Day 7 and hard stools and irritable! Sorry TMI. Otherwise going great!

[nicholedvm]

I mostly just wanted to connect with other people doing the whole30 but also I am having REALLY large and hard stools! Sorry for the TMI! It's very uncomfortable. 

 

Example of my diet these past few days!

 

some sort of egg scramble with veggies including asparagus, mushrooms, etc. for breakfast

chicken breast with potatoes, zuchini, bell peppers or chicken tortilla soup without cheese and tortilla chips for lunch

some nuts and dried mangos after lunch

chicken and sauteed veggies with a green salad for dinner

 

1 cup of coffee with almond milk in between meals late morning and late afternoon

 

I am feeling really good about following this plan and my pants seemed loose today. I have been grouchy too the past few days a bit- may be because I'm a busy mom with my own business that I work full time but somehow I feel more energy to do more work around the house and then grouchy that I am not getting a break! lol. Like a cat who wants to be petted and then suddenly bites you. I've been exercising a bit- brisk walks- and feeling stronger (I'm also a breast cancer survivor who went through surgery and chemo 3.5 years ago so still rebuilding strength)

 

Thanks for reading this.

[GFChris]

How's your water consumption? Are you drinking at least 1/2 an ounce of water per pound of body weight, daily?

You might want to lay off the nuts until you have a successful BM: nuts can cause digestive distress.

When you say "chicken tortilla soup without the cheese or tortillas," is this something you're ordering at a restaurant?  If so, soup can be suspect for things like gluten, sugar and soy. 

On the coffee, if it's caffeinated, the recommendation is to not have it after noon, for optimal sleep.

[ladyshanny]

I mostly just wanted to connect with other people doing the whole30 but also I am having REALLY large and hard stools! Sorry for the TMI! It's very uncomfortable. 

 

 

 

I feel more energy to do more work around the house and then grouchy that I am not getting a break! lol. Like a cat who wants to be petted and then suddenly bites you. 

LOL at your cat comment!  I have definitely been there!

 

What was your intake like before you came to Whole30? You can try adding a magnesium supplement to your diet (Natural Calm Unflavoured is compliant) as that brings water to your digestive tract and can soften stools.

[MeadowLily]

[TrayS]

I eat 1/2 to 1 sweet potato twice a day. I bake them in batches of as many that will fit on the baking tray to make it convenient to incorporate them in most meals. For me, sweet potatoes = happiness, no sweet potatoes = frustration, constipationally speaking.

[nicholedvm]

I'm so thankful for all your comments! Here is the post I put on the Facebook page today- I have since discovered and was not surprised to realize I have to start from day 1 again tomorrow! That's fine though- this is a lifestyle change, not a diet. 

Thank you for accepting me to the group! I'm a 42 year old cancer survivor with 2 kids and a lot of belly fat to get rid of! I'm frustrated because I made the big mistake of stepping on the scale today and have only lost about a pound in 8 days!!! frown emoticon I know it's not supposed to be about the weight but for me, I am about 50 lbs overweight and have fat in my liver (and having this fat puts me at higher risk for recurrence of cancer) so I really do need to lose it! Should I eat very small portions? How do you lose a significant amount of weight on this plan? Also, there are no really healthy restaurants around me. Hubby and I went to El Torito and I modified a chicken salad- assuming it is not compliant perhaps due to the cilantro dressing or how the chicken was cooked but cannot find the ingredients online!

[jmcbn]

....Should I eat very small portions? How do you lose a significant amount of weight on this plan? 

You should eat as per the recommended meal template, three times a day. Make your meals big enough to keep you satiated for 4-5hrs, avoid snacking, and your body should start to heal, and your hormones start to settle. Then, and only then, you may start to see weight loss as a nice side effect from eating good wholesome food.

Don't measure, don't restrict, don't count calories, macros, micros or points. Just focus on eating to the template three times a day.

When you're eating out it's probably safest to opt for grilled chicken or fish with steamed veg, or dry salads - get into the habit of bringing your own dressings - and ask, all the time, everywhere you go, what oils they sue to cook, what ingredients are in the foods. It's the only way!

[ladyshanny]

Should I eat very small portions? 

No one should be eating very small portions.  All restriction does is cause your metabolism to dial back which means you have to eat even less to avoid gaining weight.  Which causes your metabolism to reduce further.

 

Eating healthy, whole foods in appropriate quantities (NEVER less than the minimum recommendation in our template) may initially cause you to gain if you have come from a background of heavy or longterm restriction.  Stay with it.  Your body needs nutrients and providing that in regular intervals and proper quantities is going to balance your hormones and your blood sugar and heal your metabolism.  Only when your hormones are balanced and your body is feeling safe, does healthy fat loss occur.  Depending on what your background was before Whole30, this could take awhile....but the entire time you are eating healthy, nutrient dense foods, your body is going to be healing...whether that is visible to you on a $20 piece of plastic or not.  Healing is the key, fat loss is the eventual side effect.