Hello! Not the way I would like to introduce myself, but...
I just started the Atkins diet (been on it before with great results, then got pregnant--both times! MMmmm....) on Tuesday. By Wednesday night I had severe diarrhea. By the next day, I had sharp pains with it. I now still have diarrhea, not as bad and feel so bloated and have the sharp pains. Upside-I have lost 6 pounds! At first, I thought it was a flu bug, but everyone around me thinks it is the diet. I am starting to believe it myself. I now feel like I don't want to eat much at all because of the pain and bloated feeling. On top of it, I have a headache and need to eat something before I can take ibuprofin. By yesterday morning, I broke down and ate a low carb bagel with butter so I would have something in my stomach to take ibuprofin for my head. I did eat some chicken breast today and another 1/2 of a bagel. Still feel like crap!! Anyone else had this happen?
Thanks!
Tate

Hm..most people get stopped up, not the runs. I don't know.

Of course, food poisoning happens more than you think. I ate some pizza from my fave place (pre atkins) and there must have been something wrong with the meat because that night I had those sharp pains and the runs, and for the next three or four days I could barely eat and even vomited once or twice. Perhaps you didn't prepare something right? It happens.

Could be several things. Your body adjusting to the different foods. Give it a day or two and it should be better. Or could be you ate something with sugar alcohols in it and are suffering the "laxative effect" they warn about on the label. Or could mean you need more fiber. Make sure to eat your veggies.


Joan

Hi. Did you eat any LC products with sugar alcohols? Those are well known to cause "rude awakenings" downstairs.

Did you start eating something that you haven't eaten in a long time, like cheese, soy, or a certain kind of meat?

Those are the only ideas I can think of. That really sounds like food poisoning, though, since you said you've been LC before with good results.

Get well soon.

Several good suggestions - one other, is it close to your TOM? It's a little early for anything related to the diet to be affecting you like this with the exception of the sugar alcohol stuff which can happen within an hour or two...

Hang in there and for now at least keep a close eye on things, but don't let this be an excuse to give up something you want to try, at least not until you have given it a good try!

PecanPie

There is a thread on here that talks about the problems on LC diets with the introduction of more fiber and roughage. If you find that the tummy problems often come around the time you have salads or other veggies, then you might try switching to cooked veggies for a while to see if that helps.

You might also check out the yeast forums, especially since you have been pregnant. You might have a candida overgrowth that is reacting to the sugar withdrawl.

Avoid any kind of low carb candies, bars or other foods with sugar alcohols. Even if they aren't the reason for your problems, they can definetly make them worse. The sweetner found in most of those is also a perscription laxative. Also Low carb bread products contain high amounts of gluten. I fyou have a slight sensativity the increased amounts could have side effects such as diareah, depression, gas and a few other things.

Is it possible you are lactose intolerent? If nothing else helps you might try swearing off the dairy for a few days, then reinterducing it slowly.

Also...watch out for that flaxseed meal. If you recall, Dr. Atkins book talks about taking flaxseed with water to give you a laxative effect when you're constipated. If you eat flaxseed meal cereal then I wouldn't add flaxseed to other stuff. Also some of the muffins are made with flaxseed meal. That with the combination of maltitol, which btw are in some of the atkins bars, you could have a real problem. Another culprit could be black olives. When my brother was little he had tons of probs with constipation that landed him in the hospital and olives are the only thing that loosened him back up. If you ate a ton of banana's, rice, applesauce or toast prior to this WOE and have suddenly cut them out then your body may just have to get used to it. Those items are in the "BRAT" diet for helping folks with diarrhea to get stopped up. A sudden stop of those high carb foods could throw your system off. That's just my 2 cents worth. Good luck. Annie

Thanks so much for all of your replies. Great info. Although, none of those apply in my situation. I am 1 year post pregnancy, in the middle of my cycle, and all I had to eat the first day was a 3 egg omelete with cream cheese and veggies, bacon. Lots of water, Salad with veggies, chicken, and a little dressing. Iced tea. BBQ chicken, cauliflower, Broccoli, salad. And similar foods the second day. All of these are things that I eat anyway. Except for the fact that I had no bread, pasta, potatoes, or chips. Or soda, or milk. I am still battling the diarrhea-tho not as bad as it was the first 3 days. Still bloated. I have added more carbs. Some good and some bad. Just could not stomach eggs and veggies with the way I felt. ODD!!
Thanks again for your input!
Tate

I found that in the beginning as well - I htink it was my body cleansing itself of toxins - it took about a week to clean out, then I got a bit constipated. I am fairly regular now, and it does go away

Hi Tate! When I started Atkins last month- I too got really bad diarrhea. I was following the woe to a tee. I think the body was adjusting itself. It lasted for a week(and I felt lousy). Like Teresamay mentioned, constipation followed the diarrhea, I had to add nuts for fiber. Hang in there-you will get back to normal
Starr

Wow, you guys are so lucky that you got diarreaha. I had severe constipation and I had to go to the hospital to fix it. I'd rather go to the bathroom all the time, rather than never at all!

I too experiance this when i do induction. ( i just restarted after falling of the wagon for a month)
then after a week or so it clears up and all is fine.
the bloating for me also got a lot worse before it got better. that tooka about 3 days for me but that was 3 days of strick induction.

so hope is helps your not a lone!

Hi Tate6!

I am right along there with you, veggies go right through me. Even if it's lettuce. My body handles them a little better now, but I'm VERY regular.

The first week was pretty bad for me but Im "going" just fine since then.

i just started a like-induction diet today.. not counting the carbs but eating only induction allowed foods...
im used to eating 150+ net carbs a day (yikes!) and so far today, ive only had about 10... halfway through the day i had severly painfull abdominal cramps followed by diarrhea... no fun..
could be just our bodies are getting used to the low carbs..