Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

It can take weeks or many months for such adjustments to take place. However, this does usually happen. If fiber is the problem, you may need to step back and add it in more gradually. Many people can tolerate cooked fiber better than raw, at least initially. Take it gradually, if this is the issue.

Humans are genetically programmed to be able to eat a very high-fiber diet. However, we're also programmed to exist on a wide variety of diets, including very low fiber. When you make a major change, you body will have to make a lot of changes in the amount of various enzymes and other factors it uses to assimilate the new types/amounts of foods. Also, your intestinal flora will need to adjust.

There are probably a few persons who lack, or have lost, the capacity to make such changes. But this is essentially a disease condition and would be pretty rare. Most bodies will adjust with time and patience.

You could try drinking more water? (As you said you didn't drink much.) It's surprising but it really really helps sometimes

I agree with trying more water, especially since you're eating more fiber now. It can actually cause constipation if you eat a lot of fiber and not enough water, and constipation can cause a lot of pain.

This actually happened to me once when I got extremely stressed--I got very constipated and had a horrible pain under my ribcage, and after a few days I finally made the connection. For the first time in my life I used a glycerin suppository, and whalla, the pain disappeared immediately after the glycerin kicked in. I had all sorts of fears of what it could have been, but that did the trick.