New to these boards. Atkins diet Yucky question

[Mickey527]

Hi everyone. I just found these boards. I am a pin collector, yes, one of those crazy people that wear 10 extra pounds of pins to the parks, and chases after any CM with a lanyard.
Can anyone tell me what WISH stands for?

Ok, I have a question about Atkins. I wrote them and asked and they said I might have a milk allergy and I should give up cheese. I am a milk junkie and the one thing I miss on Atkins is my glass of milk every day.
I have been on Atkins for just a little over a week now, I started on July 14th. I am losing weight, about 6 lbs already. (My son lost over 50 in two months and he is still going strong)
I have had diarrhea since I began the diet. I normally am constipated so this is a real change.
Here is a list of the foods I generally eat.

Bfst: 2 eggs fried in butter, with either bacon or sausage.

Lunch: Chicken salad, tuna Salad, hot dogs or cheeseburgers. I make the salad with lots of Hellman's and some celery salt.

Dinner: Hot dogs, Cheeseburgers, steak, fish, Chicken either fried in butter or cooked on the grill.

I drink either "Crystal Light" or Walmart brand "Clear American" no cal, no carb, sparkling flavored beverage.
For the past few days I have not felt hungry at bfst so I have a decaff tea with Equal and heavy cream. I can't drink tea without a milk product but the heavy cream is 0 carbs.
I am not really a salad nut so I have been sticking to the mainly meats diet.

Has anyone else had a problem with diarrhea and what did you do to stop it? It can't be the Equal in the tea because I have only had that for 2 mornings and this diarrhea has been since the 3rd day on the diet.
the Atkins people were very quick to respond to my e-mail, but they said I might be lactose intolerant and I have been drinking milk for almost 50 years. I did stop eating cheese for a few days but that didn't stop my problem.
Hope someone might have an answer. thanks for putting up with this long and not so fun topic. Peggie

 

[MelanieC]

It could possibly be the oil and butter? I get violent cramps when I eat something that is greasy, or has butter in it. Not really sure if that could be what is triggering that for you. I have IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). My stomach reacts to it every time.

Melanie

 

[dizneegirl]

You can develop food allergies all of a sudden as an adult... you may very well have become lactose intolerant... though there is much less lactose in heavy cream and cheese than there is in milk (hence, they're lower in carbs... not as much milk sugar).

Heavy cream is NOT 0 carbs (no matter what the label says), because it DOES contain some milk sugars... it should be counted as 6.6 carbs per cup of cream.

Quite frankly, I'd strongly suggest you get some kind of vegetables in your diet. If you don't like salads, eat something else... green beans, sauteed radishes, cauliflower, creamed spinach, turnips... you really do need not only the nutrients, but also the fiber.

The change in diet alone may be the cause of your problem. If you were normally constipated, and you've suddenly changed the way you eat, you may experience the opposite effect until your body gets used to the new regimen.

Here's what atkins.com says about it:

I've had several episodes of diarrhea since starting Atkins. How can I avoid it?
Diarrhea is uncommon in people doing Atkins. In fact, people on Induction are more likely to initially experience constipation. However, some people can't tolerate dairy products—and consumption of cheese and cream may cause diarrhea. If this is the case, try eliminating all milk products and see if it gets better. Unsweetened psyllium husks can be added, which act as a sponge, soaking up water and helping form a normal stool. If you don’t respond to that treatment, then look at the amount of fat you are eating. If you have been on an extremely low-fat diet prior to starting Atkins, it may take your body a while to adjust.

If dietary fat is not the cause, diarrhea could also result from taking the recommended supplements. Try stopping them for a week, then if the diarrhea goes away, reintroduce them one at a time. So long as you have diarrhea, it is especially important to drink a minimum of eight glasses of water a day to avoid dehydration.

You might also visit www.lowcarbfriends.com, and go to the message boards... if you do a search for diarrhea, I'd bet you'd find some more suggestions.

PS - I think WISH is "We're Inspired to Stay Healthy"

 

[Luvinit]

Do you ever eat ANTYTHING with sugar alcohols in it? I know you didn't list it..but even one little piece of candy during the day..and I am running for the bathroom.

 

[anniet]

The book Protein Power by Michael and Mary Dan Eades does have a paragraph concerning diarrhea.

It says that it is COMMON among their diet (which is similar to Atkins it's a 15g of carbs a day diet at first and then moves to 50g) It usually starts a day or two into the program and should resolve itself as the body adjusts to the new diet. If not it says you should reduce your fish oil caplets if you are taking them, (so maybe oil could be the problem?) or you may have a food allergy.

I have a friend who is VERY allergic to dairy and I would think it would be more than diarrhea if you are....excruciating abdominal pains usually accompany it. I know because I've overdone dairy and had that happen and my friend told me that's what happens to her even if she has the littlest bit of dairy.

 

[nativetxn]

<b>Mickey527</b> I have heard many people new to controlled carbohydrate eating complain of the opposite of diarrhea but this is a new thing for me to hear.

I don't know what to tell you, I haven't had any experience with this. Is this the only inconvenience you have experienced with Atkins, so far? I'm thinking it could be part of the carbohydrate withdrawal but I'm really reaching with that idea.

No abdominal pain, either? No queasy tummy? Actually, I'm thinking that it might be a coincidence, that perhaps you picked up a mild virus just before you started controlling your refined carbohydrate intake.

Let us know what happens. I'm hoping it just goes away as swiftly as it appeared.

<i>Now</i>, are you going to be taking the WISH challenge? Please say yes. I could really use you in my support group. WISH is a very friendly place. I think you would like it here.

Katholyn