Day 23 and something I'm eating is still making me sick??

[MrsMcG]

Hi everyone!

 

I'm on Day 23 of my Whole30 and have remained 100% compliant.

 

However, with the exception of a few good days, I am still feeling pretty yucky on the inside. I can only assume SOMETHING I am eating is not agreeing with me.

 

Sample menu: (meals 1 & 2 are what I ate today; meal 3 is from last night)

 

Meal 1: coffee with ghee & coconut oil (about 1 tbsp. each), 3 eggs, large avocado, 1-2 large servings of veggies

 

Meal 2: grilled chicken, small red potato with ghee, 3-4 large servings of veggies, small serving green grapes, handful of black olives

 

Meal 3: two Aidell's chicken apple sausages, 2 servings vegetables, heaping handful unsweetened coconut (I know some are sensitive to coconut and I thought I was in the beginning, but I experimented with taking it out and adding it back in and it made no difference, so I don't think that's my issue)

 

 

For vegetables I try to eat a variety, but the ones I eat most frequently are kale, spinach, cherry tomatoes, carrots, jicama, and bell peppers of all colors. I typically only eat one serving of fruit a day and it's generally blackberries, blueberries or grapes.

 

I reduced my fruit intake two weeks ago and stopped eating nuts one week ago thinking that one of those two things could be my problem, but my belly still hurts.

 

I have seen some posts about FODMAPS and have read some of the shopping lists for the different variations of Whole30 but it is confusing and overwhelming to me to try and pinpoint if any of these conditions apply to me. How would I know if I needed to try low FODMAPS? Or if I should be following the autoimmune protocol? I do have endometriosis but as I understand it the jury is still out as to whether that is an autoimmune disorder?

 

Any suggestions? This kind of bums me out because I was really hoping to feel better on Whole30, and now that I am into the final week I am sad because I'm not seeing the results I wanted!

 

I will say I sleep better, my sugar cravings are gone, and I no longer snack. So those are all definitely positives. But I am feeling kind of hopeless at this point because I am still hurting.

 

A friend of mine mentioned that she had struggled with fat malabsorption in the past and my symptoms sounded similar to hers. I did some research and I definitely have one symptom that fits the description to  T - without going into gory detail, my bowel movements have been exactly like those described with fat malabsorption.

 

Any ideas you all might have would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

Thanks!

 

 

[MrsMcG]

Forgot to add - I was told awhile ago I wasn't eating enough for my activity level - on workout days I eat protein and veggies as my PWO, protein is usually a chicken thigh because we always have leftovers and they are easy!

[Guest Andria]

I would suggest ditching the 2 TB worth of fat in your coffee. I am not a fan of this bulletproof coffee dealio (it was meant for people who are *fasting*)  and think we should not drink fat just as much as we shouldn't drink our fruit/veggies (i.e. smoothies).  Stick to the 1-2 thumbs of fat per meal and be sure to EAT it and not drink it.

 

Have you tried digestive enzymes and Betaine HCl?

 

All of that said, if you think you have symptoms of fat malabsorption and they persist, you should see your doctor

[MrsMcG]

I have not tried digestive enzymes or Betaine HCl - I'm not familiar with those! Are there particular brands that are recommended/compliant?

 

I actually started the ghee & coconut oil in my coffee because I was struggling to get enough fat throughout the rest of the day, and because I had to give up nuts so I was down to avocado and olives as the only fat source I could actually "eat" - the rest was coming from cooking with ghee and oils. Adding olives to lunch and coconut to dinner helps with that a bit. Before I started doing the ghee & coconut oil in the morning I was noticing really dry skin and someone suggesting upping my fat to help with that. But it sounds like you think the extra fat may be too much? I hadn't considered fat as the possible culprit. I will try going without for the next day or so and see if that helps!

 

Thank you!

[Tom Denham]

I think your fat consumption may be a bit too high. At meal 1 you have fat in your coffee, whole eggs, a large avocado, plus whatever cooking fat is involved with preparing your veggies. So you have 4/5 fats in your first meal. Meals 2 and 3 seem more in line with recommendations. You may not be excessive on fat, but meal one stands out as a bit high. 

 

If the fat and protein you are eating now is much higher than you were eating before, your gut may still be trying to catch up. Digestive enzymes can help. Here is a basic article about them. We avoid making specific recommendations because vendors have changed formulations on us before and made our recommendations invalid. However, there are products out there on Amazon.com and in local stores. 

[Guest Andria]

I have not tried digestive enzymes or Betaine HCl - I'm not familiar with those! Are there particular brands that are recommended/compliant?

 

I actually started the ghee & coconut oil in my coffee because I was struggling to get enough fat throughout the rest of the day, and because I had to give up nuts so I was down to avocado and olives as the only fat source I could actually "eat" - the rest was coming from cooking with ghee and oils. Adding olives to lunch and coconut to dinner helps with that a bit. Before I started doing the ghee & coconut oil in the morning I was noticing really dry skin and someone suggesting upping my fat to help with that. But it sounds like you think the extra fat may be too much? I hadn't considered fat as the possible culprit. I will try going without for the next day or so and see if that helps!

 

Thank you!

Yes, I do think M1 is particularly high in fat.  My main issue with it, though, is the drinking of the fat.  Drinking fat will be less satiating than actually chewing it.  Depending what and how you are cooking, you could be getting a good dose of fat from that. I know much of my cooking fat gets absorbed; foods like onions and sweet potatoes soak up the fat.  If much of your cooking fat stays in the pan, just coat your veggies with added melted ghee.  Also, fattier cuts of organic, grass fed meat and eating the skin on organic chicken is another way to get your fat more naturally than adding an oil slick to your coffee

 

Below is a link to an article that explains digestive enzymes.  A good supplement store (i.e., not GNC) or Whole Foods will have a good stock of digestive enzymes. You will have to read ingredient lists to be sure they do not contain off plan ingredients.

 

http://whole9life.com/2012/09/digestive-enzymes-101/

[Sheena812]

I tend to have a problem with Ghee. I now avoid it as much as possible

[MrsMcG]

Thanks for the info!

I will try taking out the fats in the coffee in the morning and see if that makes a difference. I will admit, I'm a little apprehensive about it though, because before I added those extra fats in the morning I was feeling weak and hungry long before lunch. The two extra servings of fat made my breakfast stick with me a lot longer. I experimented with adding extra protein with my 3 eggs but it made me feel too full. I was pretty excited when I figured out that getting lots of fat in the morning would set me up to have a really good day! :-) So if that's what's causing me to feel icky I will be bummed.

 

I'm feeling kind of disappointed in myself because I'm on day 24, only 6 days left, and I still feel like I haven't got the hang of this yet. It seems like throughout this whole experience I'm always doing something wrong ... too much fruit, not enough protein, not enough food, too much protein, not enough starchy veggies, too many starchy veggies, too much fat ... I fix one thing and then I find I'm doing something else wrong. Trying not to have myself a little pity party here but I had hoped that by this stage in the game I would have gotten into more of a routine and found what works for me.

 

I guess that's why people do multiple Whole30s, it must take some people longer than others to find their groove.

 

In any event I appreciate the feedback and will try the suggestions! Thank you for your help!

[ultrarunnergirl]

MrsMcG,

 

  Don't think of it as you not getting the hang of it, it's really you figuring out what works for you. It takes us all some time to figure out what agrees with us and what doesn't. It took me weeks to figure out that coconut milk and oil were ok for me, but coconut flakes and coconut butter gave me stomach pain.

 

  Be encouraged, you're doing the hard work now, so you can feel better the rest of your life.

 

  You can do this!

[ladyshanny]

You're working so hard at trying to find your personal forumla, please try not to get discouraged.  It is laudable that you are giving yourself this time to figure out what YOU need.  You aren't relying on some faceless panel of questionable doctors in a room to tell you what and how much you get to eat.  You are using data that you are gathering about yourself and getting actual solid facts about what works for you.

 

At this point you know that you need extra fat in the morning to feel your best.  That's completely fine and maybe it is more than the average person needs, that's alright too.  Now try and experiment with what sorts of fat.  Maybe try cutting the fat a tad and adding a tad more protein or another scoop of veggies.  

 

No one said that finding your perfect formula was going to be easy, it's not. But it's worth spending the time figuring out and 30 days, while great, is a teeny drop in the bucket of learning about yourself and how you function in the world as it relates to food as fuel.  And just so you know, once you have it all figured out don't be surprised if it changes when the seasons change or when your stress level changes or when you get your period or when you go on vacation.