IBS- Bigger meals vs smaller meals

xxzenabxx

So I basically have IBS and I’m always trying to do things to manage my condition. So I’ve noticed that when I eat two large meals and 1 snack it doesn’t suit me but I feel satisfied more than 5-6 smaller meals. The smaller meals suit my digestion but I get hungry but I don’t feel tired, gassy or bloated from larger meals! Like i feel better after eating a 3-400 calorie meal rather than a 700-800 calorie meal. But I feel more satisfied (mentally) I guess from larger meals! Will it take time to get used to this? Do I just need wait it out for a few weeks? My stomach rumbles after smaller meals but I FEEL better and more energetic long term. Does this make sense to anyone? Also if anyone else is going to through something similar then share your stories below! IBS sucks...

kshama2001

A few comments based on my mom's IBS:

1. Hers gets worse in times of increased stress, so anything you can do to decrease stress. I am personally watching less news and doing more yoga.
2. She finds it helpful to eat foods with insoluble fiber after foods with soluble fiber, so salad etc at the end of the meal.
3. She swears by acacia powder and this site:

https://www.helpforibs.com/
https://www.heatherstummycare.com/p/suplmts_acacia/tummy-fiber-acacia-senegal-pouch/

xxzenabxx

kshama2001 wrote: »

A few comments based on my mom's IBS:

1. Hers gets worse in times of increased stress, so anything you can do to decrease stress. I am personally watching less news and doing more yoga.
2. She finds it helpful to eat foods with insoluble fiber after foods with soluble fiber, so salad etc at the end of the meal.
3. She swears by acacia powder and this site:

https://www.helpforibs.com/
https://www.heatherstummycare.com/p/suplmts_acacia/tummy-fiber-acacia-senegal-pouch/

Thank you so much for the tips and yeah, I definitely get worse when I’m stressed. I already do yoga and it definitely helps. Just wondered if smaller meals would make a difference.

Deviette

I know my friend had bad IBS and she find that smaller meals work much better for it, and she used to be a large meal person. I think you should get used to eating differently after a while. A lot of our eating habits are just that, habits, and once you change that you'll be used to it.

Also, I don't know if you were being literal or not when you said about stomach rumbling but: stomachs rumbling isn't always a sign you're hungry, it's just a sign that you can hear the noise of digestion. Your intestines always make noises when digesting, it's just when they're full of food it muffles the sound so you can't hear it. That's why you'll often hear tummy's rumbling while you're eating food or just after a meal, because the food has yet to actually get the the noisy bit yet. We associate it with hunger because normally it means we've not eaten for a while and the whole survival instinct and that.

xxzenabxx

Deviette wrote: »

I know my friend had bad IBS and she find that smaller meals work much better for it, and she used to be a large meal person. I think you should get used to eating differently after a while. A lot of our eating habits are just that, habits, and once you change that you'll be used to it.

Also, I don't know if you were being literal or not when you said about stomach rumbling but: stomachs rumbling isn't always a sign you're hungry, it's just a sign that you can hear the noise of digestion. Your intestines always make noises when digesting, it's just when they're full of food it muffles the sound so you can't hear it. That's why you'll often hear tummy's rumbling while you're eating food or just after a meal, because the food has yet to actually get the the noisy bit yet. We associate it with hunger because normally it means we've not eaten for a while and the whole survival instinct and that.

Oh I didn’t realise that it could just be food passing through the intestines 🤦🏻‍♀️ Well looks like I need to stick to the smaller meals then and I’m sure my body will adjust after a few weeks.

lgfrie

I have mild IBS.

Low FODMAP foods made a huge difference for me. I'm not crazy about most of them, but they certainly do work.

Here's plenty of info on FODMAPs and IBS:
https://www.ibsdiets.org/fodmap-diet/fodmap-food-list/

Leaving large expanses of time between meals has been very helpful to me. My digestive system really likes having "time off". This is part of the reason I got into IF; my noon-to-7pm schedule gives me 17 hours a day where my oversensitive digestive tract has little to do, which seems to take the wind out of its IBS sails. I'm not saying to do IF necessarily, just to try to think in terms of giving yourself large chunks of the day when you're giving your system a break by not eating.

xxzenabxx

lgfrie wrote: »

I have mild IBS.

Low FODMAP foods made a huge difference for me. I'm not crazy about most of them, but they certainly do work.

Here's plenty of info on FODMAPs and IBS:
https://www.ibsdiets.org/fodmap-diet/fodmap-food-list/

Leaving large expanses of time between meals has been very helpful to me. My digestive system really likes having "time off". This is part of the reason I got into IF; my noon-to-7pm schedule gives me 17 hours a day where my oversensitive digestive tract has little to do, which seems to take the wind out of its IBS sails. I'm not saying to do IF necessarily, just to try to think in terms of giving yourself large chunks of the day when you're giving your system a break by not eating.

Yeah I might cut down on FODMAPS and see if it makes a difference although I definitely feel that my meals are too big. I eat pretty healthy as well.

MikePfirrman

lgfrie wrote: »

I have mild IBS.

Low FODMAP foods made a huge difference for me. I'm not crazy about most of them, but they certainly do work.

Here's plenty of info on FODMAPs and IBS:
https://www.ibsdiets.org/fodmap-diet/fodmap-food-list/

Leaving large expanses of time between meals has been very helpful to me. My digestive system really likes having "time off". This is part of the reason I got into IF; my noon-to-7pm schedule gives me 17 hours a day where my oversensitive digestive tract has little to do, which seems to take the wind out of its IBS sails. I'm not saying to do IF necessarily, just to try to think in terms of giving yourself large chunks of the day when you're giving your system a break by not eating.

Agree. I never used to think all that highly of the FODMAP diet, probably because I didn't fully understand it and (I think) most didn't apply it correctly. It eliminates most bread and dairy, along with many other things and it can be difficult to follow.

I also know that colostrum helps tremendously. My wife went gluten free and dairy free and hers went away. She had it terribly bad for a few years. We found out she was allergic to cow dairy. Gradually, over time, we added more and more fiber to our diets. This along with eliminating fried foods and a ton of sugar has helped both of us, but her digestion and health is tremendous now compared with how it was.

Cranberry extract is also great for your stomach. There's something in cranberry that makes Akkermansia Muciniphila grow. A Muciniphila helps to restore the mucosal lining of the stomach. So much better than all the health bloggers pushing bone broth -- which is a much less scientific approach.

Jacq_qui

When I had IBS I definitely ate smaller meals, sorry if it's making you hungry, you could do without the extra stress of that!