Tons of energy, but still constipated after 30 days

[hannigan]

Hi Everyone,

It has officially been one week since I completed my first Whole 30. I have already been gluten- and dairy-free for six years (I have Celiac Disease and I'm allergic to milk) so it wasn't that huge of an adjustment for me. However, I had been struggling with fatigue and a weak immune system, so I thought I would give Whole30 a shot.

Within a week, I noticed the results I was hoping for: tons more energy, faster recovery from workouts, and just feeling  a lot healthier and stronger. But there was one problem. I was constipated.

Now I want to make one thing very clear: BEFORE the Whole 30, my digestion was amazing. I keep very strict gluten- and dairy-free, so I have had virtually zero stomach issues since I first went gluten-free in 2011. (The only time it acts up is when I accidentally eat gluten, which I definitely haven't done in over a year.)

I expected it to get better as my body adjusted, and it did improve slightly, but even though I've been off the Whole 30 for a week now, my digestion is not nearly as good as it was before.

So in conclusion: the Whole 30 gave me tons of energy, yet it's wrecked my digestive system. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me, so I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this or knew why this was happening.

Oh, and before you suggest digestive enzymes or other supplements--I will likely end up going that route, but I thought the point of the program was to get what we need from food, so I find it ironic that I wouldn't need help going to the bathroom before the Whole 30 but do now...

Thanks!

 

[ShannonM816]

During Whole30, were you eating plenty of vegetables? Drinking at least 1/2 oz of water per pound of body weight? Before Whole30, what was different -- were you eating non-gluten grains like rice or corn? If you were eating rice or corn or other grains before, and if you weren't making sure you ate lots of vegetables on Whole30, it may just be a difference in how much fiber you're getting. If you drank a lot of non-Whole30 drinks when you weren't on Whole30, and didn't make up that liquid by drinking more water during Whole30, maybe that's affecting things. Really, we can't say for sure without knowing more specifics about what you were eating, these are just guesses.

[audeich]

I feel like I'm having the same experience! digestion has gotten worse! I'm on day 19. Constipated, gas, and bloating.

[KKL]

Me too!

It's very frustrating since I spend 25 hours a day in the kitchen just to make it to day 22!

There are LOTS of posts with poor people with the same problem. 

After reading through most of the other posts, the advice boils down to this: Eat meat, eat fat, then more fat, and maybe some zucchini.

No nuts. No fruit. Almost no other vegetables.

Sorry for the negative vibes, but that's my angry, bloated gut speaking.

[RandiW]

On 8/8/2017 at 8:27 AM, hannigan said:

Hi Everyone,

It has officially been one week since I completed my first Whole 30. I have already been gluten- and dairy-free for six years (I have Celiac Disease and I'm allergic to milk) so it wasn't that huge of an adjustment for me. However, I had been struggling with fatigue and a weak immune system, so I thought I would give Whole30 a shot.

Within a week, I noticed the results I was hoping for: tons more energy, faster recovery from workouts, and just feeling  a lot healthier and stronger. But there was one problem. I was constipated.

Now I want to make one thing very clear: BEFORE the Whole 30, my digestion was amazing. I keep very strict gluten- and dairy-free, so I have had virtually zero stomach issues since I first went gluten-free in 2011. (The only time it acts up is when I accidentally eat gluten, which I definitely haven't done in over a year.)

I expected it to get better as my body adjusted, and it did improve slightly, but even though I've been off the Whole 30 for a week now, my digestion is not nearly as good as it was before.

So in conclusion: the Whole 30 gave me tons of energy, yet it's wrecked my digestive system. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me, so I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this or knew why this was happening.

Oh, and before you suggest digestive enzymes or other supplements--I will likely end up going that route, but I thought the point of the program was to get what we need from food, so I find it ironic that I wouldn't need help going to the bathroom before the Whole 30 but do now...

Thanks!

 

So I think ISWF talks about this, but maybe not. That said, your gut and it's flora/microbs are a product of your diet. If you ate poorly for most of your life, your gut flora has "evolved" or adapted to your crap diet. It knows how to digest those things (And while that might sound good, usually the bacteria that digest crap are less healthyful for your body in other ways and often there are less types and more types generally equals more healthful gut and body). When you change it up and cut out those things or eat new things, your gut flora has to adapt. That can take time, as it wasn't developed over night. It doesn't mean you can't get what you need from food, but it might be more comfortable to speed things up with probiotics or magnesium for a little while and then come off of then and see how your guts are doing. 

 

[hannigan]

Hi Everyone,

 

Thank you all for your responses. I wanted to update you on what I learned and where I landed since I first posted this question.

 

But I have to say, I’m a little frustrated by some of the comments insinuating the constipation is merely a result of my body adjusting to eating healthy.

 

I want to be very clear in communicating what my diet has been like for the past seven years: I don’t eat gluten. I don’t eat dairy. I don’t eat added sugar. I rarely drink alcohol. In fact, the only thing I drink regularly is black coffee in the morning and TONS of water throughout the day. (I keep a Brita filter on my desk at work. It’s ridiculous).

 

Here is what a typical day has been for me in the past seven years: eggs or smoothie at breakfast, salad with chicken at lunch, some sort of meat, fish, or chicken dish at dinner with tons of veggies. I eat brown rice and beans when I feel like I need the extra fiber. I snack on apples and almonds. With my food allergies, even going to restaurants means that the absolutely worst thing I eat is corn or rice.

 

As I said, doing Whole 30 was not particularly difficult because I already eat paleo about 70-80 percent of the time, and my gut health has been excellent for years—EXCEPT when I tried Whole 30. I did see my energy improve back in July, which was great, but it took an entire month being OFF of Whole 30 to see my gut health get as healthy as it was before I screwed it up going on this program.

 

I tried doing Whole 30 again this month, but again, it completely screwed up my stomach. I’m still suffering from the effects of my two-week attempt to be strict Whole 30. My only explanation is that I eat a ton of fiber from beans and rice in my regular diet and my body does not like me taking that away.

 

But seriously? If beans and rice are the biggest “offenders” in my diet, then I think I’m doing okay in life.

 

Clearly, this program works for a lot of people. I’m glad I tried it, and I admire a lot of its principals. But the extra energy boost I got was just not worth the havoc it wreaked on my stomach.

 

Maybe some people just need to give their guts more time to adjust. Maybe other people just need to eat a cup of brown rice instead of forcing magnesium citrate down their gullet. I hope the people on this thread figure out which course is right for them.

 

 

 

 

[RandiW]

Hi hannigan - my apologies if my post frustrated you. You were asking for a possible explanation for why W30 would have effected your digestion and I gave a possible one. It may not have been the case for you. I am obviously not an expert on you, your body or your life. :::shrug::: I hope you discover that beans and rice are great for your gut and you do better once you add them back in! 

Best wishes.

[SugarcubeOD]

On January 29, 2018 at 12:11 PM, KKL said:

Me too!

It's very frustrating since I spend 25 hours a day in the kitchen just to make it to day 22!

There are LOTS of posts with poor people with the same problem. 

After reading through most of the other posts, the advice boils down to this: Eat meat, eat fat, then more fat, and maybe some zucchini.

No nuts. No fruit. Almost no other vegetables.

Sorry for the negative vibes, but that's my angry, bloated gut speaking.

May I ask where you've seen advice to eat more meat and fat and no vegetables to resolve temporary constipation? If you could link to some posts where you've seen this that would be great because that's not appropriate advice.  If you would like us to help you with your situation, feel free to post a few days of what you've been eating outlining specific veggies, fruit, fat and protein, fluid consumption etc... and we can see if anything stands out. 

[chichi]

On 1/29/2018 at 2:11 PM, KKL said:

Almost no other vegetables.

Yeah, I think every post I've read and all the recommendations use phrases that either mean or are exactly: eat as many vegetables as you can handle. It's like a given of the program. Load your plate with vegetables, every single time. The suggestions to eat more meat and more fat are usually to people asking for help with energy levels, not lasting the 4-5 hours between meals, cravings, and people who are experiencing the opposite of constipation. It's assumed (or established when people give their past few days of meals) that you're getting a ton of veggies.

I wonder if anybody would suggest mindfully including more cruciferous veggies for folks experiencing this during their Whole 30? Make a big batch of cabbage and vinegar slaw and keep it in the fridge, put a couple spoonfuls on each plate. That kind of thing. That's the best sort of substitution I can think of for beans.

[jmcbn]

1 hour ago, chichi said:

I wonder if anybody would suggest mindfully including more cruciferous veggies for folks experiencing this during their Whole 30? Make a big batch of cabbage and vinegar slaw and keep it in the fridge, put a couple spoonfuls on each plate. That kind of thing. That's the best sort of substitution I can think of for beans.

Cabbage can be a really problematic vegetable as it's cruciferous, high FODMAP and high in sulphur too - triple whammy! And then if it's raw..... 

Resistant starch is known to help with constipation - so cool boiled potatoes - as is ground flaxseed; either sprinkled on salads, or mixed into a small amount of water to form a gloop - The flaxseed MUST be ground though as it's the oil inside the husk that does the work...

And of course plenty of liquids & things like raising feet when on the toilet & placing elbows on knees so that you're in the more natural squat position that our bodies are meant to be in for elimination.

 

[chichi]

1 hour ago, jmcbn said:

Cabbage can be a really problematic vegetable as it's cruciferous, high FODMAP and high in sulphur too - triple whammy! And then if it's raw..... 

Good to know! And thanks for the actual, knowledgeable suggestions.

[chichi]

@KKL Apologies for assuming this didn't exist! @SugarcubeOD This may be the thread where it seems like people are suggesting replacing vegetable snacks with fat/protein snacks when the person looking for advice is dealing with constipation. Am I misreading this thread? Is there more to figure out here? 

[ladyshanny]

On 29/01/2018 at 12:11 PM, KKL said:

After reading through most of the other posts, the advice boils down to this: Eat meat, eat fat, then more fat, and maybe some zucchini.

No nuts. No fruit. Almost no other vegetables.

 

39 minutes ago, chichi said:

@KKL Apologies for assuming this didn't exist! @SugarcubeOD This may be the thread where it seems like people are suggesting replacing vegetable snacks with fat/protein snacks when the person looking for advice is dealing with constipation. Am I misreading this thread? Is there more to figure out here? 

The original comment was a thread where they told the person to eat "almost no other vegetables" and just meat and fat to cure constipation. The post you've since linked to is discussing both constipation, meal composition and pre and post workout food. Nowhere in there do they tell the person to eat almost no other vegetables and maybe some zucchini. They discuss trying the potatoes cold instead of hot, moving the starches to the end of the day, adding fat to her existing meals and changing the composition of her snacks and pre/post workout food.

The one thread you linked to doesn't constitute "most of the posts" on constipation. If there are other places or instances that you have seen where the person is advised to eliminate vegetables and eat only protein and fat, please let us know. We try to give specific recommendations to people based on the information they provide. A general recommendation for constipation, when we don't know specifics of the person's intake, is to make sure they are filling their plate with veggies, following the meal template, drinking adequate water and maybe taking a magnesium supplement.

[laura_juggles]

@hannigan, I'm sorry that you're frustrated with the advice you were given. 

I would like to point out, though, that we generally need more info than "I ate healthy before Whole30 so why can't I poop now?" (just super speedball summarizing your initial post). Shannon asked for more info and said that without more info, everyone would just be guessing. 

Posting here is a bit like calling tech support because your phone doesn't work. If you don't tell them what you've already tried (aka detailed rundowns of what you've been eating and drinking), they're going to start off by telling you to turn the phone off and turn it back on again (aka us asking if you're drinking enough water). By giving us the details, we can see what you're already doing with more clarity and offer more specific recommendations. 

You're right. There probably are folks out there whose digestive systems simply run better with some rice and beans in their diets. And there's nothing wrong with that. 

[jmcbn]

1 hour ago, chichi said:

@KKL Apologies for assuming this didn't exist! @SugarcubeOD This may be the thread where it seems like people are suggesting replacing vegetable snacks with fat/protein snacks when the person looking for advice is dealing with constipation. Am I misreading this thread? Is there more to figure out here? 

The thread you've linked to is one where I have replied - to a specific query - about 2 days after the comment made above by @KKL...!

[chichi]

4 minutes ago, jmcbn said:

The thread you've linked to is one where I have replied - to a specific query - about 2 days after the comment made above by

Good point! Didn't look at the dates! Was just reading through it and was like, huh, this could be sort of what they were referencing?

[lwolford]

I find that I become constipated for two reasons:

1. a week before my period because progesterone is so high and it slows down the digestive process.

2. eating more meat because of Whole30... meat is definitely constipating me, despite the large amt of veggies and water I ingest.

What do you all think?

[ShannonM816]

On 3/8/2018 at 11:29 AM, lwolford said:

I find that I become constipated for two reasons:

1. a week before my period because progesterone is so high and it slows down the digestive process.

2. eating more meat because of Whole30... meat is definitely constipating me, despite the large amt of veggies and water I ingest.

What do you all think?

Not sure about the first (it makes sense that changes in hormones affect digestion, I just don't know specifics), but the second is a definite possibility. Many people who find they're eating more meat than usual during Whole30 find that digestive enzymes can be helpful. This article is several years old, so I'm not sure if the brand recommended is still a good option, but it explains more about digestive enzymes and what to look for in them:  http://whole9life.com/2012/09/digestive-enzymes-101/