Detox 21-day wrap-up

Yesterday we finished the first phase of the detox diet - the first 21 days with most restrictive diet.  Here's what we eliminated:

• Sugar (in any form - natural or artificial - including stevia and sugar alcohols) 
• Gluten (in anything – including soy sauce, soup mixes) 
• Grains (whole or otherwise - no rice, oats, quinoa, etc)
• Beans, except green beans, snap peas and snow peas (including peanuts and soy)
• Dairy of any kind except grass fed or clarified butter 
• Fruit, except for low-sugar fruits (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, lemon, lime, kiwi, watermelon) 
• Refined vegetable oils (corn, canola, soy, sunflower, safflower, etc.) 
• Processed foods of any kinds (no additives, preservatives, dyes, MSG, etc.) 
• Carrageenan, a “natural thickener” in nut and other healthy “milks” 
• Alcohol

I was essentially following Dr. Mark Hyman's Eat Fat Get Thin plan but also following the Whole30 guidelines as well (except only doing 21 days since phase two is going to be long!).  I never felt the famed "Tiger Blood" that Whole30 devotees rave about.  Frankly, I spent a lot of these three weeks feeling crappy to varying degrees (the first few days are no joke!).  Eventually the headaches subsided, and I haven't dealt with much nausea since that first week.  My tinnitus is still bothersome, but the worst side effect is still the lightheadedness when standing up.  I try to remember to take an electrolyte beverage shot but keep forgetting.  Doh.

I am happy to report that not only did I lose 2.5 inches in my waist and 3 inches off my hips, I also lost 12.9 pounds during these 21 days.  Incredible!  Of course, the big challenge is going to be keeping those pounds and inches gone, and building off that to lose the next 17 pounds to my big milestone goal.

Things I learned during these 21 days:

• planning ahead is essential!  I wish I had done more meal planning so we would've eaten more exciting things, but we survived ;)  
• I'm not the biggest fan of nuts (which are key for adding the fat that Dr. Hyman endorses) - I do like cashew butter and I'm ok with almond butter, but I'm definitely over brazil nuts (which my doctor strongly suggests I eat two of every day) and sprouted sunflower seeds are ick.  But I still eat them when I need to do so.
• When you eliminate most of your carbs, it's quite a challenge to get in your calories!  I tracked everything in myfitnesspal and never hit my 1500 calorie allotment.  Some days I was under 1000 calories after dinner so I'd have a spoonful of cashew butter with unsweetened coconut shreds to up the calories and fat.  
• I guess my overall hunger may have declined?  I haven't really eaten anything for pleasure - food is fuel right now, so perhaps that is why I'm not overeating?  It will be interesting to see how this changes as I add foods back in.
• I'm really glad I took my measurements before starting this, as it feels great to see those inches gone!
• Eating the same thing for breakfast every day (and usually the same lunch every day too) is boring but at least it's easy to do!

Today starts our phase two - my doctor recommended the reintroduction guidelines from her elimination diet of choice (which is frankly very similar to the EFGT/Whole 30 rules).  Essentially, on the first day, you eat 2-3 servings of the target food and then go back to the detox for the second day.  If there are no issues that arise, you can move onto another new target food the third day.  Repeat until you go through them all, and if you did encounter an issue with a food, test it again just to make sure.  Here's the order we're going to use:

1. oatmeal (plain, gluten-free) 
2. whole wheat (pasta, no yeast or baking soda or other possible issues) 
3. bread (sourdough, which has no added sugar to help focus on just the gluten) 
4. cheese/yogurt (cows milk-based) 
5. corn 
6. rice 
7. soy 
8. cows milk 
9. beans (including chickpeas - yay hummus) 
10. peanuts 
11. barley

Stay tuned for phase two! :D