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Day 31-stomach & energy concerns. Help-what next?


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I am so proud that I completed the Whole30! Some NSV: improved blood sugar, no headaches during PMS, consuming way more veggies, & wake up a bit easier some days. Things that didn't improve: skin issues (rosacea & chicken skin on arms & upper legs) and no tiger blood.

I had tiger blood for a bit but then my period totally derailed my energy levels and I was never able to recover. I tried increasing carbs and while it was better I never returned to tiger blood status. Pre Whole30 my energy level was about a 2 on a scale of 10. Now it is about a 5. I want more! I have 5 kids ages 2 to 10 and the 2 yr old had been a terrible sleeper since birth. I haven't slept through the night since she was born. I usually go to bed around 10, she wakes up once or twice which keeps me up for about 30 min or so, then she wakes up between 6 or 7. Pre-whole30 I had to drag myself out of bed & drink a cup of coffee before I could even function. Now I don't have to do that. I fix breakfast then have coffee. I am still pretty slow in the morning though.

The other major issue I would like to resolve is the diarrhea I have had since starting whole30. I had my gallbladder removed 5 yrs ago & never had any digestive issues after (well I was constipated occasionally). I have never been afraid of full fat. Butter was my fave fat & I occasionally used palm shortening & coconut oil. EVOO was my salad dressing. On Whole30 I have eaten way more avocado, coconut milk, clarified butter, coconut oil, & avocado oil. I find myself having to run to the bathroom after almost every meal-with breakfast being the worst. I am not eating much fruit or nuts.

I had to take antibiotics about 3 months ago for a bad ear infection that natural remedies wouldn't resolve. Pre Whole30 I ate yogurt almost every day for the probiotics. I haven't been taking any supplements other than Vit D (I have low vit d levels).

PreWhole30 I ate about 60% whole, real food (whole grains prepared at home, from scratch meals, etc but definitely not paleo) and 49% junk (chips, cookies, ice cream, fast food).

Any suggestions for how to increase energy and decrease stomach issues?

I want to continue eating Whole30ish bc my blood sugar issues have been completely resolved! I love the freedom I have found from snacking & the shakes!

I will post my recent meals shortly.

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Day 27

Meal 1: leftover chicken fajitas (chicken breast, onions, peppers with homemade seasoning), Wholly Guacamole, coffee with about 1/3 cup coconut milk

Meal 2: 2 Aidell's chicken & apple sausages, medium potato, fajita peppers (about 1.5 cups), Wholly Guac

Meal 3: 2 boneless thighs cooked in coconut oil, veggies sautéed in bacon grease (zucchini, squash, onion, tomato, bacon), spring mix salad blend with 1 tbsp almonds, 1 strawberry, balsamic vinegar, & EVOO

Day 29 (I forgot to log day 28)

Meal 1: 2 eggs scrambled, 1 chicken sausage, 3/4 frozen potato blend (potato, peppers, onions), Roma tomato, 1/2 avocado, coffee with coconut milk

Meal 2: cauliflower fried rice with chicken sausage-coconut oil, cauliflower, onion, zucchini, carrot, 2 scrambled eggs, seasoned with coconut aminos, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, fish sauce (all compliant ingredients) I probably ate 3 cups not counting the sausages.

Meal 3: grilled chicken breast, about 1 cup of roasted potatoes, large loaded salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, onions, carrots) with paleo ranch.

Day 30

Meal 1: same as day 29 except no tomatoes

Meal 2: 1/3 lb hamburger, rao's sauce (about 1/4 cup), 1.5 cups spaghetti squash, 1 cup green beans, spring mix salad with strawberry, tbsp almonds, EVOO, & balsamic vinegar

Meal 3: chicken breast, 1/2 sweet potato slices into rounds & fries in coconut oil, loaded salad from day 29 with Tessamaes Ranch.

All of these meals left me full for hours & satisfied.

Almost all left me running for bathroom also. I know I could eat more veggies but with 5 kids it's really quite a feat to eat what I do.

I only drink water (well other than 1 cup of coffee a day). I don't track my water bc I keep a large Tervis tumbler with me at all times & fill it multiple times a day (probably 6 times). My urine is always clear.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

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I'm not as knowledgeable as the mods, here, but I have a couple of thoughts. What stands out to me is quite a bit of salad/raw veggies. Can be super hard on the gut. Maybe try switching to all cooked veggies for awhile? For me personally, avocado and guacamole are only tolerated in small amounts and you mentionedyou had increased them for whole30, so that could be another factor?

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Hi merryheart - sorry to hear you've been having some stomach/energy issues.....

I'm going to agree with J9er here & say that what jumps out at me is the amount of avocado you are eating, alongside a number of other high FODMAP foods - which when eaten in moderation can be fine & well tolerated, but when eaten to excess can cause a number of symptoms such as bloating, excess wind/gas, stomach cramping, constipation and/or diarrhea. This would in turn effect energy levels as your gut works harder to try & process the fermented sugars.

You might want to have a read at >this article< and look at the traffic light system list about half way down the page. Eat from the green list only for a few days (compliant foods only obviously!) to see if your symptoms subside. You could also try adding in some fermented foods/drinks suck as fresh (ie. refrigerated) sauerkraut, kimchi or kombucha, all of which will contain probiotics and will encourage the growth of friendly bacteria in the gut.

If your symptoms DO improve you could begin adding back in foods from the amber list and see how you go, but keep avoiding the red.

Let us know how you get on....

 

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To add to the advice above, it looks like you pretty frequently use coconut oil/milk/cream. Is it possible that this has become an irritant for you with the change in diet? Can you try cooking with only ghee, clarified butter, or olive oil for a few days?

 

I hope you feel better soon!

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To add to the advice above, it looks like you pretty frequently use coconut oil/milk/cream. Is it possible that this has become an irritant for you with the change in diet? Can you try cooking with only ghee, clarified butter, or olive oil for a few days?

 

I hope you feel better soon!

Coconut milk is considered high FODMAP when consumed in quantity and would be an irritant to anyone already suffering from a sensitive gut  :)

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Thank you all for the replies! I have been eating a lot of high FODMAP foods!

I thought Whole30 was supposed to help with those kinds of issues. I am guessing that this means I have gut issues that may need additional work?

Yep, unfortunately even with the biggest gut irritants removed some people (myself included) continue to have problems and have to do a little more indepth experimentation. This can happen because your gut may have developed a protective mucosal layer to protect itself from the foods you were eating pre Whole30. Now that those foods are nolonger a part of your diet the gut will have shed that layer and so you'll be more aware of any sensitivities to the foods you're eating now - particularly if you're eating more of them now than you were before.

It may seem overwhelming right now, but it doesn't have to be forever. Chances are that once your gut has healed that you will be able to reintroduce a lot of foods that are bothering you now - you may just need to pay a little more attention to portion sizes or combinations of foods, but it's completely do-able.

As I mentioned above I'd start with eating from the green list in the link I provided and take it from there - and definitely look into some form of probiotics, noting that foods will provide up to 100 times more probiotics than what you can get from a supplement.

Any qestions or queries at all, please just ask....

Hope this helps.

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I think it could be the avocado (or the fat in general bc of my lack of gallbladder)...I cut way back since Monday and my stomach has been much better (though not normal). I am trying to track what I eat carefully & record how I feel.

The issue that has come up since cutting back on avocados-I was depending on it for my fat! Now I don't feel as satisfied bc I am having a hard time getting enough fat.

Sigh

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