Tomorrow is Day 30 ... success! But, I am nervous

[theHRlady]

Good morning everyone,

So I have done it - tomorrow is Day 30, no slip ups at all.  My clothes are fitting much more comfortably, I have more energy, I am sleeping better, people at work have stopped me and asked how much weight I have lost!  But more importantly - I have cervical spondylosis (arthritis in my spine - it is in my neck and have 3 herniated discs as a result) and the pain has nearly completely diminished.  The last time I took any type of pain relief was Day 4!  Previously - took Aleve daily, reserved prescription stuff for really bad nights, but the pain was dull, constant 24/7, neck and down my shoulder with arm tingling.  Now once in a blue moon I will feel a twinge that reminds me that I have this, but it is almost non-existent!

So that said, I plan on making some real life changes and the reintroduction will be important for me, so I have to pay close attention during this process.  I am nervous though, as I don't want to go backwards - at all.  I am typically an "all or nothing" type.  I know I need to find a healthy balance, and that I can't spend my life food prepping, cooking and cleaning, lol ... but I am afraid of reintroduction.  

I planned on doing the slow roll, but I also feel like I need to ensure I reintroduce one step at a time, so I am not sure if that is the right choice.  Any words of wisdom?

Thanks in advance! 

 

[SchrodingersCat]

Congratulations! That's such good news about the pain!

I get the feeling nervous about reintro and back sliding, but keep in mind - you kicked regular pain relief at day 4, even if something you reintro causes you grief, you can cut it, go compliant and regain that ground!

Good luck!

[Lorna from Canada]

Oh WOW @theHRlady - what awesome results! That's amazing! I'm on Day 3 of reintroduction after a Whole 38 and I'm kind of wondering along the same lines. The W30 has resolved a 6 year battle with plantar fasciitis into nothingness - I can't believe it after every treatment (save surgery) known to mankind! Hard to imagine really. So, now the dilemma for me is simply "why would I bother to introduce those things known to cause inflammation at all?". So, right now I'm in hover land where I am 100% compliant with the exception of wine on the weekend and I'm not eager to get back on the reintroduction train at all. I really don't want to do anything that will "upset the apple cart" (as my 89 year old mom always says . I like this regimented way of eating - this is a hard thing to think about!

@SchrodingersCat Schrod - I gotta admit, I'm afraid of the carb and sugar and grain dragons that are currently extinguished and sleeping somewhere back in my brain's attic. I have this fear that, re-ignited, I won't be able to shut them down again. I've never been able to do any form of moderation and, once off a program, I'm really, REALLY OFF. This is harder than I thought it was going to be.  

 

[Jihanna]

I'm in the middle of an extended slow-roll reintroduction myself. I'm often taking more than 2 days to recover from reintro days, and I have things broken down to test specific items within categories. I'm actually still following the overall suggested order, just taking a very much slower and piece-meal-type approach to it.

As an example, my first day of reintro was sugars, and one of the first things I tested was soda. I had such a huge issue with soda prior to my W30 that I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to go insane as soon as I had some (spoiler alert: it doesn't even taste good anymore, it's chemically and the carbonation does nothing for me now). The idea was that if I felt like I couldn't live without it once I could have it, then it was necessary to do another 30 days of strict W30 while focusing heavily on my soda addiction. Needless to say, that wasn't necessary

After that, it's just been kind of a slow-going process. I had written out a list of what specific items I wanted to make sure I test, and then as I'm making my weekly meal plans I'm figuring out what to do when (and adjusting to give more time in between, as needed).

I suggest making a table that can help you make sure you reintroduce everything you want to test, and are able to keep track of effects you experience after consumption.

Column 1 lists all the foods that you want to reintroduce separately, one per row.
Mine would list out green peas, beans, peanuts, soy, oats, rice, quinoa, corn, ghee, barley, wheat. Ghee's the only dairy I plan to do because I'm allergic to dairy, and want to see if ghee is usable for me.

Column 2 has room for you to note the date you tried it and how it was prepared.

Column 3 is for effects, and should have room for things you notice immediately as well as potential effects that you don't notice until later that day or even the next day. Remember that reactions don't necessarily stay centered in the gut; if you suddenly get stuffy-headed after dairy, chances are you're reacting to that even if your stomach is fine.


It wouldn't HAVE to be set up just like that, of course, but that's how it works best for my own brain

[Lauraco]

@Lorna from Canadaand @SchrodingersCat How are you two doing?  Are you sticking to Whole30 with a few exceptions here and there, or are you doing the strict re-intro like Jihanna describes, or something in the middle?

[SchrodingersCat]

8 hours ago, Lauraco said:

@Lorna from Canadaand @SchrodingersCat How are you two doing?  Are you sticking to Whole30 with a few exceptions here and there, or are you doing the strict re-intro like Jihanna describes, or something in the middle?

To be honest, I reintroed alcohol (low carb apple cider- I figured it was gluten and sulfite free) and a bit of sugar (in a citrus almond cake with all compliant ingredients save for the sugar) last Saturday, and a couple glasses of sparkling wine on Sunday with no ill effects, and have been compliant since but I'm reluctant to reintro anything next.  There was maybe a teaspoon of cream on the cake, too and that didn't seem to affect. 

i figure I'll go super slow and reintro something as I actually feel like it. I don't have anything coming up where I won't be able to avoid non-compliant foods, so I'm happy with my relatively unstructured but pretty strict slow roll.

[Lorna from Canada]

Hey @Lauraco Thanks for asking! I am on DAY 23 of Reintro which, considering I did a W37 means I am Day 60 of this lifestyle. LOTS of learning and focus.

I have not reintroduced grains except wheat flour (eaten 2 or 3 times), corn as a whole grain vegetable (eaten a couple of times). I don't have any challenges with them, I just don't want to get back on the slippery slope grain train. I love grains! I'm also trying to avoid additives like maltodextrin and maize dextrose (also added sulphites and MSG) as I find they make me feel a little ill after eating them - I've known for awhile that many highly processed food-like things make my stomach upset so I am going to continue to avoid those.

I have not introduced dairy other than cheese (a week ago - too much and not pretty!) - I have since had a bit of cheese on pizza and am okay with it in small doses. AGAIN, I really don't like the cheese board I so easily surf on so, won't be eating much cheese moving forward. I have not reintroduced milk, yogurt or cottage cheese which were mainstays in my pre-W30 diet. I think I am better off without them. I'm not sure what effect they might have on me so a proper reintro might be a good idea but, right now, I'm good.

I have not reintroduced legumes and don't know if I will - I like the way my GI system is operating at the moment and how I feel and I think legumes will be a problem for me. I do like fresh peas in the spring so that may be one I try in the future. I prefer coconut aminos to soy sauce so that's a win. 

I have had sugar - just in a single dessert last week - my dragon stayed snoozing. I have NO cravings for sugar - very weird for me - I like it and plan to keep it that way. I do not worry about added sugar in things like deli meat (unless it's maize based) but, I don't eat much of that so it's okay.

Wine is a problem - I had 2 glasses last night and had poor night's sleep afterwards. I'm aware of the impact now so, at least I have that information. I can choose to have wine kowing I won't have a good night's sleep. As a result, I'm not drinking wine very often and maybe just in the afternoon so the effects wear off. I'm surprised by how little of a problem this has been for me - I'm not really missing it.

I love eating W30. I feel good when I do. So, I'd say my diet will remain 95% W30 which, for me means - I'm eating W30 100% when I am in charge of my own meals and being more free when I am not (lke when my Australian hosts want pizza on Friday night - I'll eat pizza!). I'm sure this vigilance won't last forever but, when I've really slipped off, I plan to do another W30.

[Lauraco]

@Lorna from CanadaThanks for sharing your re-intro with me.  I also reintroduced wine.  I was fine without it, but I really like it, I so enjoy having a glass of wine or two to relax after work and while I'm cooking dinner.  Unfortunately, I do not suffer any ill effects, in fact I seem to sleep better having had some, so I will need to continue to work on breaking that habit, because it only adds calories (I know we're not supposed to count) and sugar.  At least it's low in carbs   I am not craving other sweets, grain carbs or dairy. 

My husband quit following Whole30 after 2 weeks, and it didn't bother me that he got his loaded coffees and breakfast sandwiches from Starbucks, or that he started eating oatmeal with milk on it for breakfast, or that he added cheese and chips to his taco salad, rather than wrapping it in a lettuce leaf, but I received a birthday coupon for a free cookie from Lidl yesterday and so while I was there shopping for meat specials, I got the free chunky chocolate chip cookie for him.  It was HARD.  I almost unconsciously broke off "just a little piece" to taste, but caught myself.  I really think doing something like that could raise the Sugar Dragon's ugly head.  I am also very afraid to reintroduce bread.  I love bread.  I used to feel hungry a lot more, and cwould ontinue eating even though I had eaten enough to be full, and I think that the carbs from bread had a lot to do with that.  Just my theory, but appetite control has always been hard for me, so I don't want to raise the Carb Dragon anymore than the Sugar Dragon.  

My plan is to continue to shop, cook and eat Whole30.  I haven't had any challenges like you have had, though.  No visitors, no vacations, no business travel.  My daughter is coming to visit at the end of March, but she has Celiac Disease, so no problem there!  I am eating the same things she can eat now. I tend to get bored and like variety, so I need to be consious about finding some things other than food and cooking, for sure not baking, to satisfy that.  I have been pet sitting a little bit on the side, which helps to keep me on the straight and narrow, especially if I have dogs, who need to go out late at night.  No wine-drinking then!  It also occupies my time so I am not sitting around snacking in the evenings.  

Best of luck to you on your journey!  Keep me posted if you like and have time, I'm interested in hearing how you do.