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

[theHRlady 0]

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 64]

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 80]

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 68]

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