aminos. But maybe in the distant future I will try soy at a restaurant, you know, just to know for sure. I'm definitely doing the "slow roll". Corn, as my next reintro food, hmm. I haven't been a person to just eat corn really, unless it's in a salad at a restaurant, or with mixed veggies. But I LOVE tortilla chips with guac and salsa! And my husband and I love eating out Mexican! I always eat gluten and dairy free, while he devours whatever he wants. It is difficult enough to eat gluten and dairy free at a Mexican restaurant. If I can't have tortilla chips or tamales (since they are encased in a corn husk), well then I will go eat a salad so my husband can enjoy himself. But that won't be a treat for me. Lol. What's funny is that the thought of that would have really bothered me 5 weeks ago. But not at all now! And the reason I'm leaving sugar as my last reintro is because I already know it is going to cause a reaction (depending on the amount I take in). I'm hoping to find out that I can at least have the occasional gluten and dairy homemade treat. Before w30 I had severe body acne (TMI). I've had it for 8 years and doctors of all kinds could not get rid of it. W30 and it's completely gone!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogtox Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 @mompoet I usually check in here during my lunch break, so I probably will be offline for a few days, but will check in when I return. Hopefully with a good report of passing up things like hot fudge sundaes and donughts. I did well today walking by the M&M dispenser my coworker has outside her office without grabbing any. I intro'd oats today, but know from previous Whole30 reintros that I'm ok with corn and rice so will probably add those in more quickly than a regular reintro simply for convenience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiJG Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 So I'm feeling the steel cut oats in my stomach and think my first reintroduction food is going to be in the 'not really worth it' category. I was looking forward to an easy breakfast and not eggs, but I think if I alternate breakfasts of green smoothies, fruit and chia/almond milk, and some kind of cook-up it should be doable. I'm going to go back to pretty much whole30 for a few days - won't reintro anything big just yet, but allowing small changes (like I ordered Laab Gai for my lunch tomorrow and it has toasted ground rice - very small amount, and maybe a small amount of sugar). I will continue to be dairy and gluten free - glass of wine might be my next thing if I feel like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spunky1 Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 My reintroduction starts Friday, 4/7 with dairy. I'll weigh myself that morning, too, although I haven't weighed myself in a while so I have no real basis for comparison. Then I'll reintroduce something else every Friday or so. Serious slow roll, but I have a lot of travel alone with my kid this month and I don't want to have any bad reactions when my husband isn't there to help. Question for you all - with dairy, have any of you found that soft cheeses are a category unto themselves? Meaning, that they should be reintroduced separately because you can find yourself reacting strongly to them and get the idea that dairy is bad for you when the culprit is soft cheese? @frogtox I believe you mentioned that soft cheeses were an issue for you. I found this post which suggests a very slow roll introduction, breaking up dairy into 6 separate categories for reintroduction! He also did this with legumes. My head is spinning. Maybe keep it simple for my first reintroduction and then try subcategories next time around. I wasn't expecting to introduce ice cream during the reintroduction period as it does have sugar. I would like to do soft cheese this Friday, as I do like them! At least I did before Whole30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melly88 Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 Hi all! Thanks for the new thread on reintro! Today is my first reintro and I chose legumes (as suggested by the material). I had apples with peanut butter with breakfast. No negative effect yet (it has only been 3 hours), but I did notice that I now prefer almond butter! I thought the peanut butter was kind of oily and just meh. For lunch, I am having Eggroll In A Bowl made with Soy Sauce and a side of Edamame. Dinner will be Lime Marinated Flank Steak and I am using soy sauce in the marinade. It is hard to get the new food group in all three meals! Anyone else intro legumes? If so, how? Any effects? I plan to intro non-gluten grains next! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spunky1 Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 Eggroll in a bowl sounds yummy! Is it something like this? http://www.bunsinmyoven.com/2015/08/24/sausage-egg-roll-in-a-bowl/print/ I'm going to try this with ground beef sans soy. But once I'm introducing legumes, I'll totally add soy sauce, edamame, and maybe even some fake soy ground beef, if it is otherwise compliant. I thought with the legumes, I would eat some peanuts instead of sugar-free peanut butter, which I know is yucky. And then throw some tofu into whatever I'm eating, which is what I did pre-Whole30. And maybe some plain black beans with . . . something? I agree, it's hard to get the new food into three meals without adding something else like sugar or gluten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 Spunky, that sounds funky, like a science experiment. Ooooo, thanks, I needed that. We're having a hard day around my house. Carry on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melly88 Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 It is THE BEST! I use this recipe: http://www.mostlyhomemademom.com/2014/07/eggroll-in-bowl.html?m=1. I substitute ground chicken and coconut aminos during the W30. It was so quick and easy... And so good! I hope you like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara13 Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 I think I'm going to reintroduce corn pretty early. I like it as a veggie option with my meal. I ended up making some tasty compliant mashed potatoes over W30 and want to try them again with corn! I know dairy is an issue for me, so I likely won't reintroduce that and just know that if I make the choice to eat it, it won't be pleasant. I'm hesitant to reintroduce gluten because I think that was an issue for me before. Any suggestions on what foods to use when reintroducing gluten? I was thinking of adding some toast with breakfast this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaskiMom Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 Looking forward to our first actual reintro tonight - a nice cold glass of reisling with the Egg Roll Bowl someone posted either here or on the Starting March 6 page. I can pick up sushi and dumplings for the kids, will make the bowls with sesame broc for husband and I and see how the wine goes down... He weighed in this morning and was down 8 pounds (from 156 to 148!) He is a bean pole, always has been. (I joke that my life's goal is always to weight less than my husband... and except for pregnancies, I've been *mostly* successful ) I was worried about his losing too much weight, but he said he feels awesome. His "skinny jeans" are comfy again and his suit was back to having "room for dinner" as he likes to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eye of the Tiger Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 3 hours ago, Sara13 said: I think I'm going to reintroduce corn pretty early. I like it as a veggie option with my meal. I ended up making some tasty compliant mashed potatoes over W30 and want to try them again with corn! I know dairy is an issue for me, so I likely won't reintroduce that and just know that if I make the choice to eat it, it won't be pleasant. I'm hesitant to reintroduce gluten because I think that was an issue for me before. Any suggestions on what foods to use when reintroducing gluten? I was thinking of adding some toast with breakfast this weekend. My only suggestion for reintro of gluten, especially since you think you have issues with gluten, would be to make sure it's when you can stay close to a bathroom. Ha. And I would make sure you aren't combining it with another non-compliant food, so that you will find out if gluten is a culprit, and not the other food. So toast sounds like a great choice to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spunky1 Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 @Sara13 FFF recommends whole wheat cereal with unsweetened almond milk, an otherwise compliant sandwich, or whole wheat pasta to introduce gluten back in without including another non-compliant food. Maybe because gluten has been an issue in the past you want to hold off on introducing it with every meal though? I bought all my dairy products today in preparation for tomorrow. Now I'm reading that the Whole30 folks strongly recommend I start with legumes, but too late! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaskiMom Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 Wine reintro last night.... it tasted SO good, but after a few sips, I was good. I did end up drinking the whole 4 ounces with dinner and it went straight to my head (as I predicted). About two hours later I felt "the munchies" coming on even though I was still pleasantly full from dinner, so I went to bed. Didn't drink any extra water before bed or this morning (I followed my usual routines so I'd get a true sense of my reaction) and had a nagging headache all morning. Moral of the story? I think I'll leave wine to special occasions/dinners out and stick to kombucha for my fun drink at home. Next up is legumes, but probably not until some time next week. How's everyone else faring? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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