megbeveridge

I love reading your reintro log, you seem to have a lot of the same thoughts that I'm struggling with going into it, so thank you for journalling and being so honest!

I have to confess that when I made this SMART Goal I completely forgot about my Friday and Saturday plans. I'm starting over today because I had pizza on Friday night and went to a winery Saturday where we had wine, cheese, crackers, and bread. Yesterday was just a fail all around. 
Although my food decisions were pretty terrible this weekend, I did get to work out three times! I was shocked that I had the energy for it, but I think my new Food Freedom is really helping. Friday I did yoga in the morning and climbing followed by a cool down workout after dinner. Saturday morning I did more climbing. This week I'm determined to keep my meals simple and mostly whole foods. I'm allowing one source of grain per day because whole grains are filling and the extra carbs help for exercise. Yogurts are the only dairy I'm planning to eat with any regularity.
Last night I started the week with half a steak, green beans, and a bun. I had some grapes at the end of dinner, but didn't eat after that. This morning was my favorite cereal (low sugar, whole grain, and delicious!) with almond milk. I intended to have a sausage with it, but ran out of time. I prepped turkey meatballs and tomato sauce before heading to work. For lunch I'm going home and having the other half of that steak warmed on a skillet, veggies, and lots of water! Dinner is the turkey meatballs and zoodles. I planned the whole week on my meal planning board and I think I can sustain mostly Whole30 foods. When grocery shopping I didn't worry too much about added sugars or dairy. It definitely reduced the cost of my trip. This is the first time since December that my groceries cost less than $60/person for the week. Instead it was about $54 each. 
Smart Goal: This week each of my days are planned so that one meal can have a source of grain. Today that was breakfast cereal. I'm still keeping my sugar down and aiming for mainly whole grains, but not being overly strict about it. I don't have any "special" days until Saturday and I think even then I'll be able to stick with it. My friends are generally quite supportive and I think will be shocked at how good I look! My one grain for Saturday may be in the form of cake if the birthday girl wants me to make one

CONGRATS!!
20 pounds and no urge to eat non-compliant foods is a super big deal! You are amazing!
Do you think the remaining dry/red skin could be a water thing? Otherwise it's probably just genetic and you'll need to keep treating it :/ 
I think the only real up-side to reintroducing is the cheaper groceries. Not having to buy the simplest, most whole foods is much less expensive. All the meats that have no added sugar are marked up. I don't have to buy a gazillion eggs. I can eat less meat, which is an expense in itself, but still stay full. For me, the increase in fresh produce was also costly since it's winter here and everything is out of season. 
If your budget allows you to continue Whole30, definitely go for it! But if not, don't worry too much about the little things. Like you said, a little sugar in a marinade isn't going to be a huge deal in the long run. 
Congratulations again! I'm so happy for you!!

The time difference between us is wild! It's 10:00 here on Friday and I'm at work! You're dinner sounds so good. I can't get into cauli rice, but I think with that combination it would be divine. 

Last night was my early Valentine's Day dinner and a cheat treat meal for sure! I had some amazing macadamia chicken, a little of the mashed potatoes, half my broccoli and (most importantly) half a slice of carrot cake. YUM! Of course this was a huge meal, even when I ate only half of it. I didn't feel too terrible afterwards, but as the night went on I did have some stomach bloating and discomfort. Overall it worked out just fine.
Today I feel a little off and a little bloated. I still have leftovers so that'll be my lunch today, minus the cake. The mashed potatoes weren't great so I probably won't have much of those. Dinner will be a sheet pan meal with chicken and LOTS of veggies. I'll be waiting a few days to eat the other half of that cake slice! 
I'm finding I definitely don't feel as well as I did last week. I definitely need to get my meals closer to a Whole30 recommended plate. On Friday I looked at why I'm straying from the reintro process, now I need to work on coming back to it. Hopefully the dinner tonight will be a good kickstart and I'll be able to work from there, but I think another reason it's so hard is because my partner isn't doing it. He just went ahead and started eating what he wanted so he keeps suggesting meals that are non-compliant. I don't want to say no all the time.
Smart Goal: I definitely was not under my sugar goal last night, but that's okay because I knew I'd have a special occasion night. I'm back on track today with 22g of sugar left after lunch. A treat once in a while is okay, but I know that sugar shouldn't be a daily indulgence. I don't feel as well after all the cake I had last night and the food I ate in general just wasn't as good as whole, fresh food. I'm glad I had the experience!

I've been pretty off track with my reintro too. I think my "why"s are that it's my first time doing it and my Whole30 was really rough. Like you said, not an excuse, but I think if I'd felt better during the process I would be better at sticking to my reintroduction plan. That said, I think I'm feeling much better by adding the little bit of non-compliant food that I eat, but not going overboard. Hopefully you'll feel better today after the non-compliant food settles a little!

I'm finally pregnant!!! 
Before going into this I had completely given up trying. While only actively trying to conceive for about 8 months, I had really become discouraged. I wanted a change in my life as far as weight and food management goes, so I gave this a try. I ended my Whole30 on Tuesday February 5th. I dropped 15lbs, felt better, had more energy, was healthier, and two days later also got a positive pregnancy test!!!
They said the Whole30 would change my life and it did in the best way imaginable. I 100% believe that what this whole eating did for me was make my body a better place for a baby to grow. 
Thank you Whole30!!!!

@megbeveridge  I saw my doctor during my Whole30.  Into week 4 I was feeling so good, happy, focused.  We experimented with reducing the dosage.  One of the side effects of one of my meds is an increased appetite and I really wanted to see if I could get by on less medicine and make that side effect go away.  

Day 38:
I went off track with my re-introduction plans. I like that Melissa Urban always says to ask why.
So here's my why (but also no excuses).
I typically eat exactly at 5:15 PM. I arrived home at 5:15 and dinner was not even close to done (it ended up being done at 6 PM. This was not anything my husband may have prevented).
I had worked out twice earlier in the day, and I was. SO. Hungry.
My husband had made delicious non-compliant food with my kids for their dinner.
I chose to eat non-compliant food.
Thankfully, I didn't just binge eat all night. I stopped eating by 6 PM and my stomach hurt a bit from the non-compliant food.
Day 39 - back to W30 before I introduce grains!
Progress is progress and no W30 is perfect.
Love and peace.

I honestly think I could probably reduce my med dosage, but I'm trying to get through all of reintro and then do a month of what my post-W30 eating will be like... then I'll talk to my doctor and see what he thinks. I just don't want to reduce mine early and then find out I have to increase it again  So I'm doing what I don't do best... waiting

I'm almost finished with my reintroductions.  I'm doing the fast track plan because I have a big trip starting soon and I wanted to be done before I left.  Yesterday was dairy day.  I had some plain yogurt and cheddar cheese and both upset my stomach a little bit.  But I love dairy and will probably eat some on occasion.  I've never found dairy substitutes to be as good.  What I'm most concerned about is sleep and anxiety.  I don't feel as energetic since I started the reintroduction phase. I don't wake up as refreshed in the morning and I seem to be more worried these past few days than before.  I  cut back on one of my meds during the Whole30.  Now I'm not sure if this anxiety is from that and I need to go back up on the meds or if its from digesting new foods.  I've got one more food group to go -- gluten grains.  Then I go on my trip.  Once I'm back, I'll probably return to Whole30 rules for a couple of weeks and see if the sleep/anxiety issues get better again.  

I'm glad I was able to pass on the reminder I had a rough weekend as my baby was so sick (still is, but my husband is the SAHP, so I'm at work, sucking it up).
 
I'm really happy you're still posting so we can all follow along and cheer you on!

SMART Goal progress: Yesterday I was under my sugar goal by 4g. Instead of eating and then logging it into MFP (this is how I'm keeping myself on track during reintro), I logged everything first and determined whether I could eat it based on the sugar content. 
Yesterday I just wasn't hungry when lunch time came around so I had a mini meal instead of my full lunch. Dinner was chicken burgers (no bun) with mustard and sauteed vegetables. The mustard was not W30 compliant as it had added sugar, but I'm not being super strict about added sugars during reintroduction besides keeping up with my SMART goal. Breakfast today was smoked turkey breast with mustard wrapped in a corn tortilla. I've determined that I don't have a reaction to corn, but I'll still keep that as my only reintro today. 
I definitely haven't been very strict with my reintro and @MamaJ posted something that reminded me to question why. I think because I had a really rough time with how I felt during Whole30, coupled with it being my first time, I am less determined to stay Whole30 between reintro days. I had so many digestive problems, headaches, and trouble sleeping during the program that it's hard for me to think it's worth it. I really want to do better, but I'm lacking the "feel good" motivation. Maybe I'm just embracing food freedom? 

This really hit home with me. I'm 5'2" and fluctuate daily between 138 and 142. At the beginning of last year I was about 13 pounds more. I'm here for similar reasons, I want to achieve food freedom and stop worrying about calories! My goal is 125 since I will always have muscular thighs and wider hips.
I also have a tendency to overeat when emotional or when I'm alone or when I have a trigger food and just can't stop... Food has always been a big part of my life, but I was thinking about it the wrong way. Not every celebration requires food, I can treat myself to a hot bath or give myself some down time. Just because I think I'm hungry every two hours doesn't mean I actually am. I'm finding new ways to find comfort and fun, but I'm also getting some of that by spending more time with food. I don't usually cook more than one meal a day, and that's usually with short cuts. I used to eat a quick breakfast at my desk every morning, now I get up and cook a full meal to start my day and it feels great! I'm finding recipes that incorporate some of my favorite foods so I'm excited to eat, not grudgingly downing some soggy veggies.  
Like you said, I feel like it's given me control over my life. For a long time I felt trapped in a body I wasn't sure I could change. Now I know that I can do things to make it better. If I treat my body well, it'll treat me well and the same with you! I know you'll get to your goal and have a great time at the wedding! Thank you for writing so thoughtfully. It helps to know others are going through similar things.

Ah I forgot about that. 9 days isn't bad either! May the tiger blood be with you!

Aw, thanks!! I often think I'm in the wrong business, I'd love to make food for a living. 
I do still have 9 days to do, thanks to the days 1-4 sulfite debarcle, but I'm kicking along really well so it doesn't seem to be too much of a struggle! I did make plans for next weekend, thinking I'd be on alcohol reintro, but I won't be and that's ok. I'll make all the complaint nibbles I was going to (hot wings, lamb meatballs with garlic tahini dressing, crispy pork belly bites, maybe some duck breast) and just forego the alcohol. I'm not really missing it anyway.
Day 25's food:
Breakfast: 2 poached eggs with The Goods Spicy Kraut
Lunch: Chicken green thai curry 
Dinner: Chilli Lime Prawns on cauli/brocc rice with sauteed boc choy
 
 

You're just a week out! Hurrah! Your meals always sound so good. I'm jealous of your culinary skills

Good suggestionss @SchrodingersCat and @megbeveridge -  I can easily walk to the market today and the weather isn't going to be too hot. Meg, the Adelaide Central Market is AMAZING - 150 years old and huge. Of course, being here in summer means everything's fresh - what a delight after months of frozen Canada  
My daughter was very accommodating last night making compliant chicken and salad - she's an awesome cook so, it was delicious. I may have worried about her reaction to all of this prematurely. After posting yesterday, I found some compliant chorizo in her fridge and whipped up a little hash onto which I threw a couple of eggs and ate like a queen so, it's no as bad as I thought it would be.
Thanks you two!!

I didn't lose any weight either!  I actually gained 3 pounds as of Day 31 and then somehow lost them on Day 32.  But personally I feel my NSVs are way better than a read-out on a metal scale.  I decided to put the scale away for a while because it shouldn't affect how I feel. 
It sounds like your NSVs are pretty amazing.  As far as you FF, if you really want a piece of chocolate cake, then it would be better to go to a restaurant, buy a good quality piece and really savor and enjoy it.  But I recommend not baking a whole cake and keeping it in the house.  It is too easy to eat too much of it if you have it at home.  For me, FF works best when I have a well-stocked kitchen with healthy, delicious food.  If I really am craving something, than I'll go out to a restaurant and have it there. 

First reintroduction: dairy. I had a latte with skim milk at lunch time and I feel the bloat! I took my digestive enzymes with it, but it doesn't seem to be helping all that much. I also didn't have a lot of coffee during W30 (and when I did it was decaf) so that's causing me to sweat! Gross! I'm definitely not going to be doing dairy very much in the future. I'll try out Greek yogurt and other low-lactose foods, but for now it's looking like a no-go for me! 
Anyone else have reintro insights?

Agreed Meg - now I'm in Adelaide and, looking at my daughter's firdge, realized that the reintro is going to be hard to do alone here.  Hubs and Gee are progressing gently back at home but I almost threw in the towel realizing that I was going to have to be hungry until I get myself sorted grocery wise. I hope it goes well for you - what are you reintroducing? I am starting with wine then grains then dairy the legumes. No sugar or soy. I suspect dairy will be a problem.
 

Welcome to Aust! Weird to think you went from all the way over --------------- there, to just over -- there
Can you declare tomorrow a market day? I know your daughter isn't keen on you "dieting", but if you frame it as a "I've been really looking forward to hitting the markets!" it could just be a fun outing
Be sure to go to Something Wild when you are there! They specialise in Australian game meat but have an incredible array of Australian native herbs and spices and goodies. So much fun to experiment with!

I'm allergic to non-allergenic makeup and face cleansing wipes! I don't know what it is, but it makes my face go red, hot, and puffy! Actually most cleansers that aren't all natural do that to my face. It's so hard to find something that actually works for my skin and doesn't turn me into a burning tomato head.
I had a couple of days in the past month where something on my scarves made me break out in hives. There was no sign of anything on them, no smell, no stains, but I was covered head to toe in hives after wearing them for 30 minutes. 

Technically I am on my own now - Hubs and Gee are done with the W30 for this round although both are committed to do it again the minute they think it's necessary. Hubs had some catering prepared chciken and his first beer last night at a work event - he was really shocked that he could only tolerate half the beer before setting it aside and, to use his words, "I feel like sh** today. I really have to take this seriously!" Likely that catering chicken was sugar, soy and God knows what else. Anyway, I'm still on the W30 for 10 more days. I'll be checking in with Gee in a few days to see what's happening with her.
To weigh in or not to weigh in? That is the question. 
I'm one of those people who has a scale problem. When I'm heavy, I avoid it like the shame inducing plague I believe it to be. When I am thin, I'm on that thing 3 times a day. I TOTALLY agree with Melissa that we should not be letting a bit of $20 plastic, (well, $150 bit of chrome and glass for me but we're quibbling here), rule how we feel about ourselves. But that statement holds true whether we're on it or not. Avoiding it isn't any better than getting on it - dealing with the emotion it brings up is what's important. My therapist is chuffed with pride right now.
So, I decided to weigh in. I lost 10 lbs. I'm really surprised and not at all surprised because I know how my clothes feel on me and my face couldn't make a double chin if I retracted it back to my spinal cord.  I feel no emotion whatsoever about the number which is the weirdest thing of all. This program has helped solidify all those therapy sessions into a happy part of my brain. I've never felt more emotionally balanced in my adult life and my reaction to getting on that scale solidifies that.
Just for some perspective though - the last time I was successfully on WW (2017, lost 12lbs), I was sticking to their points system and never ate my extra points. I was probably between 900 - 1200 calories per day. I was working out every day - running, cycling, strength training, yoga. It took me 5 months to lose 12 pounds - I was hungry all the time and, it wasn't sustainable. On W30, I haven't been to the gym once - sidelined by recovery, I decided to work on diet and inflammation before heading back to the gym this month. I eat large amounts of delicious food, I am never hungry and, in 30 days, I lost 10lbs.
So. Okay then. Day 31 indeed...
I 

Since so many people lose weight on Whole30, I was disappointed I only had a 2 pound loss (no inches) during January.  Even that went away when I added back in legumes and corn during my first week of reintroduction.  As far as NSV, I sleep better at night and have less need for a long nap in the afternoon.  I was able to reduce the dosage of one of my depression meds.  I found several recipes from Fast & Easy I really like.  I'm doing the fast reintro because I have a trip coming up.  Next week is non-gluten grains and dairy.  I'm also getting my cholesterol and lipid profile checked next week.  I'm really curious how that turns out.
My cravings for sugar/chocolate have come back since I started the reintro process.  Now these foods are no longer forbidden, I think about them a lot.  I'm struggling with the FFF concept of determining if a food is "worth it".  I would accept any chocolate concoction right now.  I found a recipe for paleo brownies that are made from pumpkin, almond butter, and cocoa powder.  But without sugar would they be satisfying?  Should I keep denying I want chocolate or just go to the bakery down the street and enjoy a slice of chocolate cake?    Would that start me back on the slippery slope of a daily chocolate fix?