As Tricia nears the end of her Whole30 journey, she makes decisions about re-entry and how to eat after Whole30.
Can it really be Day 25 of this Whole30 Journey? I can hardly believe it myself! Just 5 days to go technically! They tell you in the book (and I’ve heard it from others) that by the end of the time it is not as burdensome, it gets easier, and your body doesn’t crave those things nearly as much. Turns out they were right. And I NEVER thought that was possible. Especially back on Day 11.
Overall, I am enjoying what we are eating and the changes that it has spurred in our diet. There are still things I would like to have. This week it seems to be a piece of cheesecake. But there is a clear difference between my wants this week and my wants two weeks ago. Two weeks ago I would have felt like I “had to have” that piece of cheesecake. Today, I just feel like it would be a fun treat. Very, very different. As you round this corner in the 30 days, you start approaching the question: what do I do after the Whole30? What is going to be my exit strategy?
It Starts with Food outlines a reintroduction phase that lasts 10-15 days and involves adding forbidden items one-by-one to test how your system reacts. There is to be no binge eating on Day 31. 😉 I have been wrestling all week with how this would look for me because on Day 31 I will be at a conference in another state. There is nothing wrong with being Whole30/Paleo when traveling or attending a conference, and I most certainly can do it. The real issue for me is that I would like to keep my Whole30 regimen as close to normal as possible. As I reintroduce foods I want to isolate any foods that might make me feel unhealthy as we move forward. I don’t want to contaminate my sample so to speak.
So I have decided to finish today and start the reintroduction process before I leave to have more of a constant. No, not so I can binge; believe it or not, that really doesn’t seem all that desirable to me. Yes, I feel a little weird starting it early. I feel like I am cheating in a way. In the end though, I am confident that my desires for those foods are diminished and my thirst for knowledge in this area is strong. And I don’t think the Whole30 journey is as much about a set number, but in a transformation. I know that transformation has taken place so I am confident as I approach reintroduction.
Feel free to follow my #whole30 journey via Instagram or my Whole30 recipe board on Pinterest
What we have learned:
- Dates are amazing.
- My husband loves cauliflower.
- One can live on a daily basis without carbs and not want to chew the head off of everyone they meet.
- I get less headaches and feel more “even” throughout the days.
- I think I am going to elaborate in full in a conclusion post at the end of this journey. My learning has really built as we went along this month, and I can’t wait to put the individual lessons together for you in one place.
Real Meals from our Whole30 Journey
I stayed pretty close to last week’s meal plans with the exception of breakfast. This was a terribly busy week for us, and I made burgers last weekend – lots of them – so I ate one of those on the go almost every morning. Delicious. A few of the meals are bumped to this week. That is what happens when you unexpectedly have guests over for dinner. 😉 Breakfasts will be eggs, protein and/or some nuts/avocados.
What we are going to eat:
- Day 25 (Sunday): Lunch –Buffalo Chicken Salad; Dinner – Chocolate Chili, avocados, asparagus (didn’t do it last week).
- Day 26 (Monday) Reintroduce Dairy: Lunch – Salad with Citrus Marinated Chicken; Dinner – Damn Fine Chicken with Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes“ w/cheese and butter (didn’t do it last week).
- Day 27 (Tuesday): Lunch – leftovers; Dinner – Out with friend
- Day 28 (Wednesday):Â Lunch – ; Dinner – On the road (traveling)
- Day 29 (Thursday)Â Reintroduce Gluten:Â I’m gone so everyone is on their own.
- Day 30 (Friday):Â I’m gone so everyone is on their own.
- Day 31 (Saturday):Â I’m gone so everyone is on their own.