Whole30: Day 29

One day left! Can you believe it?! All the preparation and hard work will finally find its climax. Relish it. Bask in the energy and confidence you’ve gained. Savor this victory for as long as you can stand it. Then get pumped up because we’re heading into the reintroduction phase.

I’ll be honest; I'm frustrated. I still have a few obnoxious lingering cravings and dreams about chocolate and tortilla wraps. For most that should have wrapped up a week or more ago, but I feel like I'm still experiencing extinction burst, and it SUCKS! My energy levels have dipped slightly because my sleep patterns are out of whack. I consistently get up between 5 and 5:30 a.m. but falling asleep and staying asleep are still a struggle. I hadn't been taking any of the medications prescribed because I want to work this out naturally, but I caved and popped a Lunesta last night because I wanted a solid 8 hours of sleep. When I woke up I still had the lingering headache that had plagued me all day yesterday. And then last night I also binged (again only on olives, fruit, and avocados). Why? Because I was tired, and instead of taking myself to bed (No, it's only 6:15, I don't wanna go to bed! Wah!) I stuffed my face while watching really horrible TV. What the heck is wrong with me? I accept the bingeing. I know I won't rid myself of that in only 30 days. But the cravings that seems to be getting stronger? The haggard sleep and reappearance of nagging headaches? That pisses me off. (End rant.)

I've been considering extending my Whole30 into a Whole45 to work out all the kinks. I’m wary that if I reintroduce sugars and grains right away, I might slip quickly back into old habits. I don't want to risk that. Besides I really enjoy eating this way. It has already changed me drastically despite these couple of nuisances with which I still struggle. I don’t miss the processed foods, grains, dairy, or treats like pizza and ice cream. In fact, I’m most excited about bringing almond butter pancakes and banana chips back into my diet. (Yeah, I’m that lame.)
 

The Whole30 works its magic differently on each of us (obviously, ugh). You may want to extend yours too, or you may be ready to jump head first into reintroduction. Mindfulness is key in this phase. As we continue our experiment, we need to pay extra attention to our bodies and their reactions to the foods we bring back. Our goal is to identify which, if any, of these previously eliminated foods cause us discomfort, make our energy lag, and upset our bellies. We want to bring these foods back one at a time. It wouldn’t be wise to eat a bean burrito smothered in cheese and finish it off with a brownie for lunch on day 31 because when you start to feel like crap (and I can guarantee you would after that meal) you’d have no idea whether it was caused by the cheese, the burrito wrap, the beans, or the decadent brownie.

The reintro phase will seem a bit slow, but it’s the best way to identify those foods that cause your body and health distress. So what do we do? For one day only choose a food (let’s say dairy) and eat a little bit at every meal. Yogurt with breakfast; blue cheese on your salad at lunch; ice cream after dinner. (Speaking of salads, I have only had two this entire month, which just goes to show you can revolutionize your health and lose weight without eating rabbit food. Hallelujah!) After each meal and the following day, pay attention to how your body feels. Do you still feel energized, happy, clear headed, and light? Sweet! That means dairy probably doesn’t pose any problems for you, and you can enjoy it in your regular diet. However, if you notice a dip in energy, brain fog, headaches, or stomach discomfort, that’s a good indicator you may want to avoid consuming dairy too often. Once you start to feel good again (maybe you spend a few days back on the Whole30 guidelines), spend a day eating grains at every meal. I recommend breaking grains down into three categories: gluten free, whole grain, and processed/refined (reintroduced in that order). Nitpicky, yes, but it will help you determine whether you experience trouble with all grains, just those with gluten, or just those that are highly processed.

Here are examples:

Gluten free day: Grits, brown rice, quinoa, corn on the cob

Whole grain day: Oatmeal, whole wheat bread, whole grain pasta

Processed/Refined day: Waffles! Buttery bread sticks! A fat, fluffy bun with your burger! CAKE!

Remember, reintro for one day, assess the following day, then eat clean for a day or two before reintro of next food group (in the event that you feel bad). While you’re at it, take a day to reintroduce bacon. Bacon for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, dessert. Just platefuls of bacon. Because it’s that good. Kidding (but not really).

Once you’ve tested all the foods you eliminated during the Whole30, you will have a complete idea of how to fuel your body for your optimal health. You research and experimentation will provide you with a blueprint for maximum energy allowing you to live this life to its absolute fullest. If ever you feel sluggish, blue, or slip back into your old habits, just pull out your blueprint and get back on track. It’s that easy.

Whether you feel freakin' awesome or are still hacking through the underbrush like me tomorrow is still day 30. We've still made huge changes and stuck it out to the end. And for that we must celebrate!

Love to you all.