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Day 15 and Miserable - Help! (IBS related?)


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Hi Everyone,

 

    A year ago I was diagnosed with "IBS." I also found out that I had become lactose intolerant - so I began seeing a holistic doctor since it seemed that no other doctor could help me. After doing testing, we found out that my body is producing a great deal more of bad bacteria than good bacteria and that I have a difficult time digesting fats. My test results also showed inflammation, symptoms of IBS, and I fit all criteria for having a "leaky gut."

 

 I decided to try the Whole 30 with the hopes of healing my gut, but I am on Day 15 and just don't see anything good happening. My bathroom routine is a mess - only going once every 3 to 4 days which is not normal for me, my acne is worse than it has been in years (I have little red bumps everywhere), and I am ending almost every night bloated and gassy. 

 

 I know that I need to give it the full 30 days, which I plan to, but was wondering if anyone had any of the same symptoms. Does it get worse before it gets better? 

 

 Thank you for anything!!! 

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I know skin-related symptoms tend to get worse before they get better.

 

For the rest of it, I'd really recommend listing out a couple of days' worth of food (including approximate portion sizes), water intake, and exercise, and see if anyone notices anything that you could try changing to have better results. 

 

Common causes of constipation and bloating include not drinking enough water -- aim for 1/2 oz per pound of body weight, so if you weigh 120 lbs, aim for at least 60 oz of water. Eating mostly raw vegetables as opposed to cooked can increase bloating for some people, and of course, there are some vegetables, like cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, etc.) that are more likely to increase digestive issues for many people regardless of whether they're cooked or raw. Eating too many nuts can also cause issues for many people.

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Thank you both! The weird thing is, I know it's not my water. I chug 8 ounces every morning when I wake up, then start my day with either a cup of green tea or ginger tea.

 

On the way to work I drink another cup of tea. Then I fill my 32 ounce water bottle twice, and usually have 1 more cup of tea during the day. At night, I drink a glass of tea before I go to bed. I weight about 130 pounds, so I think I am doing okay with this.

 

As for meals, this is what a typical day might be:

 

Meal 1: Baked salmon, steamed veggie of some kind with dandelion greens and swiss chard and avocado

             2 eggs, steamed veggie of some kind with dandelion greens and swiss chard and avocado

 

 I typically alternate between those two

 

Meal 2: Salad greens with a protein (canned tuna or grilled chicken), and then steamed veggies on top with olive oil, lemon and avocado, side of soup

            leftovers from whatever dinner the night before

 

Meal 3: Protein (grilled chicken, ground beef or turkey), mixed into some sort of vegetables. Always cooked in some kind of good fat. 

 

 

I have been eating 3 big meals, but maybe I should try eating smaller meals? 

If I get hungry and need a snack I will munch on veggies or a Lara Bar

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Can you be more specific about the types of veggies?

IBS/Leaky Gut sufferers are often recommended to follow a low FODMAP diet so it would be interesting to see if you are eating high FODMAPs.

Your avocado is high FODMAP for starters, as would be the larabar - which incidentally is for emergency use only. Snacking is not an emergency by any stretch of the imagination...

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1. I am following pretty much a low-FODMAP diet and have cut most nightshades. When I say avocado, I usually have about 1/6 of one at a time (which I think you can do on low-FODMAP). I cook with coconut oil or ghee, and use olive oil with my salads.

 

2. Types of veggies I eat are: zucchini, squash, butternut squash, bok choy, green beans (in moderation), bell peppers, some sweet potatoes (but eat just with veggies, not with protein), onion

 

If I eat fruit, I eat berries and/or banana, sometimes pineapple in the morning on an empty stomach

 

3. I am active - exercise about 5 days a week (mixture between yoga, cardio, and bodypump)

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You are eating mostly low FODMAP but there a couple of things you're eating that would cause me great distress:

Onions

Bananas

Sweet Potatoes

Avocado

Your larabar contains nuts & dates - both cause me to bloat almost immediately.

If it were me I'd eliminate all culprits until the symptoms subside, allowing the gut to heal, and then reintroduce gradually. With FODMAPs the issue is the build up of the malabsorbed sugars in the system. Once the gut is inflamed you are only aggravating it further by eating even small amounts of high FODMAPs on a daily basis.

I also wouldn't eat fruit in the morning on an empty stomach.

Have you considered adding in any fermented foods like kombucha?

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So no fruit at all is what you are saying? Until I heal?

 

I eat Kimchi and sauerkraut, and I take a probiotic each night before I go to sleep. I though Kombucha had a lot of sugar in it?

 

I will cut out what you said above!!

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Not necessarily no fruit - I'd eat from the green list on >this link< about half way down the page....

Although what I said about fruit in the morning still stands regardless - but that's more about blood sugars than bloating/FODMAPs.

Kombucha is fine so long as there hasn't been sugar added after the first ferment as the scoby feeds off of the sugar in the initial brew. I added it in about 2 months ago and have seen great improvement in my digestion. I'm also low FODMAP by the way  :)

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With squash the general rule of thumb is that the soft skinned (available in summer) are fine, but the hard skinned (mostly available winter & with a longer shelf life) should be eaten in moderation.

Hope this helps  :)

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