Issues on Round Two of Whole30

[jlammert]

Hello! Hoping someone can offer advice or relate similar experiences. I did my first round of Whole30 in January. I lost some weight and felt some improvements for sure, but nothing earth shattering. I did realize midway through that the canned chicken I was eating most days had modified food starch in it. Whoops. After realizing this, I completed the remainder of my Whole30 100% compliantly and signed up for round 2 since I obviously messed up the first part of my Whole30. I am now on day 22 of round two, have been 100% compliant, and I have been having digestive issues the entire time that I did not experience during round one - bloating, gas and loose stools. I’m feeling really confused because none of these things existed prior to Whole30 (btw - my eating prior to Whole30 was pretty good - very little sugar/processed foods) or during my first round. I’m eating pretty similarly to how I ate on round one, so no big changes there. Also, I have not noticed any uptick in energy this time or last which I was really hoping for. I feel exhausted all the time. I don’t have any medical issues, and I’m in my early 40s. Any thoughts on what could be going on? Thanks in advance!

[Maria45]

Hi.  I am in the same boat as you with the 2 Whole30s in a row.  I'm on Day 5 of Whole30 #2.  I think that we see fewer benefits and life changes if we were eating well before the Whole30.  Some of the people on the Whole30 were eating absolute junk prior to this, so it makes sense that their gains would be greater than what you are seeing.

I am a newbie, and I hope that one of the Moderators or someone with more background will respond to you, but I will share a few thoughts.  I don't know much about the bloating, gas, and loose stools.  However, when I was having bloating, someone in the forum asked my about whether I was eating raw or cooked veggies.  Raw veggies (since you're probably eating a ton more than before the Whole 30) could add to the bloating and stomach issues.  Not to add too much, but you could look at the Fod-Maps foods that can cause stomach upset.  You might be eating something over and over again that could be causing problems like broccoli.

Here are a couple of thoughts on the exhaustion:

1. You could try adding some sweet potatoes or white potatoes into your diet.  I totally recommend Cascadian Farms' root vegetable hashbrowns.  It is a very easy side dish and it only has Yukon potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots.

2. Make sure that, no matter what, you are following the food template.  Are you making sure that you have a healthy fat and protein with every single meal?  As tedious as it is (and I'm so sick of needing a protein with every meal!), you can become tired if you do not have the fuel for your body from healthy fats.  Are you having enough healthy fats?

Maybe you could send out an example of your daily intake of foods and those who respond to you can have a look.

Hope you feel better!

Maria

[jlammert]

Thanks, Maria! Yes, I’ve been including fat, protein and veggies at every meal. I’ll go ahead and layout a typical day below. I haven’t been logging food on this journey, but I did the other day just because I was curious if maybe I’m eating too much fat? My fat was at 64%, which seemed really high, but maybe not for this diet? I have been including potatoes and sweet potatoes, but not necessarily everyday.

Okay, very typical day:

BREAKFAST - Sautéed veggies - often onions, mushrooms, spinach, bell pepper - scrambled with two eggs and topped with 1/2 an avocado.

LUNCH - usually a big salad - salad greens, cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, canned tuna or grilled chicken breast, olives, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Sometimes 1/2 an avocado, in place of olives and a fruit - clementines or grapes most often.

DINNER - grilled or baked meat - my husband hunts so often elk, deer or fish - a green vegetable roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper (this varies - broccoli, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, etc.) and usually a starchy vegetable roasted in olive oil (sweet potatoes, white potatoes or butternut squash).

I was including nuts in my diet, but I started suspecting them as an issue, so have been off them this past week. No change. 

Okay, so that’s it! Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Maria45]

Hi again.  

Sweet potatoes are very good.

As far as your breakfast goes, you can actually eat as many eggs as you can fit in your hand.  Most people have been saying that it's okay to have 4 eggs.  Maybe the extra protein would help with energy issues.

Again, I am new at this, but I think that you could use more fat with your dinner.  I don't believe that the cooking oil that you use is enough fat, but I could be wrong.  I would try to add a small amount of fat.

I recommend looking at the Fod-Maps list.  It lists what foods can commonly cause stomach issues.  You may find that a food you are eating more on the Whole30 is on the list and you could try going without it for a week.  I might be wrong, but I think that brussels sprouts and broccoli may be on the list.  Check it out.

Bell peppers and white potatoes are "nightshades," which I know are not allowed on certain diets due to inflammatory issues.

I would do 3 things to start:  Add more protein to breakfast, check the Fod-Maps list to see if you are eating anything more now than before the Whole30, and look up "nightshades" and why some people have issues with them.  My friend is following the Fod-Maps list and all of her stomach issues have disappeared, but you are eliminating more foods and that could be difficult.  

Oh - one more thing - how about adding a probiotic?  There are mixed reviews on probiotics now, but it can't hurt to try.  I found a coconut "yogurt" called CocoYo.  It only has coconut, coconut water, and probiotics (plus organic raspberry juice for the raspberry flavored CocoYo).  The plain flavor has added sugar, but the raspberry and the "pure" flavors do not have any added sugars.  This product was hard for me to find.  Whole Foods in my area just started carrying it and Fruitful Yield carries it now.  Fruitful Yield will probably order it for you if they don't have it.  I hope that you have one close to you.  The "yogurts" are expensive and they come in glass jars.  I love them and I think that the probiotics help me.

Hope the end of cycle #2 goes better!

Maria