Intense stomach pains/cramping/bloating

[0Amy]

I have been working on eating healhier for about a month now.  By that I mean I eat mainly lean protien, fruits, and vegetables with cottage cheese on occasion.  Other than my free days, I avoid most carbs.  I also am working out every night and power walking for a half hour every day in addition to walking once an hour (office job) for 500-1000 steps.  Every Saturday morning I weigh in and then let myself have a free *within reason* day.  My goal is to eat 1200 calories a day but it ranges from 1000-1200 and up to 1500 on my free day.  I have hashimotos so eating more than that means gained weight rather than lost.

I was having a lot more energy and feeling great the first few weeks.  By week 4, I hit a total brain fog and was unable to focus on anything, so ate a little bit more than usual on Saturday to see if that would help.   I started feeling sick before I even finished dinner.  What I ate though was probably normal to what I would have eaten before I started eating healthier.  Since I ate on Saturday, I've been having some pretty intense stomach pains and bloating and have had no energy and no appetite at all.  Is this normal after having binged a bit and any idea how long it will take to clear up if it is?

[CalpeBow]

Hi,

I roughly do the same with having a free day on Saturday and I too afterwards have tummy cramps but they tend to disapear by midnight

[Ukase]

I wish I could give you some advice - but I'm afraid all I can do is recommend you see a doctor. 

Cramping and bloating - those two can occur easily enough if you eat certain foods - rice and beans, for starters. The rice expands and beans can play havoc in your digestive system, particularly if you eat too many. (and too many could be a small portion, depending on your sensitivity.) 

Stomach pain, however -that isn't necessarily the same thing as a cramp. That could be an ulcer or gall stones, any number of maladies. That's why I suggest a doctor. I wouldn't want to do anything to steer you down some path and learn later you have an umbilical hernia that gets enflamed after you eat, or something outside the norm like that. 

[SunsetRunner]

Hope you feel better soon

[OCDOC]

1) See your doctor for any medical concerns.

2) When I let myself have a carby binge I feel like crap (incl GI upset) for 1-2 days after.

3) See your doctor for any medical concerns.

[0Amy]

Thanks everyone!  Luckily, I am feeling much better this morning.  Apparently I had to wait it out a bit.  My daughter has celiac disease and now I'm wondering if I could have some sort of gluten intolerance also.

[Lunasash]

Have you looked into IBS?  It made me feel this way and didn't start right when I started eating healthy.  Now after a lot of tests and avioding foods I found I can only eat certain vegetables in moderation and fruits rarely, (and i love fruit) but watermelon kills my stomach. 

There are great resources about foods that help/hurt IBS online. 

[0Amy]

Thank you for the suggestion!  If it happens again, I think I will start keeping a food diary so I can see if there are triggers.  I did add kiwi to my green smoothies for about a week straight which is an unusual food for me, so that could have been it also.

[Raelcvn]

That exact reaction happened to me when I cleaned my diet out. I was insistent that I would keep cream in my coffee.... until my system cleaned out from all the other crap I was eating previously and noticed the cream. Intense cramps, bloating, the big d, and mind fuzz all day. Felt like crap. Needless to say, I don't put cream in my coffee anymore. I am intolerant to all grains, dairy, nightshades, and sulfite allergic. When I eat bad, it's like muddy water, drop a piece of mud in it and my body doesn't notice that particular piece. Clean it up and it notices the individual pieces. A food journal is always a good idea, keeps you aware of what you are eating and if something is off, you have an idea of what caused it.