How can I reset my body? Struggling with bloating

[Jelynn12]

I had a decent Thanksgiving dinner. I only added about a cup of stuffing to my plate of ham and I can’t seem to get ride of bloating. It’s been almost a week and I am struggling. Did a cup of stuffing really throw everything off? Are there any tips to reset my body? I’m a month into ketosis so not yet familiar with any tips that may help.

[GentleBen]

Try a 36-hour water-only fast to get you kick started again.

And edit your thread title so it reflects your concern more accurately.

[Jelynn12]

Thank you. I’ve hesitated doing a water fast but I will try it. I’ve wondered if that would lead me to eat more than I should once the fast is over. I will do my best. Changing to a Keto lifestyle has been great so far.

[Alpha]

did you drink coffee 30 minutes before or 2 hours after the meal?

in my case coffee is a major bloating source.

[Jelynn12]

I drink a bullet coffee every morning.

[Alpha]

I borrowed this reply from another thread.

Carnivore Diet N=1 and High Triglycerides Riddle

Yeah, tell me about it. Coffee is one of the few items on my menu I thought was safe. I even ordered a bag of chicory and am trying to see if my palate can adapt to the change (another experiment).

It seems that the science isn’t crystal clear or conclusive. But there is a lot of chatter:

1. This article, in Science Daily, claims that “French press coffee, boiled Scandinavian brew and espresso contain the highest levels of the compound, which is removed by paper filters used in most other brewing processes”, and “Removing caffeine does not remove cafestol, however.” It also seems to claim a biological mechanism: “cafestol activates FXR and induces FGF15, which reduces the effects of three liver genes that regulate cholesterol levels.”
   See: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070614162223.htm

2. This study found a 50% reduced uptake of LDL in cells treated with cafestol.
   See: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9555953

3. Dr. Weil chimes in with an article, in which he writes “The compounds in coffee associated with increased cholesterol levels are diterpines, specifically one called cafestol, which is present whether or not the coffee is decaffeinated.”
   See: https://www.drweil.com/health-wellness/body-mind-spirit/heart/does-coffee-raise-cholesterol/

4. This study claims that “Cafestol, a diterpene present in unfiltered coffee, potently increases serum cholesterol levels in humans.” Note that they claim it is present in unfiltered coffee (i.e. French Press, etc.). That was my original contention, that I began to see some talk on the internet that filtering would remove the cafestol and therefore render coffee not a concern. They go on to speculate that it is cafestol’s effect of suppressing bile acid synthesis that leads to high cholesterol levels.
   See: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/01.atv.20.6.1551

5. This study explores yields of cafestol from different roasting and brewing methods. All yield some level of cafestol, where dark roast Mocha and Turkish preparations had the lowest extraction yields and the French Press the highest.
   See: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996912002360

6. This study published in the Annual Review of Nutrition, 1997, claims that “Diterpenes are extracted by hot water but are retained by a paper filter. This explains why filtered coffee does not affect cholesterol, whereas Scandinavian “boiled,” cafetiere, and Turkish coffees do.”
   See: https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.nutr.17.1.305

7. And last but not least, the Harvard Medical School, with an article stating this:
   “Coffee drinkers concerned about cholesterol weren’t happy about some early study results showing that coffee seems to increase cholesterol levels, and “bad” LDL cholesterol levels in particular. But upon closer inspection, the bad news turned out to be not so bad, because the cholesterol-raising effect seems to be limited to coffee that hasn’t been filtered, which includes Turkish coffee, coffee brewed in a French press, and the boiled coffee consumed in Scandinavia.”
   See: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/what-is-it-about-coffee

These seven I extracted from a few minutes of Googling. There are many more.

A couple of things come to my mind:

1. It doesn’t seem conclusive to me that all coffee in all brewing methods results in high LDL or high apoB.
2. Like many things, it looks to me that it comes down to individual testing. I can’t think of any other way to be sure than to test for a period with filtered coffee and see if that makes a difference in blood tests. And then to test again with no coffee for a period, and then more lab work.

As much a hassle and cost all this testing can be, it seems there’s no other way to rule out individual sensitivity to the effects of cafestol.

It’s not pleasant to contemplate removing coffee for me either. Interested to hear input from more of you all on the forum as well!

[4dml]

When I’ve eaten above my carb threshold, there are two things that help me “process” the food and restore ketosis. The first is water fasting and the second is doing weight training or HIT cardio. It usually takes 1-3 days, as determined by measuring my morning blood glucose, which I try to keep in the 70-85 mg/dL range.

[PetaMarie]

You could try a probiotic. You may need some assistance getting your flora back on track.

[Jelynn12]

I was also thinking maybe it was stress. But, I will try the water fasting and a probiotic may also help. Now coffee will be hard to cut.

[freetrusty]

Might be a good idea to go read this thread.

Could we PLEASE stop telling people that fasting is the solution to everything?

+1

Fasting is great but not necessarily the right answer when you’re still new at Keto. My suggestion, get ENOUGH good fats in your body and get fat adapted again. MCT oil, butter, healthy oils, steak. Your body will heal and clean out the effects of that stuffing if it has enough of the good stuff fueling it.

[ava_ad0re]

Try a 36-hour water-only fast to get you kick started again.

I am curious why you suggest this to people when you aren’t even sure if they are fat adapted yet?

[GentleBen]

Because fasting can be an answer to many problems, be they emotional, physical or psychological. Not a panacea, no doubt, but a solid option for someone who knows nothing else to do at the moment. It gives time for the body to settle and sort things out. It gives a person something to focus on, something positive to do while learning the long-term solution. It lends hope to people who are looking for just that, hope.

Fasting 36 hours or even 24 teaches a person the discipline that will be needed in this keto journey — which I understand and embrace. Too often we try to tell those new to keto that this is an easy path, a simple WOE, a painless one.

And, I personally believe that one does not have to be fat adapted to undertake a 24-36 hour fast. It is done regularly and often. Beneficially. Successfully.

A water fast is, obviously, not the answer for everyone in every case. But it is a hell of a tactic when a person is about to quit and give up.

I yield the soap box.

[dlc96_darren]

Fasting 36 hours or even 24 teaches a person the discipline that will be needed in this keto journey — which I understand and embrace. Too often we try to tell those new to keto that this is an easy path, a simple WOE, a painless one.

Eating is essential. Fasting isn’t. I would rather someone learn the discipline of eating the right kinds of food that can make them live a happy, healthy life for a long time.

Fasting has benefits, but so does a fat bank account, and I’m living okay without one.

[GentleBen]

I admitted that fasting is not a panacea, a cure for everything. But it is a tool toward a restart. The OP asked for such a tool. I offered one.

And I don’t think fasting is like a big bank account but rather like not going shopping on Black Friday.

[dlc96_darren]

but rather like not going shopping on Black Friday.

I just skip the crowds and order from Amazon.

[Jelynn12]

Yea, I guess I will just keep sticking to it. Fasting is so hard for me. I’m 5 weeks in so I just have to see what works best for me.

[Kris86]

Fasting changed my life. Based on my experience, the second day of a fast makes me a super hero. Fasting also cures any bloat I might be experiencing.

[Orrin]

I did zero carb for 2 months recently.Any gut discomfort and bloating was gone in the first 2 days.Ate like 2.5lbs of meat a day too.Just an idea.