5/7 Start - Reintroduction!

[emilyelowe]

Congrats on the belt, @NoneOtherThanAmy! So exciting!

@AB_MN Have you considered doing a more standard re-introduction, only introducing one food group at a time, multiple days apart to try to narrow down the culprit of your different symptoms? You mentioned you were throwing things in haphazardly and I wasn't sure why. Were you travelling? Anyway, I know I have done that in the past also - all the things are so exciting! - and don't notice major symptoms at first but then eventually notice all of a sudden I am not feeling my best and am not sure why. So it may also sneak up on you. You do you, I was just wondering if that was something you wanted to try.  Thanks for the encouragement on the zit - ugh, I haven't had one this bad in years. Like, I can feel it with my tongue inside my mouth it's so huge. Sorry, TMI. I just want it to go awaaaaayyyy. It seems to be progressing so I'm hoping it clears up soon, too. 

@Susabella627 - I'm thinking it must be the sugar, too, as I have no idea what else it would be. Friday night I had margaritas (so lots of sugar there) plus cassava chips and a coconut wrap, which I can only assume have more sugar than the compliant, homemade vegetables I normally eat. Now I know to watch out for that! I've never tied the two together before.

So, yesterday (post alcohol-dairy-gluten Sunday) was rough. I mentioned I had a headache all morning and also was feeling kind of woozy on my way to work. There was one point at work where I felt like my eyes wouldn't focus. I felt downright sick. Well then I finally started feeling more normal (headache gone, could see straight) after lunch but then I ATE A PIECE OF CANDY. Like, WHYYYYY? #facepalm It was one of those caramel chews with the white centers - like a giant Cow Tail. (I LOVE COW TAILS, they take me back to elementary school). ANYWAY, my headache quickly returned (whether from dairy or sugar, I don't really know) and I was definitely dragging by the time I drove home from work. So that was really dumb.

I managed to chop up some zucchini for dinner last night, which I had with a tomato basil chicken sausage from Trader Joe's (YUM) but was still pretty hungry afterward so also had some watermelon. I ate it with more zucchini and sausage so I don't think it was like a sweet tooth/dessert thing. I really just wanted something else to eat. But then I felt REALLY full. So not sure if I ate too fast or just wasn't following the meal template appropriately, but my hunger signals are clearly not working right or I'm not listening to them. Oy. 

THEN I had a spoonful of sunflower seed better before bed, like some kind of W30-less, fire-breathing sugar dragon hot mess. So all in all, yesterday was kind of a fail.

I slept well and woke up pretty rested this morning but got hungry to the point of nausea within like 15 minutes of waking up, which is really weird. So wondering if my meal didn't meet the template well enough? Or maybe my fat adaptation is getting screwed up with all this sugar? Not sure, but I did NOT like it. I seem to be feeling OK since breakfast, besides a temporary pulsing headache during my drive into work. I think I'm going to look around the forum to see if I can find anyone else experiencing morning nausea like that. I didn't go to the gym this morning, so it was OK because I was able to make breakfast right away, but on days I go to the gym that would have been a real problem. 

Definitely planning to keep it totally W30 compliant until NG Grains on Sunday. I am writing it down to make it true so I don't talk myself out of it. Particularly because I think I have friends visiting this weekend and you know how I love to celebrate. 

Have a good Tuesday! Thanks for listening to my crazy.  

[NoneOtherThanAmy]

@emilyelowe That sounds like a rough Monday. Glad you made it through. I wonder if your dinner was short on fat and that may have screwed up your satiety signals and perhaps even accounted for the spoonful of sunflower butter? Hope the rest of your week gets much better!

I've been mostly compliant Sunday and Monday other than my balsamic vinegar, which apparently has a sneaky sugar in it (caramel color).  I'm not worrying about it post-whole30 though. I woke up today feeling like I'd been run over by a freight train. I can't figure it out! It's almost like I'm going through sugar withdrawal again. I'm extra tired and I ache all over. I had a long day yesterday at work, so some of the aches could be due to the extra standing. I was thinking about doing a reintroduction of something like a sub sandwich, but I think I'll hold off and hope I feel better tomorrow. I'm not sure I'll feel much better tomorrow though as I have another long work afternoon today and then I want to go running after work. 

[emilyelowe]

I think that's what caused it also, @NoneOtherThanAmy. Thanks for confirming!

Bummer about the tiredness! I am also feeling not all there. I am really discouraged and unmotivated because I am not feeling my best. It is making sticking to the reintroduction plan SO much more difficult. Ugh. 

I was just perusing the site and found these two articles, which I found interesting/helpful.

https://whole30.com/2015/07/sugar-dragon-1/

https://whole30.com/2015/07/sugar-dragon-2/

[emilyelowe]

Also just read this on the forum and it felt like a kick in the pants.

I'm speaking in general, but you don't need to start over again. 

Extended Whole 30's don't really fix it when you're finished.The off and on again approach...Whole 30's mixed with binge eating or just minor/major off-roading inbetween is not Food Freedom Forever.  

It's boxing yourself into a corner. It creates more black and white thinking about food. Whole 30 or Not. All in/on target or falling back into old habits.

After watching others do this for years now, I am convinced that the original constructs of a Whole 30 are optimum, in every way.

Elimination protocol of 30 days, a Reintro of about 10 days or longer and done.  Next.

Immediately create a plan you can live with for the rest of your life. Your personal decisions will be liberating. Maybe you like eating the same lunch every single day, some do. Some like eating the same food 3X aday, that wouldn't work for me but you choose, you decide.

Read FFF, you'll find ideas for putting your positive food management plan together.  

My plan is consistent but it has leeway. I can eat full fat plain greek yogurt or cottage cheese, legumes, even some non gmo grains in whole form, fish, fish, fish, proteins of every kind, nuts, fruits and vegetables. What I can't do is eat is deliberately engineered to be craved candy or donuts or bakery items or white sugar, white flour, white pasta. These things cause an immediate uptick in my blood sugar even in small amounts.

I don't eat them. I don't touch artificial sweetners or soda pops. No fast food or ice cream. I have enough leeway that I don't ever feel deprived.  I eat everything with a protein. Fruit, vegetables, everything is paired with protein. That's my Rx for blood sugar control.

It works for me.

Starting over and over again will not make it any easier on Day 61 or Day 91 when you're done. FFF = not doing a Whole 30 Forever.  

It's going to take work to find your way. I'm consistent but that's my way.  The sooner you can find your way the easier this will be. Create something consistent for awhile until you get your footing back. 

After an elimination protocol, there is an adjustment period. You're used to reading every label. Find your wiggle room and branch out. You can always prune yourself back before it goes sideways.

Sometimes, I need a kick in the pants.

[ArtFossil]

@emilyelowe, @MeadowLily has been around and has a wealth of wisdom. I agree with her that you only need 30 days of a compliant Whole30 and a systematic reintroduction. (Things are different of course if someone has a lot of medical issues as they may need more than 30 days.)  

The reintroduction (after the 30 days) is really the most important part and I don't understand why so many people are reluctant to give it the attention it needs. As @kirkor says, reintroductions are where the deep learning occurs. 

I also don't understand those who come back for multiple Whole30's.* Many seem to yo-yo between periods of what they term "clean eating" and periods of the opposite and lose all their Whole30 gains because they can't manage without rigid rules. What is the point of five or six Whole30's?

I don't believe on "clean eating." (What would be it's opposite? Dirty eating? ) and I don't believe in "good" or "bad" foods. I do understand that some foods are more nutritious and more nourishing on multiple levels than others. I do believe in getting off the dieting merry-go-round forever and I do believe in making the best nutritional choices I can and eating mindfully. That's where the reintroduction is so helpful.  I don't believe in trying to use Whole30 as a weight-loss diet. That's not its purpose.

Whole30 has helped me make permanent changes, for the better, in when and how and what I eat and has shown me how some common food choices affect me so I can nourish myself in a way that makes sense for me. It also finally got me to drink water!  I'm still a work in progress.

*in the interests of full disclosure I did do a second Whole30 this year after my hip replacement surgery as "things had changed."

[MeadowLily]

All y'all are schweeeeter than sweet. 

 

From the bottom of my pea pickin' heart,  I believe that every day that goes by without creating your own plan, the ground gets colder. 

Fear can move in and you start to think you can't live without rigid ideas about food. You may take on additional biases about food.  That's not freedom.

There is a Whole 30 Manifesto about constant restarts.  It's not the way to go.  The Whole 30 is the launching pad, the springboard into the rest of your life.  You want a life filled with your ideas about food... taylored for your health and family.

I don't have food sensitivities or gut issues. I have a food addiction. I don't want to mentally create imaginary food sensitivities. Those of us who have a food addiction or disordered thinking about food are highly impressionable.

I've ridden that dieting merry-go-round all the days of my life.  Someone tells me they've tried the newest diet and I could get right back up on that saddle. 

Here's what I know about dieting. 

If dieting actually worked, it would only take one diet to be the answer to all of your weight problems or issues with food.  One diet. One time.   Lasting weight loss success, forever.

But it doesn't work that way.  With every diet there is usually a corresponding eating it all back phase.  Starting over and over and over again.

Create your plan.  Make it doable and be consistent.  Your heart knows the way.   

 

[Susabella627]

@emilyelowe Sorry you had a rough day yesterday, thanks for sharing what you found cuz we all need a kick in the ass once in awhile. Come on girl you got this, get thru reintroduction I feel like you have learned so much already and all of this will help you get to food freedom!! 

@NoneOtherThanAmy Hope you made it thru today. Good for you not grabbing that Sub, and messing up reintro. I've eaten on plan today as well and excited to test dairy tomorrow. 

@ArtFossil that's awesome that it only took you 1 whole 30 to make permanent changes. I have done multiple Whole 30's and yes in between some of those my health changed but there are other reasons. I am one of those people who likes rules, in fact I thrive on them. When I've gotten off track I like to reset. I don't consider it as starting over, It's ;not about weightloss and it's not a diet, it's about doing something good for myself and an ongoing journey, And I will say with every whole 30 I learn something new about my relationship with food. Sometimes it takes doing another whole 30 to realize I don't feel as good as I think I do. Just saying there are some good reasons to repeat Whole 30's. 

@MeadowLily your wise words of wisdom ring very true for me. I have learned that I do not really have any food sensitivities or gut issues either, but I know what makes me feel good and what doesn't. And of course things change which is why I do another reintro after each strict whole 30. I love that you call it a food management plan... it really  puts things in perspective!!!

 

 

[ArtFossil]

@Susabella627 I too like rules and structure. I just prefer to design my own, with the goal (a slow process and not complete) of having that be the everyday condition of things so that there's no need for a 30 day reset. The reset is always the next meal. 

For things like meal timing and a template and reading labels and the reintroductions and a bunch of other thing--yeah, that only took one Whole30. But I also understand that some people choose to do multiple ones and think you expressed that very well. Heck,  @kirkor does them for fun!

[kirkor]

44 minutes ago, ArtFossil said:

...some people choose to do multiple ones ... Heck,  @kirkor does them for fun!

Heh well, the theme stuff is fun, but it's also to give other people examples to draw from.  "All roads lead to Rome" y'know

[MeadowLily]

 Its's all fun. Really.  

 @ArtFossil creates her own rules.  Doing everything on your own terms is the most liberating part of a Whole 30.  We're no longer  stuck in limitations.  There's no shame or blame associated with food. No more value judgments.

ArtFossil and I don't believe in "clean eating".  I choke on those words. Because she's right, the opposite is Dirty Eating.  Good girl, bad girl. Naughty or Nice.  

Don't you love the idea of your next meal being your Food Reset! How freeing is that.  You don't need to start over.  

Clear the decks and clean the slate...you're last meal is already in the rearview mirror.  Simply move on. There's always another streetcar coming around the corner and hopefully, another meal, too.

"There's no need for a 30 day reset. The reset is always the next meal. 

I was really, really naughty today on my diet. Grown women do talk about food in really childish terms.  

Sugar = Approval and Cheering and Love.  We learn these things in our childhood and it may take longer than 30 days to get them out your head. Maw is still in my head, telling me what to do. 

Mothers are the ultimate hall monitor.  After you clean your plate, you can have a cookie...you lil rugger.  

Childhood is what you spend the rest of your life trying to overcome. 

 

[NoneOtherThanAmy]

@emilyelowe Thanks for those resources. It sucks to not be feeling well, but you can definitely pull through and make it to food freedom.  

@Susabella627 The sub was going to be my reintroduction item. I'm feeling much better today, so I might try it out today. I'm sure I'll have opportunities for free meals like that while I'm at the conference, so I want to test a sub out before I go. I already know that gluten doesn't seem to affect me, so it would just be the fillers/additives in the meat and the cheese that I'd be testing. I don't have time to test those things separately, so I'll just have to try both at once and see how it goes. I'm hoping I'll be able to do some more reintroductions after my trip, but I'm mostly done for now. 

@MeadowLily and @ArtFossil Thank you both so much for joining in with your perspectives and experiences. It is great to hear success stories from people who have managed to build and keep this lifestyle for a long period of time.

It really hit me last night that I have made a huge change in the way I think about food. Food used to be an anxiety/boredom/stress reliever to be consumed at meals and whenever any of those feelings arose. Now food is nourishment and only consumed at meal times. This is a huge shift for me and I'm so grateful that my whole30 helped me get there. I haven't been craving treats as much as I had been prior to trying the sweets on Saturday (although I've had temporary reductions in sweet cravings before ). It feels like now that I've allowed myself some sweets, my brain is going, "OK, I can have those things if I want them, but I don't really want them, so carry on with the food that makes you feel good"! 

[MeadowLily]

Looking back, I can't recall my husband telling his besties that he was really, really naughty on his diet today.  I can only imagine the looks on their faces.  I was bad and now, I have to start over.

[emilyelowe]

4 hours ago, NoneOtherThanAmy said:

It really hit me last night that I have made a huge change in the way I think about food. Food used to be an anxiety/boredom/stress reliever to be consumed at meals and whenever any of those feelings arose. Now food is nourishment and only consumed at meal times. This is a huge shift for me and I'm so grateful that my whole30 helped me get there. I haven't been craving treats as much as I had been prior to trying the sweets on Saturday (although I've had temporary reductions in sweet cravings before ). It feels like now that I've allowed myself some sweets, my brain is going, "OK, I can have those things if I want them, but I don't really want them, so carry on with the food that makes you feel good"! 

^^^ This is SO AWESOME, @NoneOtherThanAmy! Whoo hoo! I hope you are able to safely, healthfully navigate your trip!

I agree with @Susabella627 that I thrive on rules and have learned something new with every Whole30, but I don't think I ever achieved true Food Freedom in between. That is what I am really trying to focus on during this reintroduction so I feel in control WITHOUT the rules and exactly why I was perusing the Whole30 interwebs for some direction and encouragement.  

Funny enough, I feel SO MUCH BETTER today. I fell asleep super easy, woke up rested, had a good workout, and have had an obnoxious amount of energy all day. Phew! I don't know how much longer I could have ridden that one out. I think I figured out part of the problem, also. In addition to the foods I had this weekend, I don't think I was eating enough carbs. I wasn't able to get potatoes at the grocery this weekend and have been trying to avoid fruit after my workout so my carb intake was super minimal. Yesterday afternoon I had a banana and it was like I WOKE UP all of a sudden. So then I made sure I had some potatoes with dinner last night and half a banana with breakfast this morning. I also added a handful of walnuts to my lunch to try to better follow the meal template. Going to the grocery to get potatoes and sweet potatoes today, for sure!

I did have some weird bathroom symptoms this morning, which I'm thinking are nut butter related. Planning to stick to the plan until NG Grain Sunday!  

Happy Hump Day!

[Susabella627]

@NoneOtherThanAmy what an amazing discover!! You sound like you are really ready for your upcoming trip and all the challenges that will come with it. 

@emilyelowe So glad you are feeling better today! I can't quite put into words what food freedom means to me but "feeling in control without the rules" comes pretty close. 

Today was Dairy day, I discovered I prefer coconut oil in my coffee over milk but so far that's all I noticed. Feeling a little bit more tired then usual but didn't get a great night sleep last night and had a long day of Dr.'s appointments and errands. Will try what you did Emily and add a sweet potato to dinner.  Back on plan for two days. 

 

 

[AB_MN]

10 hours ago, NoneOtherThanAmy said:

It really hit me last night that I have made a huge change in the way I think about food. Food used to be an anxiety/boredom/stress reliever to be consumed at meals and whenever any of those feelings arose. Now food is nourishment and only consumed at meal times. This is a huge shift for me and I'm so grateful that my whole30 helped me get there. I haven't been craving treats as much as I had been prior to trying the sweets on Saturday (although I've had temporary reductions in sweet cravings before ). It feels like now that I've allowed myself some sweets, my brain is going, "OK, I can have those things if I want them, but I don't really want them, so carry on with the food that makes you feel good"! 

This really made my day to read your post, Amy.   I especially liked "food is nourishment... consumed at meal times".

I think this program is about finding what works for each person.    I bet 99% of the population uses food as anxiety/boredom/stress reliever.  I know I do.  I think to overcome, one must be aware it is happening (start working on the mental aspect) and start providing the body the nutrients it needs (to overcome/reduce the physical cravings).   I do know that adding in the protein and fat at meals really helps reduce my physical cravings later in the day.  The mental aspect is a lot more challenging.  

I also have been thinking about the comments above that one shouldn't have to do more than one W30.  Maybe for some people, but for me after each W30, I've implemented one small thing in my life.     

We've had company, been out of town, hosted and attended multiple grad parties.  A whirlwind.  I'm glad to settle back into a slower pace for a while.  

[emilyelowe]

Hello, Whole30 friends!

Off to a pretty good start today. Feeling well-rested, had a good workout, had an AWESOME breakfast and am still not feeling hungry at 1 p.m. (I am going to eat anyway, just because it makes sense). Only things bringing me down are (1) I cut myself with my mandolin last night... OW and (2) my left lymph node seems to be acting up. I really hope I am not getting sick, I feel like that is just more emotional stress than I can handle right now. (I'm a MONSTER when I'm sick). On a positive note, I got some fresh, cold-pressed orange/grapefruit/lemon juice this morning because it is like my favorite thing I told myself that I should because it will protect me from the sickness. Weeee'll see how that goes. Haha. As of yet, it hasn't turned me into a sugar-craving dragon monster, which is great. 

Also, yesterday, I lasted a REALLY long time without eating. After work I ran some errands and pretty much got hungry as soon as I started (about 3:30). Not sure if I was truly hungry at that point (since I had eaten at Noon) or if my body was just trying to trick me into buying a snack that would have been delightful (it was hot and I REALLY wanted a smoothie). I ignored it, telling myself my last stop was the grocery store and if I was starving there I could get something. Well here comes 5 o'clock, I arrive at the grocery, and I AM starving but I knew the only snack I would get in the store would be a sudden hit of sugar/carbs (like a LARABAR or something), so I didn't. It was funny, almost like I was trying to prove my own fat adaptation to myself - like, how long can I go feeling hungry without any other symptoms? Probably a silly thing, but it seemed like that's what was happening in my head. Anyway, when I got home at 5:30, I realized how long it was going to take me to make dinner, and how badly the dog needed a walk, so I had a HB egg with some guacamole and that held me over for more than an hour until dinner was done and my husband was home. I feel like this was an #NSV? The HB egg with guac was also DELICIOUS, so I would highly recommend it. 

My best friend is coming into town this weekend so it will be another weekend of restaurant and alcohol challenges. I love having a little alcohol while cleaning and we're going to a restaurant that has MY FAVORITE BISCUITS. I REALLY want to stay on-plan, though, because I want to make sure the rest of my re-introduction is by the book. I was looking over my list of non-compliant foods and symptoms I think are associated with them and there are just too many question marks. Really hoping to clear that up in the next couple weeks. SO, the reintroduction force will stay strong in this one.  

On the other hand, I'm also feeling encouraged by some of the other posts as well as the podcast interview Melissa did recently about this whole process and food freedom. Even if I mess up parts of my reintroduction, I can still continue to learn. I watched an interview with Melissa the other day (here) where she said she will find a groove for like 3-4 months when everything is humming and then see something start to slip. So she takes a pause, re-assesses and tries to figure out what needs to change. I'm sure for her it's less food and more lifestyle choices that end up tripping her up (but really, what do I know?), but either way, just knowing that if I'm not feeling my best, I'm not helpless. All is not lost. I don't need to "start over." I need to pause, assess, and take action, even if it's a little action. Because I'm a very black and white personality, it's hard for me to recognize the little achievements, everything has to be BIG. I really need to thrive on this awareness I've created via W30 and my reintroduction food journal to continually learn and see how my body reacts to different situations and make LITTLE adjustments, which I can be just as proud of because it's all in pursuit of my best me. This is all kind of a repeat of the information above but I think it's finally CLICKING for me. 

@Susabella627 I didn't even realize I had said the thing about "feeling in control without the rules," when I was reading your post, but that TOTALLY sounds like Food Freedom to me, haha! It's like my brain was preparing to process this giant realization I just yammered on about for a paragraph. Thanks for helping me think about it as my definition of Food Freedom! That really helped me put it in perspective.  It's also pretty exciting that you found a new thing you like (the coconut oil in your coffee)! W30 is such a gift in that way.  

I feel like I always write waaaaayyyy too much but I process information externally so this really helps me with that. Thanks so much for "listening,"!  Hope you all are having a good day. 

[Susabella627]

@emilyelowe you DO NOT write too much, I love the way you process info and I always relate to what you are saying. Great NSV yesterday and thanks for reminding me about the starch carb = energy boost. I had 1/2 sweet potato last night and energy is way up today.

@AB_MN I couldn't agree with you more, for me it's such a mental thing and that is what I am really trying to focus on. Sometimes I wish what I eat, when I eat, how I eat didn't occupy so much of my thoughts. I really want to get the point where I eat because I am hungry and I need to fuel up the body. 

Still haven't noticed any reactions to dairy... not really a food I ever over indulged in but good to know I can have it when I want it. 

Happy Thursday everyone!!

[NoneOtherThanAmy]

Morning all! Thanks for all the sweet comments about my realization the other day. I can tell you it has made such a difference as I've been preparing for this trip. Previously, I'd have eaten a package of pastries, cookies, and gotten fast food at least 3 or 4 times this week. Not this time, even though my anxiety levels are pretty high! I'm kind of freaking out about my first international trip and going through customs. I did not know that I'll be going through customs during my layover in NY. I got up this morning and repacked my bags so that everything fit into 2 carry ons, because I just didn't understand the whole concept of getting my checked bag back at customs during my layover. I'm sure once I go through this once, it'll all make much more sense and next time won't be so anxiety-inducing. 

I had a sub yesterday to see what effect that had on me and let's just say it messed up my GI tract. I'm not sure if it was the cheese or the deli meats, but bets are on the cheese, so I'll be avoiding all dairy on my trip. Or it could be the combination of gluten + cheese that really messes with me, but either way, I'll be avoiding it.

@emilyelowe I love your posts. They're always entertaining and insightful. Never worry about posting too much. You've got an interested audience here.  

Have a great week everyone! I may or may not be able to post some during my trip. 

[emilyelowe]

Thanks for the encouragement, ladies!  

So jealy of your tolerance to dairy, @Susabella627! Haha. I'm planning to do dairy by itself next week (ICE CREAM) but I feel like I'm already pretty confident that my head is going to explode. I think I might ONLY do ice cream (and not incorporate into any other meals) to see if I get a reaction in hopes that it's a volume thing. Like maybe I can tolerate this much but not THAT much. My only real desire for dairy will be in the sweet department, which I need to limit anyway, so hoping I do better with ice cream than I did with cheese. Also hoping that will make recovery easier because Monday and Tuesday of this week STUNK. I also agree with you and @AB_MN on the thinking about it all the time thing - but maybe if we call it "awareness," instead of "obsession," we can start to find a healthy balance of how to think about it. Plus, we are re-creating new, healthy habits by doing the Whole30 in the first place so hopefully some of our good choices will happen without thinking! 

@NoneOtherThanAmy Sorry about the GI issues, but it's definitely a good thing to know! As you noted, subs/sandwiches tend to be a go-to conference/work lunch/catered food (Jimmy John's brought FREE subs to my work the other day, just because) so good for you on committing to avoid them. Also sorry the travel is stressful. Going through Customs is not scary, though, you will be fine! Just get everywhere as early as possible and ask questions if you're confused. That's the trouble with people in the airport - everyone thinks they need to look like they know what they're doing. It's OK if you don't!

I had some INTENSE bloating yesterday after lunch (figures, right after I wrote that post about being awesome ) even with fully compliant food, so I'm thinking I overdid it on the leafy greens. I did that during my W30, too. I go through these stages where I'm like, "Oh no! I'm not eating enough leafy greens!" and then I have them like 3 meals in a row and wonder why I get backed up. Felt better by dinner so I'm just going to keep on keepin' on. 

I'm having another really good day today. I increased my weight on every exercise at the gym this morning. #NSV  The difference between the last few days and Monday/Tuesday is so incredible and super encouraging to me that even if I mess up, my body knows what to do to recover. It just takes a little good food, good sleep, and good exercise. Imagine that - Treat your body nice, and it will be nice back. Huh. 

I can feel myself getting anxious about reintroducing NG grains this weekend, though. SO many of my favorite foods are combinations of non-compliant foods so sticking to picking just one is so hard! Argh! I really want to stay on the rest of the schedule though so I can have MY MOST FAVORITE DONUTS ON PLANET EARTH next weekend for Gluten Day. So I just have to keep telling myself "Do it for the donuts!" (< I'm kidding. That's a terrible mantra. )

I also had a little bit of an incident with the scale this week. I've been telling myself that I don't care about it, but I'm still thinking about it, so I obviously do, which is dumb. ANYWAY, I weighed myself Wednesday morning just to see if reintroduction had changed anything and I had lost like 5 pounds. My sleepy-5-a.m. self was obviously very excited about this until she met my 10-a.m.-let's-think-about-this-again self and realized that was not possible for me. So, I weighed myself again yesterday morning and, as expected, I had NOT lost 5 pounds but had actually gained 1. THIS SHOULD NOT MATTER but I keep thinking about it. Ugh! I think what I'm afraid of (which is dumb, because it's both premature and over-dramatic to be afraid of this at all) is that my body doesn't want to look the way I want it to. Whole30 is not a weight loss program, it's a reset and healing process for your body. So I wonder if my healthy, balanced, healed self just looks a lot like my old self. Am I making sense? Since Melissa is the face of the Whole30, I think my stupid-comparison-brain thinks that living that Food Freedom life means everyone gets to look like her but we don't. Her balanced, healthy body doesn't look like my healthy, balanced body (and neither will yours, etc.). I think I'm finally seeing this to be true but really need to work on accepting it so as not to get discouraged. I need to stay positive and continue seeking Food Freedom knowing that with consistency maybe by body will change more (and maybe it won't, and that's OK, too). I am able to say these things, but I don't totally believe them yet. So I'm working on that.

Aaaand... once again, information processing complete. 

For now, I'm just hoping this weekend goes as well as the last few days have! Have a good one, everyone!

[NoneOtherThanAmy]

Flight delays all over the place today. I almost didn't make it out today and almost had to do standby for a flight at 8:45 pm. Finally managed to get on a flight on a different airline for today, but it has been a long day of travel already. I had a pulled chicken sandwich for lunch, but, of course ate some of the french fries that came with it. I'm pretending the fries were my fat for that meal.

Hope you all are having a good day!

[AB_MN]

@NoneOtherThanAmy - your trip sounds difficult.  I find travel very stressful.   Hang in there.   

@emilyelowe - I totally get the 'scale' incident.  I appreciated your comments, too, about subconsciously  thinking after 30 days we'll look like Melissa and then realize NOPE.  Maybe we won't look better but we'll feel better.   I have to remember that I didn't look like that 20 years ago so I'm realizing that I'm not going to look like that now.  Plus I have short blond hair.  LOL.  Her hair is gorgeous!!   I really want to read up on the podcast you linked above.  Thank you for sharing.   I don't want the 30 days to be a throwaway yet I can't live like that forever.  It's a different kind of challenge to do this re-intro right.    I swing back and forth between "well I can have X now since W30 is over" to "I need to not have X until I understand how it will impact me"  and since I've sprinkled X back in (say X is dairy) sporadically, then i can't seem to figure out how X is impacting me.  I'm sabotaging my re-intro.   So, is it possible to go back to plan and do re-intro without doing another W30?  How long do we remove something before we can re-introduce?  

I had a killer 24 hour headache this week Wed-Thurs.  Usually they are hormone+stress related.  But I don't think that was the cause this time.  I had removed all dairy and then had a huge glass of milk Tues night.  I also didn't bring lunch Wed so I ended up eating the only food I had in fridge at work which was HB eggs and almond butter.  Together.  Gross.  I was so hungry and didn't have time to go buy lunch.  So, I figured that was somewhat compliant.   Either way, I'm back to template.   

[Susabella627]

Hi Gals, 

@NoneOtherThanAmy safe travels!! Hope you find time to post and let us know how it's going. 

@emilyelowe No matter how hard I try or how many whole 30's  I do I can't get past the scale. I don't know if this will ever change for me. You had some more great NSV's. Keep on sharing those insights I love them!

@AB_MN I'm not sure I understand your question, are you asking if we mess up introduction how long do we have to eat on plan before we can reintroduce again? I think the mods would say to eat on plan according to template until you feel good again. Then reintroduce but if you really want to have info you can use you need to reintroduce only one food at a time. And yes it's challenging!

My son (middle child) graduated from HS today. We are not going out to celebrate tonight as Hubby and my other son and daughter all went to work tonight (did I tell you guys we own 2 restaurants) so we will celebrate Monday night when the restaurants are closed. Meal timing was a bit off today but never the less I did introduce legumes. Had peanut butter on my banana at breakfast. A handful of peanuts at lunch and some hummus with veggies at dinner. Thinking of introducing Soy all by itself on another day. I don't plan on ever eating a great amount of soy because of it's link to estrogen production, but I think I would like to know if I can have an occasional Chinese takeout meal.  

Happy Saturday Everyone!

 

[emilyelowe]

Sorry about the stressful start, @NoneOtherThanAmy! I hope it gets better from here on out. I have been eating french fries since reintroduction started. Is there a specific reason you are avoiding them? Just wondering if I missed something and am doing it wrong!  

@AB_MN I agree with @Susabella627 - I have heard the moderators (and just from the general re-introduction guidelines) that you shouldn't reintroduce a non-plan food until you are back at baseline - i.e. feeling your best (as in, as good as you did on Day 30). If you feel like you don't trust yourself to be in tune with your body, you could put a number guideline around it - like a Whole7 or Whole14, whatever you think you need and is going to be realistic for your life and reintroduction timeline right now. I think I've read they don't recommend Whole#anythingotherthan30 until you've done more than one Whole30, but not sure if that applies here since you are kind of still in reintroduction. And also, Life is kind of an ongoing reintroduction. For example, last weekend what I introduced basically gave me a headache for 2 days, so I didn't go on to my next reintroduction item on Day 3, I waited 2 more days. This was both to make sure I was back at a good baseline and to give myself the guardrails I needed to stay the course. Does that help you?

You didn't mention that you owned a restaurant, @Susabella627! That's neat. What kind? Congrats on the graduate!

I had an interesting weekend. Had alcohol again on Friday and Saturday, which was probably not the wisest thing I've ever done, because I keep mixing booze with my other reintroduction items, but here I am. I reintroduced NG grains with some corn tortilla chips Saturday and white rice on Sunday around otherwise good, structured meals. I seem to be OK. After I ate I didn't feel my BEST and I was pretty tired this morning, but nothing compared to how I felt after reintroducing alcohol, dairy, and gluten. This is particularly interesting since I also had a liiiittle bit of soy and gluten in my dinner last night. I made Chinese for my husband's family (knowing I wanted to introduce white rice) so we had Mandarin Chicken from Trader Joe's (gluten, soy in the sauce), which I wasn't going to eat and I made homemade Mongolian Beef from NomNomPaleo, which I was going to eat. I also made some frozen chicken cilantro wontons from Trader Joe's, which we had never had before (also gluten, soy). WELL, when everyone started talking about how good the wontons were I wanted to try one. So I did (FYI: not that good, not worth it). But once I had that on my plate, I was like, "Oh, well that means I could also probably afford a little bit of the Mandarin Chicken sauce," because I wasn't super impressed with the beef. And then once I had the sauce, I thought, "Well one piece of chicken won't hurt." So that's what my dinner at the table consisted of, which would be an acceptable level of non-control...

...except that then while I was cleaning up I picked up and ate like 5 more pieces of chicken (they are nuggets, so this is still not a lot of chicken, but still). #facepalm

I also ate like EIGHT Snackaroons because my mother-in-law brought ice cream cake for my birthday (they know I don't like real cake and thought it was dairy day, so it was very sweet and thoughtful) so I bought the Snackaroons so I would have something to eat while everyone ate ice cream cake, but then I opened them ahead of time and kept finding myself wandering into the pantry...  By the time it came time to eat them after dinner (I cannot seem to break my in-laws dessert habit), I was full but ate them anyway. #doublefacepalm

By some miracle, I feel pretty good today. I slept great and feel fine in my clothes today. I even got to the gym this morning! Performance wasn't awesome, but it wasn't as bad as it has been after other re-introductions. After dinner last night my stomach felt... firm?, like I was expecting to be kind of bloated but wasn't in the mirror. I felt like I had to poo and couldn't, but it wasn't so much that I was terribly uncomfortable. So it was kind of like my food was just stuck in there. Not the worst, but not great either. In summary: I think I can do NG grains but don't really NEED them for anything so will probably avoid unless it's in some special dish that would be incomplete without it. And since I found Cassava tortilla chips, I don't see why that would ever happen. 

Oh yeah, and I also learned that I am still not in control when it comes to highly processed frozen Trader Joe's Mandarin Chicken. Shocker (except not ). 

Plan is to do dairy on Wednesday. I have some gyro meat from my parent's lambs that is processed with whey (I'm assuming it must be in the flavor?) so I am going to have a gyro salad for lunch and then might do some fro yo if I'm feeling it. (the ice cream cake now sitting in my freezer has ALL KINDS of crap in it, so skipping that until after reintroduction is over). Then I'm hoping to recover quickly enough to do gluten on Saturday. 

There are Panera bagels AND my favorite food truck at work today (Pitabilities) so that is my primary motivator for telling you all of this while I eat my leftover Mongolian Beef and probably why my posts always last so long. Haha. Thanks for keeping me accountable.  

Have a great week!

[emilyelowe]

In re-reading my post (I LOVE to copy edit - it's super weird, but seriously, if you ever have a piece of writing you want feedback on, I will totes give you my email), I noticed a lot of because's. I ate the non-plan food BECAUSE everyone else was. I got Snackaroons BECAUSE I knew everyone was going to eat dessert and I would make them uncomfortable if I sat there NOT eating (and also because I probably wanted to participate in dessert). 

Such a good example of why and how food is not just food. Definitely something I want to be watching for and working on. 

[Susabella627]

Yes, we have two restaurants - Holy Smoke (I and II). It is BBQ and brew (mircro brews with rotating taps) but really there is something for everyone. My hubby left wall street a year after the towers came down (he worked right across the street) and decided life is too short to not try and pursue your passions. And 13 years later we are still going strong. 

I of course cannot answer for Amy, hope your are doing well Amy , but she might have meant that French Fries are off plan: 

we do not allow commercially-prepared fries or chips, or deep-frying starchy veggies and turning them into fries or chips during your Whole30. 

Emily, glad you felt good yesterday and NG grains went well. I am reintroducing them today and will also do gluten on Friday or Saturday depending on how the NG grains go. What I really want to try is a slice of pizza. On fridays the kids and I make our own pizza's. I've not been participating for the past few weeks but think I might since I know the cheese isn't going to bother me., and I can really control the amount of cheese on it. I will load mine up with veggies!!

I have another good example of the why and how of foods. My birthday is coming up next week and my daughter said to me yesterday "of course you are going to eat cake on your birthday right Mom" and I looked at her and said "I'm not sure I want cake"  She was like but it's your birthday....   It's just another example of how food is not just food. I need to think long and hard between now and then and decide if cake is "worth" it for me. I'm thinking I might want a margarita instead lol.... 

Have a great day!!