Backache for days?

[pdecks]

Hi all, I first started my first Whole30 on Feb 8, but I restarted this past Sunday after having some wine and a slice of sugary birthday cake celebrating a friend's bday Saturday night. All this week, as well as earlier in my first Whole30 trial, I have experienced back pain in the middle of my back.

I haven't been sleeping completely soundly, either. In the first 2.5 weeks, I hadn't been sleeping enough (only 6-7hrs, interrupted) because of the responsibilities I have at home in addition to my full-time job.

The past two days, I started taking some Calcium-Magnesium Citrate supplements that I already had in my medicine cabinet. The past two mornings, I have also had urgent bowel movements (though this morning's might have been triggered by a too-spicy batch of Rogan Josh that I had for dinner last night).

I woke up at 1:30 a.m. today with terrible back pain and had to move to the couch to fall back asleep. All though I feel somewhat rested, my back is killing me. I almost never experience back pain, aside from the occasional (1x every 2 years) wrong move that pulls a muscle.

I should add that I've been keeping my physical activity light -- walking only, but I walk to/from work and walk our two greyhounds, so it adds up to 5-7 miles a day. I had been doing a bit of strength training at home before then, but I just don't have the time right now with my added cooking responsibilities.

Thoughts?

[Tom Denham]

I don't know why food, especially Whole30 foods, would cause back aches.

I developed some back problems recently. At first, I thought it was from holding yoga poses too long after a 4 week break for surgery and recovery. And then I wondered if avoiding abdominal exercises for so long made my back weak. And then I wondered if my bed was sagging too much and if it was time to get a new mattress. Then I told my yoga teacher what was happening and she had me focus on gentle hamstring and other lower body stretches. My back problems got better after the first session and disappeared after the second session. I wonder if you have gotten tight or stiff from walking and need the same stretches that have helped me so much.

[befabdaily]

If you are short on time and long on back pain, I would highly recommend trying a little exercise program called T-Tapp. I found it recommended on The Bulletproof Executive and thought I'd give it a shot and now I've been doing it consistently for over 3 months. It's a 15 minute workout that's focused on building up core muscles. It has given me a major improvement in posture, sense of well-being, and comfort during the day while sitting or standing. It seems to have helped resolve some rotator cuff issues I was having, too. It's a non-impact workout with two brief bursts of high-intensity that max your heart rate. I was very skeptical at first, but it's remarkably effective.

[Robin Strathdee]

pdecks -

I know some folks report feeling gallbladder pain in their backs. Have you significantly increased your fat intake as part of the Whole30 program? If that's the case, digestive enzymes with ox bile may help you significantly. Otherwise, get your stretch on as Tom suggested.

[TrayS]

What Robin says is my thought too. My gallbladder attacks came in the middle of the night, right in the center of my back, and the first several times it happened I thought it was muscular in nature from swimming... until one night (after a particularly decadant meal) I had a really bad one that sent me to the doctor. I think it's worth getting checked out if it's waking you up at night.

[pdecks]

Thanks all for the quick replies. I'll definitely add some stretching to my daily routine, as I am fairly confident that my back pain is not related to my core strength.

I have greatly ramped up my daily fat intake (mostly in the form of coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut milk, whole eggs, and avocados), so I'll keep the possibility of gallbladder trouble in mind if the stretches don't bring relief. I wasn't completely fat-phobic before starting my Whole30, but it didn't tend to be a consistently high daily intake. (I would mostly binge on chocolate and nuts once or twice a week.)

UPDATE: I wrote my doc about my symptoms and suspicions, and he said my gallbladder could be the culprit and that I should "avoid fat and see what happens." I'll probably just cut out all the eggs that I've added back in. I had avoided them in the past because of my GI issues, but it was unclear if they actually bothered me. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, "Eggs, especially, may irritate the gallbladder ... " [http://www.umm.edu/a...h.WT0D9A9a.dpuf ] When I tried to go on Atkins 9 months ago -- I was eating loads of eggs then, too -- I felt similarly fatigued and lethargic, but more so than now. I gave up on Atkins after 2 weeks of hell accompanied by weight gain. Other posts reminded me that the medium-chain fatty acids in coconut do not need bile to be processed, so that's a relief that I can continue to cook with coconut oil and other products

[Robin Strathdee]

Pdecks: I had my gallbladder removed a couple of years ago, and I use coconut liberally. It's great.

[Tom Denham]

Rather than avoid fat, I would take a digestive enzyme to help my gall bladder get it digested. The nutrition in egg yolks is incredibly valuable so I hate the idea of skipping eggs if there is a solution. Taking digestive enzymes is rarely something you need to do permanently. They can help while your body adjusts to your new diet and then you can stop.

I do not mean you should ignore your doctor and take medical advice from me, but I do not view avoiding fat as a good move. I would suggest getting back with your doctor about taking something like Now Foods Super Enzymes with your meals for a while to see if that gave you relief while you continue to eat plenty of good healthy fats.

[TrayS]

Pdecks: I had my gallbladder removed a couple of years ago, and I use coconut liberally. It's great.

WRS. I also do really well consuming a lot of coconut oil and milk.