Sorry, but..... oily poop?! and losing momentum

[beckya]

I am on day 26 and having been doing great, until about 3-4 days ago. I thought this was going to be really difficult for me, but it actually was very enjoyable and not hard at all, until a few days ago. I'm reaching out for help here because I don't know if these two things are related, but started happening at the same time. About 4 days ago, I noticed a weird thing -  when I pooped it had oil droplets in the toilet. Like a lot. Then the same every day since. I also have started having what I would describe as a bad attitude in general about food/finishing the Whole30, feeling like I have stopped making progress. Here is a breakdown of before this setback and now:

 

Days 1-22:

Easy to do

felt great, lean and energetic and positive

no bloating/gas/stomach cramps

Mentally feeling like a champ - food took up less energy in my brain, less stress, feeling like it was in it's proper place (as fuel)

 

Days 22-26:

I'm grumpy about this

I feel like I'm relying on sheer willpower to finish, but I am "defaulting" back to my old mindset about food (anticipating, reward, etc.)

I feel bloated/gassy/slight stomach cramps

Low energy

 

To give a snapshot of my meals, since I've been doing my research on these forums and I know I'll be asked:

Breakfast - hash made of sweet potatoes, riced cauliflower and onions with 3 eggs on top

Lunch - one zucchini, spiralized, with one can of tuna, red onion, mayo and sesame oil

Snack - probably 2 handfuls of almonds, a few bites of grilled chicken and a few bites of leftover lunch

Dinner - leftover sw potato hash from breakfast with 3 more eggs on top

I drink plenty of water but also drink coffee

 

I did some research and think that I've been eating too many nuts - I have some every day and more than the suggested closed handful. So that might be causing the oily poops, but I also read online about maybe the fat not absorbing and wondering if that's causing the low energy?

 

I'm also a working mother of 3 kids, ages 4 and under, and am breastfeeding my 4 month old, so I know I have a baseline lower energy and less sleep than would be ideal. And need more food than normal.

 

Hoping someone can help shed some light on if I might be feeling this setback due to type/amount/proportion of foods.

Thanks!

 

[Karen_Suep]

Aim for 4 meals or 3 meals and two mini meals with protein fat and veggies. Nuts are an inferior fat source so try something different like rendered animal fats, ghee, avocado, olives, coconut, pesto etc. and make sure you're having at least 1 serving at a meal. Some moms sip a can of coconut milk through the day to help with life nursing.

But as far as oily poops I'm not sure how to help.

[beckya]

Thanks for the reply. I'll have to be more careful of following the meal template (when possible).

Do you know - if I wanted to see a professional about this (assuming my regular doctor wouldn't be very helpful) what kind of professional should I seek out - like a nutritionist, dietician, etc? I have no idea what the differences are but I assume there are professionals out there who do this kind of work (focused on food)

Thanks.

[jmcbn]

I did some research and think that I've been eating too many nuts - I have some every day and more than the suggested closed handful. So that might be causing the oily poops, but I also read online about maybe the fat not absorbing and wondering if that's causing the low energy?

 

 

Thanks!

Precisely this. The oil you are seeing is malabsorbed fat - most likely from the high volume of nuts you're eating, and since your digestive system is having to work hard to process the nuts then it stands to reason that you'd be low on energy. If you switch the nuts for any of the fats suggested by karen above you should see improvement. 

What advice is it you are looking for from a dietician/nutritionist?