Originally Posted by Marlene

Some thoughts...

1) what have added to your diet now that you have not been eating regularly? It may take time for your digestion to adjust to the new and increased amount of food.

I have added complex carbs which have been completely avoided for 15/20 years now-things like sweet potatoes and brown rice. Plus my usual dinner was always a big salad and I have been having small salads with some protein and a carb. This is very different from my past habit. I never eat lunch and have been having small meals at midday for the first time-gluten free crackers (also new) and cheese, hummus and carrots, hard boiled eggs. So this variety of foods is all very new to my system. I do not have an appetite at all and have been forcing myself to eat regularly-but I wonder if this is also what is making me more sick???? Which leads me to your next question...

2) Have you considered that you may have a gut issue? Possible yeast overgrowth and that maybe you need to add in a good probiotic and limit sugars at first. The bloating and constipation are a strong indicator of a gut imbalance.
I had a long bout with giardia about two years ago and along with my eating issues, this very well may have caused damage to my digestive system. Sometimes I wonder if the nutrients are even being absorbed. I do take a strong probiotic every morning. It is RAW brand and at 2 pills contains 100 billion of 38 different strains-must be refrigerated. Plus I try to eat a little bit of greek yogurt at night. I take Lizness for constipation which may be aggravating any digestive imbalances but I cannot stand being plugged up all the time!

3) Calorie counting can be very misleading in that not all calories are created equal. You really have to look for nutrient rich food when trying to modify your weight.
Any chance you could give me some tips? I do love fruit so avoiding those kinds of sugars would be very difficult. Other than greek yogurt, I avoid any kind of cow dairy products. I eat a lot of vegetables as I do not eat meat other than seafood and hard boiled eggs. For fats, I consume nuts, almond butter, avocados and goat cheeses. If I want a treat, I will have a few 70% cacao chips mixed with plain greek yogurt and berries. My breakfast is a smoothie made with fruit, plant based protein powder, almond milk and some kind of green (usually kale or spinach).

4) What vitamin levels are coming back higher than normal? And are you taking supplements?