What do you do or take when you have a severe stomach ache? I must admit that since starting this WOL I've hardly had any indigestion or stomach problems but I felt like I was going to die on Valentine's Day. I cannot tolerate certain vegetables like broccoli ( I get a severe stomach ache--dull and then sharp nagging pains) and I think my dark leafy salad caught up with me. I needed relief so I took 2 TUMS which I know is like eating pure sugar but it was 2 am and I didn't know what the alternatives were. Any suggestions that are Atkins friendly?

For tummy gas I mix exactly 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (NO MORE) into 1/2 cup ice cold water and drink up! It's not very tasty (hence the need to use ice water), but it works for stomach gas. Once the gas makes it into your intestines, though, that won't do any good.

Also good for stomach gas: just as you would burp a baby, burp yourself. Pat yourself on the stomach; it helps the gas consolidate and move up. (My husband, a nurse, taught me that.)

Before starting Atkins, I had horrible gas (stomach) pains, so I know these things from experience.

Oh, and cooking vegetables longer than normal can break down the cellulose and help with the gas problems, too.

And they do make SF tums if you still need them.

What else did you eat besides the salad? Since it was valintines there wasn't any sugar free chocolates were there?

There is a great thread on here somewhere that deals with the bowl problems many can have when starting LC. For those who never touched a raw veggies before, the extra roughage can cause problems. For a little while cook all your veggies. Then slowly cook them a little less and maybe add in just a small amount of raw.

Well, Chinese food can be heavy on the veggies. Sometimes some people have to work up to eating that many at once. Broccoli is rough on some people, and I bet bok choi is too, since it's cabbage.

My son has frequent stomach upset, with pains and cramps, I give him 2 ginger capsules and that helps. Tried it myself and it works, sort of warms the stomach too. Spring Valley is one brand I've found.

Chinese food is notorious for containing MSG. Maybe it was a sensitivity to the MSG. Many people have difficulty tolerating it.