Clemency

Thanks everyone for your replies. I will certainly be sticking it out for the full 30 days, regardless....I'm doing this with my partner and our pact is that if one of us breaks, we both have to start all over again! Plus I don't like being a quitter. It's taking a big leap of faith, though. I feel like I've joined a cult. There're a lot of theories about what our gut flora is doing....but are there any studies where some microbiologist has actually examined the composition of the bacteria in different parts of the colon, and how it's changed in response to various diets? I bet there aren't. Has anyone tested markers of systemic inflammation such as CRP in a cohort of people doing the whole 30 or paleo? We're all just guessing and trying it out. I suppose the lack of hard empirical evidence makes me feel uncomfortable when I'm doing a drastic change like this. (and what is the Crossfit connection? Why is everyone doing that too? Does one have to do Crossfit for this regime to work correctly?)

I know it's a common problem on W30 but it's making me a bit crazy. So, I've just finished day 9 of my first (and prob last) Whole 30. Prior to this, I've always eaten basically well, including all grains, legumes and dairy, but never enough vegetables or fruit, and way too much sugar. I had sugar in tea and coffee, frequent chocolate, and lots of biscuits and sweet treats! So I'm doing this to reset my diet and get rid of my sugar cravings once and for all. Normally, my digestion is very good, and although I did get bloated after a carb heavy meal such as pasta, once I took steps to reduce my sugar consumption and eat more veggies, my stomach would flatten within a couple of days. I have no medical issues at all. My challenges are that I have a one year old and I'm a working single mum, so I find it hard to get out to exercise unless it's pushing a pram around the streets. Now, I'm having problems I've never had before! Bloated always, a bit better in the mornings but worse at night, just as if I'd eaten a big refined carb meal. Gas (ugh). Bunged up for the first 5 days, then intermittent runs since then. And now, pale, floaty poo, making me think that I'm not digesting fat properly. It's NOT FAIR! I'm 100% compliant with the regime with no cheats or technicalities. Here is a sample of what I'm eating, what I had today (I'm getting lots of variety too with different meals every day, all cooked from scratch, including red meat, poultry, eggs and fish, many different veggies). 1. Scrambled eggs x 2, mushrooms sautéed in ghee, grilled tomato, baby spinach leaves and 1/3 poached chicken breast, plus 10 cashews. Mug herbal tea 2. Big bowl chicken and veg soup with homemade stock and 2/3 added poached chicken breast, 1 banana (veg in soup was sweet potato, carrot, zucchini and spring onion) Long black coffee Hard boiled egg and 6 cashews for emergency snack (don't usually snack but felt hollow today) 3. Roast lamb with roasted sweet potato, carrot, pumpkin and steamed broccoli, gravy made from pulsed leftover roast veg, pan juices and balsamic vinegar I usually have a couple tablespoons of coconut butter with an apple or a handful of berries after dinner, but didn't tonight as had already had banana for lunch. Plenty of water, at least 2 liters a day. The advice I'm reading on the forums for digestive issues seems to be to take enzymes and to add a probiotic. If this way of eating is so fabulous, why should I need supplementation to help my body do what it's always done well before (when I was eating "dirty")? Is it possible that some people's guts are just not suited to this regime, or rather, this regime is not one size fits all! I am starting to worry that a high animal protein/high fat diet could be causing lasting harm to my digestive tract. I don't want to turn into one of the many, many people who can't eat grains or legumes or dairy foods without getting stomach aches! Is this regime possibly going to cause me a problem where previously none existed?