AIP Whole30 Week 3 & 4 & Wrap-up

I did it!  30 days strict AIP Whole30!

I skipped a summary last week since I was quite sure it would be more of the same as weeks 1&2, alternating between intense whining and happiness. The past few weeks have been rough, I really have felt the deprivation of my limited diet. The social limitations have always been the most difficult part of Whole30 for me, and those are amplified threefold during an AIP. Following the protocol has been made both better and worse by having a partner (sorry, boy). He did the program with me only to be supportive and, while he lost a few pounds he'd picked up recently, he hasn't felt any different and instead moaned about his lack of Nutella, wine and assorted other random food desires. Someone really didn't get into the Whole30 spirit... (And despite all his whining about not wining, he still claims he doesn't "crave" things, he just really likes them on occasion, occasion meaning daily, of course).

Whole30 Day 3 (Forgot to take a day one picture, whoops)

Anyway, being able to share the cooking and the delicious experiments and the stress helped a lot, but I also carried some of the weight (and maybe guilt?) of putting him through this too. I catered a lot of meals and snacks to him and, once they were there, I ate them too. Don't get me wrong, I definitely benefited from this last 30 days, and I'm not blaming it all on the boy. I am responsible for my own actions, and it's my own fault I ate so many bananas, apples and sweet potatoes.

Results: I've lost 3 inches off my waist, which puts me just above my happy weight (I say "weight" subjectively, I did not step on a scale before or after and am only using the weight measurement and a mirror), and all my clothes are comfortable again.  Most importantly, face is feeling smooth and breakout free, except for 1-2 little whiteheads that pop up every couple weeks, which seems like a very normal kinda thing.  Now I just have to wait and see if the residual red marks from old, painful breakouts will fade completely (as they should).  Fingers crossed!

And today! Day 31.  There are still a lot of red spots, but you may notice most of them were already there a month ago.  Residual redness can take a few months to fade after a bad pimple. I just hope there are no scars hiding underneath those spots. Not one remaining painful, cystic pimple. Check out my Week 1 post to compare my face from just 1.5 months ago.  Ouch.

I'm excited for the rest of my healing process, as I still have a lot of work to do! My new goals consist of slow reintroductions while I continue healing, more regular workouts and continuing to eliminate chemicals from my life (between skin/hair care and household cleaning, more on that another time!).

My reintro plan for now is a little rushed, its the holiday season and I want to be able to enjoy my two favorite treats.  If it goes horribly, I'll live without.  If it's less than ideal, then I shall indulge in moderation until the holiday season ends.

Reintro one:  glass of wine to go with an AIP pumpkin pie to celebrate completing the Whole30! Jumping right into reintros seems unwise, I know.  Particularly alcohol.  But hey, Christmas and New Year's is nearly upon us! I'm planning as carefully as I can: 1 glass of a drier wine tonight (day 31) and another this weekend (day 34 or 35) if it seems to go well.

Reintro two: CHOCOLATE.  Gosh, I miss chocolate.  I've picked up a 90%, no soy and no dairy bar of Lindt that I can't wait to take just a nibble out of.  That I will do next week, as I plan to do 3-4 days between each test.

Three: nightshades.  I am not worried about nightshades as I did eliminate them once before and felt no difference, either at cutting them out or reintroducing.  I can do without marinara sauce for a bit longer, but I'd like to be able to toss some paprika back into my cooking. I will take 1-2 weeks testing various nightshades, just to be sure.

Four:  Seeds.  I miss cumin so much.  I am also not particularly worried about this, but I will take my time on this as well. Getting some sunbutter into my diet will add another source of fat and an easy treat.

These 4 will take me 1-2 months alone.  Whew.  I haven't even considered where coffee fits into all this.  Man, I want coffee too. I know the caffeine is bad for my skin, but I'm thinking about procuring some Swiss Water process decaf for an occasional fix or maybe it's time to jump on the Crio Bru (brewing chocolate) bandwagon if my chocolate reintro goes well.  So much to think about.

The remaining testing items are the things I expect most to be a problem (other than alcohol and chocolate, I'm kinda going against sense by testing those first as they are pretty likely a problem, but hey: holidays).  These include: grains (gluten and non), nuts, eggs and dairy.  I'm expecting a good 4-5 months before I get through it all, during which time I plan to be 100% strict paleo.  Whew.

Here's to the journey!