Starting a W90

[milonac]

I completed my first W30 in Sept 2015 and it was amazing!  I went thru it with flying colors and saw major changes in my mood, skin, body, energy.  I felt in control of food and my cravings for the first time in my life.  In the 8 months following I completed 2 other rounds and lived mostly W30 in between.  This past May I finished my 3rd round and lost over 30 lbs and was feeling the best I've ever felt.  I traveled back north to visit family and I've been completely off since.  Binges have been very common and I keep saying that I'm going to do another W30.  I go a few days and quickly fall off the rails.

This morning I woke up feeling terrible.  My body feels bloated and achy, I have a headache/borderline migraine and I'm tired of my clothes feeling tighter everyday. So, I am done. I am tired of feeling completely controlled by food again.  I am committing to a W90.  So I started this morning, which a less than perfect W30 meal, but all compliant none the less.  I'm ready to feel healthy, clean, and in control of my life and food again!!!

[sarahstardust]

Go girl! It's great to hear about the successes you've had with Whole30. Very inspiring! Thanks for posting. Sounds like you know just what you need, and how to do it. And that is half the battle, isn't it? 

[ArtFossil]

Welcome back, milonac! Did you ever do a proper reintroduction after any of your Whole30's? To me, that information is key to maintaining the benefits of a Whole30 and designing an eating plan that works for you. 

[milonac]

ArtFossil - I started a reintroduction after my first round, but never went thru it the correct way.  I did learn that dairy is definitely an issue for me.  And I suspect that grains are also a problem with bloating. Not sure it's the grain or the gluten.

I definitely have an unhealthy relationship with food and I think that is one of the reasons why I hesitated doing a reintroduction. I'm a little scared of the slippery slope. I feel like I have a switch and I'm either 100% healthy or 100% unhealthy.  That's one of the reasons I decided this time needed to be a W90.  30 days just isn't enough time for me to refocus. As soon as I get in the groove of w30 and start feeling amazing, the 30 days are up and I give myself 'permission' to go off.  

[MeadowLily]

I have the right to remain silent but I do not have the ability. Years ago, everyone was doing a Whole 90 or a Whole 120. I observed the consequences.

They were just as likely to rebound back with old behaviors on Day 91 or Day 122 as they were on Day 31.  Thirty days are best then give yourself the test.

The Food Reset was designed and created for 30 days of elimination to be followed by diagnostic testing. There's no such thing as a Whole 365.

One infraction, one non-compliant item and it only takes one, the Whole 30 is over. It cannot be called anything but our own way of eating from that point on.

I've watched those who've released 80 lbs or more in a year's time rebound with every single pound. Turning the Whole 30 into a bootcamp did not change their relationship with food.

Then they started over, doing it exactly in the manner they did the first go around. It turns the Whole 30 into a challenge and setting the bar so high that it causes remorse and defeat and regret.

I've only completed one Whole 30. With help, I created my own positive food management plan that I'm still following today. It has a greater perimeter than a Whole 30 but it doesn't include any of the foods that I cannot moderate or manage.

You can do the shorter tweaks throughout the year but it's too rigid to stay the course in giant month hunks. If it prevented relapse, I would agree but it doesn't.  I came to that conclusion after I watched so many rebound and relapse never to be heard from again. They set the bar waaay too high.

[Guadopt1997]

6 hours ago, MeadowLily said:

it doesn't include any of the foods that I cannot moderate or manage.

THIS is the key. I should get a tattoo.

[ArtFossil]

8 hours ago, milonac said:

ArtFossil - I started a reintroduction after my first round, but never went thru it the correct way.  I did learn that dairy is definitely an issue for me.  And I suspect that grains are also a problem with bloating. Not sure it's the grain or the gluten.

I definitely have an unhealthy relationship with food and I think that is one of the reasons why I hesitated doing a reintroduction. I'm a little scared of the slippery slope. I feel like I have a switch and I'm either 100% healthy or 100% unhealthy.  That's one of the reasons I decided this time needed to be a W90.  30 days just isn't enough time for me to refocus. As soon as I get in the groove of w30 and start feeling amazing, the 30 days are up and I give myself 'permission' to go off.  

Of course, you get to decide. But one great thing about the reintroduction is that there's a built in support structure: you introduce a food or group of foods, observe how you respond, and then follow that with at least 2 days of strict Whole30 eating. It's great training for those occasions when you eat less-the-ideal foods and need to get right back on the horse. 

And you don't have to reintroduce dairy. 

[MeadowLily]

There is such a wide variability in how things work for us. I no longer truly believe everything in moderation as a concept. How do you manage and moderate gummy bears.

Our food environment is so highly and crazily over engineered. Many of the food triggers I have are made of something like straight sugar, corn syrup, upside down sugar, more sugar, something really artificial and more high fructose corn syrup...all listed in that order on the label.

Emotionally eating foods like these becomes very difficult for me to control or moderate because my pancreas doesn't react well to this combination apparently.

It will put me back on the road to diabetes. That comes with a very high price that is not worth it in retrospect. It is playing with fire so I must tread lightly.

The best option is developing different emotional coping arsenals. That's well worth the effort. 

Your mileage may vary.