A few posts ago I announced I would do intro (for my sixth time in just over four years), for a month. The discomfort on Day 1 notwithstanding, I got off to such a great start, but subsequently went out with a fizzle. I think even this is worth sharing; as always, I believe my stumble can help others. What I learned:
1. Even six days on intro rocks for my body. In that relatively short period, I gained very much! I became deeply aware of recent food habits, I felt clearer, itching ceased, cravings diminished then disappeared, my feet felt lovely. I developed several new approaches and recipes (which I will share over time). A detox bath every evening soothed my soul and body. I worked out some emotional pieces (intro always shifts some longstanding stuff).
2. To do intro, I need community. This go at intro was my very first time solo. I felt no need for my son to do it again; I had asked my sister and my partner to join me, but both declined; because I wasn’t up for organizing it, I did not prepare and engage an online community. So, solo I started and solo I fizzled. I suspected, but now I know for sure, that with big challenges I do best when I’m in a relationship of accountability with at least one other person. Many of us find this to be true with exercise, maintaining sobriety, etc. In intro, we can be well served by acknowledging our social aspect.
3. It remains true that the longer I am exposed to foods I’m aiming to skip, the higher the chances I will ingest them. For me, having my home include only the foods I’m currently eating is almost as important as having community in place. (This was the first go at intro in which I was sharing a home with people who don’t do GAPS.)
4. In each new circumstance, we need to develop a new game plan. I didn’t anticipate feeling extra challenged by my new circumstances (again, sharing a home with people who don’t do GAPS, for example). Anticipating (or, in this case, learning) how a new circumstance impacts our capacities allows us to develop new approaches. Now that I know how my new circumstances challenge me differently, I can create new strategies. I could, for example, move out. However, I adore my three roommates and choose to continue living with them. I could next time, though, sit down with my roommates some weeks in advance and explain what I intend to embark on, let them know what I need in terms of support, and give them time to prepare for that. My roommates love me as much as I love them; they would absolutely do what they could to support me! We would implement the tips I present in the GAPS Guide book, such as having non-GAPS eaters eat their junk food away from the house, have party guests bring only GAPS foods, etc. These are not issues. What did prove an issue was setting my intro start date impulsively and last minute (indeed, the very day of). Is this what I suggest in the Guide? Noooo00… (Ah, I do have to laugh every time I ignore my own best advice.)
While my personal goal was to do intro for a full month, and I didn’t this time achieve that, I’m very glad for my effort and for what I did achieve. Many people do make a concerted go at intro then stop short of the initial intention. With much sadness, I notice that many readers refer to this aspect of their journey as “failing”. I’m not a big fan of that term. Intro isn’t a test and there is no judge, thus we can’t “fail”. The fact is, every effort toward intro is helpful. Every attempt does the following:
- gives our body a break, whether for three hours, three days, or three weeks. The body appreciates that and happily uses the time to heal.
- we learn what our needs our. In this case, I became acutely aware of what I had previously only suspected: that for me to do something like intro, I need other people. Another person might learn they need extra childcare in place, time off work, or a bottle of magnesium available. Each person’s needs are different from anyone else’s, and taking even a run at intro lets us find out exactly what we personally need in place for it.
- in making enough to go around, those around us incidentally end up with an extra-nourishing diet then and since then. Synergistically, all our diets improve even after The Great Effort.
- every food introduction -for example, of the raw egg yolk or fermented fish that had previously scared us to bits- leaves us a little more relaxed, open and adventurous for the next time we reach that stage.
- we learn new recipes, new approaches. These are then more easily applied in a subsequent go, one which is very likely to complete. When I watch my seven year old learning new things -reading, writing, math- I notice that he doesn’t necessarily grasp a concept or application the first time. He gives multiple goes, approaching it with different angles, until it clicks. Even after it initially clicks, his capacity drops again on random days before the learning finally takes hold and kicks in permanently, at which point he can move on to new levels or subjects. I’m a person that learns by doing, then giving up, then trying again, then letting go, then trying again. When I first did the SCD intro I cried a lot, because for me the learning curve was so steep. (Later I wrote the GAPS Guide book, in order to ease the journey for those arriving after me.) I struggled, did my best, did it imperfectly, gave myself a break, and later tried again. No harm, no foul.
Whatever our intention going in, we can frame a halted intro as a ‘ practice run’. Notice and appreciate the gains, even the small ones. Recognize that these will assist, support and benefit a full go when we do manage that.
Have you at any point started intro, then stopped before the progression was completed? Have you judged yourself as having “failed”? Did your frustration or self-judgment discourage you from ever trying again? What would help you to complete intro at some point in the future? For me, key will be community. You?
Me too!!! Again your timing Baden, coincided with mine. (you started intro a few days before me. Then you ‘fizzled’ around the same time as I did). My partner asked me if I felt I had failed. I said mostly no. I’ve learned more about what I need.
Briefly:
Your number 2 and 3 in this post are much the same for me, plus a bit of number 4. Community of people doing much the same thing, with whom you are accountable. Not having access to foods that are off limits….I made yummy chocolate desserts for two beloved friends while I was trying to do intro…and I adore chocolate. Unexpected circumstances that I didn’t have a plan to deal with while on GAPs…my car got totaled so I had to suddenly adapt to biking and busing while at the same time we got loads of top soil for the garden that needed to be hauled by hand and WOW that is a lot to adjust to physically when I’m trying to rest and adjust to food changes…..
So yes this was a practice run. I fully plan to do Intro. One big question that came up when I was at the brink of eating off limits foods….how much of a slip will ruin the purpose of doing Intro? I can get thrown off by absolutes like doing it perfectly or any tiny slip and it’s all ruined and so I might as well go hog wild….and I do. It seems to me that doing Intro 98% to 100% is important especially the first time in order to get a clear base line of your safe, digestible foods from which to build. What do you think Baden?
Baden asked: “Did your frustration or self-judgment discourage you from ever trying again? What would help you to complete intro at some point in the future?” My reply: No I have only had a little self-judgement…or rather fear that others’ would judge me. Yes I plan to try again….not sure when but soon. I need some time to mull over what I need to complete intro in the future.
Thanks so much for this post!!!
Gel
Beautiful, Gel!!!! Thanks for sharing every single word!
All my best,
Baden
Baden: Thank you so much for this post. Just a month ago I went thru the Intro with my 9 yr old twins who have the symptoms of autism. We only did it for two weeks before going on a full GAPS diet and we did not do it perfectly as I chose to skip Step 4 and go into Step 5 because we were all getting so constipated, I know Dr. McBride suggests enemas, but after all I put my babies thru on the prior days I wasn’t about to add to the mix doing enemas, I was so weak coming off the first four days I think I would have been to weak to do them anyway. We also cheated a bit when we got the pancakes. Dr. McBride says only one that first day and then build up, but we were literally starving and getting very weak so we had more like three a piece. Even though our intro wasn’t perfect and what some would consider short, I was very proud of our accomplishment, especially when it came to my kids. They really stuck through it all and we have completed our first month on gaps or should I say they have completed their first month on gaps. I waffle in and out as I get visitors in our home.
One thing I would not recommend especially if you do the intro with a kid or kids is to not be the only adult in charge of the kid(s) while trying the intro yourself. I had no choice as I’m currently living out of state in an apt. with both kids to put them through therapy and my husband is back home, well working to support us. There were times I was so weak I was afraid of passing out, you see I’m no better than my son, the foods avail on those first days of intro were not appealing to me so I was simply holding out from eating anything like him. It was my daughter (the most effected one) who was smart enough to keep asking for food and to keep eating the food I gave her. Having another adult around would have been so helpful to just do dishes, laundry, let me take a nap, etc.
I don’t think I’m up for doing another intro anytime soon, especially with my kids, but I am glad I did at least what I was able to do. I commend you for redoing and I think six days for a repeat intro is great! Pat yourself on the back! It is not easy, I know.
Thanks again for creating this forum for all of us, it means so much to me to know there are others who are doing this diet and really living this lifestyle.
Renee
Renee, thank you so much for sharing every single one of these words with us.
Yes, we generally recommend exactly your idea: Have the parent do intro first, then take the kids through it later (and with additional adults available to provide practical support). Wise on so many counts!!
All my best,
Baden
Your attitude of acceptance and learning from everything is inspiring. Your strong voice for “no failure” supports and encourages. Thank you for the hard-earned wisdom you share so generously. Your reflections apply not only to what we eat, but everything about how we live. I’m going to print this post out and refer to it often.
Michele: Thank you so much for this feedback! I’m so glad it is helpful to you!
All my best,
Baden
“The Great Effort” I love it! I actually find that we do better on only a day or a couple days of intro so that’s what we incorporated into our diet. I always go back to a few meals or full day of stage 1 intro when we need to reset or get some extra gut healing from easily digestible and nutrient-dense foods. I’d love to hear about what foods you keep going back to that are non-GAPS when you ‘fall off the wagon’. I’ve been listening to my instinct while we experiment with non-GAPS foods and find we are doing very well with starches – and seem to need them based on cravings, satiation level, lack of symptoms, and energy levels – but dairy, nuts, legumes, and grains are still unfriendly foods. I’m constantly tweaking and readjusting foods as I learn more and our bodies need change, but we are in a much better place than we were a year ago!
Miss hearing from you!
Hi Jennifer,
So wonderful to hear from you!! I’ve got a lot on the go lately, which keeps me from checking out my favourite blogs (such as yours), participating in the email lists, etc. I often find myself thinking of and missing my long time ‘GAPS friends’
To answer your q, I still find this post to be true. I can now tolerate every single thing under the sun, no problem -it’s the frequency that becomes an issue. So, it’s not a given element that’s a problem (it seems), but rather the cockiness (laziness?) I go into the world with lol.
Like you, I found that after the initial healing, both my son and I did best with an increase in carbohydrates -and even quality, whole grains in moderation are now fine and nourishing for us.
So happy to hear you guys are in a much better place than you were a year ago! Awesome!!
Thanks so much for saying hello!
All my best,
Baden
Hi Baden,
We are have been on the intro diet for 2 weeks now. What I am wondering is…should I see undigested food in my sons stool? I see raw undigested fruits and veggies. This happened before we started GAPS, but I was wondering if he should avoid these foods again and introdue them a little later. I did have my son try and chew really well, but still no luck. Or is this something that will eventually take care of itself as we progress through the intro and into Full GAPS. I have tried posting on the yahoo board, but I get conflicting responses.
Thanks in advance. I really appreciate your blog and the Gaps Guide.
Julie
Hi Julie,
Generally we don’t reach raw veggies two weeks into intro. You might want to take things slower.
This noted, it is fine to see undigested food in the stools at this point in healing. Yes, this will likely resolve on its own as healing progresses. If after a few months it doesn’t, please check in again with the community (including here).
It’s normal -and I think good- to receive varying responses from within the community. Each person’s experience will differ in areas, and from the smorgasbord of responses, you will hit on the tip that proves true for a given person within your family. In the meantime, be comforted to know that over a relatively short time, you will get a sense of what works for your family and things will go more easily.
All my best,
Baden
Hi Baden,
Intro sounds tough. Is there a guide on how to do intro successfully? I bought your book and still don’t quite know how long to stay on each stage of intro and when to move to the next stage. .
I plan to start intro w/ my daughter end of July before the new school year starts and hope to be done with intro when school starts in Sept. is that too soon? How long before you can start the full gaps diet?
Can you suggest some gaps legal snacks during intro and full gaps that my daughter can eat or take to school?
Thanks.
Samantha
Hi Samantha,
Intro isn’t actually difficult. It’s actually the opposite -it’s very simple in that we just make one pot of soup each of the first several days, then that and a casserole, etc. Where people tend to stumble is in the following areas: eating too infrequently (offer yourself food upon waking, every hour or so, and right before bed), skipping bowel movements, skipping the die-off relief baths, exercising and working instead of resting, feeling impatient with the methodical progression.
Many people hope and look for a specific menu, timeline, etc, for intro. The catch is that intro is different for everyone: How long you will be on each stage, what foods you will tolerate, etc, will be totally individual. Basically, though, move food by food through intro -adding a new one every four days. If you clearly react to a given food, stop that food and continue with the others you’ve been fine with. Skip the problematic food but otherwise continue moving forward in the progression. At points you may feel satisfied and stay put for awhile. At other times your intuition will ask you to move to a subsequent food after just two days, for example. Most people move through intro -in this way- within about 6-8 weeks.
My seven year old has the following for school snacks: boiled egg; whole bell pepper; carrots; celery; pepperoni; cherry tomatoes; cheese slices; coconut flour biscuit (rare); slice of cottage cheese cake; etc. We could make baked goods, etc, but I don’t bother. His school does not allow nuts. We use very little fruit, but on occasion he’ll take an apple to school and, as of a couple of months ago, every Thursday he takes a banana there.
All my best,
Baden
Samantha, how old is your daughter? Just curious. I just did intro with my daughter and she is nine. My advice for doing intro is to make all the things that are allowed on the intro diet and combine them with your current diet so your daughter gets used to eating them. Go ahead and make the squash pancakes and make the broths, try and rotate allowed steamed veggies into her diet as well, make a sauteed onion and see how she likes it, get a juicer or vitamix and make the carrot the juice, see how she likes drinking lemon water or water with a apple cider vinegar in it (ONE TIP when drinking these items use a straw in order to protect the enamel on her teeth). This really helped me.
Also if your daughter does not have a chicken allergy I would start with the chicken broth first. I started by kiddos on the beef broth and they had too much die off from it and you might want to put the broths in the frig overnite before serving them and then skim off some of the fat. You eventually want them to eat all these lovely fats, but for my kids all the fat was too much for them to digest at first. So my first batch of broth I skimmed all the fat off, then the next batch I kept a 1/4 of the fat in, etc. If you did this now till July, she should be totally used to the digesting the heavy fat content of the broth and this will be wonderful for your intro phase because then she’ll won’t get as many cravings and will feel full. Also instead of spooning the broth into her, try letting the broth cool a bit and let her sip it with a straw, this helps control my son’s gag reflex. What is helpful as well is to instruct the child eating anything that elicits a gag reflex is to tell them to push the food on to their teeth and chew, (get the food off the tongue as quick as possible) and then swallow. This may sound like a (well duh) comment, put giving my son instructions on how to do this really helped him. He used to totally gag on fried onion and now he loves it and wants one or two a day.
Hope this helps….
Renee
Hi Baden,
My daughter almost 7 years old starting intro this weeks. We stop all supplements she has right before intro. She started to wake up for 1-2 hours in these couple of nights after beginning the intro. Her stool looks like type 2 round saugsage shape and lumpy picture shown in gapsdiet.com. Her mouth smell a bit “sour”. She tends to ask for more meats.
Hi Apple,
All of this is normal and fine at this stage.
For regular assurance, be sure to connect with the families on our email support lists, as presented at http://gapsguide.com/about/support/
All my best,
Baden
Hi Baden,
I can’t believe how much you generously give in your blog and guide. Thank you!
I’m wondering how one knows they should do intro again and if I need to do it again in order to fully heal…
It took about 2 mo. for me to complete intro. I took my time, but also had some trips which made things a bit more complicated. 1 mo. after starting intro I was away for a week without broth and kraut, but made up for that when we were back. I may have moved a bit quickly towards the end with fruit, etc. but seemed to be tolerating things pretty well.
Last weekend (off intro diet) I was in Chicago for a festive weekend and was content with just a bit of wine for happy hr. The night progressed, at some point a round of shots went around and needless to say, I had more to drink than i have in quite a while. I was ok the next morning, not so great on Monday , Tuesday. Stools are very loose. i am not as inflamed as I have been in the past, but inflamed and symptomatic nonetheless.
Did I undo all of my work on intro? I’ve been trying to get lots of broth in me this week and hope that’s enough…
Thanks for your insight,
Jane
Hi Jane,
No, you did not undo the gains you made on Intro
I experience major benefits in redoing intro, but I would only do so every six to twelve months -not shortly after finishing the first time. After an error, it may be worth doing Stage 1 for a few days, but then I would simply pick up where I’d last left off, with an emphasis on the healing foods rather than on baked goods, etc.
All my best,
Baden
Sweet! Good news. I think I’m starting to get a handle on things and what I tolerate and most impt., how to care for my body.
Intro is a great protocol. Good to keep in mind that there may be benefits to a repeat down the road! And even better that there is and continues to be healing taking place.
Cheers!
Jane
Hello all, My name is Kathryn i am just about to start the intro diet and wanted to become part of a community where others are in the same boat. I wanted to ask a specific question also about when to start taking supplemented probiotics?
Thank you
Hi Baden,
I am new to GAPS too (Day 11 – Stage 3 Intro). I’m also wondering when probiotics (bio kult) should be introduced. I’ve actually been taking them and fclo for a few days now. I took one capsule bio kult and didn’t notice any major die off, so the next day I took 2 and WOW- I was bloated, had a gurgly tummy, and yellow diarrhea whereas the day before I didn’t go at all. I used to get diahrea from clo when I used to take it (before Gaps). My stool would smell fishy. Since I was taking the bio kult and fclo at the same time, I wasn’t sure which was the culprit- I thought bk since my stool didnt smell fishy. The next day I took only 1/4 cap bio kult and still 1 tsp fclo and did not get diahrea. But, should I be taking both? Should i be taking the amounts im taking? I’m on the 30 day intro plan by Cara and she doesn’t mention when to start bk. I just dumped the bk cap out in a teeny bowl and Administered it 1/4 cap with my finger and left the rest out on the counter in the bowl for subsequent days- is that ok?
My tummy is always gurgly and I still have gas- is this to be expected right now? I’m doing baths every night rotating acv, bs, Epsom/dead sea salt. The seaweed powder is too messy. I skipped the bath once. I’m really nagging my husband (more than normal ). The first week I felt bad and was also menstruating- the end of first week I was so SAD. Second week I’m lighter and happier but yesterday-day 10- grumpy, irritable, naggy naggy, angry : ( My husband is not doing this with me and its all i feel like I have to talk about right now. Sigh.
Thank you for all your generous information. I feel isolated on this diet even though I’m reading lots of forums and on the yahoo group- that helps. I don’t work full time so my life revolves around this diet right now. I can rest, which is good- but maybe obsess too much? I tend toward OCD and a myriad of other symptoms.
This post was helpful. I just want to know I’m doing it “correctly”. I want to heal and move forward with my life. And be happy and just live a normal-ish existence. I want to get pregnant this year. I read that people have been on Stage 3 for 6 months or Stage 2 for 3 weeks, etc- I want to do it ‘right’ so that I can move on..
I am trying to heal anxiety, depression, social phobia, painful heavy periods, 7+ years cystic acne, minor OCD symptoms, bloating, gas, and to have a healthy pregnancy and baby. My father had epilepsy and was a very angry, depressed person with terrible gas his whole life, lactose intolerant. My brother commited suicide and had add/ADHD then schizophrenia, major drug/alcohol abuse, my other brother ADD, my niece autistic, my nephew anger problems and eczema.
Sorry this is so long.
Thank you for all your work.
Tamlin
Dear Tamlin,
Probiotics – The point at which you started taking them was great. I usually recommend starting them about Day 5 of one’s program, or whenever the initial wave of die-off (from diet alone) has passed. I recommend starting with a tiny amount (e.g., 1/10th to 1/4 capsule of Bio-Kult), sticking with each new dose for at least a week, and increasing by very small increments again. So, you did exactly right to reduce the amount after increasing too soon and too quickly and experiencing the adverse effects of that. When using a portion of a capsule, tip out an estimate of the amount needed, reclose the capsule, put the capsule in a jar, close the jar, and put the jar in the fridge.
FCLO – For those including this in their program, this can be started at any point, but I always recommend allowing a good four days between new introductions, so that you can assess your body’s response to each.
Yes, some people are on a given stage for quite some time. Most are not. For most people, one key to moving forward is to move slowly in the first place, as outlined in the GAPS Guide book. (The story of the turtle and the hare illustrate the process of GAPS quite well!) So, slow down on your new introductions, start supplements one at a time and at very tiny amounts, etc.
Betaine – I would skip this for now. Betaine is not needed by most people and can be started if, after some time on Intro, its specific assistance is indicated.
Eating – Intermittent fasting is actually helpful for some people. If you have cravings or symptoms of low blood sugar (e.g., irritability, which may be manifesting as nagging) or specifically aiming to build your body’s nourishment, it is important to eat regularly -especially fat or fat and protein. But if you are not hungry or craving, and you feel strong, it is not necessary to eat.
Excellent work on the baths!!! The effects of these cannot be overstated!
All my best,
Baden
Oh- and sometimes I take HCl Betaine and sometimes I don’t. I can’t tell if it helps or hinders. Pre-GAPS my naturopath had me on digestive enzymes (pancreatic enzymes) because blood work showed I wasn’t digesting protein. So I thought I would take the HCl since NCM suggests this is better than the pancreatic (How I read it, anyway).
Also sometimes I (often in the morning) go too long without eating. I know this isn’t good. If I’ve gone too long without eating, will this set me back? I don’t like doing it- it just somehow happens. I’m working on it.