Day 30 and Worried About Reintroduction

[jgray15]

Hi all,

Today marks Day 30 for me and I just want to talk about my NSVs before weighing in and measuring tomorrow. I also want to ask some questions about reintroduction but I am quite nervous about it. 

First, a little about me. I'm a 27 year old female that has struggled with food and weight my entire life. I finally felt like I had taken back control about 6 years ago when I started to really learn about portion control and overall eating "healthier" and when I say "healthier" I mean, counting calories and putting in the lowest amount of calorie foods in my body so I could still eat a large quantity of food,even though it may have not been the best quality of food. Nonetheless, I managed to lose 75 pounds, found a passion for running, and did learn to eat more fruits and vegetables that I otherwise would have passed on. Fast forward 5 years and I find myself 20 pounds heavier (even while still watching my calorie intake) and not having changed my activity levels... I was frustrated, felt like I tried everything to lose those 20 pounds (because I didn't want to go back to where I was) and tired. AND then I got the diagnosis of hypothyroidism (hence the additional 20 pounds without changing my diet or exercise regimen.)

In a way, I had hoped that diagnosis would solve all of my problems -- taking my thyroid pill I thought would help the weight would magically come off, my energy levels would return to normal, and I would feel like myself again, but it didn't happen. So I found Whole 30 and decided to give it a try. 30 days later and I'm feeling pretty darn good. My gastrointestinal issues have basically disappeared. (TMI, sorry, but I am still not regular, but I don't have any of the stomach cramping that I would have a couple times a week). I do feel like my energy level is a little more even -- I don't spring out of bed in the morning -- but I do feel like I can make it through the day without crashing and I am still motivated to make dinner and workout after work. My clothes have been fitting better and I even find myself pulling out clothes I haven't worn in months! I have also found a bunch of new foods and recipes that even after Whole 30 I will definitely incorporate into my meal plans (Looking at you, Spaghetti Squash!!) Overall, this process has been wonderful -- minus a mini-meltdown in a grocery store on a weekend away (EVERYTHING HAS ADDED SUGAR!) it was really enlightening and quite easy to follow the rules. 

But this is where I get concerned about Reintroduction. I read and re-read some advice from Melissa that talks about "taking off the training wheels" and riding the bike on your own, but this scares me. I don't want to go back to feeling crummy and not even realizing how crummy I feel. I am not sure that I have experienced the "Tiger Blood" that the book talks about so that makes me feel like I should extend the program for longer than 30 days, but I cannot tell if I am using that as an excuse to stay in the comfortable confines of the "rules". I have read the "slow roll reintroduction" but I do feel like I would benefit from knowing how each food affects my body and how I feel. I just don't know what to do or how to proceed with Reintroduction. There are foods that I am eager to reincorporate into my diet, but I also feel like it took 25 days for me to finally feel like this program was "working" and I am nervous that reintroduction will make me feel bad again for weeks. I just can't tell if what I feeling is nerves about not having as many rules -- or if this is something that I should continue extending and I am looking for any advice. 

Thanks in advance and I am sorry about the long story...

[Silver Penguin]

Congratulations @jgray15 on making it to day 30. Well done! I'm eager to see what replies your post gets.

Jill

[MeadowLily]

Great job, jgray 15!  Way to commit to the program and complete a reintroduction phase!  Those who don't complete one fall back into old habits.  

You've researched, read the book, you're in the front of the class. Now, follow through without fear.  You don't have to add anything back in that will make you feel bad for weeks. 

[BrightStarLAH]

jgray15, My story is eerily similar to yours. I too have struggled with healthy eating and have been eating "healthy-ish" for years. The Whole30 is the first program I have actually stuck with, like, ever, and I was so excited to actually get through the whole program!! I feel pretty great (my digestive reaction is similar to yours and I am happy that I'm not alone) and have actually dropped down two pants sizes. I wore "too small" clothes two weeks into the program and now those are too big!! I had to go out and buy new work clothes. The results have been so good that I have no desire to go back to the way I was before. 

Like you, I have read and re-read all the advice about "riding your own bike" and have considered doing a slow-roll reintroduction. But it's day 34 and I haven't reintroduced anything except a little bit of sugar in the form of a couple of worth-it chocolates and some coconut ice cream. I don't know if I truly can live without the off-plan foods or if I'm just scared to reintroduce things. I don't want to mess up all the hard work I have put into this program, but I'm honestly not missing anything as much as I'm loving the way I feel now. I'm considering just rolling over into a Paleo diet; the non-plan foods are excluded in Paleo too and there are so many delicious Paleo options that I don't think I will even care that I'm not eating grains or dairy. I noticed that you posted about a month and a half ago and I'm wondering, what did you end up doing? How did you handle it? Did you end up reintroducing some things or did you do another 30 days? 

Thanks!!