Bloated, icky and mad!

[Madabout_riley]

I just finished my whole 30 yesterday, not perfectly ( I had a few bites of a cookie and a handful of potato chips midway through I know I know terrible!) I have been battling bloating during my entire whole 30! I

ate a lot of grains (whole) before my whole 30 but life without grains hasn't been much different on my gut! I look like I'm 4/5 months pregnant!

My bowels have never been regular. I can go weeks without a movement. Since being on the whole 30 I've gone only a handful of times! And a few of those times I almost had to force it out! I've tried yogi detox teas and NOTHING comes out! I thought eating all these veggies would go me good and finally regulate my bowels but nothing. In fact, It's possible I might be worse. The other weird thing is, according to the tape measure, I've supposedly lost an inch off my waist! I measure in the morning when my tummy is relatively flat but what good is loosing that inch when I look like a freaking whale for the rest of the day?!

Now unto what I've been eating, lots of spinach, kale, eggs, sweet potato and avocado, chicken, tuna, pork, turkey cutlets, ground beef, some fruits (cherries, apples, strawberries), onions, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, lots of carrots, asparagus, some Brussels sprouts, bell peppers and to tomatoes. My typical meals have roasted veggies (whatever I have on hand) and baked meat or fish. I don't know what else to do! I rotate my veggies and try new veggies each week. For example I never really had Brussels springs or asparagus, or cauliflower, before the whole 30. I didn't really eat sweet potato before either. I haven't yet checked my weight nor do I really want to but I hate the way my tummy looks! I've about taking enzymes but isn't that kind of hypocritical?! If I have to supplement (which is mentioned in the book as a no-no) then why did the whole 30? Am I alone on this one? I'd rather not supplement because I didn't believe in supplementing before so I'm not to start now.

I eat a lot of sweet potato which I've read is good for making you poo, but I have no such luck. Could I be eating too much of it? I only have 4 a week. I should also mention, today is day 31 but I have no desire to re-introduce much at all. Maybe honey and the occasional threat (ice cream or cookie). I'm sticking with it but is there anything I can add to help with elimination?! I prefer a natural tea or fruit or vegetable. I'm considering doing a 3-5 day juice cleanse to debunk because I really feel gross! Any suggestions please help!

[pjena]

Hi - I suggest looking at some of the other threads about enzymes here and in other threads.  Tom does a good job explaining why it may be a good idea to try them. 

 

Personally, I became less regular on the W30 until I started taking Now super enzymes AND HCL.  As soon as I started the HCL, I became very regular.  HCL helps digest meat.  I didn't eat a lot of meat pre W30, so it made sense to me that I would need it for a bit.  I hope to wean off of the enzymes at some point, but I'm also just fine taking them. 

 

Probiotics are good, too, but start slowly. 

 

Good luck!  It's worth trying to see if it helps.

[GFChris]

Have you tried fermented foods like sauerkraut or kimchi?  Those have helped many become more regular.

Are you drinking enough fluid?  Shoot for drinking water in the amount of at least half your body weight in ounces, daily.

Warning on the yogi teas: many contain stevia leaf, which is not Whole30 compliant. Double-check your labels.  


 

[Tom Denham]

I am sorry your bloating has remained stubborn. However, it is probably related to digestion and that can be resolved with time.

 

Digestive enzymes help your body break down protein and fat. The ingredients in Now Foods Super Enzymes are as natural as the ingredients in Yogi Easy Now tea. Do yourself a favor and try them for a month. Most people are able to quit using them after their body adjusts to your current diet.

 

Probiotics also help with digestion by populating your gut with helpful bacteria. I prefer to eat sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha for probiotics, but you can find them in pill form. Two good articles to look at include:

 

http://whole9life.com/2012/04/probiotics-101/

http://whole9life.com/2012/09/digestive-enzymes-101/

 

Drinking a lot of water every day is often very helpful to get your bowel movement to a regular place. GFChris is right, at least half your body weight in ounces every day. That means you would drink 64 ounces of water every day if you weight 128 pounds. And drinking 128 ounces per day would be okay.

 

Finally, I've seen some research that warns adding fiber when you are constipated can create a traffic jam and slow movements. So you might want to take it easy on the spinach and greens for a bit. Spinach and greens are my favorites and I hate to say back off with them, but only temporarily.

[Karen]

I second digestive enzymes.  That's the only way I'm able to stay regular.  I have a ton of digestive issues that can't possibly be resolved in a mere 30 days, so I lean on the enzymes for now until things are more normal on the inside.  

 

I'm on Digest Gold by Enzymedica and a HCL (plus a few other digestive aids) from my integrative doc.  The bloat I've had for the majority of the past 4.5 years is gone most days as a result and as a result, the muffin top is no longer!  Give it a shot, you may be surprised.  

[Tallulah Wolf-Angel]

I've been having problems with constipation too since starting W30. A lot of people on these forums swear by Natural Calm magnesium supplement (plus, the reviews of the product on Amazon are very encouraging). So I started Natural Calm 6 days ago with a low dose, as suggested on the can. Finally am seeing some results after increasing the dose a couple of times. At least going every 3 days is better than it was, and I'm hoping it will get even better as I find the right dose. It's a powder you take in hot water morning and evening.

 

Good luck!

[yuubou]

These are all great suggestions, but the first step you should do is GO SEE A DOCTOR if you haven't already.

 

Seriously, this could be life threatening, and you want to rule that out.

[Madabout_riley]

Thanks for all your responses. I actually gave in and bought a bottle of hcl this afternoon but after taking 6 pills, I still didn't feel the warmth or any disturbance in my stomach so I stopped there. I then took a probiotic I had in my fridge from my last yeast infection. I originally aimed to get the Now foods super enzymes but the closest health food store only had now foods betaine hcl. I juiced today also for the first two meals then had a regular whole30 dinner and I did poop! I passed two big stools (sorry tmi) but they FLOATED so I know I'm still having issues. I don't really know if it was the hcl or probiotic but tomorrow I plan to try then seperately and see which one gets me somewhere. I'll order a bottle of super enzymes next week and until then, I really hope the probiotics and hcl helps a little. I guess I can give magnesium a try until then. I really hate the idea of have to supplement let alone multiple supplementation so I'm really hoping just one product does the trick if not, I'll meditate and practice patience haha

Oh and regards to water, I drink 60-80oz a day. And unfortunately I'm one of the millions of Americans who cannot afford health care so seeing a doc isn't in the cards for me right now. I'm just really hoping that it is time that's needed and nothing more. It's no longer whole30 for me, it's wholeLIFE. I just hope it doesn't take years for my gut to heal from my 25 plus yrs of damage.

[Revived]

does it matter what kind of HCL? I never heard of it before I just read this thread and there seems to be several different ones; with pepsin, glucosamine, betaine... no idea what any of it means.

[Vian]

I reccomend Magnesium glycinate over natural calm. Natural calm has a gross artifical sweetner after taste (if you get the flavored ones with stevia in them) and i don't like having to drink it. It also is not as absorbable. I get diarrhea after taking two rounded teaspoons in water (about 375mg), but the magnesium glycinate I'm up to 600mg per day with no diarrhea or even loose stools (I am pretty regular though), it's also gotten rid of my anxiety, muscle twitches, and heart palpitations.

[Revived]

really??  its helped with anxiety?  hmm....

[Madabout_riley]

Revive- I thought magnesium was more of a muscle relaxer?! Makes sense that it'd help with anxiety but constipation? I guess it'd be worth a try it's just these damn supplements are so freaking expensive! I found digestive enzymes at the vitamin shoppe by digest gold and although its helped with my bloating, ALOT (in conjunction with the hcl) I'm still not regular. I feel a lot better but I'd still like to be regular. I will give the magnesium a try.

Vian- natural calm makes a flavorless one. I saw it at the vitamin shoppe but just couldn't afford to get it all. I'll try the magnesium solely and really hope that works alone because I hate taking all these pills! I'd rather wait for my body to get used to the food. I have to take 4 hcl pills and 2 DE every meal! I find that unreal and it's getting unbearable! My stools are starting to sink though so I know it's working but at such an inconvenience.

I never take pills or supplements u didn't even take prenatal vitamins so I'm definitely gonna stop with these enzymes and hcl maybe after these bottles are done. It's way to much to take. I'm just gonna stop dressing about it and leave things be. Hopefully I get regular someday. Nothing ever made me regular so maybe that's just me :/

[JJB]

Magnesium is a great supplement. It can help you relax a bit at bedtime, help keep you regular, and I've read it also makes your body absorb calcium better. Check out Vitacost's website. Their version is called Natural Tranquility. It's $15 for 16 ounces, and they're doing a special right now where you get the 2nd for half off. Free shipping since it's their brand too. The ingredients/stats are identical to Natural Calm. I plan to take this stuff forever.

[Madabout_riley]

Thanks for the suggestion JJB!! But what's the difference between magnesium citrate and magnesium glycinate???

[Guest]

My doctor has me taking a ton of magnesium citrate.  Really, I'd read the articles posted above about enzymes and probiotics and then talk to a doctor. 

 

The magnesium is something I'm not getting a lot of in my food.  I get it in pill form now, which I like better than the Natural Calm.  It seems more gentle on my system and I can get larger doses more easily.  The pills I found are also cheaper.

 

In a pinch, a dose of Natural Calm before meal one often helps.

 

(Enzymes and prescription probiotics and kombucha did not seem to help me.  We're all different.)

[yuubou]

By the way, floating just means that it is higher fat content, which is normal for this diet.  Sinking means you are on a low fat diet.

[Madabout_riley]

I've been taking 1-2 teaspoons of natural calm before bed the past few nights and I don't feel very different.

I'm surprised I haven't seen the suggestion to for FODMAPS! They pretty much dominate my diet so I've decided to e lunate them for the next month and see how it goes. I spent $22 on the natural calm so I'm gonna continue to take that as well. I have a lot of broccoli and asparagus and I just can't throw them out so I'm eati them up this week and start next week FODMAP- free. I really hope that helps cuz I hate taking those darn enzymes. A boca does and onions and garlic are such a staple for me and I've recently fallen in love with asparagus. Wish is read up on FODMAPS before I began cuz life without avocado is going to depressing haha. Here goes...

[Bet]

I would only eliminate FODMAPS if they cause you digestive upset, they usually case diarrhea in most people (along with bloating and a lot of gas). In fact, when I did finally discover that I needed to eliminate FODMAPS, I became very constipated (and I was almost happy about that ). At that point I did start taking Magnesium Glycinate (I read on Chris Kresser's site that it works better than some other types of Magnesium on constipation without causing cramping or diarrhea) . He also recommended a probiotic with Bifidobacteria in it. That is a bacteria that feeds the good bacteria in the colon and helps move things along. If you are constipated badly, it means that the waste is not being processed by your gut bacteria so it just sits there. So replenishing your gut flora is mandatory. If you can tolerate fermented foods that would be fantastic.

 

If you've been this way for awhile, it's going to take time to get the gut in shape. You can cut out some foods that you think make you bloated, but I would stick with the Magnesium and probiotics and fermented foods if you can.

 

Also, floating stools or steatorrhea, means you are not digesting your fats properly and they are passing through. That also could be part of the problem. You need the fat to absorb vitamins and energy. Again, the digestive enzymes and HCL can help with that. I understand that taking all these pills is a pain and can be expensive. But you have to heal your gut for it to work properly. These are not considered supplements as far as W30, but necessary as food for most of us who have gut issues.

[Madabout_riley]

Thanks you all! The bloating has eased. My tummy is not as flat as is like and I'm still not going everyday, more like ever other day which is a major improvement! Even if I went once a week that'd be a major improvement haha.

Now unto what I'm doing. I've been eating sauerkraut for the last week. When I first stated eating it, I was eating about 1/4 cup with each meal but found that to be too much! Now I eat about an ounce with each meal. I'm also going to stay on the natural calm because I think it's all helping. As soon as I eat the sauerkraut, I can feel my stomach doing something lol. I'm also drinking organic kukicha twig tea when I wake and taking a teaspoon of ACV diluted with water twice a day.

I've also been slacking on yoga so I'm making time to get back to it. Yoga's pretty much my only form of excercise. I'm still eating mostly Whole30 compliant except for the inclusion of occasional honey, bacon (nitrate and nitrite free but not sugar-free) and I had a pumpkin flax granola bar by kashi. I just wante to see what would happen- which was nothing but I have no desire to eat it again.

Funny thing, I wanted to try some white rice the other day, which I grew up on, and for whatever reason I could not bring myself to swallow it!! It was no more than 4 grains but after I chewed a little I had to spit it out because I couldn't stomach it! Is this normal?!

[melbournegirl]

I used to love rice too and same thing happened to me... After family had rice I was washing the cooking container and thought to "taste" the last few grains but ended up spitting them out, no longer seemed like food.

[Renee Lee]

Hey Riley, just checking in. How's it going?

 

Sounds like the Natural Calm has been helping? The HCl was a good option in place of the Super Enzymes. It's really just meant to prop up your digestion while your body upregulates its production of all the stuff you need.

 

Don't worry if they're floating or not...what the bristol stool scale says is more important: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_stool_scale

[Madabout_riley]

Juzbo- yea it's totally psychological!

I have another problem! I cannot stop eating!!! I always want to eat. My 3 meals are always large but even still, after about an hour I want to eat. I've been eating mini meals everyday lately ( usually roasted sweet plantain and a boiled egg or two).

[Madabout_riley]

So I probably should've mentioned that I'm breastfeeding a 34 month old. Just read the whole30 for pregnant and breastfeeding moms forum and cleared things up. Thanks everyone for your input!