Trading one issue for another?

[ballerina2180]

Good morning all!

I am on day 22 of my first Whole30.  I started this due to some GI issues I had been experiencing following a bout of the flu.  I had marked bloating and the frequent need to use the restroom (#2).  I went to see my doctor and did all the lab tests with nothing found.  She suggested I give this a try.

 

I am no longer experiencing the significant bloating and gas, but now I have the reverse issue and don't really #2 a lot.  I'm not sure how to troubleshoot this?  (And it is kind of embarrassing....)

 

Here is what I usually eat:

 

Breakfast:

Eggs with spinach, peppers, tomatoes

Bowl of blueberries and strawberries

Banana

Coffee

 

Lunch:

Salad with spinach, kale

Tomatoes

Olives

Carrots

Zucchini

Apple

 

Dinner:

Protein - chicken, pork chop, ground beef

Starchy vegetable - usually sweet potato

Other vegetable - broccoli, green beans

Apple/nectarine/peach

 

I drink plenty of water throughout the day but I can't find the good balance between my previous diet and my current?  Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

[Guest]

The starchy vegetable with dinner could be the culprit. Usually that can affect our ability to #2. Also, banana's are usually considered constipating. My son's pediatrician always suggests having him eat them when he gets sick and has the runs =p Maybe try a few days using acorn squash at dinner instead of sweet potato and skip the banana at breakfast? Good luck and /hugs to ya!

[jmcbn]

Other than the olives at lunch I see no mention of fat. Are you adding a fat source to each meal?

Are you drinking the recommended half an ounce of water per pound of body weight, daily?

 

Are you taking a magnesium supplement?

[ballerina2180]

I do add avocado to the eggs most mornings.  I do cook with a lot of olive oil, so the protein and the potato use that.  I drink about 60-70 ounces of water per day, and I weigh about 110 lbs. 

 

I am not taking a magnesium supplement.

 

I am very active, training for a marathon and do eat pre and post work out.  (usually dates/nuts before, and then egg or dinner right after)  I have been sleeping very well and have been experiencing other great benefits but it is hard because the very issue that caused me to start this is continuing

 

It's just very frustrating because I used to be very regular, being able to go well once in the morning and now it's a little throughout the day.   I appreciate all of the help so far and would appreciate any other suggestions! 

[jmcbn]

Ok, so the oil you're using to cook in is not enough - add a fat source to each meal - this should helps get things moving for starters.

Ditch the nuts - there are far superior fat sources out there, each of them less problematic on the digestive system than nuts - particularly for a preWO. Egg as a postWO is fine so long as you're not eating the yolk as it's fat content will sow down absorption of the nutrients, hindering recovery. If you're skipping postWO altogether and going straight for dinner you are doing your body a disservice. PostWO need only be a few bites of a lean protein. Don;t sohrt change yourself on that one.

Add in a magnesium supplement. Magnesium deficiency is one of the most common deficiencies of the modern world - only 30-50% of the magnesium we eat is absorbed and since modern farming techniques have depleted our soils of it there is less available to us in our food. Magnesium acts as a muscle relaxant (amongst other things) and so it often helps in the bathroom department.

Water-wise you look good.

 

Hope this helps.