Other people with IBS trying to live healthier?

daftthoughts

Before I even start writing anything else, and before you read any further, IBS is not a pleasant condition and talking about it can be unpleasant. If you don't know what it is, IBS stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and causes some serious tummy issues for the people who suffer from it. It's a chronic medical condition for the majority of people.

If that topic disturbs you, please save yourself the trouble of reading any further! I'm putting this warning here because people get upset or grossed out when they start reading, so here's me giving everyone a head start - no excuse


Aaanyway! IBS is a chronic condition in my family that seems to get passed down to each new generation. While we (my mom, sister and I) can live our lives pretty decently without having to make huge changes to our diets or lifestyle, it can be quite annoying at times.

I tend to take both laxatives and imodium to help regulate my tummy where needed, since my body can go from one extreme to not having to go for days on end, to having to go three times a day in a matter of a day. I try to use as little as possible though and make an effort to regulate it through diet and exercise lately.

My question is, how does having IBS influence your weight loss progress and your quest to live healthier? Does it influence your scale by a large margin, in a good or bad way? Has the condition become easier for you when you changed your diet and exercise routine?

underthecherrytree

It didn't help or hinder me on the scale per say but I did need to take a lot more vitamins because of it. I have the chronic 'having to go' symptom of it and since my body is obviously not getting as many nutrients as it needs and then I am dieting on top of it, my blood work came back pretty bad.

learnerdriver

IBS affects what I can eat, but beyond that has not affected my loss.

Foods that I avoid are: cabbage, asparagus, cauliflower, bread. Since I cut down on these, my IBS has gone down in frequency- I still get IBS with PMS.

I have started reading about the fodmaps diet.

kitticus15

Now I have a lot of problems regarding weight loss, When I get constipated which is very often, I gain weight, when you think about it it is obvious, if it goes in but nothing comes out for days then yes you gain weight, diet is doing well as it is healthier blood work comes back good, blood pressure has gone down, but the constipation stops me losing weight, the same 10lbs goes on and off, also now at risk of type 2 diabetes cos I can't shift the weight, had orlistat off the GP and still gained weight and was still terribly constipated, side effect of them was the runs lol was hoping to get that but never happened lol

learnerdriver

I forgot to add- I increased my exercise, which probably reduced IBS from stress

hollyep1

My tummy troubles have been much improved by eating allergy free. If you haven't done so already, I highly recommend an allergy elimination diet to find out if you have any underlying food allergies or sensitivities. I've also lost some weight by eliminating food that I have sensitivities to (wheat and soy). Good luck!

daftthoughts

It didn't help or hinder me on the scale per say but I did need to take a lot more vitamins because of it. I have the chronic 'having to go' symptom of it and since my body is obviously not getting as many nutrients as it needs and then I am dieting on top of it, my blood work came back pretty bad.

I make it a point to take vitamin and magnesium supplements as well. I'd rather have the excess go out with my urine than have a serious deficit! If I'm doing okay I try to cut it down though and get more through my food.

Now I have a lot of problems regarding weight loss, When I get constipated which is very often, I gain weight, when you think about it it is obvious, if it goes in but nothing comes out for days then yes you gain weight, diet is doing well as it is healthier blood work comes back good, blood pressure has gone down, but the constipation stops me losing weight, the same 10lbs goes on and off, also now at risk of type 2 diabetes cos I can't shift the weight, had orlistat off the GP and still gained weight and was still terribly constipated, side effect of them was the runs lol was hoping to get that but never happened lol

The weight gain is something I struggle with too! After 3 days of not going, the scale just doesn't like me much anymore haha. I'm sorry to hear you're having so much problem with it though. Do laxatives not help you?

My tummy troubles have been much improved by eating allergy free. If you haven't done so already, I highly recommend an allergy elimination diet to find out if you have any underlying food allergies or sensitivities. I've also lost some weight by eliminating food that I have sensitivities to (wheat and soy). Good luck!

I don't have the resources nor desire to go allergy free at this point, although I have a feeling it doesn't matter much. My IBS is largely stress related (as well as heat, it does a number on my belly big time) and not so much food. I eat the same meals often (like from frozen leftovers) and it appears to be entirely random how my body reacts to it. Onions are something that I'm sensitive to, but I like them too much to give them up. :P Thanks for the advice though! If the discomfort becomes too great in the future, I'll consider this.

deb3129

I have lived with IBS since I was a teenager. I have also been overweight since I was a teenager, and morbidly obese for a lot of that. In March of 2012, I decided enough was enough and it was time to get healthy. I completely changed the way I was eating, and threw in some exercise. SInce then I have lost over 100 pounds, and literally have no more IBS symptoms anymore. I am not sure exactly what I did that made the IBS symptoms go away, because I totally changed the way I was eating overnight. I went from eating the standard American diet., high fat, lots of take out food, lots of soda, etc. to a plant based diet. So I don't know exactly what it was the made the difference, but something has.

IBS sucks. Mine was frequently triggered by stress. But now even when I am under a great deal of stress, I do not have any issues. Eating better has also gotten rid of the acid reflux I had.

PepperWorm

I have IBS. I feel that things have been going so much better with the inclusion of a better diet and exercise.

brittanyrio

I have it, mine is on the really bad side, to the point I have to take a narcotic type drug prescribed for people who have the stomach flu every day to slow it down. It really hinders my ability to eat a lot of different healthy foods, I can't eat many veggies or fruits, or I am sick which sucks because I would love to eat them! I take multivitamins that contain vegetable nutrients to try to make up for what I am not eating. I used to be around 105lbs at 5' 8" that is very thin. Then I got an office job and jumped up to 140 lbs. It took months of exercising and messing with my diet before I could actually lose anything and now I am finally down to 128lbs! Now I am concerned that it has something to do with my a combination of my IBS and Thyroid making me lose weight, because I have been on 3 rest days this week and continue to lose wight. I lost 2 lbs this week. I very rarely have an issue with not going unless I take too much medicine, but this D is really hindering my healthy life style. I am getting married next year and would like to go to be a yoga teacher after things settle down after all of that, but my IBS kind of holds me back from any type of healthy life style unless I continuously take medicine That means no babies for me!!!!

What healthy foods have you guys been incorporating into your diet? I don't eat "Junk" as in candy, chips, cookies, anything that contains lots of sugar etc., But I don't feel that I eat enough of veggies and I would love to start!

ssseattle

For me, having IBS includes so much bloating that it was difficult for me to see any positive changes in my body when I tried to lose weight. I would bloat up so much that my pants wouldn't fit at the end of the day. I started taking probiotics daily, and I have found that my bloating is probably 80% decreased!! I still have IBS symptoms, but I am so happy with the decrease in bloating! Now that I can see the changes in my waistline due to eating healthier and exercising more (rather than any progress being masked by a huge amount of bloat), I am so motivated to keep going!!

Eirene80

It's created more of a balancing act for me. The only way to keep my symptoms away is eating nothing but meat and refined starches. Those (starches in general really) make me feel terrible otherwise though, and gain weight like mad. Cutting those out allows me to lose weight but have symptoms.

I've had it so long (18+ years) that I know exactly how many hours I have between eating a food that will aggravate it and symptoms beginning, and how long the symptoms will last for each particular food. So my food logs are a strange mix of healthy and unhealthy foods as I try not to skip meals but still fit in regularly scheduled activities without needing to take Immodium. Does that make sense? For example, if I know I need to go to the doctor at 2 p.m. on Thursday, I can't have a salad for dinner on Wednesday, but if I have it for lunch on Wednesday, I know the symptoms will be gone by 2 p.m. on Thursday. As a SAHM it's a little easier for me than for those of you that work.

Also, if I do take Immodium (mine is sometimes related to heat too) I try not to weigh in for a few days because... well, yeah.

lynn1982

My tummy troubles have been much improved by eating allergy free. If you haven't done so already, I highly recommend an allergy elimination diet to find out if you have any underlying food allergies or sensitivities. I've also lost some weight by eliminating food that I have sensitivities to (wheat and soy). Good luck!

This helped me immensely too. OP, I know you said you don't have the resources or desire to try this, but thought I'd chime in anyway... Stress for me is a big factor, but even that was helped immensely after eliminating food sensitivities.

PunkinSpice79

I'm so glad I found this thread! I have IBS w/constipation. In my early 20's I took Zelnorm (the miracle drug) until it was banned. I had a much easier time regulating my weight with that medication, but c'est la vie. When Zelnorm was banned, they put me on a different medication, but it did nothing. I visited various doctors, until one day a doctor (gynocologist) told me I just needed to lose weight. He said weight loss would ease my IBS and GERD. It did. For three years, I maintained a weight at the bottom of my weight range (i'm very small framed). No symptoms. Period. No bloating, no pain, no constipation. IT WAS WONDERFUL!!!

Apparently, it wasn't good enough though, because I gained the 20 pounds back since Christmas. Job change, stress, my bad. The symptoms returned progressively as I gained. The bloating is unbearable. I look pregnant at times. I saw someone post about probiotics and I will be trying those.

I'm getting desperate to regain control. I'm beginning to contemplate crash dieting or juice fasting or something just to get the weight off. What a miserable, miserable nightmare.

Okay, venting done. Thanks for listening. Glad to see others struggle and survive with this. Thank you very much, all of you, for sharing.

PunkinSpice79

On another, really gross note, I drink a lot of coffee in the morning. At least 3 cups a day (down from a pot). It, um, helps with the constipation. :blushing:

NatashaB8

IBS affects what I can eat, but beyond that has not affected my loss.

Foods that I avoid are: cabbage, asparagus, cauliflower, bread. Since I cut down on these, my IBS has gone down in frequency- I still get IBS with PMS.

I have started reading about the fodmaps diet.

My GP suggested this. I looked at it and couldn't believe what you had to cut out. So many favourite fruit and veg *weep*

NatashaB8

For me, having IBS includes so much bloating that it was difficult for me to see any positive changes in my body when I tried to lose weight. I would bloat up so much that my pants wouldn't fit at the end of the day. I started taking probiotics daily, and I have found that my bloating is probably 80% decreased!! I still have IBS symptoms, but I am so happy with the decrease in bloating! Now that I can see the changes in my waistline due to eating healthier and exercising more (rather than any progress being masked by a huge amount of bloat), I am so motivated to keep going!!

What probiotics do you take? My bloating is so bad I look very pregnant and I could not see any difference in my stomach after losing 2 stone

NatashaB8

I have had IBS for a year now and I still find it difficult to live with.

Usually I am fine and nothing affects me then it will suddenly trigger due to stress and for the next few weeks I cannot eat much without experiencing horrendous cramps, trapped wind and either running to the loo several times a day to hardly going in a week.

I have been tested for coeliac and it came back negative, but I am starting to cut out wheat and it appears to be helping. My stomach still bloats a lot though This phase has lasted a month, last time I couldn't even go to the gym due to the pain!

lynn1982

I have had IBS for a year now and I still find it difficult to live with.

Usually I am fine and nothing affects me then it will suddenly trigger due to stress and for the next few weeks I cannot eat much without experiencing horrendous cramps, trapped wind and either running to the loo several times a day to hardly going in a week.

I have been tested for coeliac and it came back negative, but I am starting to cut out wheat and it appears to be helping. My stomach still bloats a lot though This phase has lasted a month, last time I couldn't even go to the gym due to the pain!

You could be intolerant to gluten even if you don't have celiac. My sister also tested negative for celiac, yet when she eats gluten, she looks like she's about 6 months pregnant. Try cutting out all gluten, not just wheat and see if that helps.

NatashaB8

I have had IBS for a year now and I still find it difficult to live with.

Usually I am fine and nothing affects me then it will suddenly trigger due to stress and for the next few weeks I cannot eat much without experiencing horrendous cramps, trapped wind and either running to the loo several times a day to hardly going in a week.

I have been tested for coeliac and it came back negative, but I am starting to cut out wheat and it appears to be helping. My stomach still bloats a lot though This phase has lasted a month, last time I couldn't even go to the gym due to the pain!

You could be intolerant to gluten even if you don't have celiac. My sister also tested negative for celiac, yet when she eats gluten, she looks like she's about 6 months pregnant. Try cutting out all gluten, not just wheat and see if that helps.

Thanks for the advice, I never thought of it that way. Maybe its an intolerance and not as bad as an allergy?

I think I will go ahead as I tried it for 2 weeks and felt much better. It's just getting used to the new taste!

lynn1982

I have had IBS for a year now and I still find it difficult to live with.

Usually I am fine and nothing affects me then it will suddenly trigger due to stress and for the next few weeks I cannot eat much without experiencing horrendous cramps, trapped wind and either running to the loo several times a day to hardly going in a week.

I have been tested for coeliac and it came back negative, but I am starting to cut out wheat and it appears to be helping. My stomach still bloats a lot though This phase has lasted a month, last time I couldn't even go to the gym due to the pain!

You could be intolerant to gluten even if you don't have celiac. My sister also tested negative for celiac, yet when she eats gluten, she looks like she's about 6 months pregnant. Try cutting out all gluten, not just wheat and see if that helps.

Thanks for the advice, I never thought of it that way. Maybe its an intolerance and not as bad as an allergy?

I think I will go ahead as I tried it for 2 weeks and felt much better. It's just getting used to the new taste!

The way it was explained to me is that celiac is an autoimmune disease that affects the lining of your (small?) intestines. With gluten sensitivity, the body reacts with inflammation inside or outside the gut, but it doesn't attack the lining. In any case, I went wheat free about a year ago to see if it helped with my IBS. I felt better, but didn't feel that it actually helped. Then a few months ago my naturopath suggested going gluten free (I was eating a lot of spelt...) to see if it helped my migraines. Well, I haven't had a migraine since and it seems to have helped my IBS. (I also have dairy and soy sensitivities, so I avoid those as well.) So far, when I do get a flare up, usually due to stress, it isn't nearly as bad as it has been. (I also take a probiotic and digestive enzymes when I'm having a flare up.) That's just what has worked for me!

FYI: If you do have a gluten sensitivity, you need to give your body time to rid itself of it. Two weeks is not going to be enough. It took a good three weeks for me to see a noticeable difference.

ssseattle

For me, having IBS includes so much bloating that it was difficult for me to see any positive changes in my body when I tried to lose weight. I would bloat up so much that my pants wouldn't fit at the end of the day. I started taking probiotics daily, and I have found that my bloating is probably 80% decreased!! I still have IBS symptoms, but I am so happy with the decrease in bloating! Now that I can see the changes in my waistline due to eating healthier and exercising more (rather than any progress being masked by a huge amount of bloat), I am so motivated to keep going!!

What probiotics do you take? My bloating is so bad I look very pregnant and I could not see any difference in my stomach after losing 2 stone

I've been using Ultimate Flora adult formula, w/ 15 billion live cultures per capsule, purchased on Amazon.

mittakiwi

I've had IBS-D for 20 years now. I have never cut anything out of my diet, I just couldn't be bothered dealing with special or restrictive diets. I've tried dieticians, GP's, specialist etc over the years all who told me something different. So I've just lived with it.

In the past I just ate whatever I wanted and just dealt with the consequences as I hated missing out on yummy food! Since I've gained weight though and changed my diet and all junk food has been cut out except for a little treat once a week. I have noticed a bit of a difference, but not enough to say I'm cured that's for sure!

I'm not sure if it's just eating better in general or also because I've started eating yogurt which has lots of goodies in it for your digestive system.

I don't know if the IBS has had any impact on my weight loss. I don't have anything to measure it against as the only two times I have tried to lose weight were while I've had IBS.

Either way if it keeps improving I will be very happy.

newyorklover91

I am also really glad I found this thread. I eat the usual suspect foods - lots of bread, butter, not lean meat (mince etc) biscuits, comfort food really. I have recently moved house and my job is getting reviewed and I am about to go on a 5 week holiday so I have A LOT of stress going on. I went to the doctor last week as I had serious sharp pains in my stomach that I've had before but not that bad, and turns out I have been officially diagnosed with IBS. I have been dealing with incredible bloating, wind, constipation/diarrhoea for about 6 years now undiagnosed. As I am only 22, I never really thought about it. I always thought that was what everyone else felt. How wrong I was!! My doctor was basically useless in helping me though, I have been tested negative for celiac and told me to start an elimination diet however I don't even know where to begin. I have printed off a heap of info from google so I guess I will just start reading through it all and eliminate the things that are common in all of them and see how that goes...

gassyman

I'm one of those that get bloated from gas. Makes it real hard to ride my bike when I can't breath.

gassyman

Now I have a lot of problems regarding weight loss, When I get constipated which is very often, I gain weight, when you think about it it is obvious, if it goes in but nothing comes out for days then yes you gain weight, diet is doing well as it is healthier blood work comes back good, blood pressure has gone down, but the constipation stops me losing weight, the same 10lbs goes on and off, also now at risk of type 2 diabetes cos I can't shift the weight, had orlistat off the GP and still gained weight and was still terribly constipated, side effect of them was the runs lol was hoping to get that but never happened lol

Been there, done that, got the tee-shirt.

yamsteroo

I've had IBS for about 6yrs now - my doctor says there's no connection but it arrived I was diagnosed with a tumour on my ovary which also coincided with me gaining a load of weight for the first time in my life. His suggestion of 'live with it' and some tablets for stomach cramps meant I didn't bother going back for further diagnosis or help - something I've heard from lots of people with this condition.

Now that the weight is dropping off (so slowing now, but at least it's not still rising rapidly!) I've found the symptoms have reduced with episodes only occurring on a weekly rather than daily basis.

Food wise I've always eaten pretty well (just too much of it for a post menopausal 40 something) so I haven't done anything to adjust that. My only issue really is I need to be careful before I go out running as sometimes exercise can bring on the urgent need to go so I need to make sure I've taken care of business before I go out the door lol

So for me, losing weight has definitely helped and I'm hopeful that the symptoms will stay reduced - nothing seems to help the bloating though

Buddhasmiracle

OP, thank you for posting this topic. I do not suffer from IBS but my husband does, and has for many years. He recently went through a particularly bad bout of it and his weight dropped from 146 to 141 (he's 5"8"). He was prescribed bentel (sp?) and it seems to help. The more severe bouts appear to be triggered by stress and anxiety. He's lived with it most of his life (he's 67) and its onset appears to have started during his Vietnam combat service years (he was diagnosed with PTSD). He was weight lifting until this last bout and now I think he is just discouraged and feels tired, as much as he wants to return to the gym.

I encouraged him to join MFP if only to keep a food diary and record his symptoms. It appears that from what some of you posted that there may or may not be a relationship between food sensitivities and IBS, and that even if you are tested for certain allergies, and the tests results are negative, there may still be a sensitivity.


I think the best he felt was when we were taking yoga and chair pilates. We recently moved and are beginning to look for similar classes. I think that will help alot

Are there other types of meds available to IBS sufferers?

You are all doing a great job managing this condition!

PunkinSpice79

Are there other types of meds available to IBS sufferers?

I'm curious about this too. My doctor had nothing (that worked anyway), but that was years ago.

mspoopoo

I've had this for some years too mostly the C type. Cutting out the dairy and gluten stuff does seem to help with the bloating, gas pians, GERD.

RaineSmith

I have suffered with IBS for about 5 years now. I never really got serious about it and just dealt with it the best I could when I would get an attack. For me I could go long periods of time without an issue and then bam I would have a serious attack that would keep me off work for three days due to the pain and the fact I could stray far from the bathroom. A year ago last April I had my worst attack ever and I decided that was it. I bought a couple books, did some research on the net and cut out absolutely everything that could be a trigger.

I dropped 20 pounds in no time and that motivated me to keep going. Currently I have lost 70 pounds with 10 more to goal weight. In this 15 months I have only had one attack and it was because I ate the skin on an apple. I have added a lot back into my diet due to trial and error but there are certain things I avoid and have not eaten for 15 months. I do not eat red meat, egg yolks, fried foods, raw broccoli, cauliflower or cabbage. I have added some dairy back in and don't have an issue with greek yogurt and hard cheeses. I find if I eat salad with soluable fiber I am ok. I still get some bloating from time to time and the occasional bout of diarrhea but for the most part the quality of my life has improved 100%. When I lost about 45 pounds I felt that I could start exercising again and now combine regular exercise with a healthy diet which has helped my weight loss and symptoms greatly. People who do not suffer from IBS have no idea what we go through on a regular basis. They don't understand why I can't eat this or that or bring my own food to a BBQ. I would love to have some IBS sufferers as friends so please feel free to add me. Understanding and support is always a great motivator!