Feeling bad, diet or something else

karenscfld · January 2020

I am wondering if anyone has had stomach trouble related to starting a new diet. I've had constipation, diarreha, and gas pain since christmas. I wonder if my body is having trouble adjusting or if its something else? I may see the doctor tomorrow. My diet is going great having lost 9 lbs so far so I can't complain about that.

cathipa · January 2020

What kind of diet are you following?

janejellyroll · January 2020

Are you eating more fiber or fat than usual since starting your new diet? Have you increased your consumption of any food in particular?

apullum · January 2020

Nine pounds in two weeks is (hopefully) water weight loss, not fat. It is common to lose a lot of water quickly when starting to restrict calories. That should slow down soon, which can be discouraging for folks who don't expect it. However, safe fat loss should not happen at such a rapid pace.

It's impossible for us to say whether your symptoms are caused by your dietary changes. I will say, though, that some people who cut calories also wind up increasing their fiber intake very quickly (either intentionally or not). This often happens if one suddenly begins eating more whole grains, high-fiber vegetables, etc. than usual. Suddenly increasing your fiber intake can lead to digestive problems like constipation.

It may also be that you've begun eating things with sweeteners that don't agree with you. This is not fear-mongering about artificial sweeteners; rather, it is well documented that some people have digestive upset when they eat certain sweeteners. Xylitol, for example, can cause gas and bloating in people who are sensitive to it.

Those are just general ideas based on changes that some people make. They may or may not apply to you.

Overall, I would first look at your diary to see whether you are eating any new foods or anything in larger amounts than you did before. If so, that will give your doctor an idea of where to start.

karenscfld · January 2020

I'm counting calories and staying at 1200 or less. I'm eating a lot of vegetables. I did start eating bran flakes for breakfast which is totally new for me.

nighthawk584 · January 2020

I had same problems until my digestive system adjusted to increase of fiber and complete change of diet. It took me a couple months before things were more normal. Remember to drink LOTS of water.

cathipa · January 2020

karenscfld wrote: »

I'm counting calories and staying at 1200 or less. I'm eating a lot of vegetables. I did start eating bran flakes for breakfast which is totally new for me.

Chances are its because you went from a low fiber diet to a high fiber diet quickly. It can take a while for your body to regulate, but for now drink plenty of water and could try Beano or GasX.

debrakgoogins · January 2020

karenscfld wrote: »

I'm counting calories and staying at 1200 or less. I'm eating a lot of vegetables. I did start eating bran flakes for breakfast which is totally new for me.

How much below 1200 are you eating and how often are you dropping below 1200? 1200 is the minimum you should eat to ensure you are getting adequate nutrition. Too little food coupled with a high fiber diet could definitely increase your digestive issues.

NovusDies · January 2020

One thing to keep in mind with increased fiber if you take a break from it for a vacation or something you can end up constipated and when you return you may go through the adjustment period again. This is why I keep fiber supplements handy.

apullum · January 2020

karenscfld wrote: »

I'm counting calories and staying at 1200 or less. I'm eating a lot of vegetables. I did start eating bran flakes for breakfast which is totally new for me.

It's likely the increased fiber. You should increase your fiber intake slowly, rather than all at once. I would back off the fiber for now, see if that helps, and then gradually add in high-fiber foods once your symptoms have resolved.

SInce you are new, I would also strongly recommend getting a food scale now, while you're still getting started. If you are counting calories but not weighing your food, then your logging is not as accurate as it could be. Most people who don't use a food scale are eating more than they think they are.

I would also examine your calorie goal. 1200 is the bare minimum calories recommended for women and is only appropriate for some people who are short, sedentary, older, and/or don't have much weight to lose. Many people get this calorie goal if they choose a pace of loss that is too fast for their stats. Your profile says that you have 50 pounds to lose, which would mean that a maximum of 1 lb/week loss is appropriate for your stats.

AnnPT77 · January 2020

karenscfld wrote: »

I'm counting calories and staying at 1200 or less. I'm eating a lot of vegetables. I did start eating bran flakes for breakfast which is totally new for me.

You've probably increased fiber, and as others have pointed out, it's usually best (for happy digestive system results) to do that gradually.

It's also vitally important, with that increased fiber, to be drinking adequate water (or other fluids), and to be eating enough fats.

That last, not getting enough fat (while simulataneously increasing fiber), is a common mistake among people trying to lose weight. Fat is relatively high in calories, but you need it for health for various reasons, one of which is smooth digestive throughput.

Look at your food diary. How much fat are you getting each day? It should be in the vicinity of 0.3-0.45g per pound of a healthy goal weight. If you're well short of that, eat more fat. If you're trying to revolutionize your life all at once and eat all healthy right away as well as cutting calories super far (🙄), you can eat some nuts, cold-water fatty fish, olive oil on salads or veggies or in cooking, or avocados, all of which are very nutritious foods.

For hydration, make sure you're drinking enough (or getting enough high-fluid foods) that your urine is a pale straw color (maybe except first time in the morning). You don't need crazy huge amounts.

Especially now that you're already in the midst of troubles, if you do figure you might be short on hydration or fats, try to spread those through your day.

Fiber, water, and fats are the key things for throughput (avoiding constipation), for most people. Beyond that, some people also feel they get benefits from exercise (expecially things that move the midsection) or from probiotic foods (live-culture yogurt, kefir, kim chi, sauerkraut, kombucha, miso - that sort of thing).

And don't try to eat below 1200 calories straight off, unless you're very short, pretty old, and quite inactive. (I'm 5'5" and age 64, and sedentary outside of intentional exercise, and 1200 was a terrible, terrible plan for me. Some people need to go that low, but waaaaay more women do so than need to or ought to. Definitely don't eat routinely below it!)

springlering62 · January 2020

I did a Follow-Up visit with my dietician today, and mentioned that I had begun eating protein bars daily beginning about a month ago. A little later I mentioned feeling bloated and gassy for the last few weeks. She said the sugar alcohols in the protein bars I was eating affect a lot of people that way and suggested cutting them out. (I’ve never eaten foods with sugar alcohols before.). Have you introduced any new foods lately? I never would have put two and two together. I thought they were pretty innocuous, so they were under my radar.

Feeling bad, diet or something else

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