I feel awful - TMI, but help!

[kleewebb]

I am on day 12. My diet previously was not whole30, but it was quite clean - few processed foods, but I ate plain greek yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, feta, half and half, brown rice, sprouted grain bread, and small amounts of potato routinely. My biggest vices were wine every day, and snacking on whole grain crackers or croutons and a sugary snack at night (dark chocolate, or a caramel or a cookie).

For these 12 days, I have been 100% compliant Whole30, journaling food, watching portions, and limiting nuts and snacking. I've always eaten a variety and a large volume of vegetables and fruit, so the only significant addition/change I've added to my diet is coconut milk in my coffee and on berries. Yesterday and the day before we had a coconut milk based curry sauce. Emotionally I have felt strong and proud and ready to take all this on.

Here is my problem. I have always had an excellent digestive system. BMs regular, easy, quick, healthy, and every day at about same time. Since I started the Whole30, they have been deteriorating ... loose, painful, small. But today I am bloated, gassy, and feel like my gut is melting. I coudn't sleep last night as I felt if I relaxed I would have an accident in bed, but when I went to the bathroom, nothing happened. I went to bed at 9:30 and was still awake after midnight. I couldn't get up for crossfit and am crampy and miserable. I had an unsatisfactory BM, but have no relief from the stomach ache and general feeling of loose bowels.

I feel absolutely HORRIBLE. Depressed and sickly. This is bad. Need advice. All I can think is to avoid the coconut milk?

[Carlaccini]

I have found through ready the forums that a lot of people are like you or the opposite. From a personal stand point I can relate to you. You are changing the fuel that you are feedling your body so therefore your body is learning to adapt. So there a few ways you can work this.

Wait - your body will eventually sort itself out. This is what I did. I don't really recommend it as it is uncomfortable for a few days. But I promise it gets better.

Take some digestive enzymes. This also helps. I have started taking them post whole 30 and they work wonderfully well. I believe the NOW brand is whole 30 compliant.

Not sure if these are already included in your diet - but have a sweet potato. I find these help also quite well.

Try to relax - make some ginger and mint tea which calms your stomach (and tastes pretty good too!)and understand that this situation although uncomfortable will pass.

[Jessica Reagan]

I'm on day 22 and I've had several "stomach issues". The first week I was backed up. I used senna leaf tea at night for a few nights and it seemed to clear those issues up. Others have recommended magnesium cit.

Then I had severe nausea and digestive pain for several days at the end of that first week after incorporating breakfast.

Now at 3 weeks in I've had quite a lot of gas and bloating. It was recommended to me to get some digestive enzymes. I haven't yet, but I do plan on it. Every problem that I've had sorted itself out in due time. I think it's just your body adjusting to more fiber, more fat, less this, less that. I also believe there is a toddler throwing a temper tantrum in there somewhere, he wants that wine, and cheese, and probably those crackers too. Making you feel like crap makes you have thought of going back to your old habits.

Even though I ate mostly paleo before my whole30, and thought I would be exempt from all the issues others seemed to have, I had plenty of my own. I'm, sure others will have better more detailed advice for you, but take some mag or senna tea, it will help you with you BM's. Get caught up on that sleep and take a deep breath. You're almost halfway there and are doing great!

[Tom Denham]

You reported what you were eating in the past and called it "quite clean." Not really. Dairy, grains, "a few processed foods," wine, and sugary snacks. Ending that kind of diet and beginning to eat meat and vegetables with a good dose of fat is a huge change. I would expect you to have adjustment problems.

[katieisrunningcrazy]

Hello,I can sympathize with your symptoms. I have had the same, both during my first whole30, and my recommitment after a slightly off-plan few weeks recently. I took probiotics during the first whole30, but I still had some digestive issues as mentioned above. Im going to go pickup some digestive enzymes, see if that clears things up. During my slightly-off-plan time, the only things I really added were 1/3 c oats about every 3 days, some honey here and there, and agave once a week. I noticed, on the days that I consumed the oats, that my digestive issues went away for about a day and a half. Im thinking maybe I should follow a modified whole30, with everything allowed in whole30, plus just oatmeal? I didn't have any bad side effects to the oats (unlike the honey: headaches and stomach pain, so im leaving that out!). Any thoughts from any members who are following a whole30 plan with one or two off-plan items as part of their way of eating now? Im done looking at this as a diet-its my way of eating now. Severe gastrointestinal distress aside, I love the way im feeling and I don't want to go back to eating the way I used to. Thanks!

[Robin Strathdee]

katieisrunningcrazy - there was nothing in the oats that can't be found in other (W30) foods. We just need to figure out what it is about the oats that helped things in that area. It could be the insoluble fiber, it could be the extra carbohydrate, it could just be the bulk...

[befabdaily]

Here's my suggestion. Make sure you eat a sweet potato every day. If I am on Whole30 and I don't pay attention to balance and get all super-focused on getting meats and salads, my gut gets horrible, sour and nasty, much like you describe. If I maintain a sweet potato habit, it's fine and everything is optimal.

Even when I'm not on Whole30, I can sometimes get too wrapped up in just eating meat, veg and fruit, and this will happen. I'm between Whole30 attempts now, and when I've gotten sour-stomached I have been able to pull myself back with other dense carbs like rice or blue potatoes. So it is clearly a "get enough carbs" thing.

[rebarocks]

Hi. I'm having same issues. I just worked out and ate bacon, scrambled eggs, an avocado, and bulletproof coffee (coffee, coconut oil, and butter blended). I feel awful. Horribly gassy and bloated. My stomach distends after I eat anything to the point that I don't want to go in public for fear of running into someone who knows me and asks me if I'm pregnant. Not exaggerating. I did a shot of apple cider vinegar right after I ate to try to head off any of these symptoms (that has helped in the past) but it didn't work. This honestly makes me not want to eat anything. I get so gassy and bloated I can't do anything or go anywhere. I have a feeling I have leaky gut and/or some other digestive problems. Any recommendations? Kombucha? Kefir? (I know those both are not Whole30). A probiotic recommendation (I'm overwhelmed by the choices out there)? Thanks!

[Roslyn Murphy]

I'd like to know about bloating too, as I've had a lot but

rebarocks- what's bulletproof coffee- or how to you make it (ratios, ghee???)

[rebarocks]

Hi, Roslyn. It's 8oz. hot coffee, 2 Tbsp coconut oil, 1 Tsp butter (or ghee). Blend in blender. Voila! You could add stevia if you wanted it sweeter.

[rebarocks]

Here's the link: http://www.bulletproofexec.com/how-to-make-your-coffee-bulletproof-and-your-morning-too/

Make sure your butter is unsalted!

[Roslyn Murphy]

can't have stevia on whole30, that's why I was curious for recipe, can manage it down with coconut milk but wow, still not my fav!

[katieisrunningcrazy]

Okay, so great news! I have stopped the oats thing, I wanted to be able to commit to a whole30 lifestyle rather than seeing it as a diet, so im sticking to it. I bought some digestive enzymes, NOW brand I believe, as well as aloe vera juice. There are two kinds of aloe vera: juice or gel. The gel has all sorts of thickening chemicals and whatnot in it, so I get the preservative free version, which is free of all that business. I bought the aloe vera filet juice, rather than the aloe vera inner leaf juice, because the filet has more cleansing properties. The filet is only to be used for a while, otherwise too much scrubbing of the intestines might cause inflammation. I take that twice a day (highly recommended to mix it with something....anything, really, because by itself its preeeetty horrible) as well as a digestive enzyme before each meal. That, in combination with my daily PB8, seems to do the trick....Its kind of like an overnight miracle, for me, because it was really getting to be bad before... Also, just an add-on to some of the comments above about carbs: Insoluble fiber and carbs are not an issue in my diet, I eat 1-2 sweet potatoes a day, a banana usually every other day, apples, pumpkin, squashes, etc...So it definitely wasn't an issue of eating more carbs. I guess it was a gut issue needing enzymes and some aloe love

[rebarocks]

Katieisrunningcrazy: Thank you! What PB8 do you take? And which digestive enzyme (or is that the PB8)? Can you tell me exactly what you take? I'm just information gathering and would love to know your input since this helped you. I'm the same -- I think I'm getting enough good carbs from fruit and sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, veggies, etc. Thanks!

[katieisrunningcrazy]

rebarocks: Sorry for the delay! The probiotic I take is called PB8, I got it at super supplements, but I know whole foods carries it, too. I got the vegetarian version because it doesn't have dairy or anything in it, and its soy free too. Ive been doing some experimenting lately with trying to ease off the probiotics and aloe juice, digestive enzymes....and BAM...day 2 and the aforementioned TMI symptoms are back. Im starting to think im doomed to a life of pill popping in order to keep eating this way. I like the way the whole30 makes me feel. I like having energy, and not being sluggish, and eating butter! and meat! and not having headaches. I can tell when I consume something with chemicals, sugars or starches in it within about 10 minutes (with the exception of oatmeal, but I have eliminated that for a few weeks now, despite the seeming success of eliminating my digestive issues by eating it). Its definitely hard, because Im a chef, and I have to create menus for various cuisines, changing weekly, and I cant completely leave out dairy, grains, sugar, alchohol, wheat...unfortunately that would eliminate my clientele Its hard finding a balance between this way of eating, my job, my schedule getting crazy here soon as I work on my PhD, my need to budget my life better....But steak does help, ill admit That was kind of a long winded off topic rant!