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Yesterday, I was on day 25 of my Whole30, and I mindlessly decided to have some wine because I had people over and I felt I would let them down if I didn't drink with them.

I feel stupid and I hope I learn from my mistake.

 

So, I'm starting again, —or extending. And I make the commitment to write down everything I eat and drink here, as well as how I feel and my sleep and workouts, to help me feel accountable and also keep track of what's happening. In my first round I had some trouble and I couldn't sort out where it came from. I read the forums for troubleshooting, but I realize it's easier to see a pattern when you write everything down.

 

DAY 1

 

Had trouble getting to sleep (2 AM). Today is my free day so I got to sleep in a bit, but I still woke up around 8.

 

I'm having a very bad constipation that's been getting worse over the last week. I haven't been to the bathroom in 3 or 4 days. I've tried having countless glasses of water with lemon juice, adding starchy vegetables, eating a spoonful of coconut oil before bed, taking a biologic medicine (Heel) my doctor gave me five days ago, and an over-the-counter laxative yesterday, —all to no avail.

 

Between that, the lack of sleep and my wine mishap, I don't really feel like going to the swimming-pool as I had planned to  :(  ...nor to do anything, for that matter.

 

  • Meal 1 (10:30 AM) 3 scrambled eggs and 1 big zucchini, all cooked in 1 table spoon duck fat. 1 handful raw almonds. 3 glasses of water. Meds*

 

*I'm taking the above mentioned, plus 2 capsules probiotics a day, 3 biologic pills for anxiety and 1 SSRI antidepressant. Gosh, I started a Whole30 hoping to finally get off my meds, and now I'm taking 5.  :o  By the way, they contain lactose, saccharose and alcohol... 

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I got all the way to day 23 and then started having major constipation issues. I have not gone in four days. I tried everything except over the counter medicine. I was on my way this morning to go buy some in desperation and my boyfriend handed me a big cup of black coffee and said just try this. I do not drink coffee due to not liking the taste and I have major addiction to caffeine but I figured I would try it so I could attempt to avoid medication. I took six sips (approx 1/4 of the cup) and had to shove my dog off my lap and RUN (not a walk, not a cute little job but a speed run) to the bathroom.  I poured the rest out... and I have a smile ear to ear. Just a suggestion!

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I think it is awesome how you "showed up, told on yourself, and are back in the saddle"

I could see me trying to rationalize and not take care of myself like I see you doing.

When I first got into recovery someone told me that what doesn't kill us makes us

stronger and I see you practicing that .

what a great role model, keep cookin

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I emphasize! Senna tea helps me a lot. Here, we have "Smooth Move" by Traditional Medicinal brand, but I have seen several others including a Mexican brand I can't remember the name of but that's everywhere here in Southern California. If you can't find senna tea, you should be able to find a supplement containing senna. Good luck! 

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Thank you all for your responses!  :)

 

Chocoholic: I'm trying to find magnesium, but I'm in Chile and I don't find the same forms most people here use (Natural Calm, Epsom salt, or equivalents), and I'm not sure about the ones I have at hand. I found Magnesium "Cloruro" crystals. Today I had a warm bath with them, but for the moment, nothing in sight. The other form that seems common here is Magnesium Oxide pills. I'll try them.

 

Soulrich: I had no idea about the coffee.  :blink: Is it why they do coffee enemas? I'm an occasional coffee drinker only, as it makes my heart beat very fast. I've never noticed such effect before. (And I suffered from chronic constipation all my life until I discovered Paleo. This is actually the first time it happens to me since then, and I wonder what's causing it... Sounds like a lot of us hit the same problem at the same stage). I'm tempted to try, the trouble is I added caffeine to the NO list of my Whole30. Does it work with decaf?

 

Dukunbayi: I never heard about senna. I'm going to check.  ;)

 

jlb111: Thanks for the kind words!

 

DAY 0- finish (According to my daily emails, I'm actually back to day 0)

 

  • Meal 2 (2:30 PM) 5 oz canned tuna fish in olive oil, on a full plate of salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, half an avocado, parsley), lemon juice.

 

  • Meal 3 (9:00 PM) 1 bowl of soup: homemade chicken broth, 1 cup squash, half a sausage (pork, spices)

 

I must have had 4 more glasses of lemon water throughout the afternoon.

 

I have felt absolutely sluggish. And cold, in spite of the summer time. I had a warm bath with magnesium "cloruro", then I fell asleep a couple of hours and woke up with a headache. Taking things slowly I managed to get my basic housework done. When I think  was feeling Tiger Blood these last few days...!

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Some suggestions: Try cutting out coconut and nuts completely for a week. Try doing only cooked vegetables for a week. Raw vegetables when you are already backed up is really only going to make things worse. Dark leafy greens are high in magnesium so you might try having sauteed kale or spinach with your eggs in the morning or added to soup. If you wanted to post some of your meals before your restart that might help with further diagnosis.

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Soulrich: I had no idea about the coffee.  :blink: Is it why they do coffee enemas? I'm an occasional coffee drinker only, as it makes my heart beat very fast. I've never noticed such effect before. (And I suffered from chronic constipation all my life until I discovered Paleo. This is actually the first time it happens to me since then, and I wonder what's causing it... Sounds like a lot of us hit the same problem at the same stage). I'm tempted to try, the trouble is I added caffeine to the NO list of my Whole30. Does it work with decaf?

 

I've heard that some people have good luck using decaf, and others don't. Worth trying, anyway. Also, your water with lemon -- is it warm water with lemon? Because that might help more than just cold water with lemon, if that's what you're having. (Related to the some people have luck with the decaf -- I think sometimes the warm liquid itself may help things, and the caffeine is just -- extra? But then some people don't have the same results unless they have the caffeine, so I don't know. I know in the past, hot tea -- not the special smooth move or whatever, just hot tea -- has helped me, although results with caffeinated coffee tend to be much faster.)

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Physibeth: Thank you for the suggestions! I'll try them!

 

Shannon, I was a fervent warm tea drinker all my life and it never did anything for my chronic constipation. I must be one of those for whom it doesn't work.

 

Let's see what I ate the last few days:

 

SUNDAY (DAY 25)

 

Meal 1: 2 scrambled eggs (duck fat), 2 small tomatoes, 1/2 avocado, olive oil

Meal 2: 1 palm-sized grilled steak, plate full of salad (lettuce, avocado, cucumber, oignon, tomato, basil, chives, lemon, olive oil); small plate of cherimoya, *1 glass of wine*

Meal 3: 1 bowl of soup (same as yesterday)

 

SATURDAY (DAY 24)

Meal 1: 3 scrambled eggs (duck fat), 1 tomato, 1 avocado; 1 cup raspberries

Meal 2: grilled chicken, 1/2 avocado, lettuce; 1 cup raspberries

Snack: 1 handful salted pistachios

Meal 3: 1 sausage (pork, spices), 1/2 cup sauerkraut (pasteurized), 1 cup sweet peas, clarified butter

 

FRIDAY (DAY 23)

Meal 1: 3 eggs, 1 cup sweet potato, 1/2 avocado, duck fat; fresh figs

Meal 2: grilled chicken, sweet potato, duck fat; fresh figs

Snack: 1 handful salted cashews

Meal 3: 1 bowl mixed lamb organs, 1 cup sweet potato, duck fat

 

I'm having trouble remembering, but this is more or less it, and the days before looked like that too. I also eat spinach, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms and green beans on a regular basis.

If I remember correctly, I didn't have constipation, or very little, until after I had my period last week. Before that, I ate the same except I didn't have sweet potatoes. But as I was feeling very weak before and during my period, I tried adding more starchy carbs. I did very well for my energy, but nothing else.

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Hi Beli, I admire your determination to start all over, attagirl! :-)  

 

For the constipation, I find it helps if you drink warm water with a little raw apple cider vinegar (warning: this is an acquired taste)  

If you can't take the taste, you can also try having it with cold water (not as effective but personally I think it taste better)  

 

Good luck!

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Things I see in the 3 days before the restart are lots of raw veggies and nuts as snacks. Also ditch the pasteurized sauerkraut and get some raw fermented stuff which is a probiotic food.

 

Sweet peas (not sugar snap peas?) are not allowed on W30 either so leave those out going forward. Was that meal a restaurant meal or at someone elses home?

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I might have got the translation for the peas wrong, actually. Looking at the dictionary it must be "garden peas". Very little balls that come in a pod, are eaten fresh and need little cooking. I interpreted those were allowed by the "fine line" paragraph of the rules.

 

Yeah, this pasteurized sauerkraut was the only traditionally fermented one I could find. I want to try to do my own as soon as I can.

 

Got you about the nuts and the raw veggies. Thanks!

 

Things are moving a little. Like buying some time.

 

DAY 1/27

 

Couldn't get to sleep at night, woke up like a zombie.

 

Meal 1: didn't have any. Wasn't hungry at all, decided to fast. I hope it's not too un-Whole30.

 

Meal 2 (4 PM): 1 small handful salted pistachios (it was before I read your advice), 3 lamb kidneys. I know, this is not in line with the meal template, it was just the only thing I found in the fridge to grab before rushing to work. I was seriously off track in my routines too. But I'm getting back on the saddle.

 

Meal 3: big serving of fresh white fish; big side of spinach, wholly cooked; olive oil.

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If the peas were mostly pods than that is fine. Pasteurizing negates fermenting as the good bacteria that you get from fermenting doesn't survive the pasteurizing process. Hopefully you can make your own. I've yet to be brave enough to try but it would be so much more cost effective if I did.

 

Fasting is not at all recommended on Whole30...3 meals is the minimum. 

 

I know this is much more challenging because of where you live but I know you can rock this! Do some additional planning and cookup this weekend. Put the meal template somewhere prominent in your kitchen. Knock it out of the park! 

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Is fasting a bad thing on Whole30 even when you're sick?

 

I have printed the meal template and posted it on my refrigerator.  :)

 

Thanks for the encouragement. I know I can rock this. I was doing pretty good since the beginning and got flown off track by that combination of people-pleasing syndrome and bad shape. I'm working on getting things straight again. My log for today will again not be perfect, but I'll do my best planning to have a splendid Thursday!

 

I am rewriting my commitments from the daily emails' Day 0, which, I admit, have fallen out of my hands one by one. I'll post them here:

 

Food: Follow the Whole30 rules and template

Sleep: Be in bed with everything switched off by 10:30

Training: Go to the swimming-pool every Monday

Stress management: Do a salutation to the sun every day

Socialization: Call one friend every week (I know, I'm not very social)

Natural environment: Spend most of my Sundays in my garden

Personal growth: Write one paragraph every week of a particular project I have

Temperance: Follow my FlyLady's routines

 

I must admit, I have no idea on what to write under "Fun and Play". I'm afraid this should tell me something about myself. Sigh...

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If you have a stomach virus/throwing up thing than fasting is fine. I find when I have a cold or something eating more helps me heal faster. 

 

Sounds like you have great goals and revisiting them is great! What do you love to do that you never make time to do? That is what should go under fun and play in my opinion. Another idea is have planned regression time. When I was in college I had coloring books and bubbles and other "kid" stuff on hand that I would pull out when I was particularly stressed. It was actually rather helpful.

 

On the people pleasing thing I can totally relate. Learning to stick up for yourself is so important. The people whose opinions matter are those who know you and like you for who you are.

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Thank you for all the detailed attention, Physibeth.  :)  I love the regression time idea!

 

Ok, my log for today:

 

DAY 2/28

 

Meal 1 (8:30): Hem, just a cup of herbal tea with a drop of coconut milk. (I was craving something warm to drink and didn't want to have my usual English Breakfast tea as I'm off caffeine. Cueck!, I won't do that again.)

 

Meal 2 (3:00 PM): Canned sardines with their olive oil, spinach. (Quantity was not enough. Again, the only thing I could grab from the pantry before rushing to work. Must definitely prepare my lunch the night before.)

 

Meal 3 (9:30 PM): 2 whole white fish, 2 cups roasted zucchini, clarified butter; 4 fresh figs; 2 leaves romaine lettuce spread with homemade paté (various lamb organs, clarified butter, spinach, tarragon, lemon). —Now THAT was a proper meal.

 

It's already 10:40 PM and I've yet to prep my lunch. So I'm not in bed. I lost time because I went shopping for some emergency vinegar, and found myself buying new things for my home. And you know what? I had fun!  B)

 

Just the day I say I have to call some friends, a friend called me!  :o (unheard of) I'm invited to have a drink at her home tomorrow night with a handful other people. And I shall bring some wine, of course (I'm a sommelier, so I'm kind of expected to bring wine wherever I go  :D ). But I shall also bring a bottle of sparkling water with lemon and mint leaves for myself. And carrot sticks and my paté. That'll be awesome. :)

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DAY 3/29

 

Sleep: 12 PM-7:30 AM. Not enough but ok.

 

Meal 1 (8:30 AM): 3 eggs, scrambled in duck fat. 1 cup sweet potato, 1 cup broccoli, steamed, slathered in clarified butter. 1 tsp turmeric. 4 fresh figs.

 

Meal 2 (4 PM): 100g local shellfish, canned in water. Leftover zucchini, about 2 cups. 5 dehydrated plums.

 

Meal 3 (8 PM): 3 lamb ribs, skillet seared in clarified butter with oregano. Leftover sweet potato and broccoli, 2 cups. 1 small handful olives in homemade marinade (olive oil, lemon, pepper, herbs). 1 cup raspberries.

 

I think I overdid the raspberry. Fruit can be a food-with-no-brake for me. After dinner my tummy suddenly ached and was very bloated.

I cancelled on my friend's party. I guess I also had some anxiety, but let's not get into that.

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Coffee really isn't the best because the reason it makes you go is that it irritates your intestines causing them to spasm and make you go. I totally get that it's frustrated to be constipated.. Happens to me too. Magnesium a really works and take any many as you need to find relief. The only reason I wouldn't do coffee is because we are trying to avoid eating things that irritate our guts because we want them to heal and calm the inflammation. If coffee makes you have to go ASAP then it's probably best not to consume it for now.

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Thanks, wickett, it's a good point. Someone on another thread was suggesting I likely had a slow colon and caffeine was helping by increasing the spasms. I decided to try to reintroduce caffeine, —but not coffee. So this morning I had tea. Still waiting to see how my body reacts.

 

My log for yesterday: DAY 4/30

 

Slept poorly, couldn't get out of bed, felt horrible.

 

Meal 1 (8:30 AM): 3 eggs, scrambled in duck fat. 1 1/2 cup leftover sweet potato. 4 fresh figs.

 

Meal 2 (12 AM): 1 cup mussels, canned in water. 1 cup leftover sweet potato. 1 cup olives in homemade marinade (olive oil, fresh garlic). 1 cup raspberries.

 

Snack (4 PM): 1 handful salted cashews. (Eye-opening test: my head started aching just a minute later! Lesson learned.)

 

Meal 3 (8 PM): Roast beaf (about 1/2 lb, seared in ghee). A big bowl of lettuce with homemade dressing (apple cider vinegar, olive oil). 1/2 melon.

 

I decided to ditch all medicines except my SSRI antidepressant.

As for supplements, I'm going to try magnesium.

I wonder if it's a good idea to keep my probiotic? Is there a chance they could be involved in my problem, since it started at the same time I began taking it: maybe it altered my gut flora?

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I got all the way to day 23 and then started having major constipation issues. I have not gone in four days. I tried everything except over the counter medicine. I was on my way this morning to go buy some in desperation and my boyfriend handed me a big cup of black coffee and said just try this. I do not drink coffee due to not liking the taste and I have major addiction to caffeine but I figured I would try it so I could attempt to avoid medication. I took six sips (approx 1/4 of the cup) and had to shove my dog off my lap and RUN (not a walk, not a cute little job but a speed run) to the bathroom.  I poured the rest out... and I have a smile ear to ear. Just a suggestion!

I have the same problem, but I had constipation before the Whole30 also.  Black coffee will also send me running.  It works in a pinch but I'm looking forward to become regular one day...

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YESTERDAY: DAY 5/31

 

Slept: all right, woke up energized.

 

Meal 1 (8 AM): 3 eggs omelette, 1/2 lb mushrooms, 1 tbsp chives, 1 tbsp duck fat, 1 tsp turmeric. 2 1/2 cups hot strong black tea with cloud of coconut milk.

 

Meal 2 (12 AM): 1 cup leftover roast beef, 1 1/2 cup roasted squash (ghee, oregano)

 

Snack (6:30 PM): 5 dried plums (I know, it was off template, I was craving something sweet...  :unsure: )

 

Meal 3 (8:30 PM): 1 cup leftover roast beef, 1/2 cup leftover squash, 1 small avocado, 1 raw tomato.

 

 

I'm sorry to report the tea didn't have any effect on my current problem.  :rolleyes: (It did make me jittery all day long, though.)

It seems the warm liquid/caffeine/colon spasms hypothesis is now officially ruled out.

 

Let's get logical about this thing and try to find the cause. After all, we people are known for not reaching for the quick fix, right?

I don't have anything against taking magnesium; in fact it should also do me good for anxiety and difficulty sleeping, but lack of magnesium is probably not the cause, since my magnesium status isn't likely to have changed for worse and I had no problem before.

 

So: what changed in my diet or lifestyle before that problem appeared?

- I eliminated caffeine -> apparently not the cause

- I eliminated sugar (I used to be a big sugar addict)

- I started to take a probiotic capsule my doctor gave me a few days into my Whole30

- I eliminated starchy carbs (in the first half of my Whole30 I didn't have them because sweat potatoes and other allowed forms aren't so easy to get for me and I didn't realize they were important. However, I reintroduced them when I started feeling constipated.)

- I ate bigger meals than usual, with more meat/fish/eggs and fat than usual (I was sooo hungry)

- I started having 3 square meals a day instead of two with constant munching

 

What can have caused the problem? I think these changes other than caffeine point in the direction of my gut flora. My gut flora may have been feeding on the sugar and/or starchy carbs and then was starved to destruction when I cut these out. And/or, the probiotic may have introduced new strands of bacteria that didn't agree with me. Or, I have been eating to much protein and fat in respect of fibrous vegetable, and/or too big meals for my not-so-powerful GI tract.

 

What can be the solution? In the first two cases, there would be a serious gut dysbiosis. The good flora is destroyed, it's not going to come back until I reintroduce it and also make the terrain favorable for them to colonize the place. That would possibly require something like a GAPS protocol, where, if I'm not mistaken, you starve out all present gut flora and introduce beneficial strands through fermented foods and probiotics.

In the last two cases, my gut flora isn't altered but just overwhelmed. The solution would likely be to eat smaller meals, with less meat/fish/eggs and more fibrous vegetable. According to this interview I just read thanks to someone in the Resources forum, the gut microbiota feed on the fibrous vegetable and starchy carbs, which also make the gut acidic as it's supposed to to support the good ones, so one would be well advised to eat lots of them and make them as diverse as possible. http://chriskresser.com/you-are-what-your-bacteria-eat-the-importance-of-feeding-your-microbiome-with-jeff-leach#comment-87839

 

Which one to choose? Common sense suggests to begin with the less difficult or risky protocol. So I'm going to implement the second one for two weeks and see what happens. Let's say, per meal:

- 1 palm size animal product maximum,

- 1 1/2 cup leafy/fibrous vegetable, raw at least half of the time (this appears to favor an acidic Ph) minimum,

- 1/2 cup starchy vegetable minimum,

- 1 serving of fruit,

- drink lots of water

- have an extra meal if hungry

 

Does this reasoning look sound? Should I suspend the probiotic capsule while implementing this protocol?

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If you were fine before you started taking the probiotic capsule I would try eliminating that first. From what I've read (and experienced) raw vegetables will make things worse not better but you can still eat the leafy vegetables just cook them first. Some people find they need to take digestive enzymes for a little while if this is a huge increase from them in protein. 

 

All this to say you are still very early in your W30. Things do get worse before they get better. So my question is are you willing to give this a fair try as it is designed before you start changing things up?

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3 days flew by and I didn't get a chance to come post here.

 

DAY 6/32 (Sunday)

  • Slept: very well!
  • Meal 1 (9:30 am) 2 eggs, 1 cup squash. 1 cup black tea with coconut milk.
  • Meal 2 (1 pm) bowl of salad: 30g shell fish, lettuce, cucumber, fresh basil, 1/2 avocado, olive oil, lemon
  • Snack (4 pm) 1/2 melon
  • Meal 3 (6 pm) same as meal 2

 

DAY 7/33 (Monday)

  • Slept: fabulous! I went to bed very early and read for a while. I must have fallen asleep around 9. I woke up early but totally refreshed.
  • Meal 1 (9 am) 3 eggs in omelette with 1/2 cup chives, 1 1/2 cup mushrooms, ghee. 1 cup black tea with coconut milk.
  • Went to the swimming pool, swam for 45 minutes, mostly calm but with some sprints.
  • Post-workout meal (12 am) 1 cup roast beaf, 1 1/2 cup squash, no fat added. (It was the first time I implemented a PWO meal and it worked great! I didn't feel run over for the next 48 hours, just a bit tired in the afternoon.)
  • Meal 2 (1 pm) palm-size serving white fish, 1 1/2 cup chards, coconut oil.
  • Meal 3 (8 pm) about 2 palm-size servings turkey, 1 green pepper, 2 tomatoes, 1/2 onion, wet-sautéed in duck fat

 

DAY 8/34 (Tuesday)

  • Slept: same as yesterday, early and sound. Fantastic.
  • Meal 1 (8 am) palm-size serving roast beaf, 1 1/2 cup green beans, ghee, turmeric. 1 cup plain black tea.
  • Meal 2 (12 am) palm-size serving white fish, 1 1/2 cup chards, ghee. 6 dried plums.
  • Snack (4 pm) handful salted pistachios and cashews
  • Meal 3 (7 pm) handful olives in olive oil and garlic. 3 lamb ribs, 1 cup yuca, 1 cup carrots (cooked), oregano, coconut oil.
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