Still bloated, now some heartburn, D24

[Angie W]

I'm on R1D23, still having issues with bloating and now, heartburn.

Here's what I've eaten for the past few days:

Friday:  Breakfast--1.5 c Melissa's chicken hash with 1/2 avocado, lunch--leftover buffalo chicken casserole (larger than palm),2 c.  green salad with olive oil and vinegar, banana, dinner--1.5 c. chicken protein salad over a 3 c. of greens, red pepper, cucumber, 1/2 avocado, cucumber salad (cucumbers, onion, vinegar, dill).  

Thursday:  breakfast--1.5 c Melissa's chicken hash with 1/2 avocado, 1/2 c strawberries, lunch--same as Friday, no banana, snack--veggies with dump ranch and hard-boiled egg, dinner--2 salmon cakes, 1 c. lemon asparagus, 1 c. leftover potato salad.

Wednesday:  breakfast--3 eggs scrambled with lots of veggies and spinach, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 c strawberries, lunch--1.5 c. protein salad over 2 c. greens, 1/2 c olives, dinner--buffalo chicken casserole, big green salad, 1/2 avocado, maybe some leftover potato salad.

I have 2 cups of black coffee around breakfast time, and usually a seltzer water after dinner.  I drink 80+ oz. of plain water a day.  I have not cheated.

I was feeling good until around Day 10-12, when I started bloating.  I cut out cruciferous vegetables after posting here, and the bloat is better, but not gone.  My rings were looser around Day 10 than they are now! I also stopped eating nuts.

I have a herniated disc in my lower spine, so I'm not working out.  Otherwise, I am pretty healthy.

I'm trying to figure out what my options are for this last week.  Eliminate nightshades?  High FODMAP foods?  Or just stay the course and see where I am next Saturday?

I have been gluten-free for years.  I am not eating anything radically different than before--more protein and more plated fats, that's it. (One week it was a lot more cauliflower and brussel sprouts--but I've cut them out.)

I was down 4 pounds, now back up 3.  (I weighed myself to see if the bloat was real, and it was.)  Clearly something is bothering me--I used to think it was dairy and wine in addition to gluten--gluten makes me bloat, plus there's a bonus rash and headache.  Now I'm wondering if it was something else altogether all along .  . . .

 

 

 

 

[jmcbn]

The rash & headache would make me think that potatoes are your issue as they can cause both symptoms, but up until then my hunch was the avocado which you've been eating at least once a day - again a problematic food for many people.

I'd be inclined to go with my gut (see what I did there? ) and suggest you exclude the avocado for a few days and see if you don't see improvement - if not then try eliminating the potato.

Hope this helps

[Angie W]

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I don't have a rash now--I get one from gluten (in addition to bloating like I have now).  I was wondering about avocado and potatoes.  I'll eliminate avocado first.  Ugh, need to buy more olives!

Thanks.

[Rblake02]

I am on D23 at the moment and have decided to eliminate potatoes and bell peppers (eliminated 3 days ago due to bloating) and I already see a difference in my bloating. Please let me know how eliminating avocados goes because that may be my next thing to eliminate (no guacamole AHHH). I will probably turn my W30 into a W40/W50 because I'd really like to know what is causing this!

[Angie W]

I am D28 and *most* of the bloating is gone.  Hooray!  Sorry, I'm not much help on avocados, because I didn't see much in the way of results from eliminating them alone.  I eliminated all medium and high-FODMAP foods (ugh, and it is a big list).  That plus digestive enzymes for 2 days and I'm much, much better.  I realize enzymes are not a long-term solution, but I'm using them now to get over the hump until I figure out exactly which high-FODMAP foods are the biggest issue (hopefully not all of them!).

I have not eliminated white potatoes or peppers, so it's not nightshades.  Some good news, for me, at least.

I finish in 2 days.  My plan is to start reintro with sulfite-free wine.  Because wine.   (I realize that alcohol is high-FODMAP--hoping I can have a glass here and there without huge downsides.)   And then I will move on to high-FODMAP foods before the rest of the reintroductions, because I really miss some of the high-FODMAP foods. (Avocados and cruciferous vegetables--I'm hoping I can have small portions once in a while.  And garlic.  I can't even conceive of a life without garlic. . . .)

 

Good luck.  It's pretty sucky to be nearly done with Whole30 and still be having issues when you were looking forward to feeling great.  So frustrating!