Very bad post W30 digestive problem. Everything is making me sick!

[mark22]

Before whole30 I did not have a particular digestive problem. During whole30 I realized how much better my digestion could be though. I was feeling great throughout the entire 30 days. Even for a week after whole30 I had no issues. However for the past 2 weeks (it has been 3 weeks since finishing whole30) I have had 24/7 bloating, gas, diarrhea. It has been very bad and is showing no relief or sign of stopping.

My post whole30 is not very far off from whole30 at all. I have not had dairy, legumes, no added sugar, and almost no grains other than an occasional pizza maybe twice in 3 weeks. In fact my diet is almost the same as when I was on whole30, with the exception of when I go out to eat, and when I do that I eat pretty strict paleo.

To try to relieve this problem I have tried doing a few days back at completely whole30, this did not help, I was still sick! I tried cutting things out 1 by 1, to see if it was one particular food, without success. It has reached a point where it seems like almost every meal I eat is giving me horrible gas and bloating, even very basic and simple meals. My stomach seems mad at me for everything. I can't narrow it down to one thing!

I have basically been sick for 2 weeks and I can not take it anymore. I'm willing to try anything to get back on track. Please help!

EDIT: Almost forgot something that I found very odd. Throughout whole30 I was drinking sfh protein. I am lactose intolerant, but some good protein drinks do not bother me. This was the case for sfh, I did not have any issues. I was drinking it every day on whole30. However one week after whole30 suddenly my stomach exploded in cramps and pain whenever I drank the protein....even though I had been drinking it all along anyway. My stomach hates me!

[ScoutFinch]

It may well be that you cannot tolerate any grains at all. Your symptoms definitely sound like common reactions to the reintroduction of grains, which are often the most trouble for many people. And, one hears that reintroduction of grains can cause problems like yours for up to three weeks.

[JJB]

What kind of pizza? You could have had gluten, sugar, and dairy in that pizza. Just based on your description, that's a likely culprit. Maybe you should follow W30 rules strictly again for a few weeks and hopefully the problems will subside. After that, you'll need to do reintros more carefully, i.e. only 1 item at a time. Pizza has too many off-plan ingredients to try all at once.

[kb0426]

What is sfh protein? I am not aware of any protein drink that is whole30 approved. What are the ingredients?

When I google it, and I may not be looking at the one you used, but it contains whey, which I believe would make it noncompliant.

[Tom Denham]

We become a little more sensitive while doing a Whole30 because when we don't irritate our stomachs with troublesome foods, some of the mucosa lining that had built up to protect us sloughs off. Then when we reintroduce troublesome foods, the irritation can be more noticeable. And as others have already said, it only takes a little of troublesome foods to be a problem. And once your stomach gets upset, it can take a while to settle again. That said, your experience sounds a little extreme. I would try two things. One is to follow a strict Whole30 protocol for several weeks and the other is to consider whether you have gotten some kind of stomach virus. There have been some nasty things going around and you may be getting a double dose of trouble. And oh yeah, you might want to take digestive enzymes with meals for a while to see if that helps. And drink bone broth and make sure you eat some probiotic rich foods like sauerkraut, kmichi, or kombucha.

Finally, SFH fish oil is Whole30 approved, but not the rest of their product line. All their protein supplements, powders, drinks, etc. are not okay during a Whole30.

[mark22]

@ScoutFinch thanks for the info. That is good to know!

@ JJB yes, it likely had gluten, sugar and grains in it. I will be doing another whole30 starting this minute!

@kb0426 I do crossift 5-6 days a week and my gym owners okay'd sfh protein for my whole30 challenge. Whole9 even pushes sfh as an affiliate. It may not be 100% whole30 complaint, but that doesn't really relate to my post.

[jpketz]

If I were you and if this lasts much longer, I'd consult a medical professional. I'm wondering if you picked up a stomach virus at some point. The symptoms sound pretty intense for someone with a such a good initial response to eating W30.

[Robin Strathdee]

@kb0426 I do crossift 5-6 days a week and my gym owners okay'd sfh protein for my whole30 challenge. Whole9 even pushes sfh as an affiliate. It may not be 100% whole30 complaint, but that doesn't really relate to my post.

It's actually entirely relevant to your original post. See, here's the thing. The Whole30 plan helps our bodies to heal. And, as they heal, they are able to handle small doses of less healthy things with more efficiency and without freaking out. SFH is a high quality whey protein choice but it can still contain potentially inflammatory and disruptive compounds. While you we're W30ing, your body was equipped to deal with any stress it caused - your bouncers were on full alert and all exits covered. However, now that you've reintroduced several irritating foods, and some of them in combination, your body is less able to deal with the stress from one or the other and you're getting a heightened response to everything, including your SFH.

You've already decided to Whole30 again, so you've got that covered, but you really owe it to yourself to do this one sans protein powder. Part of this process is learning to eat real food to suit your body's needs. SFH is a cop-out during a W30, in my opinion. Throughout the challenges we've run at my box, even our best male athletes have been able to sustain their performance without liquid food products.