Constipation during Whole30

[NataliaB]

I am new to Whole 30. This my first time and I am on day 11.  I used to eat healthy food most of the time before the program.  But as I started W30 I am constipated most of the time (I  seldom had that kind of problem before).  Can anyone help me with an advice? Is it normal? It becomes discouraging.   

[Dreamlet]

There's not really enough info here to provide a specific response. It could be your digestive system adjusting to the changes in your diet. Other possibilities:

1. Are you eating enough?

2. Are you eating enough veggies and fat? 

3. Are you drinking enough water?

4. Are you eating a lot of nuts? 

I bet if you post a few days of your meals you can get more specific feedback. 

[NataliaB]

3 hours ago, Dreamlet said:

There's not really enough info here to provide a specific response. It could be your digestive system adjusting to the changes in your diet. Other possibilities:

1. Are you eating enough?

2. Are you eating enough veggies and fat? 

3. Are you drinking enough water?

4. Are you eating a lot of nuts? 

I bet if you post a few days of your meals you can get more specific feedback. 

Dreamlet,

1. Actually now I am eating less than I used to but I feel satiated after each meal.

2. I have more vegies than I used to, I can not eat much meet. (I have it once per day not more than 150 gr.)

3. I drink 1.5 L water per day, one or two cups of tea

4. nuts?  , yes! almonds or peanuts, between meals; in 2 -3 hours after basic meals I get hungry again.

So, an example of my meal during a work day is: 9.00 - one cup of coffee; 10.30 - some snack (nuts or a fruit, sometimes I miss it); lunch  - veal of half palm size with vegetable salad , sometimes at lunch I eat just vegetable salad with an egg, or tuna or cod liver in it; 2 or 3 hours later I have nuts   or a fruit (really I have no idea what else I can have for snack) , evening - hm! ... something that I can do really quickly , an omelet for example.  On weekends I have time to eat am omelet in the morning. But really I think that soon I will not even want to see any egg.  

But in general, I feel pretty energetic, I do yoga, palates and dance classes, usually 4-5 classes per week. I already lost some weight, like 3-4 kg. Still want to loose some belly fat.

 

[ShannonM816]

If you eat less, there's less output, so keep that in mind.

Peanuts are not allowed on Whole30, they're legumes, they're specifically mentioned in the rules.  Nuts and seeds in general can be hard to digest, so if you're having digestive issues, you probably want to avoid them. 

For water, aim for 1/2 oz per pound of body weight, so a 120 lb person needs at least 60 oz per day. Your 1.5 liters is about 50 oz.

You really will get the best results if you make your meals meet the meal template, and you'll be eating enough vegetables to help with the constipation issue. The added fat should help a lot with that too. I understand that the meal template is a very, very different way of eating for many people, but I would highly recommend you try it for 30 days and see how you feel. You say you can't eat much meat -- even so, you can have eggs.  We've had people do the whole 30 days with nothing but eggs. It's boring, but if you can't add more meat, that's how you get your protein. (nuts and seeds are fats for Whole30 purposes, they're not a complete protein source.)

You'd also do best to try to eat an actual meal within an hour of waking up in the morning. Having coffee first will suppress your appetite, which is not what we want you to do. You sound like a pretty active person, so you should be eating three meals a day, plus you may need pre- and post-workout meals in addition to that on days you work out. Gentle yoga wouldn't necessarily mean you needed them, but anything that taxes your muscles or that keeps your heart rate up for an extended period would benefit from the extra fuel.

When your meals meet the meal template, you will stay satisfied for 4-5 at a time and won't really need snacks, but while you're working out how much to eat, your snacks should really look like small meals with a mix of protein, fat, and vegetables, or at least two of the three.

[NataliaB]

Oh, sorry I meant hazelnuts, are they ok?!

 

[ShannonM816]

Hazelnuts are fine.