Diarrhea during phase one

[rojo1313]

Anyone experience frequent diarrhea after starting the diet? My wife has had it three or four times a week and we do not know if it is related to the SBD or not. I have seen others attribute Sugar Alcohol but she is not eating any "diet foods" per say and no diet drinks. She drinks plenty of water.

any thoughts?

[maltaguy]

could be a lack of fiber intake ... here in Europe we have Fibrogel .. I guess you have something similar that is called Metamucil in the US? Tell her to try that, maybe it will help.

[sstepp63]

Finally found out it was from eating salads. I have IBS and they were killing me. I switched to steaming all my green beans and broccoli and everything is great now. I also eat the Taco Soup nearly every night and that has helped also.

sstepp63
20 lbs lost on Atkins
7.5 lbs lost from switching BP meds
4.5 lbs. lost on South Beach

[actressstars1]

Finally found out it was from eating salads. I have IBS and they were killing me. I switched to steaming all my green beans and broccoli and everything is great now. I also eat the Taco Soup nearly every night and that has helped also.

sstepp63
20 lbs lost on Atkins
7.5 lbs lost from switching BP meds
4.5 lbs. lost on South Beach

Hi im tryin the diet myself but i also have IBS but i cant believe i can find someone to talk to to bout tis...i was wondering if u can give me some advice thanks!!

[lars1]

Has she added a lot of artificial sweetener to her diet? Many people react this way to a sudden increase in Splenda. Try cutting back on all artificial sweeteners. You will get used to not craving that sweet taste pretty fast.

[kellbell96]

Boy! It's good to see that there are others out there on this eating plan that suffer with IBS also. I've had the same problem. I'm trying to even out how much veggies I eat and try to eat smaller amounts more often instead of alot at one setting. I cut back on the salads too. Where is the Taco Soup recipe? I'd like to try that.

[RedRox]

I did a search on "taco soup" using the CTRL-F windows function through each page of the "Soups, soups and more soups" sticky thread in the recipe forum and found this page: http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/for ... &start=105

scroll down a bit until you see them. looks like there are a couple in the same post that would work.

The Recipe Summary sticky thread in the recipe and food forum is also a good place to look for specific recipes. It might be in there too in the soups section there.

[SunshineCA]

My DH had this problem the first few days we started back. He's much better now. He thinks it was due to his body not used to eating healthy again after cheating so much.

[justada]

Hey all.

I have been on the SBD for a few months and just stopped about a month ago. I've been eating pretty much anything WITHIN reason, after all the diet has taught what to eat and what not to eat. However, my digestion is just not what it used to be. For goodness sakes, I'm only 20. I don't understand what's with the random and constant diarrhea. It comes complete with lower abdominal cramps. At first i thought it was the salads, so I cut back, but that didn't change anything. Then I thought just stopping the diet completely would help, but that didn't change the diarrhea either . Before I go to a doctor, I just wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions/info regarding this.

Thanks,
Adaline

[leesah44]

For me, it was the extreme and sudden increase in fiber that my digestive system was not used to. Before starting the diet I was a complete "carboholic" 20-year-old (otherwise healthy and only 10 lbs. overweight) eating copious amounts of bread and bad carbs, and very little veggies and fiber. All my life, whenever my intake of fiber was significantly increased, without also increasing the bread/starch intake, I would get diarrhea.

So I already understood the cause when I suffered your same exact symptoms during Phase I, but I severely underestimated the outcome! It was so bad, I was almost fired for taking such long bathroom breaks and lack of concentration due to my stomach pain and discomfort. Not to mention the extreme gas and embarrassment!

Of course, not everyone has these symptoms when increasing the fiber, so it is probably a combination of increasing the fiber too SUDDENLY, just having a sensitive stomach in general, and/or an imbalance of digestive enzymes/bacteria. My symptoms subsided with the Phase II foods, but I'm sure that if I had just taken a more gradual approach right before beginning Phase I (let's call it 2 weeks of "Phase 0") slowly eliminating all carbs, while slowly adding more fiber, I would have been fine during Phase I.

That was a couple years ago and I am trying to get healthy again, but this time I think I'm just going to skip Phase I all together. Good luck, hope this helps.

[M-double-i]

I am going into my third week on Phase 1 and having this issue throughout the day. I am getting concerned and considering calling the doctor. My diet prior to South Beach was all carbs, sugars, etc. Perhaps my body is still adjusting to this new way of life?

[Magna]

First, phase 1 shouldn't last longer than two weeks - you should be transitioning into phase 2. In case you haven't, be sure to read the phase 1 FAQ page, along with the links to the "how to adapt your meal plan" template and the "foods to enjoy" list.

Are you eating a lot of artificially sweetened foods? Sugar alcohols in particular can cause diarrhea, bloating, etc. It's not dangerous or anything, but obviously not what you want happening. (The "sweet treat" limit is supposed to help prevent that.) If you're eating a lot of those foods, try cutting back to less than 100 calories daily. Some people have trouble even at that level, though, and have to eat less than that, or avoid them.

In any case, go ahead and contact your doctor. It may be some new food you are eating, or it could be unrelated to SBD. But your doctor is really the one to ask.