Frustrated!!
 

Okay, the last 2-3 weeks I've been slowly converting to a plant based diet..
I lost my first 30lbs eating a low calorie standard american diet with pretty much rarely eating any veggies or fruits. Lots of frozen foods, fast food, etc.

So my typical day looks like now:

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ 1 packet stevia & 1 tablespoon almond butter
Lunch: Green Smoothie (2 handfuls spinach or kale, 1 banana, 1/2 orange, 1/2 cup frozen fruit)
Snack: 1 or 2 pieces of various fruit & 1 cup almond milk
Dinner: Lentil Salad Wrap (whole wheat tortilla, lentils, mashed avocado, chopped pickle, mustard, chopped peppers, mixed chopped lettuces ontop)

So, right around I started the switch I've had these horrible gas pains up my bum?? Every time I google it I get results for endometriosis and various things. It really hurts to pass gas (I feel like I am going to pass out) and I seem to have A LOT of it. I read one site that said it's trapped, built up gas can cause shooting pains.
I feel better once I've "eliminated".. but every few days the pain comes back.
I am wondering if it's the almond milk since I gave up dairy. So I am going to cut it out and see if that's it.

It's just frustrating that I am eating healthier than I ever have in my life and I've never been in so much pain!
I am just wondering if could also be my body is just not use to all the fiber? I went from never eating a vegetable to eating mostly veggies & grains. And if that's the case what am I suppose to do? I drink a ton of water.. I fill up quart size mason jars through out the day.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

I am not an expert but I think it is your body adjusting to your new diet.I think it is a temporary thing.

I would see a gyn just in case. It may be a coincidence that the gas developed at the same time as the change in diet, and gas can be related to gyn issues.

In the meantime, it might not be a bad idea to go to a health food store and buy a digestive enzyme supplement, or even just pick up some bean-o. My daughter used to get a lot of tummy aches so I had her take a supplement which included several different enzymes to deal with various food-related issues (beans and milk, mostly). It seemed to help her.

My first thought is, how much water are you drinking? You might not be getting enough water with the extra fiber you are eating.

Did you have a hard stool that was hard to pass, that hurt upon exit? I wonder if you have an anal fissure. Like the previous poster said, increase your water intake.

It should heal up on it's own, but you will re-tear it if you don't drink enough water, ie: to keep your stools healthy and easy to pass.

Try cleaning yourself after you have a BM in the shower, not with toilet paper, too.

I don't think you need to go to a doctor just yet - it is the lentils! Funnily enough, I have a diet very similar to yours.

The smoothie, fruit, oatmeal - no problems.

Beans have the tendency to cause painful gas. Try replacing the beans with tofu or seitan for a few days. I would bet money that your terrible gas will clear up.

In addition, don't forget to chew well!

I also have to be careful with cauliflower and whole chickpeas.

Originally Posted by Unna:
I don't think you need to go to a doctor just yet - it is the lentils! Funnily enough, I have a diet very similar to yours.

The smoothie, fruit, oatmeal - no problems.

Beans have the tendency to cause painful gas. Try replacing the beans with tofu or seitan for a few days. I would bet money that your terrible gas will clear up.

In addition, don't forget to chew well!

I also have to be careful with cauliflower and whole chickpeas.

Oh no! Guess what I cooked myself for dinner last night?? LENTILS!!!

I really hope it's just because of my diet. The pain gets so bad I feel like I am going to pass out. No pains in my abdomen or anything though.. All the pain is like in my "tract".

I am going to make a diary of the pain & what I ate to see if there is a correlation or not.