Do I have to Reintroduce anything?

[jjjenjenifer]

I have felt AMAZING on the Whole30. I started in January and had a strict 30 days. Two days of business travel and I had the creamiest mashed potatoes and breaded chicken (it didn't say breaded on the menu!) and I felt terrible with bloating, allergies, and a super low energy day. So when I got home, I went right back to the Whole30. Six months and SEVENTY-FIVE pounds later, I have more energy, less pain in my body, no seasonal allergies (when I used to say I was allergic to mornings), clearer skin and healthier hair...And I have no desire to ever go away from this food program. It's not a diet, it's a way of life.

 

Don't get me wrong. My birthday was a few weeks ago, and that week I had a few desserts. If I travel for business, eat dinner at a friend's house, or go out to a restaurant I don't kill myself trying to follow the program, but still make the healthiest choices available to me. But when I can't make great choices, I feel it. On Sunday I went to a rib BBQ and while I loaded up on grilled veggies, half baked potato made special for me without dairy, and salad, I also had the ribs. I noticed after dinner that the BBQ sauce used had high-fructose corn syrup as the FIRST ingredient. The next day, my afternoon energy was at an all-time low and I HAD to have a nap.

 

So, with feeling as GREAT as I do all the time...With understanding better how foods are negatively affecting me personally (soy, dairy, sugar)...Do I EVER have to go off the Whole30? I recently read an article about how important whole grains are, but I don't really miss them so do I have to build them back in? I live alone, so I can completely control what foods I buy and prepare. I live by the Nom Nom Paleo app, and my Well Fed cookbooks, as well as the recipes suggested on Whole30.

 

So what say you? Can I be on the Whole30 for life? Or am I just a run of the mill Paleo person now?

[ladyshanny]

Your "reintro" sounds a lot like mine.  I've never done a strict and scheduled reintro but through trial and error over the months I know exactly what does and doesn't work for me and how it may affect me and I make my decisions accordingly.  Carry on!

 

Also, there is nothing in whole grains which are not present in larger and more bioavailable quantities in protein, veggies and fats.  Unless there are about to be people holding pistols to our heads while we choke down whole wheat bread, I would say you are well within your rights to never eat that again.  

[ShannonM816]

It's great that you're feeling so good. You can definitely keep doing what you're doing -- eating whole30 style most of the time with conscious decisions to off road when you feel like it.

For the record, what you're doing is not whole365. It's wholeyou, which is even better. Whole365 would be nearly impossible for most people because of social events and family traditions and just life stuff that makes it hard to be super strict all the time. You're riding your own bike now, in a way that makes you healthy. That's really the goal of whole30.