The Great FODMaP Experiment: Reintroduction Problems

BIKE 90 mins and 26 miles, did indoors to hit the sprints: 12', 9', 6', and 3' (3'), aimed for 20 mph and succeeded
SWIM ....

I haven't touched back on the FODMaP experiment yet. I usually don't discuss my non-training nutrition much here because, well, it's non-training! But this is having an impact on my life, which includes a lot of training these days, so I'll start tracking it more. I need to write it down somewhere anyway.

I started the elimination 4 weeks ago, so this would have been my 4th week of elimination. Recommendations are 4-6 weeks, so I thought why not start now? Once going for a few days, I was amazingly symptom-free: no cramping, bloating, bad morning #2 (you really don't want the details spelled out!), and especially non of the god awful pains that occasionally hit me. It was amazing to see how different I felt every single afternoon, which was usually when everything was the worst. Symptoms I didn't recognize as symptoms of anything even went away -- I lost that "full colon" feeling that I'd have every morning and often during running. That was pleasant to not have anymore! Even DH said my mood was better, and with that he seemed to jump on-board with the plan to continue.

Monday morning: training/brekkie had a sweet potato and a big chunk of steamed pumpkin. About an hour later a box of raisins. By afternoon I had cramps and pain (but not the severe pains), the next morning back to the "urge to go" feeling, bad #2. Sweet potatoes have not cause problems before this, so I'm guessing it was the pumpkin, and/or the volumes, and/or the fact that I ate 3 foods all on the "Caution/Limited" list.

Tuesday evening: pork meatloaf with 4 stalks of celery (not much per serving, a bite maybe?!) and mushrooms. Then I munched 4-5 big white button mushrooms. And I had half an acorn squash. Next morning, ugh, more bad #2. Lots of it, in multiple trips. And the "urge" feeling. I might be dehydrated now. I talked it over with DH and we reviewed the list: the celery and squash and mushrooms vary depending on the list, they are either Caution or Avoid. So I decided I'd try the foods again and only one at a time: try the meatloaf again tonight, avoid the acorn squash, see what happens. So I eat a portabello mushroom cap at brekkie and while I'm munching some blackberries and staring at the food lists I see that blackberries are Avoid! I had blackberries last night! And DH remembered that at TTT in 2012 I was eating blackberries the night before the races and reported some bad gut problems. So now I don't know if it's the mushrooms, berries, or the squash. But I do know that I had both mushroom and blackberries this morning, and now I get to spend the morning wondering when and if symptoms will appear.

I'm reminding myself too that these are necessarily new symptoms, today is not particularly worse that many others. So I'm not extra sick or anything like that (my mind keeps thinking I am), but instead it's just a return of old symptoms. Living without them was pretty sweet, and it's hard to have them again.

I'm worn out, tired, and likely dehydrated. I didn't even want to ride to work! Luckily DH isn't working this week, but I didn't even want to walk in from his parking lot! The OWS swim I signed up for was canceled for flooding, so I HAVE to get to the pool this afternoon. Swimming is terrible right now, and I'm skipping it too much. I have the greatest gains to make there, SWIM!!