by creativeone » Tue Feb 09, 2021 1:39 am
It could be a sensitivity to a food(s) or an adjustment to adding fibre and vegetables. I am post gallbladder by about 15 years now. Ten years ago when I first started on this it was quite an adjustment. I started but then did more of an elimination diet and every time I added a new food - such as broccoli it was as though I had to adjust to eating it. My stomach would feel 'blown up' and hard, the pain was high in my chest and excruciating. With all the pain and bloating I thought that maybe there was something else wrong. I went to my Dr. and had upper and lower GI done again, and it turned out I had gastroparesis. So, I lowered my fibre intake according to her recommendation, but stuck to the McDougall diet. Eventually the bloating went away and I was fine for years but did not try foods that bothered me.
Then about a year ago I went off McDougall occasionally and gained about 25 lbs. Now I am back on MWL and right after I started I got those same terrible pains back and went for a walk to release the bloating and gas in my upper body. I make sure to eat fresh ginger cooked in my foods.
Also, years ago I had been to an allergist and have quite a few sensitivities to foods. I am careful not to eat foods that bother me, make my tongue swell, cause hives or other similar symptoms. Dr. McDougall did respond to an email I wrote asking about how to handle foods causing sensitivities and he did say not to eat them and that the diet does not require specific foods out of the list of allowed foods. Legumes/peanuts for example are one of my problems and this diet does allow beans but I cannot eat them. My tongue swells and I do not want to get a full blown allergy.
This is all anecdotal of course and I think either doing an elimination diet or seeing a GI would be best rather than living in pain.