Originally Posted by Alamo girl
I am not familiar with the concept of phasing off for a vacation. Is there a benefit to doing this if you know that you are not going to be 100% OP?
Phasing out allows your body time to adjust to "new" foods it hasn't had in a long time. The larger volume of foods and dramatic increase in calories, fat, carbs, etc can really do a number on your gut!! Even eating "carefully" off program can cause stomach issues. When you phase off by moving through P2 and P3 a few weeks before your event, you allow your body time to adjust to the change in eating patterns with minimal or no issues.
There may be other reasons to phase out temporarily, but this would be the most immediate concern when going from P1 to "more" food.