LisaLulu Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 I'm 15 days into my second whole 30 and doing this one so I can do a more drawn out reintro for better answers (an entire week of dairy then a second whole 30 and an entire week of gluten). The problem is I don't know how I'm going to fit it all in. My birthday is September 17, I have a wedding to go to September 27, Thanksgiving (Canadian) is the weekend of October 11-13, then I have to travel for a book promotion (I'm being published!) November 13-16. Anyway I was thinking since I've been feeling the tiger blood since about day 5 anyway I might just do a whole 21, then my week of dairy, then celebrate my birthday, go to the wedding, celebrate thanksgiving, and then do another whole 21 and do a week of gluten before I have to travel. But I don't know if it's frowned upon to do anything less than 30 days (even if I did the whole 30 days the first time). The most important thing is to get the answers I need on those two foods. What do the experts think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted September 1, 2014 Moderators Share Posted September 1, 2014 You would not be doing a Whole30 if you don't continue 30 days. You might be fully healed after 21 days of following the plan, but you might not. There is a reason this is not the Whole21 program. If you start reintroductions before 30 days, you may not get the same quality of information that you would after 30 days. You might, but 30 days is well established as a good interval. I am not sure that consuming dairy or gluten for an entire week will tell you a lot more than consuming them at every meal for a day. I guess there are more than 3 forms of each that interest you, but you should get a basic answer about how they affect you after a day of consumption. However, some people find that they can tolerate hard cheese, but not milk, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaLulu Posted September 1, 2014 Author Share Posted September 1, 2014 The reason I wanted to do an entire week of each is because doing a single day gave me inconclusive answers the first time. The day after I did dairy I had horrible body aches, but it was also right before my period as well when I sometimes feel unwell. Then other times when I ate dairy off plan this summer I felt fine. I figured if I ate it every day for a week I would know for sure if it were really bothering me. As for gluten, I felt totally fine after eating it for one day. But later on in the summer I ate bread several days in a row and I felt kind of dizzy and twitchy and I wondered if it were a reaction. I knew if I did a whole 30 (or close to it) I would be able to test the foods in more detail in isolation again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoJo09 Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Why don't you incorporate your reintroductions into your birthday celebration? So eat completely compliant, but have an awesome cheese platter in lieu of cake or dessert? There's no rule saying that you have to eat certain things just because it's your birthday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaLulu Posted September 2, 2014 Author Share Posted September 2, 2014 Well the reason I'm hung up on my birthday is because my 5 year old is pretty big on birthday cake for every member of the family. I guess I could do paleo cupcakes so that I can start dairy reintro right away without worrying about any other foods interfering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsStick Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I'd say incorporate the birthday stuff into reintro. So either have that be dairy day and do a paleo cupcake with decadent real buttercream frosting or do a gluten free grains day with a white cake, chopped strawberries, and whipped coconut cream. That way you're still only testing ONE thing, not two or more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoJo09 Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I'm not sure how much you are taking to heart the psychological aspect of Whole 30/Whole 9, but now might be a good time to try to teach your child that birthdays don't have to mean cake, and that celebrations don't have to mean food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaLulu Posted September 2, 2014 Author Share Posted September 2, 2014 I am only testing 2 foods this time- dairy and gluten. The other ones gave me clear reactions last time (rice and beans fine, peanuts and soy no). I want to test each of those foods for a week each to see any cumulative reaction or rule out symptoms from my menstrual cycle or from the fall colds my young kids will no doubt bring home in the next month or two. Which means I need 30 days plus 7 days plus at least a week clean up (preferably another whole 30) and then another 7 days. Which does not fit into my schedule, but 21+7 does this month plus 21+7 again in mid october- mid november. It's just a math thing. As for my daughter, she has autism and she's extremely literal minded and easily upset. Therefore birthday means x, y and z relatives come over, everyone sings happy birthday and there is cake. Any other autism parents out there know what I'm talking about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howswelegant Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Not everyone does a whole30 to repair a relationship with food. In my experience, a whole30 actually kick started a year of obsessive eating habits, followed by food shaming, followed by therapy, and NOW, a YEAR later, I feel emotionally ready to tackle another whole30 for all the OTHER reasons - like gut healing, reintroduction, etc. Of course, it requires being super honest with yourself. It doesn't do any good to delude yourself into thinking you don't have a messed up relationship with food if you really do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaLulu Posted September 2, 2014 Author Share Posted September 2, 2014 Yes, this isn't a psychological thing. I've actually always been a fairly healthy eater, never been a dieter, always been active, ect. I just was eating the wrong 'healthy' foods and wondering why my stomach was continuing to hurt more over time. I am doing this second (and maybe 3rd) whole 30 to get clear reintro answers, not to beat down some dragon I never had a problem with. I feel like sometimes on here people project their own issues on to other situations, but it's not one size fits all. I want answers, and I also don't want to be that PITA of a person making a big deal at my friend's wedding, with my publisher/team during business travel, my family birthday party or Thanksgiving dinner this year and still have time to test the foods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaLulu Posted September 2, 2014 Author Share Posted September 2, 2014 Also I'm sorry it had such a terrible effect on you the first time I know people who won't even consider doing a whole 30 because they feel like it would set off a binge cycle. I know that for me, doing it as a reintro/elimination diet made it easier because I was looking for answers, not to lose weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted September 2, 2014 Moderators Share Posted September 2, 2014 I don't maintain a strict Whole30 every day, but I eat pretty close to the plan all the time, so I have had plenty of reintro experiences over the past 4 years. I find my reactions to be inconsistent. The first time I ate ice cream after 4 months of Whole30 eating, I had an awful response. The next time I tried ice cream was more than a year later. I have had ice cream 4-5 times over the past 3 years. I have not had even a little trouble. It was just that one time. After about 2 years of Whole30 eating, I went to a nice Italian restaurant and ate bread with olive oil. I developed gastrointestinal cramping that lasted about 3 days. I stayed away from bread about another year. Since then, I have eaten bread 6-8 times without any noticeable problems. I am pretty sure I do not have any meaningful food sensitivities, but based upon two experiences, I would have thought I should never eat dairy or gluten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaLulu Posted September 2, 2014 Author Share Posted September 2, 2014 Yes, it's been very confusing. I felt terrible the day after my dairy reintro, but felt totally fine after the 2 times I went out for ice cream this summer, and after having pizza a few times. I thought maybe eating some dairy every day after a whole 30 might give me a better answer. I have very obvious reactions when I eat eggs, soy, flax or peanuts every single time though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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