Kirsteen

Many of us take medication that isn't necessarily prescribed by GPs. Personally, I say, if you actually need it - and you obviously do, then take it. However, if an anti allergy medication is working, I'd keep an absolute strict diary of what I ate and what I came into contacy with to see if I could find any correlation with my symptoms. Have you tried speaking to your GP to see if they can suggest any cause? good luck with it anyway

My favourite spices with lamb are cinnamon, cumin and ginger

Welcome back Anita. I love your methodical approach and how you've planned it all out. I truly believe reading the book is the best thing you could do (well other than actually doing what it says ) It was what made all the difference to me. Good luck, you know you can do this.

Hi, I have to agree with you, I found the second time a lot harder to get on board with. My first W30 (really a W60) i was focussed throughout. When I came to start the second one, I didn't feel nearly so enthusiastic - it wasn't new - it wasn't so much of an adventure - I mean i knew what to expect - after all I didn't eat so much differently anyway so what was the point? All these things were running round my head and I put off starting.then I realised I was just making excuses, procrastinating. What really helped was having a long hard look at what my goals were - what did I want to get out of this? I reread parts of the book, dug out all the daily emails I'd saved, cleared what little there was to clear out of my cupboards and just really, really comitted to a starting date. Good luck - you can do this!

If your blood pressure was through the ceiling, it's probably what they term "white coat syndrome". Seriously, put us in a stressful situation, like seeing a doctor, and getting things tested and our blood pressure automatically rises. When I had cancer I used to get hooked up to a machine that automatically took my blood pressure every half hour while I was having chemo. The nurse always said she discarded the first readings as they were always higher than normal for that person as they were stressed out. By the time you'd been relaxing in the chair for a couple of hours your readings were always a lot lower and more normal for you. I bet if you took your BP at home when you're relaxed, it would actually be a lot lower. Good luck finding a better doctor.

I love your happy afterthought Seriously, I am sooo with you on the frustrations of supermarket or even health food shopping. On the plus side, the longer you do it, the easier it gets because you know everything to avoid. You learn which hot sauces, pickles etc are compliant and so I no longer waste time looking at the rest. Since i miss out so many aisles in the supermarket, I can be round it quicker than ever before. good luck

I'm a great fan of digestive enzymes, I have low stomach acid and have taken them for years. For what it's worth, I personally don't believe they would mask issues with food. They'll help you digest it yes, but the foods I have issues with, I still have issues whether I take the enzymes or not. Perssonally I'd just continue with reintro and the enzymes and see how you get on. good luck

I hope not - I love it Seriously, providing you're just steeping the herb and not adding any kind of sweetener or anything, that's fine

I think the most important thing is to absolutely make up your mind before you go out that you will not be drinking. Attitude is everything, honestly. If you start by thinking I'll try not to drink then it's much harder to do and much easier to fail. Decide you're definitelt not drinking and it becomes that much easier. There's two things you can do to make it easier. One is to decide what you will drink, sparkling water with a slice of lemon is a really good one. The other thing is to decide how to handle the social aspect. Only you know what your friends are like. with some, it's easy to get them on your side, to support you, you can always be the designated driver . with others it's easier not to make a big deal of it but just let them think you are drinking. Good luck and remember it's only for 30 days - you can handle it.

You're absolutely right - this is a journey and you have done exactly the right thing by starting again. So don't beat yourself up, yes you made a mistake but, hey, we've all done that, you're not alone there. So give yourself a high five for your positive attitude, think how much you already know and how much you've learnt and so how much better prepared you'll be this time around. So well done, good luck and I wish you all the best this time round.

I read Mark sissons first and someone on his forum mentioned W30. I came to the website and read everything I could. I ordered the book and read it and that's what really clinched it for me. I really like the fact that you don't have to spend a thing (other than on food ) to do a W30. The meal templates, the shopping guides are all available for free and there's loads of people here who will answer questions. In saying that, I'm the type that always likes to know why. Don't tell me I should do something unless you explain why I should be doing it. For me, that's what the book did - it went (in a very readable way) into the whole science behind all the W30 rules and guidlines. It persuaded me to give it a try and, considering I was coming from a raw food, vegan background, that says quite a lot. I decided if I was going to try it, I'd need all the encouragement I could get so I also signed up for the daily emails. I reckoned they'd help keep me accountable and they did. The rest is history. i can't imagine not eating this way now I'd recommend the book and emails to everyone but, as I said, I love the fact that if you can't afford them that's no barrier to doing a W30. Loads of people have done it without, so good luck whatever you decide

I still don't meal plan Several years ago, when I was a raw foodist, I attended a seminar and part of it was to find out *how*(not what) you liked to eat. I'd never done well with meal plans, I loved making them - I hated sticking to them. I discovered that my ideal is to be able to open my fridge freezer and just choose what looks appealing at the time. I adapted this quite easily to W30. I cook loads of protein at a time and freeze it in single portion sizes. I cook lots of veg and store it in the fridge and I wash and prep salad stuff and green baggie it in the fridge. I also keep lots of home made mayo, ghee and coconut oil etc. Come meal times I just choose my protein and add whatever veg, salad, fat etc I feel like. Sure, as the week goes on, i have less choice of veg but I've never found that a problem and I always manage to eat it all I also stress an awful lot less than when I used to feel I *had* to have my meals planned out. The secret is to find what works for you

The whole point of a W30 is that you cut out certain foods for 30 days then you introduce them back into your diet and you find out how these affect your body. I don't give a toss what my ancestors did or didn't eat, I care what affects me. I honestly don't know any better way than a W30 of finding that out.

I think it's quite common to worry about how you'll react to reintroducing different foods but Amberino is right your body won't react any differently to how it did before, you may just be more aware of it. Relax and enjoy your W30. when the time comes do a proper reintro and you'll know your body better than ever before. No ones saying don't ever have an ice cream, cupcake, slice of pizza, whatever is your particular favourite. You'll know if it's going to be worth it or not. Long before I ever found W30, I had to give up gluten so I totally get mourning food, believe me. It's been over 13 years since i had any gluten, except accidentally, and normally I don't miss baked goods at all, yet last time I was in Whole Foods they had a rosemary foccacia with sundried tomatoes, olives and mozzarella - I actually drooled. Only the thought of spending 3 days in pain practically locked in the bathroom made me walk away On the other hand, I've always enjoyed chocolate and now, when I'm not on a W30, I may still have some but, if I do, it's going to be my absolute favourite, ridiculously expensive Booja Booja truffles not the mass produced crap which really does not taste the same. So relax, enjoy the ride and the reintro. good luck

Hi Amberino, congrats on finishing your W30. You've got a solid W30 behind you and now you want to tweak it and fine tune it to suit you and your situation - that's great. I can't give any definitive answers, we're all individuals with individual schedules, work loads etc. I think your plan of increasing coconut oil sounds fine to me and I love your idea of experimenting for a week. Let us know how you get on with it. Good luck