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5/7 Start - Reintroduction!


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Alright! Today is day 31! I just ate my first off-plan item, some cinnamon quinoa! It was fine, but I think I preferred the sausage and veggies I ate before the quinoa. I do enjoy the whole30 template breakfasts. :D I weighed myself and took measurements this morning...I lost an additional 5 lbs during the 30 days, which brings my total up to 15 lbs lost since April 17th when I started eating whole30-ish. The 5 lbs in a month feels like good, sustainable weight loss. I lost at least 2 inches everywhere and, amazingly, 5 inches off my belly fat. I didn't think I was losing anything there, so it's great to see that area has actually shrunk the most. 

The NSVs are much better though. I've had much improved GI function, clearer skin, and more consistent energy. I've learned that under-eating to force weight loss is NOT worth it. I'm not snacking and I have very little desire to snack. I have learned how to pack lunches that are energy-dense enough to last 5 hrs so I don't need to snack. I remember before I'd always have to pack a morning snack, lunch and an afternoon snack just to make it though the day. I know now that when I was making food for myself, there was never enough fat, so I was always hungry every 2 hrs. I've learned that I can eat healthfully even when I'm tired or feeling lazy.

There are still things I would like to improve, like paying attention to what I'm eating instead of eating at the computer. I feel like the last week could have gone better than it did with all the T.O.M. stuff and then under eating. I felt so much better and I had so much more energy last night than during the weekend. 

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Wow Amy, those are awesome NSV's !!! You did a great job of managing your whole 30!!  So, here is a question I was wondering about...  did you eat your normal whole 30 compliant breakfast and add the cinnamon and quinoa, or did you eat less to accommodate the extra food on your plate? 

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@Susabella627 I just added the quinoa to my regular template meal and didn't subtract anything. I decided it was worth the extra calories to ensure I got a full template meal and still got to try some of the reintroduction item. 

@emilyelowe Yay!!! Congrats on making it through the 30 days! Great NSVs too! As for favorite fats: mine are mayo and olive oil. I've been trying to incorporate more than one fat source per meal, so today at lunch I am eating an avocado and some olive oil on my salad. I'll also use ghee on potatoes, but I've been trying to stay away from that one lately...thinking of that, I had some on a potato yesterday and today my GI troubles have been acting up. *makes mental note* I think I really need to give up that ghee. Back to good fat sources. Do you like coconut? Coconut flakes, coconut oil, and coconut milk are also good fat sources. I also find that when I eat late I don't sleep as well, so that could definitely play a role. I didn't really see much of an improvement in sleep though.

I did something kinda dumb this morning. I've been thinking about trying to move my run time to before work so I can continue doing them through the summer, because running in the afternoon sun in 90 degree heat and humidity is not my idea of fun. So I tried it this morning and was completely wiped out. I'm still not back to normal yet and I don't know if my tiredness is due to moving my workout time or to the addition of the quinoa this morning. :unsure:

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Good morning!

Alcohol went well last night. Hubby, dog, and I went to an outdoor patio and I had one glass of a hard cider that I specifically wanted. I definitely wanted another but it was a Tuesday so I thought I would be a grownup instead. Haha. I didn't get a headache, which is what I was expecting, but I did get SLAMMED with tired. However, it was past my normal bedtime, so it was probably a combination of factors. Interested to see what happens next time when I drink at a more normal time for me. I do think I was more tired when I got up this morning than I have been, though, and I slept from like 9:45 to 6:45 so that I can DEFINITELY blame on the alcohol. It also lead to some unnecessary (although compliant) snacking, so I'll need to be careful with that. Alcohol has always affected me that way, so it's just a matter of using my new skills to pay attention and say no to snacking! I really had no excuse, it's not like the cider made me tipsy or anything. I just love snacks. Haha.

Taking two days off and introducing tequila on Friday (I love a good margarita). I'm a little nervous about it because we're going to a restaurant that I went to during my last W30 and whatever I had that time made me REALLY bloated. I THINK it was braised beef (I forgot braised = wine, DUH) because wine by itself usually makes me bloated, so I'm hoping if I avoid that I'll feel OK and only see impacts from the alcohol and not the other things I eat. We'll see how it goes. 

Have a great day!

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@Susabella627 I'll answer your question from the other thread here because it'll probably involve some talk about off plan foods. :) Yesterday I was tired ALL. DAY. LONG. I tried to get some things done, but I couldn't even concentrate. I skipped some prep work that would have made today easier, but I was worried that I'd screw it up if I tried to do it while that tired. Luckily, as a grad student, I don't really have set hours, so I left a little early, went home to recover and made some food for the next few days. I had more rice with dinner, but didn't really notice anything at the time. I just felt like I was forcing it a little though, if that makes sense? I didn't really want the rice at the time and it didn't go with my meal, so I would have preferred to skip it, but I wanted to have it just to make sure I got enough non-gluten grains to cause a reaction if I was going to have one. 

Everything seemed normal until I tried to go to sleep. I was tired, but laid awake for what felt like hours (in reality, probably under an hour) with anxious thoughts racing through my head. I haven't had that happen since way before the whole30, so I'm not sure if that's related to the reintroduction foods or not. I think it was a function of the low productivity day in combination with the creeping-ever-closer public speaking that I have to do. I was planning to put the finishing touches on my talk yesterday, so not getting that done may have triggered some anxiety. I had trouble waking up in the morning, but I'm not sure if that was non-gluten grain related or if it was related to my trouble sleeping last night. Sigh. So, in summary, I have learned that non-gluten grains *may* cause tiredness and mess up my sleep. Or they may not. Both incidences could be explained by other things. 

Then today was another weird day. I was back to eating whole30, but I woke up feeling a little tired and groggy, so I made some coffee. Bad idea. (How many times do I have to do this to myself before I learn to stay away?!? I really miss it, obviously. :() The coffee did not sit well with me and exacerbated my anxiety about not finishing my talk and some other life/moving/budget things. I took a little extra time this morning to draw up a quick budget to alleviate some of the worry and then stopped before going in to work and spun some yarn. Spinning is very relaxing/meditative, so that helped calm me down and get me into a good frame of mind when I went into work. 

I want to keep doing introductions, but I'm not sure I'm going to get a good read on anything before I leave on my trip. I'm kind of stuck on what to do. I still want to try gluten by itself, but after that, I may try something like a sub or a burger from a restaurant that might incorporate multiple off-plan things. I want to know the effects of those sorts of foods so I'll know if I need to avoid them on my trip. 

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Hi, glad to find you over in this section.  I've been reading just no time to post this week.   My reintroductions have been skewed with symptoms from TOM.  TMI but had to know if issues are from which.      So, I'm sticking close to the template and paying attention but am not sure what results are.   I didn't lose any weight but that's probably because I didn't exercise as much as usual, and I may have gone overboard on the starchy carbs (Sw Pot) once I figured out how not having those was impacting my moods.  My skin did clear up though which is wonderful.  And, I can go a full 5-6 hours between meals which is freeing.    I've had some dairy (cream in coffee), and bad stomach ache but again maybe TOM.  I also had some wine which left me feeling bad next day (tired, depressed) even though just 1 glass.  

 

@NoneOtherThanAmy - you'll have to do another intro but I can only imagine the stress of upcoming speaking was to blame.  That would keep me up at night.   Good luck with that.  let us know how it goes... 

@emilyelowe - having a cider on back patio sounds so nice.  To me, adding that in, is part of experiencing life.   Sounds like a prefect  evening outside.  It's hard to stop at one.  You sound petite and having not drank for a month, guessing one hit you harder than you'd expect.  

We have tons of company rolling into town and more grad parties and then are heading out of town.  So, I will try to stay on my reintro path and be aware of what I'm eating and what it's doing to me.  But,  I will have fewer options.  I think if I can stick to template and avoid alcohol, I should be OK.    More later.  So grateful that you guys are still in this thread and i hope @Susabella627 comes over one of these days as she must be approaching day 30. 

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@AB_MN I had a similar experience with alcohol. That one cider made me SO TIRED the next day. I was relieved I didn't actually feel tipsy or anything. Phew. The margs will probably pack a bigger punch. :wacko: Yes, ciders on the porch are my FAVE. I'm relieved that I can still enjoy them as long as I plan on sleeping like a zombie. I guess ciders will be for weekends only, which is probably good. :) 

Sorry you are having a rough time, @NoneOtherThanAmy! Sleep has SUCH an impact on me - having bad sleep or just out of the ordinary sleep will mess me right up. I hope you get out of this funk! Just pay attention and journal your re-intro and maybe try to journal during your trip, too? Then the whole thing can be a learning experience even if you have to do a short reset and another re-intro when you get back. I find that writing things down helps me (1) pay attention and (2) find trends. It is also easier to avoid scary foods even on the road once you don't have to worry so much about sugar in ketchup or salad dressing. Almost every restaurant will have a burger (no bun) and a side salad, you know? So maybe keep it as on-plan as possible if you're still not sure how certain things are affecting you and you don't want to deal with side effects. 

I am having lots of craving troubles. Similar to the last few days of my Whole30, my brain thinks, "Oh, now that this is over, LET'S HAVE ALL THE DONUTS/COOKIES/ICE CREAM!!!" and the rest of me is over here like, "Wtf, brain? Stop it. We're supposed to be learning." Ugh. <_< Last night, I had sunflower seed butter and jelly on a spoon. Like, get a hold of yourself, woman! I think now that I think I can "take it easy," on the added sugar I should just eat everything that has added sugar in it. Oy. Vey. So I need to stop that. 

I think this weekend I'm going to kind of combine the Strict Re-Intro with the Slow Roll. I'm planning to have margaritas at my birthday Saturday, as I've already shared, but have totally compliant (and delicious) food otherwise planned, so I'm in the clear there. There won't really even be anything tempting, I don't think. However, on Sunday, we are going to a friend's birthday party and his wife makes the BEST treats. She sent me the recipes she is making and both of them have both dairy (butter) and gluten (flour). But I'm thinking, if I'm still in the mood when I get there, I might try them and then just pause the 3-4 days I was already going to pause after the alcohol anyway before I start back on the normal re-intro path and do legumes. This puts me at risk for confusing the symptoms of alcohol, dairy, and gluten, but I think as long as I clean myself back up before legumes, I should be able to figure out the dairy and gluten symptoms when I reintroduce dairy and gluten by themselves. My Food Freedom brain thinks this is OK because (1) it will probably be worth it even if it kills me because these are special, homemade, amazeballs treats and (2) Melissa seems to recommend the Slow Roll Reintroduction, so how bad could my theory be? I think this will be my plan, AS LONG AS I'M FEELING IN CONTROL. If I'm feeling like I need to eat the whole plate, I need to stop myself. So we'll see. 

Decisions are hard. I told you guys this was the hardest part.

Happy to be eating compliantly today and not have to make decisions. :) Have a good day!

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@emilyelowe You are so right! This is the hard part. I went to Trader Joe's yesterday for veggies and decided to buy my gluten for Friday as long as I was out. It was so hard! I was standing in their little bread area trying to decide if I wanted a whole loaf of artisan bread, english muffins, bran muffins, or a treat. Way too many options. :P I decided to go with a small soft pretzel stick so that I wouldn't attempt to eat an entire loaf of bread in one day. I like your idea of eating some of the treats at the birthday party, as long as you're in control.

@AB_MN I'm glad you found some time to send us an update. Congrats on finishing! 

I'm feeling a little better today. Happy to be back to eating whole30. :) I'm a little achy, but I think that's due to my long day yesterday. My anxiety has calmed down to a manageable level and my talk is coming along well. I think I worry about the trip on and off because I can have GI issues that go along with eating certain foods and it's not a fun experience to be sitting in a room with a group of colleagues while feeling very uncomfortable in that department. I'm hoping I'll be able to get good compliant food for most meals while I'm out there, but I have a feeling that it will be pretty hard on the days that food is provided. I'll do my best though!

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Thanks @AB_MN I will be here posting my progress as soon as I start re-intro, which will be Sunday and going to start with sugar. Congrats on finishing and some really great NSV's!!

@NoneOtherThanAmyGlad you had a better day and good for you for not going crazy in the bread aisle. Bread can definitely be a food with no brakes for me. I love to make my own bread but can honestly eat the whole loaf in a few hours so won't be making any of that for awhile lol. 

@emilyelowe I love how you have a plan for everything, I'm sure that serves you well and really helps you make good choices. And yes reintro is hard, after my first whole30 I stayed compliant for almost 4 months with just a few exceptions here and there and I was happy doing that. I think I really had a taste of food freedom, But when life took an unexpected turn I lost total control and the hard part was getting back to this place where I feel so good. You've done the hard part -- I know You got this!! 

This whole 30 round went so quick right up until this week lol. Though part of me is nervous about all the trials and tribulations that come with the next phase, I really do want to see again if any food has a negative effect on me.  

You guys are doing great and I really appreciate all your insights and observations!! 

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Good morning all!

Today is gluten day for me, but I'll admit I started a bit early. One thing that has been bothering me about my reintroduction so far is that I feel like I'm forcing food that I don't really want at the time. The rice and quinoa were fine, but I just didn't want them at that time. I thought about that for my gluten day and tried to think about what I missed the most about gluten things. The #1 thing I miss is snacks and pastries, but I don't want to reintroduce those yet because I want to stay as close to gluten as possible. The gluten thing I miss 2nd most is buns and bread for sandwiches, so I decided to get some bakery hamburger buns and made myself a turkey burger last night. It was soooo delicious! As I was making the burgers, I kept wanting to put cheese on them, but it turns out the one I had was absolutely wonderful without cheese! 

I have a dinner tonight at a fancy restaurant with a good friend and a group of her friends to celebrate my friend's birthday. I chose gluten today because this restaurant serves fresh bread as an appetizer and I'm sure I'll want to partake. I've already looked up the menu online and know what I'll be ordering ahead of time (a seafood salad, hoping they'll sub the cheese for avocado).

@Susabella627 Fresh, homemade bread is the BEST thing ever! I am right there with you, I could eat a whole loaf in a few hours right after it comes out of the oven. YUM! Good plan to not do any bread baking soon. Hang in there for your last few days! I know you can pull through to food freedom. :) 

Hope everyone else is doing well! 

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Good job resisting all the pastries at TJ's @NoneOtherThanAmy! Super smart to only get a single serving type treat, too! I can totally relate to your decisions around introducing gluten - my favorite gluten things generally come with dairy on/in them so sticking to strictly gluten for reintroduction can be tricky. I love tortillas and they are a good way to reintroduce because taco/wrap ingredients are easy to keep compliant and follow the meal template (veggies, meat, avocado) but I also LOVE tacos.  I run into the serving thing, too, though because I buy a pack of like 10-20 tortillas and only eat two and then don't know what to do. Haha. So happy your burger was yummy! :)

Can't wait for you to join us @Susabella627! These last few days will be hard, especially since it's the weekend, but you can do it! 

Guys. I woke up this morning, like, ALIVE. I seriously have so much energy, which is pretty weird because I went to sleep really late for me (10:30!) but still was up and ready to go to the gym at 5:30. It was awesome! Not sure if it was the sweet potatoes and avocado I had with dinner last night (I don't always do a good job with the meal template at dinner) or just the fact that it's Friday and my birthday! Anyway, I'm having a great morning so far from an energy perspective but I was feeling a little bloated on my drive into work. <_<  Yesterday and today I had a little bit of caffeinated water since I knew I hadn't really gotten enough sleep and it helps get me going during my workout and I also got a little bloated yesterday, so I'm wondering if that's it? Kind of weird. I think the sweet potatoes I ate last night were cooked in peanut oil, too (oops) so maybe it is that? But then that wouldn't explain yesterday before dinner. Or maybe it's just that T.O.M. I really don't like these mysteries... Looking forward to reintroducing legumes on their own to know for sure and definitely need to stay away from the caffeinated water just in case that is it.

I am very much looking forward to the weekend and proving to myself that I can have off-plan foods and still stay in control. Which INCLUDES being strictly compliant again Monday - Wednesday so I can continue with reintroduction. So thankful you guys are here to help keep me accountable!

Have a great Friday and weekend, everyone! 

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@emilyelowe - hope your birthday was amazing!  

My re-intro hasn't been as organized as I'd like but I think I may be onto something.  I added dairy as my first food post-W30 by having cream in coffee each morning and had some bad stomach aches a few hours later each time.  Last night I ventured further and had a piece of cheese and I really had a bad gut ache starting about 1 hour later.  It lasted through the night.   Also, have a few new skin issues (fresh crop of acne).  So, I am going to back off the dairy for a few days and see what that does.   I used to consume a lot of yogurt and milk, some cheese, and daily cream in my coffee.  I would think if a few tablespoons of cream hurt me now,  that all that milk and yogurt would have had my doubled over in gut pain.  I don't understand how just a little bit could hurt me now.  Did I build up some sort of tolerance before?  Or, was my body freaking out and I didn't know the cause so the I didn't notice the connection? 

I also missed a template-size breakfast one morning and felt like I was hungry and eating the rest of the day.  I think the initial load of protein/fat/veggies serves the body well through the rest of the day.  I think realizing that fact is my biggest NSV.

Here's another thing I am wondering if anyone has noticed.  I've known this for awhile so it's not a new realization for me now.  But, it's an important connection that proves true about 95% of time for me.  Drinking affects me physically at the time (just like it does for everyone else, not a big deal there) but has an emotional bull dozer effect on me the next morning.  And, I am talking like 1 drink (2 is my absolute max at anytime anyway).    It's not a hang over.  It's more like a shroud of sadness.  It happens even with one drink and and is present w/even with no physical symptoms the next day.   Anyone else have that w/alcohol?  

@NoneOtherThanAmy - way to go on checking out the restaurant in advance.  That's great prep-work.  And, bet it was so fun to go out for dinner (something we all probably haven't been doing too much of).  

@Susabella627 - countdown is on for you.  I think Sun is your day 30.  I've done a few W30 before and each time I just loaded up on all the foods I'd been missing starting on D31 and was back in that cozy love/hate relationship with the sugar dragon.  This time I'm trying to be more intentional about what/when I add things back in and I am trying to leverage the fact that my hormones are settled down and my body has done some healing.    Based on your previous posts, I believe you intend to keep at this approach to eating, too.  So, I look forward to you joining us.   I've not done a re-intro group like this before but am finding it as helpful as the time we all had together during the W30.  

I have a really busy weekend.  Out of town company coming to stay, my son's grad party and a trip up north to a cabin with all the company.   And, I don't know how long they are staying ---  LOL.  Just going to have to wing it. 

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Quick check in then off to Relay for Life - it's my first one, and I know it's going to be an emotional but amazing day!! 

@AB_MN today is day 30!!! Yipee.... starting to reintroduce sugar tomorrow. About that reaction to dairy read the post at the bottom of this thread by @ladyshanny

I would have just copied and pasted her response, but I think there might be a rule against that lol. It might explain why you had a reaction to such a small amount of dairy. 

@emilyeloweHope your Birthday was amazaballs!!! 

@NoneOtherThanAmyAnxious to hear how gluten went for you... this is the one food group I think has an effect on me, not physically but mentally as in no brakes. 

Happy Saturday everyone!!

 

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I had lots of fun at the dinner last night! I may have had a little bit of dairy in my meal, but I woke up feeling fine, so I'm not concerned.  No ill effects from the gluten so far as I can tell. On the other hand, I've had gluten for 3 days in a row now, so I think it's time to go back to strict whole30 compliance for a few days starting tomorrow. Even though gluten doesn't seem to affect me, I still prefer eating to the whole30 template.

I feel much better about my upcoming trip after the dinner and the gluten experiment. I can definitely do this!

@Susabella627 That's a great thread you found on why sensitivities may be magnified after the whole30. Thanks for that. Hope the Relay for Life went well today! :) 

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@Susabella627- thank you so much for finding that post for moderator Lady Shandy.  It makes sense.   It makes me a  bit sad though.   Even a small bit of whatever-it-is-that-is-bothering-me will cause a flair up the rest of my life?  I'm not sure if benefits are worth the cost.  I can see giving up alcohol since the impact is so clear to me.  But dairy for the rest of my life?  I mean with so many good cheeses out there, and a glass of milk here and there?  And my beloved cream in coffee?  Hmmmmm... I need to think through this more.  

Congrats on day 30.  Your Relay for Life event will be a great way to celebrate.    I've not done 'Relay' but have done several 'Race for the Cure' events (lots of br cancer in our family) and it's always so moving and rewarding.   

Based on the explanation from above, I need to isolate if this is dairy or not.   I've remove cream in morning coffee and am skipping milk/yogurts/etc.  But, yesterday at party I couldn't resist a cheese curd (that was at the grad party and what the food vendor is famous for).  Of course it was so good but then I had such stomach issues rest of the day and I felt like I was about 6 months preg with such a bloated stomach.    Small problem.  Overall it was a glorious day.  We had a great turn out it.  It was so fun to see friends and family.  Then, after we had all the family back to our house.  It was a blast to see all the cousins play together.   I am feeling very blessed.  Happy weekend to all of you. 

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Hi Gals, 

The relay was amazing. My daughter is in the Students against Cancer club at her High School and starting this year the High School is going to host the relay annually. I did the survivor walk and just spent the day talking to other survivors and those in the fight now. So much activity and all for such a good cause. Next year I plan on walking on a team!!! 

So - It's day 31!!! My current treatment protocol is a daily estrogen inhibitor (1 year down 4 to go). The purpose is to throw me into menopause and the symptoms and side effects that come with it make you feel pretty crappy. The greatest NSV for me has been that those symptoms have greatly decreased. I lost 10 lbs this round but what I gained is so much more. I love the way I feel when I eat clean and now I have my motivation back to keep this up. It has also been great sharing this round with you gals making this the best group I've ever been a part of. 

Today I am reintroducing sugar, I've never reintroduced it on it's own before, but I want to see if it wakes any dragons up. So far I added bacon to breakfast. Going to have a fruit smoothie after lunch which is actually compliant but more fruit then I normally have at one serving. Not sure what I will add to dinner yet. 

@AB_MNsounds like you had a great day yesterday, family is everything!! Sorry about your dairy issues, hope you can isolate it. 

Happy Sunday!!

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@AB_MN I found an article on the 5 stages of food grief. It may be helpful as you think about what to do about dairy. https://whole30.com/2012/01/the-five-stages-of-food-grief/ I think the most important part of all this is that you've now identified a problematic food group and you know the consequences. You can now make an informed decision about whether or not a food is worth the consequences. And yummy cheese curds? Totally worth a little discomfort for a few hours. ;) 

@Susabella627 Congrats on finishing!! You've had some great NSVs! How's the sugar reintro going? Glad to hear your relay for life was amazing. It sounds like such a powerful experience.

I'm feeling pretty good today. I had a treat from Trader Joe's last night, some mini cakes topped with mousse and frosted. The first one was delicious but, interestingly, I got sick of the 2nd one about halfway through. I ate it all though. :rolleyes: Afterwards, I threw out the rest of the package and the rest of my gluten items so I could go back to strict whole30 today. Still no ill effects as far as I can tell, other than a sugar crash after the sugar. I have been having some cravings on and off, but no different than before I ate the treats. I think my snacking dragon has been banished (the sugar dragon is still there though). The whole30 template meals have kept me satisfied enough that I don't need to snack and that has been making it easier to avoid sugar. I used to mindlessly eat sugary snacks after meals, but since I don't need to snack between meals, it's hard to find an excuse to buy and consume my old treats. This is a pretty amazing NSV for me. :) 

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Yay! Reading all these updates is amazing. Welcome to Reintroduction @Susabella627! And the fact that your symptoms from your treatment are reduced is an AMAZING NSV! SO happy to hear that. :) 

@AB_MN, I think @NoneOtherThanAmy hit the nail on the head - while the symptoms suck, the knowledge doesn't. You'll never be caught surprised by your dairy-induced bloating again. You'll know it's coming and you'll cope. I used to think I couldn't live without cheese also, but after a few Whole30s and consistently noticing the bloating and stuffiness, it got easier for me. Maybe it will for you, too?

Thanks so much for sharing the links above, I definitely am going to check them out!

My birthday weekend was great, but I can tell you I'm feeling it today. In addition to off-plan foods, I stayed up too late for me all 3 days. I had alcohol again Friday and my reaction Saturday was no surprise: headache and SO. TIRED. It's interesting because my brain still becomes alert upon waking the same way it has for the last few weeks of my W30, but my body can't move. My arms and eyes were SO HEAVY. So that is new, but I also knew about it from when I had alcohol Tuesday.

Saturday the original plan was only alcohol, but I decided to have dairy also because my friend made chorizo queso that I love. The first interesting thing about that is that it wasn't as good as I remembered. I think I've been going without having cheese regularly long enough (even prior to this last W30) that I really can just live without it. I never ever thought I'd say that! I lived in Wisconsin for 3 years, where the cheese curd rules them all! Haha. The NEW information I got, though, is that I think dairy gives me a headache. This has never happened before but I got SLAMMED within an hour of eating it. I might not have even put it together except that I had another friend over at the time who told me migraines are a common symptom for her when she eats dairy. That, plus, I hadn't had alcohol in HOURS and was drinking lots of water, so I don't think it was that. I was also a little congested the next morning, but it seemed like inflammation and not mucus. I've gotten the extra mucus from dairy before so the inflammation was new but luckily it went away pretty quickly.

I also have the HUGEST PIMPLE EVER coming in on my chin. I think it showed up Saturday and I can't help but think it is related to less healthy food choices. My period is over so there's not really any other reason I would be having a breakout and I did have a SINGLE bite of queso Friday night so I wonder if that kicked off the process. It's seriously ginormous and SO PAINFUL. It's still just red so I am just waiting it out. None of the things I just described are worth cheese. Ice cream, dessert, maybe, but not cheese. Haha. 

Sunday I ate compliantly for breakfast and lunch because we were going out for another friend's birthday at dinner. I was originally planning to do gluten and dairy, because I wanted to have the treats she was making, but I ended up having alcohol again, too. I knew I wouldn't be having alcohol again for a few weeks as I finish re-intro, so I went for it because it was fancy and fun. ANYWAY. I had bread and brie with my dinner salad and then the dessert treats my friend made. The bread and brie was blah (as was the entire salad, honestly, which was kind of a bummer but I'm still glad I had it), but the desserts were awesome and totally worth it. I did find myself getting full/satisfied with the treats faster than I did prior to W30, so I hope that stays with me. Dessert portion control was definitely a problem before - I would eat until I was sick. After the desserts I felt super full and heavy, which wasn't ideal but I had a whole glass of water with them so I think there really was just a lot in my belly. Within an hour or two I had REALLY stinky gas, which I didn't the day before from just dairy + alcohol, so wondering if that was the gluten? I slept well but am VERY tired today and have had a headache for about 3 hours despite the entire bottle of water and 8 hours of sleep. Ugh. I also have been feeling kind of woozy on and off, which is weird. 

Very excited to be back on-plan for a few days. Originally was planning to do legumes on Thursday and NG grains on Sunday but I feel like this weekend really took a toll, so I might skip legumes and do them later if I'm not feeling 100% on Thursday so I can go into NG grains on Sunday totally cleaned up. 

Hope everyone is having a happy Monday! 

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Oh! @AB_MN I don't have that issue with alcohol but oddly enough, I think Melissa does. Not sure if it was red wine or gluten but I specifically remember in It Starts With Food her saying there is some food group that makes her depressed and that at first she kind of didn't believe it but she tested it over and over again and it was true. Something like that. So even if none of us have that, I definitely think there are other people who do. 

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@emilyelowe Sounds like your birthday weekend was a blast! Interesting that you're still learning new things about dairy. Certain cheeses can definitely cause migraines; sharp cheddar and aged cheeses do not agree with me. I'm starting to think like you though, I don't really miss cheese at all. It's almost sacrilegious for a native Wisconsinite to admit, but there you have it.

I've got a new NSV! I'm down another notch on a belt that I didn't even fit into before my Whole30. :)

Happy Monday everyone!

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@NoneOtherThanAmy - thank you for sharing link to article.  It's funny but also hits close to home.  I need to process all of this.  It's so hard to know for sure what the culprit is since I've haphazardly added things back in.  At this point, I may just eat template with other non-compliant items added in EXCEPT dairy and play with that for a few weeks.  Take out for a week then try for a day or two, and repeat.  It could take weeks to really confirm dairy is an issue.  

@NoneOtherThanAmy - Great NSV on the belt notch change.  Now, that's some great news.   And, it sounds like you are really conscious of the sugary treats and how they don't hold as much appeal for you anymore.    Isn't it funny how you think you like something but then after a few bites it's not that great.  In the past, you may not have been aware of that transition from great to no-longer-loving-this.   Now you are aware and that's a NSV. 

@Susabella627 - with your daily estrogen inhibitor throwing you into menopause, eating this way can only help, right?  I just turned 50 and have no 'symptoms' yet but it has to be around the corner???  So, I am trying to eat better in part as preparation for getting thru menopause with reduced symptoms whenever it does start/happen.    So many books talk about how processed foods (esp sugar/alcohol) throw off hormones even more and make menopause ever more challenging.    I have to say the w30 did a number on my TOM/cycle.  It's really interesting how it's all so related.  I wish I understood it better.  

@emilyelowe - you have the best social life :-)  --- for the new zit, hang in there.  My skin cleared up during W30.  Then with re-introduction, I had a few new ones which was so frustrating but they cleared up REALLY quick (1-2 days instead of 2-4 weeks).  So, hopefully that will case for you too?  

 

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Hello Gang, 

Well I didn't feel any different on Sugar day... not that I really added that much, but I'm happy to know I can have regular bacon once in awhile and an extra serving of fruit here and there. Only thing I noticed and I don't even know if it's related is I woke up really hungry today, that hardly ever happens. I did eat an early supper yesterday though. Seems like dairy is not a friend to any of you. Honestly, I don't think it bothers me but you all have given me so many more things to look out for. Dairy will be reintroduced Wednesday. 

Yeah Amy!! Down a belt notch is awesome!!

Emily, I can almost guarantee a break out when I eat too much sugar... maybe the sugar in the alcohol? I do hope it goes away quickly for you. Loved hearing about your weekend and how you navigated thru. 

AB_MN I know sugar is definitely the enemy, besides messing with the hormones, I've been told  that cancer cells are attracted to sugar as well. So I'm very motivated to keep my sugar intake very low from here on out. 

Happy Monday All!!

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