WHOLE30: ONE MORE DAY!!!

I think it is safe to say this now:

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I have 24 more hours to go. And then reintroduction (another 10 days). But still, there were many people (including my very supportive husband, who knows my limited palate and my history of rebellion when given dietary restrictions) who were skeptical about my ability to reach Day 5, much less Day 29! However, the one person who did NOT have any doubts was, surprisingly, ME. I had made up my mind in early December that this was happening, I envisioned how it would feel to get to this point--as New Age-y and touchy-feely as that may sound--and I did it.  The right mindset makes all the difference in the world.  In the immortal words of Tony Little:

So how am I feeling today? I have mixed emotions, actually. Physical cravings have disappeared, but this week I have felt ... deprived. Not hungry, not wanting a specific food, but just wanting the freedom to eat whatever I want. It has taken more effort to stay positive about this, and I am not sure that this is "normal" for other Whole30'ers. I still was not tempted to go off-track, but there was definitely resentment mixed in. I've largely gotten over it--I mean, this way of eating has shown me so much about myself and my eating habits that it was worth it. The thought of 10 to 13 more days of this, though, to get through the reintroduction phase (and that's the FAST TRACK reintro!) has been a definite drag on my mental state.

Nonetheless, as I reviewed the logic behind the reintroduction plan in The Whole30 tonight, I got myself set straight again. I think. I hope. I have put myself through a huge cleansing, and to just give up now would kind of defeat the purpose. So, starting Sunday, I will begin the reintro period. The authors of The Whole30 recommend doing this in a certain order, starting with the least-likely-to-offend food group to the most likely, with one day of reintroduction of each food group followed by 2 strict Whole30 days. This was the sticking point for me--two days of 100% compliant eating between each food group, with four food groups (legumes, non-gluten grains, dairy, and gluten grains), plus a fifth if you want to introduce alcohol--for a total of 10 to 13 days of highly restricted eating.

Interestingly, they also suggest that if you are going to reintro alcohol, you do this first. Once I got over the fact that I really need to do this the RIGHT way, I balked at starting with alcohol. And honestly, I cannot say why, other than the fact that I do not believe wine will be a problem at all. As much as this past month has had me longing to unwind with a glass o' the grape, it is not the top thing on my list of missed foods. And by the way, that in itself is shocking to me. My nightly glass of red with dinner has become a habit, and while it never came anywhere close to being an actual "problem", it is truly miraculous that I am not already talking to Steve the Wine Guy at my local Kroger lining up a bottle to open on Sunday!

Anyway, it looks like I will be buying some legumes tomorrow to add to my meal templates for Sunday. I will be keeping a (non-computerized) food diary to see how I react to each food group--assuming I have any kind of reaction. If I see any reaction at all, I will be mildly surprised, as food itself has never felt like The Enemy; rather, my lack of control with certain foods has been a much bigger problem--something that the Whole30 folks call "food without brakes". My list of those foods seems to have gotten longer as I've hit middle age, which is the opposite of what I think should be happening. These are foods that I can recognize a bit more now that I have gone through this process, and that alone is worth the time, effort and ENDLESS COOKING!!

I have been giving a lot of thought to where I want to go with this from here. Long-term, I do not see myself becoming a self-proclaimed Paleo eater. Halfway into this process I would have told you that I was going to aim for an 80/20 Paleo/nonPaleo diet. Now I'm not so sure. I am still a firm believer that moderation is the key to any long-term weight loss success--although I will put in a HUGE plug here and say that Whole30 is NOT about weight loss, it is much more about ridding your body of foods that cause inflammation, an unhealthy gut, etc. I also know that God created us with a built-in mechanism for achieving and remaining at our intended size (hunger and fullness--"Duh!", as my 9-year-old would say!). Did God intend for any food to be off-limits? Probably not, but that does not mean that every food is healthy for us, particularly in anything other than modest amounts. And processed foods should be incredibly limited or avoided altogether.

Bottom line, I will pay attention to my body during the reintroduction phase and make a concerted effort to steer clear of foods that make me feel lethargic, bloated, or moody, and will definitely limit anything that might awaken my Sugar Dragon, which, thankfully, seems to be asleep right now, however lightly!