Journal - Reintroduction Summary

Here's what I discovered about me in my reintroduction.

Legumes - quickly made me itchy after eating. The next day, I was moody.
Non-gluten grains - no immediate reaction after eating. The next day, I was very bloated, and I felt depressed, more easily upset.
Dairy - no immediate reaction after eating, but I did have a hard time sleeping that night. The next day, brain fog and skin breakouts. The following day, I felt more edgy.
Gluten - a terrible stomachache after eating that lasted for a good 10-12 hours, but no other digestive issues. The next day, I felt more irritable and cranky, less even keeled.

None of the additional sugar in any of the food I ate seemed to trigger the sugar or binge dragons, except to have them be a little more chatty, but it wasn't hard to resist them. I think I am still mentally being strict with myself because I know once I say "it's OK, just have a cookie, don't worry about it", that will lead straight on into a face plant into a whole container of cookies, which will lead into the next day's bread binge, and the whole cycle will start again. I also know that if that does happen, to be gentle with myself, and I know how to do a reset with Whole30. (At least this is the ideal plan!)

So, with all this information, I have a better idea of where I want to go with my food freedom. I had initially embarked upon Whole30 to ease the transition into keto, but with such ugly and visible reactions to dairy, I have to do a little more research, as I don't want to eat dairy at every meal, and end up with a constant barrage of giant zits all over my face. Perhaps a paleo or primal or dairy free keto is better for me, but I will take it one day, one meal at a time. I am really glad that I found Whole30, as I feel it has helped me learn a lot about myself, and how food affects me, physically, mentally, and emotionally. I now feel like I have tools to make better food decisions, whilst enjoying myself and not going overboard to the point where I feel bad about myself and/or sick. Whole30 has given me control of my food choices with education (how I'll feel if I eat that cookie) as well as tools to combat it (the list of things to do to not engage with dragons).

I am really thankful that I saw Danielle Panabaker's (she's Killer Frost on CW's the Flash) Instastory about Whole30 a few months ago, that started my following a ton of Whole30 people on Instagram, like @nocrumbsleft, @nomnompaleo, @confessionsofacleanfoodie, @paleobailey, @wholesisters, @primalgourmet, @iheartumami.ny to name a few of my favorite recipe accounts. I'm also thankful that I had the financial means to afford a Whole30 coach Sarah, @thepursewhisperer (and her shopping account @tpw_aldiwalmartwhole30) as I know I would have given up when times got tough, confusing, or overwhelming. If you are considering a Whole30, at the least, pick up the Whole30 Day By Day book, which will walk you through each day, and generally, what to expect, and what to plan for the next day(s). And of course, to Melissa Hartwig (and Dallas) for creating this program, Melissa for writing all these books and giving us daily support, honesty, and love.