Unexpected business trip during reintroduction. Can I still learn anything?

[Matthew81]

My first Whole30 will end on August 3rd.

I just got a very important business trip scheduled for August 6th, 7th, and 8th. I will be a guest in at least a couple of homes and probably a restaurant visit or two. I've waited too long for this to risk changing the schedule, and the setting will not be such that I can reasonably make special requests.

One of my main goals in trying Whole30 was to do a very careful reintroduction to see which food groups, if any, contribute to some of the physical problems I've been having. In fact, the reintroduction phase was actually what it was all about for me.

With this in mind, I have a few questions to try to determine my best path forward:

• Would it be better to make my Whole30 a "Whole23" instead, in order to have time for a proper reintroduction before the trip? My diet was quite good before I started (I still haven't had any cravings), so I'm wondering if a little over three weeks might be an adequate break from the non-compliant food categories.
• Or, should I go ahead and do Whole30 all the way until August 6th, be as careful as I can on the trip, then go back to Whole30 for a certain period of time again (if so, how long?) before beginning the reintroduction?
• Or should I just be happy with the results I've had so far, throw out any expectations of learning anything useful from the reintroduction this time, and do the whole thing again later in the fall? (Would rather not.)

This is a major downer for me, because the reintroduction was really where all my goals were centered. But the trip presents too good of an opportunity to pass up, and realistically, there's no way I'll be able to do the reintroduction properly, or maintain Whole30 eating, during those three days. So I'll have to compromise in some way, and am just wondering what the best option would be.

Thanks for any ideas!

[kayten]

Hi! I'm about to run into a similar situation with my reintroduction (finishing my Whole30 on October 2, and Thanksgiving weekend is October 5-8)... Was wondering what you ended up doing? Do you have any recommendations?

[Matthew81]

On 9/25/2018 at 3:20 PM, kayten said:

Hi! I'm about to run into a similar situation with my reintroduction (finishing my Whole30 on October 2, and Thanksgiving weekend is October 5-8)... Was wondering what you ended up doing? Do you have any recommendations?

My reintroduction turned out to be a disaster, frankly. However, I still learned some things about myself. And I plan to do the entire program again in the near future.

So, my reintroduction began two days before I had to leave on the business trip, and as recommended, I started with legumes. Perhaps I had too many, but I got a nearly instant allergy attack, exactly like what I always thought was lifelong pollen allergies but which hadn't bothered me since about Day 4 of the Whole30. That lasted for the whole first day of my trip.

On the trip, I tried to be careful but ended up reintroducing every single non-compliant food group at different times during those couple of days. I didn't feel too bad but definitely noticed some sluggishness, etc.

I followed up by doing a "Whole30 Week," which turned out to be a "more or less Whole30 week." I made a half-hearted effort at a more careful reintroduction, but "life was happening" and I'd lost my momentum.

Notwithstanding, I have learned some things about my health and my body. First is that my "pollen allergies" are likely way more food-related than I ever thought. Second, they are actually the main difference between "normal me" and "Whole30 me." Third, they make way more of a difference in my life than I thought. Fourth, I've been able to identify my main triggers (beans, dairy, and inordinate amounts of sugar) and have noticed a decrease in my allergy symptoms and an increase in my general wellness.

Since you asked for recommendations, my first thought is to check your dates. If you're finishing on October 2nd, that should give you well over a month before Thanksgiving (November 22nd), which is plenty of time for a proper reintroduction.

My second thought is to delay your Thanksgiving celebration by a week if you can.

However, if the dates are correct and set in stone, then here's what I'd recommend based on my experience.

1. Be much more careful than I was about straying too far during the weekend.
2. Go into Thanksgiving with a real plan, so you don't lose your momentum like I did. Commit wholeheartedly to a REAL "Whole30 Week" afterward, just as strict as the regular routine, then do a proper reintroduction after that.
3. During the party weekend, pay close attention to how you feel after eating non-compliant foods. I've found that I'm often able to tell within minutes if something is going to trigger my allergies (something I never could do before).
4. Be prepared to notice ANY negative side effect. I never realized my allergies were about what I was eating instead of what I was breathing. You may not have those issues but you might have others that would be equally unexpected for you.

I hope it goes well for you. I'm really glad I did Whole30 and am planning on another round soon.