Day 11, no appetite, stomach aches, bloating - please read.

[arc84]

I'm consuming between 1300-1400 calories a day most days, with a few 1500-1600 calorie days for variation. The first 5 days, I felt great, but at the end of the 5th day, the stomach aches started (lower center and lower right). They were super intense and lasted until day 8. I still have them on day 11 but not nearly as painful (however, now I've been constipated for the last 4-5 days). I'm VERY bloated, and my clothes are uncomfortably tight. Yesterday, it was 4:00 in the afternoon before I realized that I never ate my lunch (never thought about it - no hunger signs - very abnormal for me, as I like to eat every few hours and eat lunch right at noon). I have a bland taste (or lack thereof) in my mouth, and food just doesn't taste/smell like anything. I can't seem to copy/paste my nutrition info, so here's a range/averages of the last 10 days (per day):

 

Calories: 1285-1625

Water Intake: 72-112 oz.

Fat: ~70 grams

Carbs: ~100 grams

Protein: ~100 grams

Fiber: 22-26 grams

Sugar: 30-50 grams (all natural from fruit)

 

My food from two days ago (it's pretty much the same every day with slight variations):

 

Breakfast: Egg scramble with 2 oz. smoked salmon, 1 whole egg, 2 egg whites, and 1 c. baby spinach, plus 1 banana and 8 oz. black coffee

Mid-morning snack: 10 cashews

Lunch: Salad with 2 c. baby spinach, 1/3 cucumber, roasted red peppers, banana peppers, kalamata olives, and 4 1/4 oz. grilled chicken, plus 1 tbsp. coconut oil/vinegar for dressing

Afternoon snack: 10 almonds and 1 small gala apple

Dinner: 4 oz. boneless pork sirloin and sauteed veggies (1/3 zucchini, a few red bell pepper strips, 1/3 baby bok choy, and 1 tbsp. coconut oil)

Evening snack: 1 whole kiwi, sliced and sprinkled with 1 tbsp. unsweetened coconut flakes

 

I'm peeing literally 10+ times per day with all the water I'm drinking. I run ~3 times per week and do some light strength training 2-3 times per week. I'm also taking magnesium. I feel so good (mentally) about all of the good foods I'm eating, but physically, I feel terrible. This doesn't make sense. Any thoughts?

[ShannonM816]

Read through the timeline -- you're about on track, maybe a couple of days behind (probably in the For the love of Gosling, my pants are tighter! phase). The actual days can vary from person to person, it's just a general guideline about what you might expect through the course of your 30 days.

 

Check out the meal template, and follow it, for every single meal you eat, and forget all this calorie/fat grams stuff -- no need to track that at all. Really. I promise. Just try it. And eat the whole egg -- the yolk is where all the nutrients are. When you run, you may need a pre- and  a post-workout snack, it really depends on how hard you're working out. Also, I don't see any starchy veggies listed -- you can definitely have them once a day, and if you're active, more than that. You'll have to play with it and see what works best for you. And if you're hungry between meals, eat a mini-meal with protein, fat, and veggies, not just fruit and nuts, and then examine if your meals are big enough, since you should be able to go 4-5 hours between meals if you're eating the right amount..

 

And nuts cause bloating in some people, so as long as you're feeling bloated, maybe cut them out. You can add them back in later and see what happens.

 

You can add fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, or kombucha to your meals for some probiotics, that might help. But you're really probably just at that point in the process where you're going to feel a little bloated, in a day or two you should feel better.

[GoJo09]

Constipation for 5 days would probably explain the bloating and stomach pain (and it'd make me grumpy as anything! ). Try upping your magnesium dose tonight and increasing leafy green vege too. And like Shannon suggested, ditch the nuts and possibly the fruit until you're over this and then add it back gradually to see if it's an issue.

[Brewer5]

My first thought is -- have you read the book?  All of this calorie counting, weighing, measuring, tracking (extra stress) -- is supposed to be out the window right now.  You tagged this with "weight gain", yet we are not supposed to be weighing.  It's a rule.  

 

My next thought is -- Shannon is right on about not snacking like you are.  Meals or mini-meals of protein+fat+veggies is your focus.  If you are going to have fruit, it is meant to be in addition to, and consumed with, a meal.  Same with nuts.  Those are a source of fat for a Whole 30 -- not a complete protein, therefore, not considered a protein.  So you have been snacking on sugar+fat.  

 

I completely agree about nuts and digestive distress, also.  Cutting them out until you are feeling better is a great idea.  Adding them back in later is an option, if you want to see if they were contributing.  But one thing is for sure:  Right now they are not helping.

[Tom Denham]

We are really serious about your not tracking calories or macro nutrient ratios. You can't develop a healthy relationship with food while weighing, measuring, counting, and tracking. Seriously! This part of the program is not some silly idea that you can disregard without consequences. It will hurt your progress to keep counting.