wenndybird Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Hi everyone - Today is day 37 of my Whole45. Whole30 was a giant success. Lost 15.4 pounds, 3 inches off waist. Couldn't be more ecstatic. I've always been pretty regular with the bathroom before the Whole30, but I can count the number of times I've had to "do the doo" since starting, and it's not a high number. Maybe once a week. I haven't felt bloated or constipated, though I suppose that is technically what I am. I tried taking magnesium a couple of times and that helped for that day, but that's all. I was hoping it would encourage my body into a more regular cycle. I've seen people post about drinking senna tea to help with this, but I am currently trying to get pregnant and don't know if that would be all right under those circumstances. Anyone have any suggestions? I would really appreciate your help. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted March 18, 2013 Moderators Share Posted March 18, 2013 The only time I have not had a bowel movement every day was for 2 days after hernia surgery. I can't imagine not going for a week. Why don't you keep taking magnesium if it helps? Your rhythm does sound unusual. I don't know if it is related to your diet or not, but it would help to know what you eat on a day to day basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsteen Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 As Tom said, I would keep taking the magnesium. I take it every night now, it really helps and I believe it's something we all tend to be a bit short of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notacommittee Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I agree with the magnesium - I'm chronically constipated and it really helps. I take it every night and have no ill effects. You might also look into a chiropractor. I went to one for a totally different reason (back injury) but ended up seeing a huge improvement in my bowels as well. A nice side benefit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wenndybird Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 What form of magnesium do you take? Tablets? Liquid? I'm not sure what to go with on a regular basis. As far as what I'm eating, here is a rough idea give or take. Breakfast: Two eggs Peas or spinach and blueberry salad with balsamic vinegar Lunch: Spinach salad with lots of veggies (carrots, tomato, cucumber, snap peas, kale) and either a can of tuna or some chopped up chicken breasts, lime vinaigrette. Dinner: salmon or chicken or beef or pork chops broccoli or green beans or spinach salad and/or sweet potato with coconut oil Occasionally I will sub in a a piece of fruit, and if I need a snack at all, which I usually don't, I will eat some almonds and/or an apple. Suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moluv Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I was eating very similar to this for about the first 3 or 4 weeks and my digestion went from once daily to nonexistant. I took Natural Calm as everyone recommended but it just made my stomach feel all crazy and bubbly- but no poop. I resorted to other measures which are not sanctioned by the W30 which I will not go in to. But it just nagged at me that something wasn't right about it. Now, I have extremely delicate digestion so when I came across some info about insoluble fiber vegetables being a problem for people with IBS, I identified very strongly with it. So much so that I began limiting my insoluble fiber veggies and upping my soluble fiber veggies (think less spinach more squash). I became regular again within days. I also continued studying up on IBS symptoms and felt like I could self diagnose that and started the IBS protocol about 2 weeks ago. I also started watching my FODMAPS, and making sure the veggies I did eat were cut up very small and well cooked. Some vegetables that I don't tolerate well have been tolerated in cultured form via sauerkrauts. I am now having 2-3 excellent BM's a day, typically right after eating, so for me this approach worked very well. I do also take 2 tsp. of Natural Calm every night and having no further negative effects from it. I know the IBS protocol suggestions are w30 sanctioned but I don't see much talk about the fiber content of veggies- it seems to be a veggie free for all. But it may be something worth investigating. I found my information on Chris Kresser's website and he is a friend of the w30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsteen Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Just wanted to add that on a W30, peas are completly out, they're a legume. Snap peas are fine but if the breakfast was ordinary peas, that's a no go, I'm afraid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournegirl Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Try more fat too, olive oil, ghee, coconut oil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoodles Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Do you keep the skin on your sweet potato? I find I need to eat sweet potato with skin every day to keep things... moving, it really helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koru Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Wenndybird, I can relate to your problem completely. The first month on Whole30, my bms changed; I became somewhat constipated, though not as severely as you. I was eating some sauerkraut almost daily, and thought I was eating enough veggies, but I had to up my insoluble fiber intake (I don't have IBS). Even then, the improvement was small. Magnesium wasn't making any difference. Finally, I decided to start taking probiotics, and this is where it all clicked for me. I take PB8 which is gluten, dairy and soy free. I saw a difference within a couple days, a huge difference. So it may be that your intestinal flora needs a boost. I am now regular, once or twice daily, and I feel human again (I've never been constipated before on a regular basis, so that was a huge issue for me). I also notice that cooked cabbage and beets get things moving tremendously. There is a great salad I make, based on a Russian recipe: cooked beets and carrots, cubed; normally it calls for boiled potato, cubed, but for W30 you should use sweet potato (go for the less sweet varieties), or yuca. Combine with a generous amount of sauerkraut, add some compliant pickle if you desire, and dress with olive oil and black pepper to taste (no need for salt, since sauerkraut is quite salty already). This salad tastes even better the next day, when all the veggies have marinated in the juices. Eat a generous portion every morning, and you'll see a huge improvement. Alternatively, try cooking diced cabbage; you can make stir - fries, coconut curry, or just boil it in some stock. Chia seeds help many people, too (make sure to soak them overnight; they are delicious in coconut milk and taste like pudding). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWOL Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Rasberries work for constipation as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Rasberries work for constipation as well! I wonder if raspberries work due to vitamin C. Just a thought. And, I just realized that I need to go out in search of raw sauerkraut. That salad sounds like a fun use! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wenndybird Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 Wow, koru that is some excellent information. Thank you! Do you know the difference between probiotics and something like Natural Calm? I didn't realize sauerkraut helped so much. I should work on trying to start liking it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Where does one find PB8? I have seen it mentioned and may take an interest. The digestive enzymes are nice, Natural Calm seems to help, love kombucha, need to buy live kraut, and might add PB8. My gallbladderless body seems quite confused and could use additional help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koru Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I'm glad it was helpful! You can get PB8 on Amazon, they have both the regular and the vegetarian version. I want to add that for many, eating fermented foods regularly is enough, but it wasn't for me, for some reason. Probiotics helped a lot. If you've never taken them, maybe starting with one capsule for a few days, and then moving on to the full dose, will be easier. Also, when I ate a lot of cabbage one day while also taking probiotics, things went a-rumblin', though I didn't mind at all - it was much better than being constipated, in my book! The body needs a few days to adjust to probiotics, but after that things improve dramatically, at least they did for me. Wenndybird, probiotics are live beneficial bacteria in capsule form; fermented foods like kombucha and sauerkraut are basically probiotic foods, since they contain the same beneficial bacteria as the capsules. Many people need a concentrated dose in capsule form to heal their system. Taking them helps rebuild the population of healthy beneficial bacteria in our guts, which leads to much better digestion. It's especially important to take probiotics during and after the use of antibiotics, and it's also recommended (if needed) after long-distance trips, serious colds, or any situation where your immune system was heavily taxed. Natural Calm is a Magnesium supplement, as far as I know, so it can still be beneficial, but in a very different way than probiotics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRM Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 You can buy PB8 at the Vitamin Shoppe $10.99 (online only). Amazon sells for $15.99 and Vitamin Shoppe store is about $17.99 so it's worth the cost of shipping to order VS online. Frequently they have deals if you spend $50.00 you get $10.00 off or something like that. For me, it's the best probiotic. Combined with magnesium, it works like a charm. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I just found this: https://blu160.mail.live.com/default.aspx?n=2041229246&fid=1#n=1785282585&fid=1 Does anyone have experience with the Jarrow or Klaire labs brands? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2A&M Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Try more fat too, olive oil, ghee, coconut oil Or avocado daily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaleyComet Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 I've started using Inner-Eco coconut based probiotic, and Farmhouse Culture kraut. Both have regulated my bowels immensely! I get them both at WholeFoods. http://www.inner-eco.com http://farmhouseculture.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golden Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 I was having bathroom problems too (constipation) around the time I hit my 30 days, so I decided to take more probiotic things in addition to the digestive enzymes I'd been taking, and extend to 40 or 45. That was on Friday. I bought probiotic supplements, kombucha, chia seeds, and bones for broth. Somewhere in the combination of those things, everything got moving and I feel SO much better now. It really turned the tables in the matter of a day, so much so that I think I'm ready to get on with reintroductions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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