LJC Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 Hi. I'd be feeling GREAT about Whole30 if I wasn't constantly battling constipation and bloating. I've read tons of stuff on the forum here about possible problems and solutions and, I think, have tried virtually all of them, largely to no avail. This morning, I woke up again with my stomach distended and the feeling like I have a bowling ball in my lower GI tract. I poop every day, but not alot and it's much darker than before -- certainly not as much as before Whole30. And....I've been waking up with a bit of reflux, something else I never had before Whole30. That usually eases over the course of the day....but still.... About me: I'm 48. Went on Whole30 because I'm overweight (5'2, 175) and want to get more mindful about my eating, as well as break my bread/starches addiction (as well as my fondness for sneaking terrible takeout chinese food). I'm an experienced cook and, long before starting this, when not eating too much bread or bad takeout, ate mostly high quality proteins and veg (organic/local/pastured/grass fed). I didn't eat nearly as much red meat. I also always ate dairy, though not a ton (lowfat yogurt, a bit of cheese here and there, cream in my coffee). I exercise by running and walking @ 4x/week. What I've been eating: I've been following the food template to a tee, I think. I was using cauliflower rice and onions as two of my favorite "fall back" veggies during the first 10-12 days of the diet, but I've cut them out thinking that maybe this was a FODMAP issue. (I should note that I've cooked with lots of onions and garlic my whole life and never got the tiniest bit of indigestion from them). Yesterday I ate: BREAKFAST 12 oz lemon water when I woke up Sauteed a sweet potato in a bit of oilve oil with cinnamon and cumin; mixed it with leftover hamburger, and I ate it with a couple of tablespoons of homemade simple guac (avocado,salt, lime juice). Had another 12 oz lemon water LUNCH 15-20- baby carrots another leftover hamburger 1/2 c homeade simple guac per above 12 oz unsweetened iced tea and another 12 oz water DINNER sauteed in a generous amount of olive oil 1 very large zucchini with 8 fresh wild shrimp, added olive oil, crushed red pepper, and a moderate amount (less than I usually would - probably 1 clove) slivered garlic. I tried to avoid eating the slivered garlic when I ate dinner 2 more 12 oz glasses of water Day before I ate: BREAKFAST 2 scrambled eggs with 6 crimini mushrooms 1 cup fresh spinach 2 small slices of proscuitto ghee for sauteeing iced coffee with homemade almond milk LUNCH grilled organic salmon romaine lettuce salad (it had a small amount of shredded red and green cabbage, shredded apple, and shredded carrot in it) closed handful of cashews 1/2 cup homemade pineapple salsa (pineapple, a tiny bit of red onion, a little bit of jalapeno, cilantro) 24 oz iced herb (non-caffeinated) iced mint tea DINNER 2 grilled applegate organic beef hotdogs 1 cup + saurkraut 12-15 baby carrots 1/2 cup of my homemade guac Another 24-36 oz of water. Supplements I used to take a gummy cal/mag and gummy vitamin c/d. I ended these when I started Whole30. I've been taking a probiotic (PB8) in the morning since I started Whole30. The past 4 days, I've been taking papaya enzymes before every meal in the hopes that they may help. (They do, I think, but not much). I take fish oil every morning too. THANKS FOR ANY SUGGESTIONS! MY PANTS ALREADY ARE A BIT LOOSER AND MY NAILS AND SKIN LOOK GOOD, BUT I WOULD FEEL SOOOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER IF I COULD SHAKE THIS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted July 8, 2016 Administrators Share Posted July 8, 2016 Hi. I'd be feeling GREAT about Whole30 if I wasn't constantly battling constipation and bloating. I've read tons of stuff on the forum here about possible problems and solutions and, I think, have tried virtually all of them, largely to no avail. This morning, I woke up again with my stomach distended and the feeling like I have a bowling ball in my lower GI tract. I poop every day, but not alot and it's much darker than before -- certainly not as much as before Whole30. And....I've been waking up with a bit of reflux, something else I never had before Whole30. That usually eases over the course of the day....but still.... About me: I'm 48. Went on Whole30 because I'm overweight (5'2, 175) and want to get more mindful about my eating, as well as break my bread/starches addiction (as well as my fondness for sneaking terrible takeout chinese food). I'm an experienced cook and, long before starting this, when not eating too much bread or bad takeout, ate mostly high quality proteins and veg (organic/local/pastured/grass fed). I didn't eat nearly as much red meat. I also always ate dairy, though not a ton (lowfat yogurt, a bit of cheese here and there, cream in my coffee). I exercise by running and walking @ 4x/week. What I've been eating: I've been following the food template to a tee, I think. I was using cauliflower rice and onions as two of my favorite "fall back" veggies during the first 10-12 days of the diet, but I've cut them out thinking that maybe this was a FODMAP issue. (I should note that I've cooked with lots of onions and garlic my whole life and never got the tiniest bit of indigestion from them). Yesterday I ate: BREAKFAST 12 oz lemon water when I woke up Sauteed a sweet potato in a bit of oilve oil with cinnamon and cumin; mixed it with leftover hamburger, and I ate it with a couple of tablespoons of homemade simple guac (avocado,salt, lime juice). Had another 12 oz lemon water avocado as fat should be half to a whole one. 2tbsp isn't cutting it. Add some non-starchy veggies here on the order of 2-3 cups LUNCH 15-20- baby carrots another leftover hamburger 1/2 c homeade simple guac per above 12 oz unsweetened iced tea and another 12 oz water add more veggies here. Something non-starchy, around 2-3 cups (ie, steamed brocoli, steamed green beans etc) DINNER sauteed in a generous amount of olive oil 1 very large zucchini with 8 fresh wild shrimp, added olive oil, crushed red pepper, and a moderate amount (less than I usually would - probably 1 clove) slivered garlic. I tried to avoid eating the slivered garlic when I ate dinner 2 more 12 oz glasses of water 8 shrimp is not enough protein, use your palm (length, width and thickness as a measure) and then have 1-2 palms. Ensure you are getting about 2-3 cups of vegetables. Probably could use adding fat here also. Day before I ate: BREAKFAST 2 scrambled eggs with 6 crimini mushrooms 1 cup fresh spinach 2 small slices of proscuitto ghee for sauteeing iced coffee with homemade almond milk proscuitto is a fat not a protein for all intents. Eat at least another egg or another cooked meat here. Add vegetables. Add fat - cooking fat barely counts as most stays in the pan. LUNCH grilled organic salmon romaine lettuce salad (it had a small amount of shredded red and green cabbage, shredded apple, and shredded carrot in it) closed handful of cashews 1/2 cup homemade pineapple salsa (pineapple, a tiny bit of red onion, a little bit of jalapeno, cilantro) 24 oz iced herb (non-caffeinated) iced mint tea salad as a veggie needs to be enormous. Think mixing-bowl sized. Add sturdy veggie here. Make sure your salmon was at least palm sized. DINNER 2 grilled applegate organic beef hotdogs 1 cup + saurkraut 12-15 baby carrots 1/2 cup of my homemade guac Another 24-36 oz of water. this meal actually looks pretty good Supplements I used to take a gummy cal/mag and gummy vitamin c/d. I ended these when I started Whole30. I've been taking a probiotic (PB8) in the morning since I started Whole30. The past 4 days, I've been taking papaya enzymes before every meal in the hopes that they may help. (They do, I think, but not much). I take fish oil every morning too. THANKS FOR ANY SUGGESTIONS! MY PANTS ALREADY ARE A BIT LOOSER AND MY NAILS AND SKIN LOOK GOOD, BUT I WOULD FEEL SOOOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER IF I COULD SHAKE THIS! My impression is that you are drinking only enough fluids for a 120# person and at least half that intake is in the form of tea. We recommend 1/2 ounce per pound of bodyweight in water. Just water. Tea etc can be bonus fluids. Based on your reported weight you should be at about 88 ounces of water a day. Second impression is that you are not eating enough vegetables. We really mean fill your plate with veggies. Get a variety, lots of colors and variation. Veggies and their fibre are what provides the needed bulk to move poop through your system. Lack of veggies and lack of water are likely culprits to your issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJC Posted July 8, 2016 Author Share Posted July 8, 2016 Thanks for the quick feedback! Really helpful. I'll definitely up my water intake, though, as I think about it, it's probably even more than what I wrote, as I drink throughout the day in addition to meals. And, I'll add in significantly more sturdier non-starch veg. But, FWIW, when I had the salmon and salad it was a palm-sized portion and I ate an entire head of romaine. And the shrimp were 3/4 of a pound worth of large shrimp. Definitely palm-sized or two of protein. When I have iced coffee with almond milk, I tend to make it a bit light (using about a 1/4-1/3 c almond milk). I thought that would count as a fat. No? Certainly always happy to add in more avocado or nuts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted July 8, 2016 Administrators Share Posted July 8, 2016 Watch nuts and nut products for bloating and stomach disruption. They are notorious! It doesn't look like you're having much but if you're already struggling with digestive issues you may want to avoid nuts/nut milks/nut butters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieP757 Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 There's virtually no fat in almond milk. I was going to suggest a good probiotic and a magnesium supplement in addition to adding more fat to your meals and drinking more water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri822 Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 Have you tried resistance starch? Green plantains really helped to keep me regular - before whole30 I would make plantain "bread" with eggs coconut oil& plantain .. It really helped but maybe try just baked green plantains (not the ones with brown spots ect/ those are higher sugar and less starch ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri822 Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 I also do one tbsp calm before bed and that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grace422 Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 Hi LJC, Congrats on getting started. I am a long term vegetarian. A few years ago I tasted about 1/2 small organic buffalo meatball. That was enough to cause bloating and constipation the next day. If you are not used to eating as much red meat, as you indicated, you might try more fish or eggs instead. You can do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJC Posted July 12, 2016 Author Share Posted July 12, 2016 Thanks so much for all of the encouragement! Adding lots more veg (broccoli, string beans, snap peas), keeping my onion intake lower, and drinking even more water seems to have helped quite a bit. I suspect also just being patient and letting my body adjust to this new diet also helps.....'m still not fully past the issues, but it is much better and I actually can tell I've lost a bit of weight now (by the way my jeans fit). As of tomorrow, only 10 days to go! (But I still would give my left arm for a bagel and cream cheese. . . . ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ultrarunnergirl Posted July 12, 2016 Moderators Share Posted July 12, 2016 I've done five or six rounds, and I seem to get the bloating about midway through. Just don't go clothes shopping then ... I'm stuck with a beautiful skirt that is a size too large now! Keep on keepin' on ... this will pass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJC Posted July 23, 2016 Author Share Posted July 23, 2016 Just wanted to provide an update....The GI issues got quite a bit better. The Natural Calm helped quite a bit! The other good news - I finished my first Whole30 and my skin's clearer, my appetite is much better regulated (though I still am dying for a bagel and cream cheese), and I lost 13.5 lbs! Hooray! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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