Day 11- feeling good but problematic BM's

[pineappleprincess]

Hi... I'm on day 11 and have remained very faithful to this program. I feel pretty good. My seasonal allergies have improved and I have more energy and feel generally better. Doesn't seem like I've lost weight although I know that's not supposed to be the focus, but I wish I would loose weight as well. Best of all my cravings are much more manageable. They were out of control before. I'm doing this to feel healthier and have less fatigue. I also want to detox from processed food which were becoming more habitual than they should be. I miss the convenience of all the eliminated food more than I miss the food itself. I don't have a lot of extra time to prep food. I am a new Mom and work full time. I also often gag at food that's been prepared in advance and sitting around. I like freshly prepared foods. 

 

I'm not use to eating so much meat and fat. I've had a range of BM's that are unusual. This is not something I have ever had much of an issue with in my life in general. I have always consumed a lot of fruit and it's always had a positive outcome. On this diet, in the beginning, I was not eating as much fruit, more eggs and veggies and fat. I was constipated, but then would have diarrhea the same day. Then I started eating more fruit because I'm use to it. The situation has improved, but my stool is still really soft, but then sometimes a little hard. I noticed in this forum that people with BM issues seem to steered away from fruit and I'm worried that would be a problem for me. I eat 2-4 cups/day and I believe it keeps me well. It's convenient to eat and I love it. It has been a consistently healthy part of my diet my whole life. If eating less fruit is the suggestion, I'm curious about why and also about what should I eat instead. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. I'm getting really sick of meat and fish and eggs. Yesterday, I actually had to spit out mouthfuls of fish (that I normally love) and got very upset that I couldn't seem to find anything to eat that was palatable for me besides fruit and vegetables. I make fresh new recipes from the books but, (no offense to the recipe creators) I find many of them sour and revolting. The last couple of days, I've lost my desire to eat much at all. Today I had juiced veggies and a banana for breakfast and for lunch managed some roast chicken and more fruit. But I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to eat when I literally cannot swallow more than a half lb of meat/day. I'm so tired of this food (as people are on this day). I sort of don't want to bother eating at all. It's becoming a chore. 

 

Typical day diet Breakfast: 2 boiled eggs/ grapefruit or banana

Lunch: Chicken, tuna or shrimp salad with veggies and fruit

Snack: apple w/ sunflower seed butter or cashews or banana or carrots with guacamole

Dinner: Chicken or shrimp with green veggie and cauliflour rice or beef sauce with spagetti squash or a veggie dish- zucchini pasta w/avocado, steam veg, 

 

My questions:

Is the stool madness something to be concerned about? 

Why are there BM issues for people on this diet generally?

When will I start liking food again and is it OK to skip meals when feeling so down about this food?

 

Any thoughts are appreciated. And I don't mean to whine, I actually feel pretty good. I just want to understand better why I'm having bm problems and if I just need to be patient. Is my body going to work this out? Is it healthy or normal during this adjustment?

 

Thanks in advance for any comments.

[tammi2shoes]

 

My questions:

Is the stool madness something to be concerned about? 

Why are there BM issues for people on this diet generally?

When will I start liking food again and is it OK to skip meals when feeling so down about this food?

 

Any thoughts are appreciated. And I don't mean to whine, I actually feel pretty good. I just want to understand better why I'm having bm problems and if I just need to be patient. Is my body going to work this out? Is it healthy or normal during this adjustment?

 

Thanks in advance for any comments.

 

At the beginning, I was having major concerns about my regularity and, well, frankly...my poops. I found another forum post, and an experienced W30-er suggested flax seed in water. I've actually started adding flax seed to my morning bananas, slivered almonds, and cinnamon in homemade almond milk. I've also gotten back into the gym. I was always regular, like a Swiss train. I was actually downright proud of my GI tract, because I felt like I was having super healthy poops on the regular, so I was quite dismayed my first two weeks of W30 when I wasn't going so regularly and was experiencing bouts of constipation, followed by diarrhea. 

 

Alls I can say is, give it time. It wasn't until last week that I feel like my bowel movements were creeping back to normal and it's only been this week that I feel my digestive/GI systems have stabilized. I was experiencing AWFUL gas that was painful and LOUD. 

 

Try to give it another week. Like I said, flax has worked for me as well. I've also started eating more fibrous veggies. I'm NOT a fan of celery, but I found a really yummy way to incorporate it into my meals these days.

 

As was suggested to me when I posted to another chain about my concerns, it seems like my system had to reset. It's also taken some time getting used to my new eating habits. I think that our bodies get accustomed to having to break down crappy food. The human body is amazing and adaptation is key. We've adapted to horrible diets.

 

As for the last question, all I can offer as advice is that it helps to find something that excites you about food, and meal prep can be fun. I know it sounds stupid, but in 2014 I began to shift my eating habits and I lost 75 lbs, but it was all because I started to look up easy, fresh, fun things to cook. I've become a VERY experimental cook. I also found certain things that became staples -- simple and easy for me to make from memory, where I could be missing one or two ingredients and still be able to make it work. I was still consuming sugar and buying foods with additives, etc, so trying Whole30 has been yet another shift (that I'm hoping will become a lifelong habit/second nature), but I was able to become one with my kitchen and make really cool things that got me excited about my new healthy lifestyle. That year, I was promoted to a very tough position in NYC healthcare and also started a grad school program (full time), so I was pulling 75 hour weeks, but still did meal prep. Sometimes I look back and wonder how the heck I made it, but it's better to just take the win and move forward. Lol!  

 

That's my two cents.

[pineappleprincess]

THANK-YOU tammi2shoes!!! You're encouraging words and story have brightened my day. I will try the flax. Great Idea!

 

I've been not eating much the last couple of days, perhaps I needed to do that. I feel better. I'm going to have time to cook something yummy tonight. When I'm on the go, I get annoyed because I just want something convenient. Healthy food (besides fruit) is not always available.

 

Which posts have you read that were useful? I couldn't find the right ones. Any pointers are appreciated!

[PhysicsHippie]

I have been having a similar issue the past week or so (I'm on day 21)... I'll try the flax.  I read somewhere that Liquid Aloe (no additives/preservatives of course) can help.  I tried it for the first time last night before dinner and we'll see if that helps.  Do note... it tastes pretty gross.  I added half a squeezed lemon to cut the weird, I guess, "organic" taste?  

I have some flax left over from pre-Whole30 (been trying not to eat it since it is to be treated like a nut), so I'll try that today after work for my post-workout or something. 

 

I am with you tammi2shoes, I was pretty proud of my regular BMs pre-Whole30 lol (it probably had a lot to do with my homemade oatmeal every morning). Just changing our eating routine, which can take some time!

 

Good luck ladies!

[PhysicsHippie]

Yup, aloe worked lol

[tammi2shoes]

Lol, PhysicsHippie. (I used to live in Fitchburg!! I miss the Madison area...Wisconsinites are such nice people. W30 must be hard in the land of cheese!)

 

pineappleprincess - I found the forums in the Ladies' section to be most helpful. That's where I found the post about poops. There are a lot of candid discussions taking place in that category.