bowel upset and wheres the energy??

[dawnd]

Hello fellow 30ers!!!! I am on day 14 and my bowels cannot figure anything out. I used to have regular stool ( sorry tmi, I know but I really want to hear from others) but I am a mess! For 3 or 4 days now it has been stopped up, then too free flowing... Grrrr... Will this straighten out?? Ran out of probiotics for 2 days waiting on those! Also, I am waiting for that super energy everyone is taking about!!!! Eating has been fine and I have noticed myself, deflate, if you will. Not sure about weight loss, but I know I have lost a lot of water. Feels good!

[LadyM]

So glad you're feeling good overall!

 

Yes, these things resolve themselves in time. Be patient and keep eating to template. If you'd like, you can post a few days' worth of food and we can help you troubleshoot, but lots of people experience irregular bowels that tend to regulate themselves over the course of 30 days. 

 

That's 30 days. Remember that. You must give it 30 days. Some people feel really energized sooner than that, some take a lot longer. I've had glimpses of it for nearly two years now, and the healing has continued whether I feel the "tiger blood" or not. Stay with it and stay open to all kinds of beneficial changes. Not just major weight loss and mad energy, but nuances. The way you feel, the way you breathe, how your skin looks, etc.

 

Only good things can come from eating real food and cutting out junk for a month. Trust that. And pay attention.

[Carlaccini]

Sorry to hear that you are having problems.  Are you able to list a few days worth of meals so we might be able to help you troubleshoot?

 

Some food items (although very healthy choices) may cause some issues.  For example - I can't consume large quantities of cruciferous vegetables (think broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale) it causes some serious gut disruption.  I can still consume them - just not with every meal.

[dawnd]

Thank you SO much for responding so quickly.

 

OK here is the last two days:

Breakfast yesterday

2 scrambled eggs with spinach and kale cooked in coconut oil.

small cup of berries with coconut milk (full fat)

 

Lunch

Turkey, bone broth veggie soup, half a sweet potato with a little coconut oil

 

Not too hungry for dinner

soaked cashews

grass fed beef burger 

raw veggies

 

Today so far

Breakfast 

Fried eggs in ghee, sauteed beets, sweet potato and onions with kale and spinach

 

Lunch

Burger with sauteed onions and mushrooms

Salad with olive oil and basalmic dressing

some raw veggies

a small helping of cantaloup

 

So, most mornings we have eggs with onions and some veggies and sometimes berries with shredded coconut (SO yummy, our fave!!!)

Most lunches are meat of some sort with avocado and a little fruit and either salad or soup

 

We have also been having grass fed beef steaks

 

I have to say we just bought a 1/4 cow and I have never had all this healthy beef before.  I would buy the grass fed hear and there, but never like this.  We will have bacon wrapped chicken tonight with sauteed veggies and butternut squash puree which is SOOO delicious.  We had that a few times last week as well.

 

Any thoughts would be SOOOO helpful and welcome!!

 

I am doing this for my son mostly (8) who struggles with focusing, being still, tantrums and extreme emotions.  There are a lot of other circumstances, but i figured I would like to try this first before medicating.  Not working just yet, but not giving up hope.  I certainly have weight to lose, but I really just want us to be healthy!!!  THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Many blessings!

[Carlaccini]

Your meals look okay. 

 

Some observations:

I notice quite a bit of raw veggies being consumed.  I'm not saying that there are problems with them it's just that some people have issues digesting raw veggies (I am one of these people) - A little bit of TMI here - for instance raw carrots for me will come "out" the same way they go in. 

Nuts will cause digestive issues as well -usually it's bloating, bathroom issues - but I do notice you soaking them so I'm not sure if this is an issue.  It might be.

Also I notice your meal 1 is kind small in the protein department.  When using eggs as your only source of protein during a meal, it should be the number of whole eggs you can hold in one hand.  For most people that is 3 -4. Not feeding yourself enough early on will be a contributing factor of lack of energy later on in the day.

Your fats seem a bit on the lower template side.  Eating more fat will eventually contribute to those energy levels.

[dawnd]

Thanks Carla!

I actually forgot to add I had half of an avocado today for lunch too.

 

I didn't realize I was short on the eggs.  Sometimes we throw in a little left over meat as well.  

 

Raw veggies don't bother me, I have eaten fairly decently off and on my adult life, and I was wondering about the nuts, but I have always consumed them as well.  I soak them because it breaks them down so it is actually easier to digest.  If I can't have nuts I have NO idea what I will do for fat except cooking in oil, avocados and coconut stuff.  That seems crazy, but I guess I can figure it out.  I am thinking/ hoping that my body is just trying to adjust my gut to the completely healthy way of eating.  I have leaky gut and I know I am doing a lot of healing, so hopefully one day I will be back on the mend!

 

Thank you for your input.  I guess I am not too far off.  Will ramp up the morning protein and fat.  

Blessings,

Dawn

[Tom Denham]

I take an over the counter anti-diarrhea med when I have problems. One dose typically gets me back closer to normal. 

 

In the context of the radical change in your diet that the Whole30 represents, raw veggies and nuts may tip you over the edge to distress in a way they did not before. You don't have to give up raw veggies and nuts permanently, but while you are having problems with diarrhea, you would be making life easier for your gut if you cooked your veggies and avoided nuts.

 

There are plenty of ways to get fat without nuts. Eating 3 or more whole eggs is a good serving of fat because the yolk is a good source of excellent fat. You can eat fatty cold water fish like salmon. I eat canned salmon 3-4 times per week. When eating grass fed beef, don't trim and discard the fat. Eat it! I keep the fat after I slow cook a roast and use it to improve the flavor of potatoes that I stir fry in my wok with kale and onions. Olives are a good source of fat. You can add a handful to a meal or throw some in with other things that you are cooking. Make home-made olive oil mayo and slather some on chicken, fish, veggies, etc to add fat. 

[dawnd]

Thank you Tom.

I didn't think that the raw veggies and nuts would react differently because I was going through this.  I understand now.  But I LOVE LOVE raw peppers.  That will be hard to give up!!  I did forget to mention that we do get olives in there as well.  I just made bone broth but took out the fat.  Should I have left it?  I thought you were supposed to discard the congealed fat....

 

Yes, we did have salmon last week too, but it looks like in the instructions we are supposed to have a healthy addition of fat on top of our meats/eggs.  No?  I do get pretty hungry sometimes but do wait until the next mealtime.  

 

I have struggled with my weight forever!!  I can lose it easily, but do not know how to maintain!!  I am really hoping this will help me in a long term state of health, so I want to make sure I do it right!!!  I am really excited to look at your recipes too!  This isn't "hard" it is just a little complicated to do it right the first go around!  I certainly don't think I am making myself any worse!  ;-)

 

Truly appreciate all your help!

Blessings,

Dawn

[Carlaccini]

No definitely not any worse!

 

Keep the congealed fat and use it for cooking.  Especially if it from a grass fed animal.

 

On additional fat - it really depends on you personally.  Some people can eat eggs without adding fat to them.  (I am not one of these people) Eggs are not an ideal fill-me-up-for-4-5-hours protein.  In fact they stuff me initially and then 3 hours later I am super hungry again.

 

For example - this is for me personally.  You could be totally different

If I eat Salmon - I don't need extra fat.

If I eat raw veg - I need to eat extra additional fat.

Eggs - need to add fat

Cooked greens, or other vegs in ghee or duck fat - I'm good

[jolli]

I must say, I also was inconsistent and nauseous for the first two weeks of Whole30. Kombucha SAVED me! It might be an acquired taste, but it is also salvation for gastro distress, even headaches for some. I just drink half. Far better than even probiotics for me. Most of my friends keep one in their fridge these days. Hope it helps, confident it will! Best!

[ShannonM816]

Moving this to the Troubleshooting section of the forum, just to tidy things up.