Day 15 - night time bloating

[jennyrmurphy]

Hi everyone - I'm new here. I've been following since about January, but this is my first post. I love reading all of the stories from everyone. It has been super helpful, especially around days 8-10 when I was feeling gross.

 

This is my second Whole30 and I am coming from a year and a half of paleo. Before that I was gluten and dairy free, so I am not new to the non-SAD lifestyle. I have always been very active - running, walking, weight lifting, yoga, even Crossfit for a time.

 

I am writing today because every night since about day 8 I have had abnormal bloating after dinner. I cannot figure out what it is. There were a few posts recently that are similar to mine, but I wanted to post anyway because there are some other things going on with me.

 

My main motivation for doing another Whole30 is sugar. Despite my very clean paleo lifestyle, I do crave sugar, in the form of 85% cacao maybe or a paleo treat. I also have a long complicated medical story/background that I won't go into completely, but in short, I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, and in general, no matter what I do, my body just stays the same. 

 

I am 5'3" about 145, I honestly do not weigh myself ever because I don't believe in that at all. I'm a size 6 in pants and dresses, a small on top, and I am muscular. I practice power yoga regularly 1-2 times/week, weight train and walk - exercise about 3-4 times per week. I also work full-time as a teacher and have two small boys, so stress is definitely present, although I am conscious of it not getting out of whack. I would not consider myself overweight, but am always trying to be leaner. (I've wondered if my body doesn't change because this is where "it's meant to be?" or if my hormones are still just messed up...) My sleep is great, about 8-9 hours per night.

 

I am working with a functional medicine doctor presently to help figure out if my hormones are out of balance and hoping to come to some working conclusion about how to move forward with Hashimoto's, while keeping my symptoms in check and being happy and at peace with my body.

 

Here's a typical day of food for me:

 

2 HB eggs or other protein like chicken or leftover ground beef or bison

veggies (leftover roasted veggies or salad)

iced coffee + homemade almond milk

 

large salad of mixed greens

protein (tuna with avocado mayo, chicken thighs, salmon)

1/2 avocado

maybe a fruit here (green apple w/ almond butter)

 

protein (chicken thighs, burger, pork tenderloin, etc.)

1/2 avocado or coconut oil on sautéed greens

 

sometimes a fruit after dinner - I love grapefruit

 

I have to be honest, I have had maybe 2-3 servings of fruit a day since I started this month. I try to have it with a meal as it has been suggested, but some days I do have a grapefruit around 8:00pm. (fruit choices include: grapefruit, green apple, blueberries, raspberries) Also, I am pretty hungry when I get home from school, around 4:00 and sometimes have a banana with almond butter, or some kind of protein like chicken or tuna.

 

I am proud of getting to day 15 with no sugar and no half & half in my coffee, but the bloating is kind of driving me crazy. Any ideas where the bloating would be coming from (besides my period which I did have from days 9-13 - sorry if that's TMI)?

 

Thank you for your thoughts.

Jenny

 

 

[MeadowLily]

Jenny - try two fruits aday - max.   Eat them directly after meals or sprinkle your berries over the top of sauteed greens.  Fruit eaten between meals can cause boatloads of belly bloat.  I had to reread because I thought you meant it had been going on since the age of 8 years old.   I'd lay off the nut butters on top of the fruit, too.   Try it.  My belly is blowing up just thinking about green apples and nut butter.  Sympathetic swelling.    

 

 

[Tom Denham]

There is nothing about your food that screams bloating danger to me, but the two most likely issues would be nuts or nut butters and salad or other raw veggies. Many people have trouble with digesting them. 

 

In general, I am concerned that you may be eating too little protein. Two eggs is too light on protein. Think 3 or 4. Make sure you always eat a portion of meat that is as large as the palm of your hand and don't hesitate to go to two palm-size portions. With veggies, really fill the plate. Note that you would have to eat a bucket of salad to get much real volume in your meal. Also, instead of so much fruit, you might be better served by eating more starchy veggies. I don't think that eating potatoes instead of grapefruit should make a difference to bloating, but carbs from fruit preferentially replenish liver glycogen while carbs from starchy veggies preferentially replenish muscle glycogen - a good thing. 

[ultrarunnergirl]

Jenny,

  Lots of good advice for you here.

  You may be sensitive to fructose, some people really are. Try cutting out the fruit for a couple of days just to see what happens.

[jennyrmurphy]

Thank you everyone! Truly appreciated.

 

About the eggs - I totally agree with you that it's too little protein but I think I'm sensitive to eggs. When I started paleo last January and all of last year, I ate 3-4 eggs every morning and also last year developed a patch of eczema on the back of my neck, which has now traveled to the front of my chest. When I did my first Whole30 this January I did a modified AIP and removed eggs and nuts. Guess what? The eczema went away. I really missed the eggs though so I added them back in March, too fast of course because I'm impatient. There's a specific way to re-introuce eggs if you're following an AIP. I have continued to eat them in moderation, not everyday, and the eczema patch is lessening for sure. I know that I really should remove them to see if that's what's causing it, but I didn't want to for this Whole30 because they're so easy and convenient.

 

What other starchy veggies besides sweet potatoes? I do have a tendency to buy the same things each week...

[AuntJane]

 

 

What other starchy veggies besides sweet potatoes? I do have a tendency to buy the same things each week...

Beets!  They are a favorite, especially good roasted with sweet potatoes and finished with a drizzle of olive oil and salt.  Also parsnips, butternut squash, white potatoes if you can tolerate those.  I think zucchini and carrots are also considered starchy vegetables.

 

Good luck figuring out the bloating.  I am having issues with that too, it's no fun!  However, I think my issue is directly related to the four days of off-roading that I indulged in between ending a regular Whole30 and starting AIP this week.  Not smart.

[Physibeth]

If you are sensitive to eggs makes sure when you do choose to eat them to have another protein with them as well so you get a full serving of protein.

 

I agree with cutting back/out fruit and nuts/nut butters.

 

You also listed off an impressive workout regime...are you eating pre/post workout meals? If you want your body composition to change more you need to feed your muscles and yes starchy vegetables at least 1 serving, probably 2 a day.