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This was my first reintroduction week on the FODMAP diet. For this phase, the doctor has taken me off the odious vitamin regimen, has swapped those for a smoothie-based morning booster, and wants me to keep super-detailed records of everything from my gut to mood as I try something from the no-go list every 3 days.

I don’t think I remembered to list my supplements for Phase 1 for y’all, either. I was taking (tried to always take with lunch):

1 Digestzymes (Betaine HCI and a proprietary blend of Ox Bile extract, Peptidase, Amylases, Pepsin, Proteases, Glucoamylase, Lactase, Invertase, Lipase)

2 CoreBiotic Sensitive Probiotics (Bacillus Coagulans SNZ1969 and MTCC5856 Lactospore, Bacilius Subtiis)

3 LV-GB Complex (Vitamins A, B-6, B-12; L-Methionine, Milk Thistle, Taurine, Inositol, Ox Bile, Artichoke, Beet Powder)

4 Gastromend-HP (Vitamin C, Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice, Mastic Gum, Methylmethionine Sulfonium Chloride, Zinc Carnosine)

I didn’t feel any different with this regimen of supplements (other than hella annoyed because I am not great at swallowing pills), but I guess they may have done something, since the doctor noticed a marked difference in my skin the second I walked in the door (and tbh I haven’t felt like I look quite so crappy in the face skin lately), and my gut has been feeling a bunch better.

At the end of Phase 1, I don’t feel like my GI system is in crisis any more (I was having pain after 95% of my meals and was almost ready to give up and go on a chicken & rice diet), my dry skin is still there but isn’t as flaky, my nails aren’t peeling and chipping as much, and I only have a little stomach stabbiness for a few minutes every few days or so. I’m also a touch more regular with less need to head for the hills any time my digestive system is on the move, and I’m less bloated overall.

Whether that is a function of cutting out most of the foods causing an issue (frustratingly, the intermittent nature of my issues hasn’t stopped, a week with on-again/off-again cucumber sensitivity being the most recent) or the supplements – I don’t know. We shall see.

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
An explanation

Proposed Meal Plan

Breakfasts

  • The doc’s smoothie blend

Lunches/Dinners

  • I’m still not tired of canned tuna for some inexplicable reason. I think I’ll have a repeat of bowl life, just with different flavors. I’m thinking Thai and/or poke sauce.

Snacks

  • I didn’t really snack last week, so I still have oat crackers leftover.

Actual Meal Plan

Breakfasts

  • Hard boiled eggs
  • Buckwheat pancakes
  • Doctor shakes

Lunches/Dinners

  • Made a batch-prepped Thai-style tuna bowl
  • Bought sushi for lunch while grocery shopping, which led to my first challenge food: avocado
  • Made the tuna poke bowls
  • Had a soba lunch out
  • Had chicken & rice lunch out
  • A non-compliant meal out introducing a friend to local cuisine
  • Zoodles with tuna and/or eggs

Snacks

  • Blueberries
  • Oat crackers
Monday: Sushi with a challenge food – avocado – and a Thai-style tuna bowl
Tuesday: My first doctor shake, chicken & rice out at Nando’s, Thai tuna bowl & popcorn
Wednesday: Soba out for lunch and “single” lady adulting win with the second half of last night’s popcorn for dinner
Thursday: Poke bowl and a concoction of rice, leftover veggies from last week & tuna
Friday: Zoodle bowl for lunch, lots of snacks, non-compliant dinner out
Saturday: Big second breakfast out with challenge foods (spelt flour, banana, almond butter) & Light Zoodle tuna concoction for dinner

What did I learn this week?

Introducing challenge foods is hard, and the impetus to run before I can walk is strong. Avocados, mangoes, spelt, banana & almond butter all seem fine – and all are things I was pretty sure I could tolerate.

The morning shakes the doc gave me are kinda making me bloated – but I’m not sure yet if it’s bloated bloated, or if my body may get used to them. I’ll give them another few days.