I read the first "foods to avoid" list and my heart sank. It looked like there was nothing left I could eat. Tomatoes, cheese, wine, chocolate, canned food, cured meats — things that made up half of my life. My first thought was: so what do I eat now?
A few hard weeks followed. Frustration that nothing was simple. Despair on the days I slipped up and paid for it. The feeling that I'd lost my spontaneity — that every meal had turned into a calculation.
What pulled me out of it wasn't a list, but a shift in perspective. I stopped seeing HIT as a punishment and started seeing it as information about my own body. Not "I can't have anything anymore", but "now I know what helps me".
Step by step, I rebuilt my days. I discovered what I can eat, not just what I can't. I found safe dishes that I love. I learned that one mistake isn't a catastrophe — it's just a full bucket for a day.
If you've just found out and you're in the middle of the panic: that's normal. You'll go through all the stages — be patient with yourself. You don't have to solve everything today. Start with one safe meal and build from there.
Where I'd begin, if I were starting over
I wouldn't clear out the whole pantry in a single day. I'd start with one safe meal I can repeat — breakfast, usually — and build from there. I'd gradually drop the things that clearly make me feel bad, not everything all at once, and I'd write down my reactions so I'd have real data, not just impressions. One small, steady step beats any one-day "revolution".