Stomach pain after eating fast food for the first time in a month.. is this normal? And why is this?

takemetosingapore19

Hi!

For the last month I have ate strictly vegetables, tuna, some other lean protein and fruit. I have lost 3lb a week for the last month. After 35 days my friend and I decided to do a cheat meal within our calories and I ate Taco Bell. Then the next day I ate 2 slices of pizza (also within my calories). I had thought I had missed those foods, but after having them I don’t feel I really do miss them at all. My stomach has been twisting in knots ever since. I have a strange bubbling sensation in my stomach, as well as a nauseous feeling. After those two days today I got back to eating very clean again with ease. I am still suffering from my choices to eat those foods. Does this mean I will never be able to eat pizza sometimes without severe pain because I changed my lifestyle? That makes me somewhat sad but I could do it. I took some stomach aids to help and I’m drinking a TON of water. I’m mostly confused about what is happening inside me. If anyone knows I’d be very grateful as I do not have time to go to a doctor soon. Thanks!

Need2Exerc1se

Spices and fat. It sounds like you've been eating pretty low-fat and possibly bland foods. Your gut adjusts to what you eat.

Larryfahn

You're still reacting to taco bell! Lol

takemetosingapore19

Larryfahn wrote: »

You're still reacting to taco bell! Lol

Haha probably

takemetosingapore19

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

Spices and fat. It sounds like you've been eating pretty low-fat and possibly bland foods. Your gut adjusts to what you eat.

This is helpful and probably right. Ironically, I did eat very high fat because I ate a ton of avocado, nuts and used avo spread in my tuna or high calorie hummus with my meat for the day. I went over fat everyday. I realize there may be a difference in how mono fat and sat fat are metabolized though.

concordancia

A sudden change of diet will often have this effect. I have been an accidental vegetarian in the past and then had meat to disastorous effect, although intestinal, rather than stomach.

Some people also experience upsets going healthy, for example if they have a sudden increase in fiber.

janejellyroll

takemetosingapore19 wrote: »

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

Spices and fat. It sounds like you've been eating pretty low-fat and possibly bland foods. Your gut adjusts to what you eat.

This is helpful and probably right. Ironically, I did eat very high fat because I ate a ton of avocado, nuts and used avo spread in my tuna or high calorie hummus with my meat for the day. I went over fat everyday. I realize there may be a difference in how mono fat and sat fat are metabolized though.

Based on anecdotal reports I've heard, some people have a different reaction to dairy fat than they do to, say, plant fat. So if you were getting a lot of fat from avocado, nuts, and oil, you still might have potential digestive upset when eating a meal that is high in dairy fat (like some pizzas can be).

lemurcat12

It was generally referred to as taco hell when I was in school (and I haven't been since then).

That said, what Need2Exercise said. Sounds like you've been low fat and perhaps really low cal and then overdid it, and after low fat for a while fat can upset the stomach. Really, doesn't seem like a big thing, and if you eat a healthy diet with more fat it might be less likely to happen.

I have pizza (homemade or an Italian restaurant) quite often, and the ingredients aren't really any different than a healthy pasta dish I might make -- olive oil, flour (pasta or pizza crust), tomatoes, vegetables, usually cheese and perhaps some kind of meat (or not, I don't eat meat much lately and never on pizza). Anyway, because I have olive oil regularly in my diet I don't find I react to pizza negatively at all. So no, you don't have to give up pizza, but if you are going to be low fat or low cal you might need to moderate more when doing something different (could also be spices, as Need2 said).

takemetosingapore19

lemurcat12 wrote: »

It was generally referred to as taco hell when I was in school (and I haven't been since then).

That said, what Need2Exercise said. Sounds like you've been low fat and perhaps really low cal and then overdid it, and after low fat for a while fat can upset the stomach. Really, doesn't seem like a big thing, and if you eat a healthy diet with more fat it might be less likely to happen.

I have pizza (homemade or an Italian restaurant) quite often, and the ingredients aren't really any different than a healthy pasta dish I might make -- olive oil, flour (pasta or pizza crust), tomatoes, vegetables, usually cheese and perhaps some kind of meat (or not, I don't eat meat much lately and never on pizza). Anyway, because I have olive oil regularly in my diet I don't find I react to pizza negatively at all. So no, you don't have to give up pizza, but if you are going to be low fat or low cal you might need to moderate more when doing something different (could also be spices, as Need2 said).

Thanks ! I think it’s a huge jump from what I was eating. I haven’t been eating pasta or bread really either so I think the combo of a ton of dairy and bread just set off my stomach. I’m slowly starting to feel better. I’ll have to reintroduce these things in small amounts I guess.

cwolfman13

Have you eliminated dairy from your diet? Re-introducing a bunch of dairy when you haven't been eating it for awhile can cause issues...really true of pretty much anything you eliminate and then re-introduce or if it's something new. Eating more vegetables even gave me stomach issues in the beginning.

I eat a pretty healthy diet overall...but we always have something "fun" on weekends...be it pub grub or pizza or whatever and I haven't had any issues.

psychod787

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Have you eliminated dairy from your diet? Re-introducing a bunch of dairy when you haven't been eating it for awhile can cause issues...really true of pretty much anything you eliminate and then re-introduce or if it's something new. Eating more vegetables even gave me stomach issues in the beginning.

I eat a pretty healthy diet overall...but we always have something "fun" on weekends...be it pub grub or pizza or whatever and I haven't had any issues.

Yep! I ate fast food for the first time 2 weeks ago for the first time in 2 years. Had my first heart burn in almost 2 years. It might be another 2 years until I have it again. It also tastes really processed, almost like Styrofoam!

takemetosingapore19

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Have you eliminated dairy from your diet? Re-introducing a bunch of dairy when you haven't been eating it for awhile can cause issues...really true of pretty much anything you eliminate and then re-introduce or if it's something new. Eating more vegetables even gave me stomach issues in the beginning.

I eat a pretty healthy diet overall...but we always have something "fun" on weekends...be it pub grub or pizza or whatever and I haven't had any issues.

Now that I stop to think.. I’ve only had very minimal amounts of dairy. I have never drank milk, so the only diary I get is cheese or tiny amounts of butter ( but I usually use oil instead). So I haven’t had any dairy in a while.

spdaphne

It's your body saying don't feed me processed fast food. How I feel after I eat food, whatever it may be, tells me if my body liked or didn't like the food.

kam26001

It was the Taco Bell. And it's totally normal. Trust me.

l4ur4j4d4

Anything fast food I literally feel completely bloated and have stomach cramps afterwards... my body is telling me to not eat the stuff but it tastes so good!!
The last couple of times I’ve ate it though it’s really not worth the pain, so if I can help it I’m staying off it.

HeidiMightyRawr

Any drastic change in diet can do this if you're not used to certain foods.

However, this is exactly how dairy was with me. More so when I started phasing it out. It never gave me that much bother when I ate it regularly but then I started cutting back a lot and when I did have it, the dodgy stomach I got afterwards was awful! From what you said you ate beforehand, it doesn't sound like you were having much of it so it might be something to look into.

It could also just be crappy fast food.

mlewon

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

Spices and fat. It sounds like you've been eating pretty low-fat and possibly bland foods. Your gut adjusts to what you eat.

This.

Happens to me every time I decide to eat something fried/greasy. In general, I hardly eat out, and when I do it's always something that isn't fried/covered in oil- but I totally catch the pizza or french fries craving on the rare occasion, and when I indulge, my oh my stomach cramps are SO BAD. Your gut learns how to digest based on what you feed it. I highly suggest probiotics in the morning and night, ESPECIALLY on a day where you know you're going to splurge. I try to eat yogurt or keifer before a more indulgent meal as well, helps aid in digestion.

Honestly, I always have some sort of stomach issue when I eat that stuff, but these things definitely help a little. I do purposefully keep lots of spices in my diet at home so it's really only the grease that's an issue now. Good luck!

sgt1372

It might be an urban myth, but I've heard stories of people who have never eaten a greasy burger b4, upchucking the whole thing the 1st time they ate one.

If true, I think it's your body telling you something important. IMO, the same applies to bouts of post-fast food indigestion.

shaumom

okay...
first - some foods that you haven't eaten in a while will be harder to digest for a bit, if they require certain enzymes to digest them properly and your body has not been making these enzymes with the lack of the food, for example, and needs to build up the supply (it will start making more enzymes as you eat more).

Second - the idea that your body will have problems with a food SIMPLY because you haven't eaten it in a while, however, is a complete fallacy. Our bodies are actually built to be able to do this - we developed in a world without grocery stores, where typically, you have a food for a few weeks out of the entire year, and then it's a new set of 'in season' foods. We HAVE to be able to digest food that we may not eat for long periods of time.

Also, if you are just avoiding foods for a month? No WAY is that enough time for your body to even stop making the enzymes. For anything.

So if you are having problems with a food? There are strong odds against it having anything to do with the simple fact of your not eating it.

That said - many, many, MANY people discover that they have problems with certain foods after they go without it for a while.

This often happens to celiacs who stop eating wheat, rye, and barley for a while, and then try to eat it again.
This often happens to those who may be mildly or moderately lactose intolerant when they start eating more dairy again.
This can happen if someone has a mild food allergy or intolerance, and once the body is finally cleared of said food, you start noticing problems with it.

And for all of these, even a couple weeks can be enough to start to notice an issue, in my experience.

As someone who had to track down my own reactions to foods I hadn't had in a while, I would look at everything you ate, and try to get individual ingredients that were involved, and then try them, one a day or so, to see which ingredient in question may be the problem (for info, taco bell meat is very high in wheat, weirdly).

And you probably want to pig out a little on the ingredient, just to make sure, as some - like lactose intolerance - are quantity based reactions that won't cause problems below a certain level.

takemetosingapore19

Thanks so much everyone! I feel informed
Now. To the person who suggested I might try probiotics! Other than that I’m just going to keep fast food very rare