Two Things I Miss

[MissionPossible]

I am on Day 22 of the Whole 30, and I feel amazingly successful whether or not I end up losing any pounds.  When I get to Day 30, there are only two things that I think I would like to add back. The first is sugarless gum. I think of everything, that I miss that the most. The second thing is I would like, in the eveningtime, to be able to mix in the blender almond milk and frozen unsweetened fruit, add some chopped dates after the ingredients are semi combined but not smooth, and then add a scoop of unsweetened coconut and a scoop of sliced almonds. The ingredients within this fruit mixture are all Whole30 approved. I think that if I could add these two items back into my diet that I would be able to follow this program for the rest of my life. How bad would it be to add those two items back in? Believe it or not, I am no longer tempted by any of the other foods out there as there is so much variety within the program. However, the sugar-free gum and the fruit mixture would really add a little enjoyment to my eating plan. Thanks for your response.

[ShannonM816]

What you do after your Whole30 is entirely up to you. The book Food Freedom Forever talks about how to figure out what works for you, and there's information here on the website too (start here, and there are links to lots of blog posts and other helpful information). Sometimes, people think there's a thing they really, really miss and can't wait to add back, and then when they do have it, they find it less appealing than they thought it was, so you might have either of these items and think, you know, I don't really like this as much as I thought. Or you might still love it. Or you might find that if you have it on a regular basis, even though it still tastes good to you, you find yourself not feeling as good as you did, or that it leads to cravings that you thought were completely gone. You won't know until you try. Just keep an open mind about it, and be willing to revisit whether things are still worth it to you or not, not just in the weeks after Whole30, but for the rest of your life. Humans aren't static beings, we change over time, so it makes sense to always be mindful of the things you're eating, and continue to ask yourself if they are still the things you really want in your life.

Even if you don't plan to have dairy or bread on a regular basis going forward, you really should consider doing reintroductions now, just to see how different things affect you, so that if you're in a situation where you don't have control over exactly how things are prepared, you know if there are things you absolutely want to avoid no matter what, or things that you're okay with having if there are no other options. The basic reintroduction process is outlined here.

[MissionPossible]

Shannon, I really appreciate your response to me. I first purchased the Whole30 Book as it had the program plus recipes. Then just the other day I got It Starts With Food, and now I will also get Food Freedom Forever. You have a great deal of wisdom. It's just kind of scarey to me to try the reintroductions but it does make sense since there may be situations where I have no other choices but to have something not Whole30 compliant and that way I could at least make the best choice as to what affects my body the least. You don't know how "bad" I've been to my body over the years and it is so good to finally have the control to be able to say, "I don't care for that." Thanks so much, and there are so many resources here and in the books I won't ever run out of material. Much appreciation to Doug and Melissa and you!