IBS ADVISE

Spamalam

SO I'VE CLEANED UP MY EALING. made sure portion size is okay... But i have IBS and I'm telling u now I've been my heaviest 189lbs (14stone) for ages.. Its getting me down. I need advise....

astralpictures

Advice on losing weight or dealing with IBS?

Losing weight: count your calories and eat at a safe deficit of around 500 calories under your TDEE each day.

IBS: Eat a lot of fiber and drink plenty of water. Your doctor should have good recommendations for dealing with IBS while losing weight.

Good luck!

PoundChaser2

do you exercise ? if so, what do you do ? I suffer IBS something fierce and it has not stopped me from dropping the pounds. Can you provide a little more information about yourself ?

emuhawk

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for IBS. I was diagnosed more than 15 years ago and have several friends with the same diagnosis, and our symptoms and what triggers them are all completely different. The reality is that this is the diagnosis given to people with digestive disorders where there is no other explanation, but I strongly believe that the label encompasses a number of very different GI disorders. For example, a poster above recommended fiber and water, but for me high fiber foods are one of the biggest triggers. You have to do what works for you, and finding that out unfortunately requires a huge amount of trial and error.

Once you know what foods won't trigger your symptoms, it's all about eating those in moderation with careful weighing and logging, just like anyone else trying to lose weight. I can't eat a lot of the healthy, filling things that people normally recommend to those losing weight. For example, many veggies like broccoli are on my list of foods to avoid at all costs. I'm also a vegetarian, so lean animal protein isn't an option either. The reality is that I end up eating a lot of foods that could very easily put me over my daily calorie goal, so I log absolutely everything I eat and weigh out portions whenever possible. Doing this I've kept the IBS under control and have gotten to my goal weight.

yapdog

I agree with emuhawk, too much fiber can be a trigger for ibs. It definitely is with me. I also have some food intolerances and if I don't eat excessive fiber and avoid my intolerant foods I feel great. I would recommend going for food intolerance / sensitivity test it worked for me. And as emuhawk said its trial and error, for example u can be more sensitive to some foods. I stay away from wheat rye and barley, but broccoli is also on my list and I eat it every week and no problems. Trial and error
Hope this helps

Vune

Has your doctor suggested eliminating fodmaps, then reintroducing them one at a time? That's what I'm trying to do, along with stress management. I've been in pain for 15 years, dozens of tests and ER visits. Just got introduced to fodmaps about a month ago. I also seem to have an unidentified gallbladder problem, so I'm talking to a surgeon on Monday.

I'm one of those highly sensitive people that blew up after 25+ years of being told not to express negative emotions. Now, I'm feeling them all at once, and my stomach hurts most every week for days at a time. I wrote a lengthy response to someone with anxiety issues last week, and I meant to save it, so I could look back on it for my own use! If your ibs is stress related, try to incorporate meditation and mindfulness. I make myself pay attention to my breathing whenever I notice my thoughts are racing or negative.

Also be gentle with yourself about what you can and can't eat. The chicken and eggplant and strawberries I CAN eat are more valuable than the ice cream that leaves me blocked up and doubled over in pain. I like chicken and eggplant and strawberries. Eating ice cream would be like setting up Comcast with no way to pay the bill. It's going to kick my tush in the long run.

I keep a fairly accurate diary, and I indicate the days I'm in pain. You can add me if you need someone for commiseration.

BWBTrish

Losing weight is all about eating less calories than you burn daily (weekly)
To do that you need to weigh ALL your solid food on a food scale and measure your liquids.
Not going by portion sizes because that can be hundreds of calories off.

I ate a cheesecake last week. the labels said 46 gram per serving 210 calories. When i weigh the little piece ( so 1 serving they were pre-cut) it wasnt 46 gram at all but much more. And good for 280 caloires so 70 calories more for a small piece of cheesecake.

WEIGH ALL your solid food on a food scale

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

astralpictures

You're right, increased fiber is a vague solution, but it was a vague question. Many IBS sufferers do benefit from eating more fruits and vegetables and soluble fiber, especially for people with constipation, but it is more important to avoid trigger foods. For me, personally, I seem to have worst problems while restricting my diet because it swings from constipation to diarrhea all the time, and the cramps have definitely gotten much worse. I've just been experimenting with the types of food I eat to see if anything settles the swings better.

girlviernes

Ask for a referral to a dietitian who can help you figure out what your dietary triggers are and can give you guidance on getting proper nutrition during something like a FODMAP elimination trial.

Spamalam

Thanks guys it's all so new to me... Its been just over a year and back and forth to the doctors they gave me fibre sachets which make me blow up... I love fruit and veg.. I just don't no the triggers I have.. Amd I go to the gym between 3 and 5 times a week. I find this whole situation really frustrating but you've all made some really good suggestions and I'm gonna deffo dodnt realise vegetables got be a trigger

PoundChaser2

A big trigger for my IBS is milk products and sucrolous, this stuff is awful I bloat something fierce.

Spamalam

Runngurl43 wrote: »

A big trigger for my IBS is milk products and sucrolous, this stuff is awful I bloat something fierce.

Hey i think it's the milk in the products I'm eating so yeaaaaah Oh and barely

GauchoMark

IMO, IBS is a "catch all" diagnosis. In most cases they don't know why you are having issues and they just toss it into the IBS category. I'm not saying your issues are not real, but rather, doctors tend to use IBS as a way to just say "I don't know", so figuring out how to deal with it is very individualized. I wish doctors' egos would allow them to say those 3 words on occasion instead of always giving a diagnosis.

I was diagnosed with it many years ago. Took medicine, tried eliminating foods, had a lot of tests run, etc. Then one day, it just kind of went away. In reality, I think it was just my stress level and had nothing to do with my digestive system having a problem. I would suggest keeping portion sizes per meal low (even if you eat more often) and take a look at your stress level. Exercise is a great way to reduce stress and just so happens to help with weight loss as well!

Good luck figuring out the puzzle.

Spamalam

GauchoMark wrote: »

IMO, IBS is a "catch all" diagnosis. In most cases they don't know why you are having issues and they just toss it into the IBS category. I'm not saying your issues are not real, but rather, doctors tend to use IBS as a way to just say "I don't know", so figuring out how to deal with it is very individualized. I wish doctors' egos would allow them to say those 3 words on occasion instead of always giving a diagnosis.

I was diagnosed with it many years ago. Took medicine, tried eliminating foods, had a lot of tests run, etc. Then one day, it just kind of went away. In reality, I think it was just my stress level and had nothing to do with my digestive system having a problem. I would suggest keeping portion sizes per meal low (even if you eat more often) and take a look at your stress level. Exercise is a great way to reduce stress and just so happens to help with weight loss as well!

Good luck figuring out the puzzle.

Ahh thank you so much stress did play apart and I'm just trying to overhaul my eating habits with much healthier ones in general but I no i jet going back I didn't have any luck so have taken into my own hands

cld111

I haven't been diagnosed, but I definitely deal with it. I have trouble if I eat too much fiber and too many oils. (and especially if those two things are combined. Like my mother-in-law made eggplant parm the other day. Bad idea.) Everyone is different, but this list has helped me. When I eat more soluble fiber and a little less soluble fiber, I feel much, much better.

http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/fiber1.asp