Day 15 – Phase II – Reintroduce, Rotate and Reflect
Here we are into the second phase of our 30 day challenge already! (note for those who may be new to the challenge, you can always follow along on your own schedule and start your own 30 day challenge with day 1 here).
So far we have avoided the most common culprits when it comes to additional stress on our body. At this point we are going to “allow” reintroduction of certain things (and with some restrictions). Remember that it is still up to you to keep up the great progress you have made so far and be in control, with a bit more flexibility.
Re-Introduction
“At home I serve the kind of food I know the story behind.” ~ Author Michael Pollan
Below you will see a few things we took out in phase I, that we are now reintroducing back in. There will also be a limit on how much you reintroduce as we want to go slow and steady when it comes to these things. Remember as we discussed in Day 12 that it is still important to focus on quality as well.
So here are the things you can start working back in again on your own schedule (or you can continue to go without them as well, it is your choice)
- Diary - Cheese, yogurt, whole milk (not skim…if you are worried about saturated fat, then please read this article on fats as well). Add back in small quantities, not more than 1 meal a day to start.
- Alcohol – Beer, wine. Limit consumption to 2-3 drinks (normal serving sizes) a week. Note that a 40 oz mug with draft beer does not count as 1 drink.
- Free Meal – Once a week, add in a meal of whatever you enjoy in normal portions (this is not a pass for a binge fest). This could include dinner and/or dessert.
We would still like you to continue to eliminate (outside of the one free meal a week) the big culprits of processed foods, sugars, wheat, breads, cereals, vegetable oils and fast food.
Rotation
No, I don’t mean that you put all your meals on a “lazy susan” and spin them at dinner (I knew someone has this joke ready, so beat you to the punch).
By rotation we mean that you can alternate what you eat on each day including different kinds of meats, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats. What it also means in our case for the foods we are reintroducing is to make sure you are not doing them day after day, especially after we have taken a break from them.
The benefits to eating with a rotational plan can include:
- Reduce any possible allergic responses (and allow your gut time off to heal, as really all health begins or ends in the gut)
- Allow more variety in your eating (including amounts and types of vitamins/minerals)
I mean honestly if you want to eat chicken and veggies every meal on every day, then that is your call. I would get tired of that personally. But once you start adding back in the more allergenic foods especially wheat/gluten and dairy, then you can start having compounding issues over time. Having it on occasion may be one thing your body can handle, but everyday may start to turn things for the worse.
Here’s my own personal strategy (ongoing even pass this challenge). Along with rotating foods, I’m also going to use my Intermittent Fasting days (we talked about the benefits of IF on day 10) as my own official “detox” days. On those days I will not have any dairy, wheat, alcohol, nuts or anything else outside of basic meats and veggies. So even if I have “allowed” back in more things than I should, then at least every IF day (2x/week in my current schedule) will be a day off to allow the gut some additional healing time. This is also an effective way to help keep calories under control on those days as well.
Today’s Task: Reflection
I want you to take a couple quiet minutes to reflect back on the first 2 weeks of the challenge (well done for getting this far!). Ask yourself if you feel any different, better or worse. See what foods you “used” to crave in the beginning but maybe no longer crave. Really become aware of how you feel/look today based on what you have been eating and drinking for the last 2 weeks. This is very important, as true understanding will keep you on track down the road.
Going forward also make time to do the same reflection. See if your health, energy, weight loss take a turn for the better or worse. See what foods may have been reintroduced and could be part of the problem. This is key to getting and keeping control of your life and health.
Here are some of my own reflections with this challenge so far:
- No alcohol and really don’t miss it as I thought I might miss an occasional beer. So I’m going to keep going till the end of the challenge with no alcohol.
- No more bread (as pizza is my weakness and it was creeping back in too much). I don’t crave it and will certainly keep an eye out on it in the future.
- I really crave more fatty meat like whole eggs, fish with scales (sardines), and even some ground bison (grass fed). I don’t find the thought of any no-fat meat (skinless chicken breast for example) appealing whatsoever.
- I’ve forced myself to become more creative with meals and focused on better quality foods. No more excuses to not make time for good food.
- I even unplugged the TV as a distraction and don’t miss it one bit. I still watch some episodes here and there on www.hulu.com.
All in all I am very happy with how things have turned out and look forward to keep going!
So please share in the article comments, what did you find out about yourself during the first 2 weeks of this challenge? What do you see yourself doing going forward?
Table of contents for 30-Day Challenge
- Day 1: Elimination and Detox Phase Starts Now
- Day 2: Planning Your Daily Meals
- Day 3: Managing Time for What is Important
- Day 4: Spicing It Up And Healthy Snacking
- Day 5: Bodyweight Exercises Workout Challenge
- Day 8: Get More Sleep
- Day 10: The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
- Day 12: Finding Quality Food
- Day 15 – Phase II – Reintroduce, Rotate and Reflect
- Day 17: Healthy Eating Out
- Day 19: How to Set Up the Simple Home Gym Fitness Program
- Day 22: Healthy Dessert Recipes
- Day 24: Reduce Stress and Simplify Your Life
- Day 26: Personal Goal Setting
- Day 30: Phase III – Adjust and Maintain
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Hi, two weeks gone already!
I feel good and am losing weight so as far as this is happening I will stick with how I have been eating , no alcohol, cold meats, dairy except a little cream or cheese in cooking to brighten up meals , and to make them ” alegre” a bit, once or twice a week. My Free meal will include some basmati rice Mmmmm.
No craving for alcohol, sweets even though I am making them for the family and the house is full of them, I have craving for salty things.. instead.
As daily eating and workout report is not required , and I was the only one doing it, I will be brief.
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Mike OD Reply:
@Thania – Great job! Keep it up!
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Let’s say you reintroduce a food item and notice a negative response. How do you know if it’s because you’ve eliminated that food for a while and need to get back the machinery to deal with, or if it’s your body signaling that it is/was always sensitive to that food but only now you are able to see it above the noise.
example: After I go for a while without milk and then drink a large latte I always feel bloated and regret it. but I know that in periods when my diet wasn’t dialed in at all and I consumed a lot of milk products I would deal better with that latte. thoughts?
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Melody Reply:
@Moran
I’ve always felt that if your body is likely to forget how to deal with something after only two weeks, you have to question whether your body _ever_ wants to deal with it, and maybe it’s better not to have it at all.
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Mike OD Reply:
@Moran – You will possibly find more of a negative response with certain foods once you do cycle off for a while (which we did in the first 2 weeks) and then reintroduce back in. Hence why you want to slowly add one thing back in at a time to see how you respond. If you add back in too many things and feel worse, you won’t know which one was the real issue. Your body becomes more sensitive to alerting you what it wants and doesn’t want as you clean up and do eliminations (which is a good thing, otherwise you could have more silent damage going on and compounding into a bigger issue down the road….such as autoimmune disorders). Test things out, see what happens, try for the best quality too (as a glass of whole/raw milk may not be the same as how you feel with skim milk). The lessons you learn now about what your body wants will be life changing and stick with you.
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Hey,Thania nice work..It’s great that you can avoid dairy..For me it’s very difficult..I am afraid to start eatting cheese and milk again because I might be unable to stop myself…It’s addictive.
I have noticed as well that when I ignore dairy and then try some I feel awful..I notice that I am leaner without it.
My abs are better defined now after these two weeks and it’s certainly because of the lack of dairy.I used to eat the same way – low carbs high fats .. but with some milk,occasionaly cheese and yogurt and didn’t feel as fit as now.
Why is that?Why is dairy causing unwanted effects?Because of the lactose or what?
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As I said last week, I’ve been disappointed in how little different I feel. Of course, I’m normally one of the highest energy, healthiest people I know, so …
The things I missed?
I miss my scale! I didn’t think I would miss it this much.
I miss my cheese. I’ve been really strict about no dairy for the last two weeks (except the dinner party I threw on Saturday, where I made whipped cream with fresh fruit for desert and had some of the whipped cream myself), and cheese has been beckoning me for days.
I thought I would miss breads more.
I decided to stay off gluten for the whole year (before I even saw this challenge), as it can take a long time for the gut to heal from the damage wheat causes.
I’m having cheese tonight!
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I am so excited today! I just returned from my milk run and had a BIG glass of raw milk as soon as I got home.
This weekend, I went to a birthday party and there was not one food dish I could eat. Everything had either wheat, sugar, or dairy in it. I was prepared and had a smoothie with fruit and nuts before I went so I was fine. Had to have a little coffee since it was back in our diet but that was the only thing I had for 6 hours. Everyone was so interested in what I was doing and commented on how much will power I had.
What I found about myself in the past two weeks was I can cut anything from my diet for 2 weeks, got creative about what to have for breakfast and lunch, and found myself eating more nuts and eggs. I don’t think I lost any weight because of all the nuts I ate but I feel great, not necessarily better than I did.
I like the idea of having one cheat meal this week so I can enjoy a french toast casserole with my husband for breakfast tomorrow morning. He has been missing my sweet cooking.
Going forward, I like the ideas you mentioned in today’s article and plan on incorporating IF at least once a week and avoid what we cut out in the first two weeks on IF days, have more egg breakfasts, and once a week cheat meal but never fast food.
Thanks for keeping us motivated and on track. You seem to know just what we need to keep us from falling off the wagon and educate us along the way.
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Mike OD Reply:
@lel – “I don’t think I lost any weight because of all the nuts I ate”…that is an important learning experience to take with you going forward. As calories still will matter in the whole equation of losing weight. Nuts pack a whallop real quick for calories, and if you are using them as a snack and not controlling intake…it can easily lead to more calories than you need to achieve weight loss (will also depend on your activity level too). Well done so far and keep up the great work!
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First off Mike, Thanks for the opportunity to do this challenge!!!
I never thought I would be able to give up coffee and now don’t even miss it.
I can walk past sweets and snacks and they don’t even bother me.
I feel much more satisfied then ever, I don’t lounge in the kitchen looking
for something to eat all the time, and I don’t feel hungry.
I notice a hugh change in the way my clothes fit so I am anxious to get
my scales back out.
I don’t think I am going to go back to adding much that I haven’t been
having, maybe some whole milk.
Again Mike, a BIG Thanks!!!!
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Mike OD Reply:
@Cathy – Well done, as you are the one who did all the work. Keep it up! Just remember that you are always in control and can give yourself a 2 week detox anytime you feel you need to get back that control. As for the scale, sell it at a garage sale…we both know you don’t need it.
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I just typed this huge comment – all positive with great stuff, and it didn’t post. So all I’ll say right now is “awesome stuff”. Feel great. Want to do this forever!
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Mike OD Reply:
@Sam – That sucks, as I know we want to hear all the good stuff! Whenever I usually do a long reply anywhere I will cut and paste to notepad just in case (as it has happened to me as well). The good news is that you are allowed to eat this way as long as you like!
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Hi and thanks so much much for this challenge. It’s been an eye opener and I’m getting good results. Stopping coffee was difficult the first couple of days, but what a difference being caffeine free! Things I’ve notice- I have much more energy than before. Now an all day meeting is a piece of cake instead leaving me drained.
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Mike OD Reply:
@Kate – Nice job on getting your energy back, that is always a big plus. Now you know that you can do it each day. Not that having a cup of coffee is completely evil once in a while, just don’t let it take hold again and drain you like before (I like tea now more…and it’s a steady energy with the much lower caffeine too).
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While I’m unable to do the IF, the elimination of wheat, gluten & dairy has given me the flat tummy I’ve always wanted.
Thanks Mike!
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Hello Mike. Been reading your site for while but the information in this 30 day challenge is simply awesome. I have already been doing a lot of this stuff (thanks to all the health info from sites like yours). My eating habits have changed radically. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and though I have’nt eliminated grains completely I have drastically reduced the quantity. I feel really good.
Like I said I have been reading your stuff for a while but these mails have been very inspirational and have kept me motivated so I felt like commenting and thanking you!
P.S The one on intermittant fasting was really informative.
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Thanks guys,
This 30 day challenge has re-inspired me bigtime. Haven’t been following it to the T because I already have some of the habits. I’m paying a lot more attention to the quality of my food, more organic, no grains, no dairy. For my diet it always goes back to the same issue: Eat more vegetables! Cause I’m all set with meats and fats.
I’m starting my fasting day this week on Wednesday.
Keep up the great info.
Mike
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Hey,
just a few questions:
I started a few days late, so i’m on day 9 and things are going good.
Dropped coffee, grains, and booze with suprisingly no real effects. I was having 3-4 cups a day, oatmeal every morning, wine or beer or rum and cokes quite often.
Is Agave nectar a better alternative to white sugar? I don’t eat sweets and watch sugars in everything i eat for years, but have to have a bit in my coffee. If i have add a cup or 2 of coffee each day is a little agave OK?
also, I was normally eating oatmeal, qinoa, some barley. Are they the evil grains that i am starting to think they are?
Thanks
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skustes Reply:
Robert, perhaps a little better than white sugar, though it’s MUCH higher in fructose. Here’s an article I wrote comparing sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, agave, etc.: Best Sweeteners. A little agave won’t hurt you, but how much is “a little”?
As for the grains, oatmeal and quinoa are gluten-free and therefore markedly better than wheat and it’s cousins (like barley). They aren’t great, but they aren’t as bad either. I use some quinoa sometimes.
Cheers
Scott
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I started a couple of days behind the program as well, so won’t post on progress quite yet; (save to say I have developed a craving for apples spread with almond butter!)
For those with comments about food issues/allergies, and re-introduction, here is a somewhat brief bit of what I’ve learned on the topic.
Allergy testing comes up with a lot of false positives and negatives, so a food challenge like this one is really the way to go. After complete withdrawal of the questionable food/s for at least 10 days, (NO cheating, read labels fanatically, even on your vitamin pills) the trick is to introduce a small amount of one of the foods, then wait and observe for three days. It can take up to three days for symptoms to appear. Then, you can reintroduce the next questionable food, and follow the same process.
Symptoms may not be just gastrointestinal, (which is why doctors often take a long time diagnosing gluten intolerance). Arthralgias, autoimmune exacerbations, mysterious skin rashes are some common things to look for, and track during the withdrawal and reintroduction process.
If you tune in to your body, you’ll be able to ascertain whether you can eat small amounts of the food in question, or whether you need to avoid completely; everyone is different. Also, you can try fine-tuning; for example, some people with dairy problems can eat butter, if they are allergic to the milk protein, since butter is milk fat and not protein…just have to experiment and pay attention
Sorry if this is a long post, it’s hard to condense all the info; Scott and Mike are doing an awesome job of educating, thanks for that!
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