Didn't follow a reintroduction plan; how much did I set myself back?

[leigh]

Hey all,

 

So I completed my first Whole 30 about 3 weeks ago with some great success.  I lost 11 lbs, 5 inches, had more energy, and felt skinny and healthy.  It was great and as I neared the end of the program, I had thought that maybe i would just take a weekend off and have a few treats, and then head back into another whole 30.  And so, I didn't follow any kind of reintroduction plan.  I had alcohol, pizza, chips, all sorts of junk.  It made me feel awful and I woke up after the first cheat day with this really weird aching in my hips - well more like where my hip flexors are.  I've never experienced that before so figured it must be inflammation from something.  I figured Ok - this junk food isn't worth it.  It kind of felt like a successful weekend because it took some of the 'shine' and allure of junk food away.  I was excited to just keep eating Whole 30 compliant. 

 

Here's the thing; I didn't start my second whole 30 right away.  Instead, I spent two weeks eating like crap, feeling gross, and subsequently gaining 4 lbs back.  Then I tried to get  back on the band wagon and found that I can't stick to the program.  Seems like its just me not making enough of a commitment.

 

For me, its not the food restrictions that are so hard but the amount of time it takes to prep and cook everything.  I have a really busy schedule and so I'll do great for a few days and then run into a crazy day and out of tiredness (or laziness) just opt for something easy.  

 

Anyways, I want to figure out what foods are bad for me and what I'm reacting to.  I'm thinking, after observing some patterns, that cheese is causing me to have (sorry if TMI) a weird mucus build up (anyone else experience this?) and I think wheat is causing the joint pain.  I figured I'd go back to Whole 30 for a bit and then reintroduce but I'm wondering if I have to do another full 30 days to have a clean slate? Or can I just do it until I see my symptoms are gone and then try?

 

[Tom Denham]

You might learn important things without doing a full Whole30 before doing a systematic reintroduction, but the less perfect, clean time you have under your belt, the easier it will be to not recognize the changes when you reintroduce. Some of the changes are subtle and if you are not well into feeling good, you might assume you did not respond to something when you really did respond.