Nira81

@MarcellaC, @sunnytropic, @CaseyLee: I hope you keep posting your progress! Very inspiring. Anyone else still around? I've had no sugar cravings and I'm still off sugar and dairy. I think for emotional stability the no-sugar life is for meunless very "worth it." The few sweets I did have did not trigger any cravings. I've got to get off grains again for the bloating. That is the only bad side effect, it seems. My stomach and joints are not too poorly affected. Since I'm finding grains quite "worth it" throughout the past weeks, it is time to cut the crap, again!

Does anyone know if there a higher concentration of gluten in vodka than in, say, bread, because of the fact that this liquid is all fermented grain? Maybe the answer is obvious... well, it would support my theory that I feel fine with small quantities of gluten but there's a tipping point I have to be aware of. @sunnytropic, I'm working on the "worth it" question too. Grains and alcohol used to seem worth simply it if it looked good and I'd had a generally clean-eating day. I want to realllllyyy improve my "worth it" criteria beyond this baseline! I have to remember the joint pain thing as well as the fact that they are empty calories. It's more clear cut with sugar and dairy which make me a crazy person and mess with my stomach, respectively! But I'm practiced at avoiding them, going back some years now. I wonder if I keep repeating the elimination process, will the benefits just become clearer, and will the decision to avoid these inflammatory foods get easier? @CarolineW26, you are an example of this I'd guess, wrapping up your third round. It's great that you're rolling along and not craving any reintro foods!

Hi @WholeWallet30, how are you hanging in? Hi @CateL - you made it 15 days! I remember my first big drinking/food combo from last round of whole30. Nothing like it. Glad to hear you're on your own reset now. I agree with you about the meat! I do feel best on a moderate amount of protein but since I've been on the reintroduction phase I've been having less meat at dinner and it feels better. I've added in corn chips, gluten, and alcohol so far. Oddly the grains didn't flare up any joint pain or "grain brain", just cravings for more starches. Those never went away in the first place! The alcohol hurt my hands though. But no sugar cravings, at least not physical ones. Oh and legumes in the form of peanut butter, which made me sick. I have to test beans or peanuts alone. I'm having fewer binge urges now that the strict whole30 phase is over. I'm sure I'm overeating, but I am not bingeing and I'm happy enough with maintaining my winter weight eating this way. Keep us updated!

Hi everyone! I'm enjoying all the notes on reintroduction. So peanut butter messed up my stomach. I haven't wanted it since. Wheat swelled my hands and probably gave me some allover bloating. But it didn't seem to increase my hand pain or any general achiness like I expected. I suspect for me, the effects of grains may be cumulative. The big surprise was that two vodka sodas did make my hands to hurt in the early morning hours after reintroducing alcohol. I want to repeat the alcohol exposure this weekend because I also reintroduced a high volume of plank and push-up type exercises in the days before this; I wonder if part of the hand pain was from this. The alcohol reintroduction did NOT set off any cravings for sugar or for more alcohol! I do observe physical cravings for starchy foods. But I have remained blissfully free from sugar cravings. There is one exception: I went hunting for a certain bakery cookie that I'd passed on all holiday season. It wasn't available. So I still haven't had sugar. But I have not been able to put this one type of cookie out of my head. Like you, @sunnytropic, they're fleeting, vaguely annoying cravings but it's just this one item I keep thinking of. @CaseyLee do you think your cupcake will set off cupcake cravings? Should I reintroduce my almond cookie or just keep rolling along sugar-free? The plan was to not reintroduce sugar except as an added ingredient to sauces when I'm not the chef. @jesscummings how is your weekend of traveling going? @Whole30Peach did you try natural peanut butter or a processed one? I made the mistake of trying good old Jif...

I introduced peanut butter yesterday and was up at 4:30 this morning. No fun. Is it a legume thing? I'd say maybe!

Hi all! I'm so happy to hear everyone's results- congratulations! I have been off the boards and didn't even weigh myself until today. I had a really hard time those last few days and went overboard with the snacking. We were warned about fruit and nuts and I wasn't able to control myself at the end. Live and learn, and keep on refining. Results: my hands don't hurt, even after heavier days giving trigger point therapy. My energy is more stable throughput the day. I lost four pounds out of about 12 I'll need to get back to pre-baby shape. I could only do about 25% of my typical working out due to this month's sprains and strains, so I suppose I am pretty happy about that. I need to continue focusing less on the scale! I felt much leaner midway through but over eating got the better of me at the end, and my results reflect that in just an inch off my stomach and a half inch each in the legs. I reintroduced peanut butter yesterday, all by itself. This morning I discovered my stomach does not like peanut butter! I'm starting up a reintroduction log over on that board to help track these changes. Of course I'll still check in here, it's been a great thread! @CaseyLee I'm looking forward to hearing how the Bega shakes work out, when you eventually get there. And oh, @Julzology you've been making me laugh with the wine comments this whole month, let us know how that first glass goes down!

I wish I'd read through your thread earlier in the month! Amazing.

@CaseyLee I remember pea protein in my vega shakes (really enjoyed them). Would be a separate legume if I'm remembering correctly? I wonder, how does pea protein compare in the body to eating peas?

@jmcbn Thanks for the feedback, it's all really helpful. @kirkor that is classic... @Julzology I appreciate your math! @vozelle So, if this will be your fifth round of reintroduction, how has the process changed for you each time, if you don't mind me asking? I am just so interested in this process so I hope you'll all forgive me for getting ahead of things with some days left to go.

@Jenny29 You made it so far! Just a few more days... I'm thinking of the slow roll reintroduction. Or should I be more planned? Some advice might be welcome, @jmcbn are you or another moderator around? So if I know already that grains cause my joint pain and I'd like to live grain-free, I'd just not reintroduce those, right? But what about sugar? I want to live mostly sugar free, with the exception of very occasional use in a sauce (same goes for soy). If I reintroduce sugar in this small amount (because I sure don't want outright sweets) is a tiny amount enough to test the body's reaction? I know there are three days to go but I'm just preparing my mind and planning. Finally, with alcohol, I'm worried about relaxing around the grain thing when having a drink. I don't want my hands to hurt anymore from eating breads; I don't want "grain brain." Guess this comes down to sticking to convictions. It's been fun to watch my tastes changing; I had kale drizzled with just some olive oil, salt and pepper with my breakfast eggs today and it was the greatest tasting thing. Last night I dreamed a bartender served me a margarita. I'm kind of disappointed that in my dream I didn't turn it down, but funny that this dream-margarita was not even that good!

Hi @WholeWallet30, it's great to hear of your progress towards a Whole60! I am also having trouble eating when I'm not hungry; I'm probably not performing as well as you on that count! Today is Day 24 here, and still I reach for fruit in the evenings. The compulsion is so strong. I'm not even craving fruit. It's been such a lifelong habit to snack after dinner, to relax. Embarrassing to admit the weakness, although I'm not feeling down on myself because it's all compliant foods and this is going to take practice. The closer I come each day to eating three template meals, the easier resisting those snacks are. I just signed up for a 21-day online course that someone recommended on another thread: https://www.dailyom.com/cgi-bin/courses/courseoverview.cgi?cid=721. My plan is to use the remaining days of this Whole30 to jump start 21 days of help with those specific eating habits of template meals and non-snacking behavior. Feeling pretty focused and hopeful. Was the tortilla chip craving an isolated incident? I'm finally craving basically nothing... except the habit of snacking itself.

@vozelle Thanks for sharing this! I'm signing up to help cement the meal template/non-snacking habit in. It will hopefully carry me through reintroduction. It is worth a try!

@Leigh Anne I would like to read The Case Against Sugar - thanks for the mention. Audible has this book on tape. They also have It Starts With Food, it's a great listen! I am admiring everyone who is hanging in there and sticking to the plan despite illnesses, injuries, and challenging situations. I'm drawing inspiration from it today as I deal with yet another new injury. It's been a good couple of days in terms of Whole30 living. I went back to basics with simple meals of easy proteins, lots of greens, avocado, quick-steamed veggies, etc. I'm less active this month than I have been all year, but I am confident I'm not gaining weight and am slightly leaner. No bloating, no heavy feeling after eating, no cravings for alcohol or sugar. It's remarkable. The Whole30 has been a real safety net and is keeping me well despite the challenges. Another huge thing: I am noticing much less anxiety around eating on days when I haven't had a kick-a** workout. I used to feel I didn't deserve to eat otherwise! I wonder if my body is sending me messages to pay attention, making me realize I can eat and be well regardless of calories burned. Every day I need and deserve good food, no matter what. Feeling grateful for the Whole30 today.

Great NSV's! Hope they keep coming.

I agree! I really enjoyed reading your post. I was hunting around the forum for inspiration. Well, here it is! Thanks for sharing.