abiddison Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I'm on Day 29 today and loving the Whole 30 (all except for the breaking out - but I am fairly certain it is hormones adjusting which is a great thing). I would really like to continue a Whole 30 diet going forward but am concerned about the upcoming holidays. My plan is to stick with it, but allow myself to enjoy the holidays in moderation without feeling guilty about it. The problem is I won't have control over the food preparation for holiday meals as everyone usually contributes something. Here's my quandary - is it OK to stay Whole 30 and just enjoy holiday meals? I know I won't get good reintroduction information from that, but am I setting myself up to be completely miserable that way? Or should I start reintroduction before the holidays to be better prepared? Just not sure and as this is my first Whole30 don't have any experience to look back on. Thanks for your help and insight. Amy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Conduct a proper reintroduction phase. It's the only way. The Whole 30 is only 30 compliant days. You only need one compliant Whole 30 in your entire lifetime to gain the information that you'll need going forward. Some choose by an act of their will to continue eating in a Whole 30 fashion until they reach their desired goals. Overall health and well being. Optimum setpoints. A renewed sense of a life that is so worth living. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Riding Your Bike. After your reintro results, you can take what you need from Whole 30 and incorporate it into your own plan. You can live it UP on holidays and weekends without guilt. You can go on vacations and cruises and roadtrips and enjoy yourself. After 17 months of continuing on with Whole 30 to reach my optimum setpoint, food rewards don't mean that much to me. I have a dog that lives for food rewards but I am not a dog. So I've traded UP with regular exercise, music and dancing for fun rewards. A Whole 30 can change your relationship with food if you find the greater reasons for tranquility. Body. Mind. Spirit. My HAPPY AWARENESS means more to me than food rewards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 The trap of food rewards. Food rewards are often associated with guilt. Remove food guilt from your thinking. That will take months and months of practice, removing certain phrases and words. I was naughty today. I cheated. I was a very bad girl. Things like that are carryovers from our childhoods. Riding Your Bike is a lifelong practice. It takes longer than 30 days to tool along with confidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Lastly, a lifetime of guilt associated with food rewards leads to a compulsion to overreact with another "diet" and massive amounts of cardio and food restriction. This is truly an endless black hole that leads to more food rewards and lingering long looking at shelves of foods that are the trickery triggers. This is a disaster. If this has been a lifelong pattern, it's going to take everything within somone's being to get help and pull that plane out of a downward spiral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlaccini Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I would probably recommend a full re-intro prior to the holidays. That way you know what you are willing handle side effects for and what you won't. My personal context - dairy is not worth it for me on so many levels. But I have 2 exceptions for the holidays: 1 - my mother-in-law's homemade (even noodles are from scratch) lasagna, and a special dessert that only comes out once a year for Christmas. Both I consider worth the side effects that I get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenHZ Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Hi, I'm not a very experienced member but I have been considering this. And unless your holidays start way before U.S. Thanksgiving you have plenty of time for a controlled reintro. Remember just because you find a food group doesn't cause you immediate issues does not mean you will have to eat it frequently as part of your normal diet. But knowing when a food group gives you immediate bad consequences is important. You don't want to spend any holiday time in extreme discomfort if you can avoid it. If your holdiays do start earlier I'd try a controlled reintro of whatever groups you think you will be least likely to be able to avoid. Then plan another whole 30 for after the holidays to do a better reintro trial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abiddison Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 Remember just because you find a food group doesn't cause you immediate issues does not mean you will have to eat it frequently as part of your normal diet. Thanks for reminding me of that JenHZ. I'm not at my ultimate goals yet which is why I want to continue, but this is exactly right and I just need to keep reminding myself of that. Thanks everyone for the input. I will start reintro tomorrow! Schedule Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linven Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 This is a great topic, with some good advice. I finished my first whole 30 last Friday. My plan is to continue on, reintroduce a few things (real butter was the first), but for the most part, stay as compliant as I can. I also plan a couple of days to go non-compliant. But no 2 days in a row! And, no long "holiday binge" that I might have had before. I still have weight to lose. In fact, I didn't lose much during my 30 days. Not sure as I didn't weigh before or after! I see some positive changes. But I will press on to find more, and to find that sweet spot that will lead to weight loss. I may start a new strictly compliant whole 30 at the first of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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