Reintro and overall sustainability.

[Mdobay]

Hello,

First off apologies if this has been covered to nausea already.  I successfully completed the Whole30 to the letter for the whole 30 days, actually about 36 days. Then maintained a mostly compliant diet for the next few months slowly adding things back into my diet. I honestly don’t feel like I noticed any side effects from adding things back in. I am about 5 months past my completion and still try to be compliant but have been derailed by the holidays and other then putting on a few pd and a little skin trouble feel really good, so am struggling on just what to reintro and what to cut forever.  I am guessing I didn’t spend enough time in the reintro phase, but for me it seems like the reintro phase will take a REALY long time if the things I reintro don’t affect me right away.

 

 I am digging back in for another whole30 stint, but looking for some advices once I complete it.. As extra fodder, I already didn’t eat dairy and limited my carbs from grains pretty heavily. My Achilles heel has always been the SUGAR love candy and sweets and also know it’s probably the worst of all the foods.. So I Know sugar is Not an option, but what are your thought about the Reinto stuff I talked about?

 

Thanks

[MeadowLily]

The reintro is the most important part of the program.  It's that testing that gives the individual context for creating our own program going forward.   We police every morsel of food for 30 days.  The reintro buys some time and thought process towards not edging back quickly into sugars, sweets, baked goods, chocolate and wine.

 

You only need 30 compliant days for a reintro.  After that, you'll get to decide what's worth it and why.  You already know the drill.  

 

There are those that can manage sweets, candy, bread and wine.  They can take a few bites of anything or drink 1/4 glass of wine  and leave it all right there on the dance floor.   They're not moved by small, medium or large quantities.   

 

Food doesn't move them.  At all.  It doesn't stir up thoughts of a free fall or binge.   They wouldn't dream of rewarding themselves with food.  Most of us used to be like in childhood.  I'm working on returning to my childhood ways. 

 

For the life of me,  I can't remember anything but playing with friends and running around all day long.  When Maw hollared out the back door...supper's on the table,  we drug our feet. Food was fuel and life was  really great. 

[ArtFossil]

What specifically did you add in? Did you track how it affected you? If so, that should have given you information about what you wanted to eat, and why, and in what quantities or with what frequency.

 

And, what specifically derailed you over the holidays? Sugar? But sugar is usually accompanied by other things: dairy, gluten, etc. You said you didn't notice any side effects from adding things back in but if you are craving sugar, that's DEFINITELY a side effect. :-)

 

If you are doing another Whole30, great, as you'll have the chance to track what you introduce and what the effects are. It is tricky, and takes a lot of time, to add things back in one by one but that's what I've been doing. I'm on day 31 post Whole30 and will do at least a couple more reintroductions (following the protocol of Whole30 eating for two days after each reintroduction day) and then make some decisions about how I'm going to eat going forward to meet my goals. In other words, I'll be riding my own bike but with good information about how foods affect me. I get to make choices and the reintroductions will help me make good choices for me.

[MeadowLily]

Speaking in general, to anyone.  Unwind yourself.   Turn around and go back.   Do you remember the first time in your life when you used food as the answer to a problem.   I can. 

 

I can remember exactly what happened, when and what I did.  It was the beginning of a bad habit.  So I've gone back to the future and I'm unwinding through those lost years.  

 

I was crying over a creepy boyfriend who was playing everyone.   I went into the kitchen around midnight. There was a loaf of wonder bread on the counter.   I wadded all of it up into a big dough ball and cried my eyes out.  

 

That was the beginning of rejecting myself  and punishing myself with food.  It had exactly the opposite effect of what I was looking for.   It was a wolf in sheep's clothing.   A wily coyote.  It's the little foxes that spoil the vine and loaves of wonder bread that mess with everything.

 

Turn around.  Go back and take a good hard look at the beginning.  We fall down 6 and get UP 7 times.  You get a do-over and no one's going to judge you.  This is a judgment free zone.   We'll keep getting up until we can stand strong on our own two feet...like we all used to do without even thinking about it. 

[Mdobay]

Thanks for the feedback.. I think I was hoping that the reintro of some of the foods would have had a more dramatic effect on me. for example  Steel cut oatmeal and whole grain breads. Don't seem to bother me but know from reading the book they are not best for my body. I think its easier to cut the foods that clearly have an affect on the way you feel because there is a somewhat immediate direct consequent . The other foods you just have to guess how much is enough or to much. Not sure I am making sense lol. Either way I know Sugar is the worst and my main goal is to get back to wining the battle against the Dragon.  

[Tom Denham]

I suggest reading It Starts With Food to develop a full understanding of how the various off-plan foods function in any body, including yours. Like you, I don't suffer obvious reactions to eating anything. It took me more than a year to figure out that eating dairy eroded the quality of my sleep. It took me a long time to figure out that I slept better when I ate starchy veggies late in the day.

 

Aside from obvious symptoms, now that I know a lot about grains, dairy, sugar, legumes, etc., I avoid them most of the time. By the way, I have been doing this about 6 years and have maintained the same weight for the past 4 years.

[Mdobay]

Thanks Tom. I read the book as that's what's got me started on the Journy to begin with. Think I just need to come to terms with it's about the journey and the program gives us the starting foundation.

[praxisproject]

Does giving up any of what you've added back worry you at all?

 

Are you okay with the amount of weight gain over this period of time? (weight is certainly not the only thing that matters)

 

Is there anything you had during the holidays that bothers you?