IBS

lucypeaks

Sorry if this is T.M.I for some folk, but wondering if any other IBS sufferers have found that a change in diet has made IBS symptoms worse? As in, a more painful tummy? I am making some pretty big changes to what i'm eating and how i'm eating, and have been doing this for the last 2 weeks. However i have been suffering with my tum over the last few days...hoping it's just my body re-adjusting and that it isn't a permanent thing!

dmg051202

Are you eating more fruits & veggies? More whole grains? Your body could be adjusting to a higher amount of fiber.

lucypeaks

i am definitely eating more fruit and veg, so perhaps it is that? Thanks for your thoughts

Guamybear

Before this change, I was regular..sometimes to regular.. Now I hardly have any IBS epidoses..

I was irregular for a little bit but now for the most part pretty regular. when I feel irregular I take some metamucil cookies to help with it.

I think it takes time for your body to get used to the change. I want to say it was a good month or month an a half before my tummy felt normal again.. On the upside..I don't feel half as bloated as I used too..

sugar66

It isn't permanant, I have suffered from IBS for nearly 40 years and have been losing weight for over a year now, I like you suffered terrible pains when I changed my diet, but once your system gets used to your new eating habits the pains should subside.

Remember under the new guidelines for IBS they now say rather than eating wholemeal foods, which IBS sufferers find hard to digest, you should be eating white proccessed bread as well as white rice and normal pasta.

Although this does not sound right or follow what most diets sugest it does work, so if this is how you have changed your diet this could be the reason for the increase in pain.

Good luck with your weight loss x

lucypeaks

Thank you for your comments- sounds weird but i'm glad that it's kind of common! It is true that when i have suffered in the past with IBS, regular rice/bread/pasta has helped me a hell of a lot more than the brown/wholegrain versions (however i obviously watch my intake more due to higher calories/sugars). Hope everyone is doing well with their weight loss

sweebum

I have IBS, and unless I go slowly, increasing fiber will make it worse. Slow and steady

30Purple

I suffered terribly in my teens/early 20s, but increasing vegetables and water intake along with exercise really helped me!

jillymurdoch

Also make sure you're drinking lots of water - if you're increasing the amount of fibre in your diet quickly, it can mess with your movements.

deb3129

I have found that since I switched to a healthier diet, it has made my IBS all but disappear. I struggled with IBS since I was a teenager, and now I pretty much don't know I have it. This is the first time I have ever felt like a normal person!!

lorenzoinlr

I was diagnosed with IBS partly because my father had it. A couple of years ago during a trip to the ER, the attending physician asked if I'd been tested for celiac disease. He said he though I had celiac not IBS, that I could be tested but the best way to know was to avoid gluten for a couple of weeks. I felt way better so we assumed I had celiac disease.

Fast forward a couple of years and a colonoscopy a wholly different condition. Knowing that enabled me to modify my diet and I've not had any symptoms in a couple of years.

The point is IBS can be misdiagnosed so I thought I'd post my experience. I have no idea how common these kinds of misdiagnoses are.

lucypeaks

@lorenzoinlr i might try cutting out the gluten for a week or two,just to see,thanks

w0nderkitten

I second the avoiding the healthy wholegrains, it sounds wrong and I actually prefer them (except brown rice eugh!) but those white rices, pastas and breads will be a lot easier on your digestion, also look out for any particular combinations of veggies/fruits that aggravate things. For some reason peppers + tomatoes is bad for me but fine individually! Also beware too much acidic food. In the meantime while your digestion calm down I recommend putting ginger in everything and if you can afford the calories a couple of pieces of crystallised ginger. The above aside everyone's IBS is different. it is all trial and error x

Firefox7275

Are you eating plenty of oily fish, have you tried a course of freeze dried probiotics, are you getting plenty of magnesium and other minerals in your diet?

Mommy4812

Drinking more water and less red meat have definitely helped me!

Guamybear

It isn't permanant, I have suffered from IBS for nearly 40 years and have been losing weight for over a year now, I like you suffered terrible pains when I changed my diet, but once your system gets used to your new eating habits the pains should subside.

Remember under the new guidelines for IBS they now say rather than eating wholemeal foods, which IBS sufferers find hard to digest, you should be eating white proccessed bread as well as white rice and normal pasta.

Although this does not sound right or follow what most diets sugest it does work, so if this is how you have changed your diet this could be the reason for the increase in pain.

Good luck with your weight loss x

I have had !BS since I was a teenager..in 40s now and always ate white bread and white rice.. just recently added whole grain and can say that white bread and white rice did not help me.. (White short grain rice is the only rice I will eat).. I had the worse flare ups... I am crossing my fingers now that "duties" have somewhat changed my IBS will be better.

dustycaravan

My IBS symptoms have been reduced DRAMATICALLY by doing a couple of things...

- take a STRONG probiotic every day

- take a supplement called TRIPHALA <-- seriously this is the key... there are many different brands you can buy it in capsule for or powder form to add to a shake.. IT IS SAFE and your colon will not become reliant on it as it would if you were taking senna.. and psyllium kills me no no no good! take TRIPHALA I SWEAR BY IT

- yoga really helps me, when I stretch in cobra or poses like it, I think that is because it gives our muscles a good stretch to oxygenate the muscles and bowel.

-LOTS of WATER...

Good luck to all IBS sufferers! I know it can really suck especially when re introducing foods, I also find that anything with gluten bothers me, especially whole wheat bread =horrible pain...

388gigi

I have IBS-C and a Gluten Intolerance.

I found in the past that if I started a new healthy diet/exercise regime after not being very good for a while, 2 days into it I would get really bad pains. I think it's just the IBS/Body's way of coping with the change. It only lasted a day or 2 for me.

Ever since I have been consistent with the healthy eating and exercise I very rarely get the pains. Ever since I gave up gluten I never feel bloated :-)

I also agree with the pro-biotic, Inner Health Plus was a life saver for me! I don't have it very often any more as my diet and exercise is working on it's own, but in the beginning it is definitely worth the money!

Edit to add: If you are IBS-C I do not recommend fiber powders etc. The colon can't handle it, it's a misconception of IBS in my opinion. Just stick to whole, natural, unprocessed foods and you should be ok.

andersonbets05

I have been suffering with IBS for over 5 years now. My worst foods are diary-based. Including sauces and dressings like mayo, pasta sauces, etc. My dietary changes have made me feel incredibly better day in and day out. The tough part is when I have that food that I shouldn't I then have problems. So really it's a matter of knowing what you can handle and what you cannot. If you know those foods you should be okay. If not, perhaps talking further with a GI specialist is the route to go, you might have more going on than you know...

prestonam

I have suffered from IBS since I was a teenager but this year it changed to inflammatory IBS! I currently see a naturopath and take practitioner only medication which are high strength! My doctor told me to live on a high fibre high fluid diet so I added extra fibre which was the worse thing I could do I ended up being constipated for 5 whole weeks! This was while on Michelle bridges 12WBT so I was eating a high fibre healthy diet! My body just didn't want to adapt! I also am dairy and gluten intolerant which causes massive flair ups! I think IBS is a personal thing but changing your food and exercise habits does put strain on your digestive system but only for a few weeks if it continues to 4-5 weeks I would recommend seeing your doctor or health professional.

Good luck & maybe you should write down how u feel after each meal maybe u will discover the cause!

thingal12

I don't have IBS but I have Constipation. I can go days without 'going' :-( Changes in my Diet (no matter which way- eat more, eat less, exercise more/less) always makes my digestion go nuts. I just give it time, at least 3 weeks before I'm able to 'go' without taking laxative pills.