Is it normal that I haven't felt well since starting this

Makoce
Makoce Posts: 938 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ever since I stopped eating far over my calorie budget with a lot of junk food I haven't felt well. My stomach and intestines burn at night and gurgle, I have gas out both ends. Sometimes I have loose stools and feel nauseous. Is my body detoxing, or craving, or am I eating things that are upsetting my stomach, or am I not eating enough. I eat about 1400 - 1500 calories a day.

Replies

  • blu_meanie_ca
    blu_meanie_ca Posts: 352 Member
    There is a lot of saturated fat compaired the the amount of whole veggies and fruit (high fat, low fiber). It's the same gastrological problems that peole have after wing night.
    Try swapping out breakfast sausage for pork loin seasoned with hungrian paprika and garlic (plus, you get 3oz pork vs 1oz sausage), and ramen noogles for whole grain pasta (dice 1 tomato/person, with some onion, garlic, and italian seasoning. Stew for 10 min... and you've got a no sugar added, low carb pasta sauce).
  • lessertess
    lessertess Posts: 855 Member
    Hard to tell without knowing what kinds of things you're eating. I looked at your diary but there's not a lot of info. Couple of suggestions.

    If you've been eating junk food and you've started to eat healthier with higher fiber, it can cause digestive issues while our body is adjusting. In my experience it can take about 2-4 weeks.

    If you're eating a lot of dairy, you might be lactose intolerant.

    It's possible that you're one of those people whose body can't process grains well.

    I'd suggest seeing a nutritionist.

    One other thought: If you are eating things that contain fat substitutes or sugar substitues, some people can't digest those either. There's some fat free potato chips that can make me ill for a week after eating just one or two. Same with some sugar free candies.
  • LouiseH238
    LouiseH238 Posts: 199 Member
    What strikes me about your diary is that for about 1500 calories per day the volume of food you're eating is not very high. While there are almonds and veggies in there, there's also ramen, boxed mac and cheese, processed meats like hotdogs - high calorie foods with fairly low nutritional benefit. If I eat things like that when I'm dieting they go straight through me - my body can't handle the sudden influx of fat* compared to the healthy things I eat the rest of the time. When eating fewer calories, you'll need to work hard to make sure you're giving your body everything it needs nutritionally.

    MFP has given you a goal of 1600 per day and you're fairly consistently below it. Maybe try eating the full 1600, reducing your fat intake and adding more fibre and seeing if that helps. Giving it a little time couldn't hurt, either.

    *please note this refers to the fat in highly processed food. There are healthy fats - dairy, olive oil, nuts - and these you should eat.and log because they're very good for you nutritionally.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Ever since I stopped eating far over my calorie budget with a lot of junk food I haven't felt well. My stomach and intestines burn at night and gurgle, I have gas out both ends. Sometimes I have loose stools and feel nauseous. Is my body detoxing, or craving, or am I eating things that are upsetting my stomach, or am I not eating enough. I eat about 1400 - 1500 calories a day.

    Any change is diet can cause this temporarilty, regardless of calorie count. If it's only been a week or so, then give it more time for you gut to adjust. If it's been longer than a month, then you may be eating something for which you have an intollerance.

    Taking a daily probiotic can help with this.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    What strikes me about your diary is that for about 1500 calories per day the volume of food you're eating is not very high. While there are almonds and veggies in there, there's also ramen, boxed mac and cheese, processed meats like hotdogs - high calorie foods with fairly low nutritional benefit. If I eat things like that when I'm dieting they go straight through me - my body can't handle the sudden influx of fat compared to the healthy things I eat the rest of the time. When eating fewer calories, you'll need to work hard to make sure you're giving your body everything it needs nutritionally.

    MFP has given you a goal of 1600 per day and you're fairly consistently below it. Maybe try eating the full 1600, reducing your fat intake and adding more fibre and seeing if that helps. Giving it a little time couldn't hurt, either.

    I have my fat intake set to 45% of daily calories. I bet if you looked at my food choices you'd try to give me the same advice. I've been eating this way for years, and I still am able to maintain my weight. It's about calories and good food choices.

    There is nothing wrong with fat. There is a lot wrong with ramen noodles and hot dogs.

    The best thing OP could do is start eating more vegetables and less stuff that comes in a package.

    Lack of proper nutrition is one of the biggest factors in problems losing weight. You need all the things, protein, fat, and carbs. You need Vit A Vit B Vit C, D, K, calcium, sodium, fiber. No one thing will save you here. You do need fats. Fat doesn't make you fat.

    *edit to say, please eat the amount recommended, too. Trying to "beat the system" by undereating will backfire.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    have you added any foods to your diet that you don't normally eat? It could be an allergy or an intolerance. Even switching from one type to another of the same food can cause allergies, my younger daughter is allergic to wholegrain durham wheat so she can have wholegrain bread and white pasta, but she can't have wholegrain pasta or bulghar wheat. Allergies can be weird like that.
  • emmabeckemeyer1
    emmabeckemeyer1 Posts: 298 Member
    What strikes me about your diary is that for about 1500 calories per day the volume of food you're eating is not very high. While there are almonds and veggies in there, there's also ramen, boxed mac and cheese, processed meats like hotdogs - high calorie foods with fairly low nutritional benefit. If I eat things like that when I'm dieting they go straight through me - my body can't handle the sudden influx of fat compared to the healthy things I eat the rest of the time. When eating fewer calories, you'll need to work hard to make sure you're giving your body everything it needs nutritionally.

    MFP has given you a goal of 1600 per day and you're fairly consistently below it. Maybe try eating the full 1600, reducing your fat intake and adding more fibre and seeing if that helps. Giving it a little time couldn't hurt, either.

    I noticed the same thing!
  • LouiseH238
    LouiseH238 Posts: 199 Member
    What strikes me about your diary is that for about 1500 calories per day the volume of food you're eating is not very high. While there are almonds and veggies in there, there's also ramen, boxed mac and cheese, processed meats like hotdogs - high calorie foods with fairly low nutritional benefit. If I eat things like that when I'm dieting they go straight through me - my body can't handle the sudden influx of fat compared to the healthy things I eat the rest of the time. When eating fewer calories, you'll need to work hard to make sure you're giving your body everything it needs nutritionally.

    MFP has given you a goal of 1600 per day and you're fairly consistently below it. Maybe try eating the full 1600, reducing your fat intake and adding more fibre and seeing if that helps. Giving it a little time couldn't hurt, either.

    I have my fat intake set to 45% of daily calories. I bet if you looked at my food choices you'd try to give me the same advice. I've been eating this way for years, and I still am able to maintain my weight. It's about calories and good food choices.

    There is nothing wrong with fat. There is a lot wrong with ramen noodles and hot dogs.

    You're completely right, I should have made this clearer - fat is fine, which is why I pointed out the almonds, but the kind of fat that comes in highly processed food isn't. I've edited my original post to reflect this.
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
    I didn't experience any discomfort when I started. My issue was breaking the habit of eating too much of anything I wanted but that involved a change in mental behavour.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    Ever since I stopped eating far over my calorie budget with a lot of junk food I haven't felt well. My stomach and intestines burn at night and gurgle, I have gas out both ends. Sometimes I have loose stools and feel nauseous. Is my body detoxing, or craving, or am I eating things that are upsetting my stomach, or am I not eating enough. I eat about 1400 - 1500 calories a day.

    Your intestinal flora is probably changing due to your change in diet. Naturopaths describe a condition known as "die-off reaction" that happens when some of the microorganisms (like Candida fungus) begin to die off due to the restriction of their favorite foods (they LOOOVE sugar). From what I have read about it, the dying organisms spill toxins into the gut where they get into one's blood stream and make you feel AWFUL. But, drinking lots of water and taking a good pro-biotic can set things to rights in about a week or so. :smile: Hope you feel better, soon.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    For one thing, eat to your goal...it's a goal...it is something to be achieved. People generally feel pretty ****ty when they don't properly fuel their bodies. Note that the MFP goal already has a deficit built into it...you do not need to shoot under it or make the deficit bigger.

    Make sure you're getting as much nutrient dense foods as possible. This is very important on a deficit because, in general, less food (caloric deficit) means you are also missing a lot of nutrients unless you strategically plan to get them by making different food choices. Highly processed foods tend to be mostly junk calories and not a lot of nutritional value...they don't leave you satiated for long. I know it's convenient and on the surface it seems cheaper...but you're really not getting much for your $$. That's not to say that you have to completely eliminate them or anything...just get more nutrient dense foods in you...get your 4-5 servings of veg...get a couple servings of fruit...some whole grains...plenty of protein and then more protein...heart healthy fats and less saturated fats.
  • Makoce
    Makoce Posts: 938 Member
    I manually put the 1600 in there. It was just a guideline for my max calories. I try to leave about 100 left in the case I made any caloric errors on any of my foods. I don't think I'm eating anything different than before. It's all things I've eaten before just more of it verses candy, cakes, and chips. Haha.
    The problem I'm having revolves around my mother. She hates healty food and will only buy me fruits
  • RobynLB
    RobynLB Posts: 617 Member
    Probably eating different foods that are upsetting your stomach. A lot of healthy foods: dairy, fruits, legumes, grains, etc. can be very irritating for IBS or people with food sensitivities. I finally decided to give an elimination diet a try, and my horrible GI symptoms (suffered with them since my teens) were gone in 2 days. You also might just be getting more fiber which can take some getting used to. The most likely culprits for food allergies are: wheat and dairy. Also look out for sugar alcohols that might be in different protein bars and diet food.

    Food sensitivities can change and they can be dose dependent. So you don't necessarily need to be eating completely different foods to experience new or increased symptoms.

    One more thought. Are you constipated. Decreased volume of food might lead to constipation, which can give you all of the symptoms you have described.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    Probably eating different foods that are upsetting your stomach. A lot of healthy foods: dairy, fruits, legumes, grains, etc. can be very irritating for IBS or people with food sensitivities. I finally decided to give an elimination diet a try, and my horrible GI symptoms (suffered with them since my teens) were gone in 2 days. You also might just be getting more fiber which can take some getting used to. The most likely culprits for food allergies are: wheat and dairy. Also look out for sugar alcohols that might be in different protein bars and diet food.

    Yep--I can't eat anything with xylitol, manitol, etc. in it---does very bad things to my digestive system.
  • Makoce
    Makoce Posts: 938 Member
    I do have ibs... What would you recommend foods that arnt as harsh?
  • RobynLB
    RobynLB Posts: 617 Member
    I do have ibs... What would you recommend foods that arnt as harsh?

    Try nixing the dairy completely and see if your symptoms improve. That can be a big trigger for IBS.
  • BonaFideUK
    BonaFideUK Posts: 313 Member
    You're eating a lot of high calorie items in a low calorie plan with little or no benefits. You need to eat better food.
  • Makoce
    Makoce Posts: 938 Member
    I'm frustrated to the point of quitting with food. I am a very picky eater. I don't like a lot of food. I argue with my mom constantly about changing the groceries and she flat out refuses. I have to either make due with what I have or give up. Ugh!! :(
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    I'm frustrated to the point of quitting with food. I am a very picky eater. I don't like a lot of food. I argue with my mom constantly about changing the groceries and she flat out refuses. I have to either make due with what I have or give up. Ugh!! :(

    what's your financial situation like? Would you be able to buy your own groceries? Not for everything, just the things that you want to eat that's different to what your mum buys. Also, would your mum be okay with you cooking some of your own meals? Most mothers wouldn't mind that. usually the gripe is with having to buy and prepare different foods, because it makes shopping and cooking more difficult. However if you did those things yourself would she complain?
  • Makoce
    Makoce Posts: 938 Member
    I'm frustrated to the point of quitting with food. I am a very picky eater. I don't like a lot of food. I argue with my mom constantly about changing the groceries and she flat out refuses. I have to either make due with what I have or give up. Ugh!! :(

    what's your financial situation like? Would you be able to buy your own groceries? Not for everything, just the things that you want to eat that's different to what your mum buys. Also, would your mum be okay with you cooking some of your own meals? Most mothers wouldn't mind that. usually the gripe is with having to buy and prepare different foods, because it makes shopping and cooking more difficult. However if you did those things yourself would she complain?

    I'm unemployed. 5$ to my name. I train dogs but business is slow. Can't find a part time job anywhere. Nothin in my area.
  • nashsheri33
    nashsheri33 Posts: 225 Member
    i have a few suggestions

    i also have ibs and have found that the Lactaid brand cottage cheese and milk do not aggravate my symptoms. (there are other lactose-free brands of milk that may be cheaper, but idk about the cottage cheese.) also, my nutritionist told me that rice is the only grain that does not cause gas.


    also, here is a helpful web site: helpforibs.com


    and, you may just have to figure out what foods set you off. you may find that you can't have a salad (or other vegetables - especially raw) unless you eat it at the end of the meal, as opposed to the beginning, which is what most people do. maybe it's a good idea to make sure you eat a little something every couple of hours, so your stomach never gets completely empty.

    i recommend staying away from sugar alcohol. if you read the ingredient list and something ends with -ol, it could be a sugar alcohol. examples are mannitol, xylitol, and sorbitol.

    fiber is important, but for people with ibs, insoluble fiber can cause problems. insoluble fiber is in vegetables and whole grains, and some fruits. it may be a good idea to reduce the amount of insoluble fiber, or at least reduce the amount that you eat at one time until you discover what the limit is. maybe peel the apple before you eat it.
    now, soluble fiber is good for ibs. some sources of soluble fiber include oatmeal, and the inside part of an apple. you can google 'sources of soluble fiber' to find more foods to eat. it might be a good idea to cook the hellz out of the vegetables, which helps break down the fiber a bit. unfortunately, it destroys some of the nutritional content also, but if you have to choose between not eating vegetables, and cooking them so you can eat them, the choice is clear.

    basically, the difference between the 2 kinds of fiber is that INsoluble fiber does not dissolve in water, and soluble fiber does.

    also i recommend yoga, which helps reduce stress, and stress is a big trigger for ibs.

    don't give up, sweetie. you can do it.
  • Makoce
    Makoce Posts: 938 Member
    Thanks. I thought I was doing good. I was seeing some progress. It's just a lot to feel sick all the time and the find out you're doing it wrong. Just one of those weak days you feel like crying. Ill get over it. Thanks for the tips. Ill defiantly pay attention to those things.

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