IBS and how a day makes a difference (pics)

pomegranatemint
pomegranatemint Posts: 37 Member
in Motivation and Support
I'm new here, tracking my food intake as I have IBS and on a FODMAP diet and of course I need to loose weight.

With IBS I go a bit crazy because my weight fluctuates so much from day to day. Sometimes I feel like I have put on so much weight, but then I tell myself I can't in such a short time and then just get really upset, because my pants don't fit properly the next day.

But to demonstrate, this is a picture taken a day apart. Hopefully you can see the slight difference in the stomach....but to me it shows me that my stomach does expand in such a short time ( I am not sucking it in). This morning I woke up and thought...I am sure my stomach has gone down quite a bit, so I thought I would take another photo and sure enough it had. I have to remind myself that my body does not work as well as everyone else, so I have to take the good days with the bad....it will be a slow ride to get where I want to get...but I will get there. I hope this reminds others who have IBS that our bodies composition does fluctuate from day to day, and remind ourselves of the end goal.

I forget how much IBS effects how my body reacts everyday.
30woz1d.jpg

Replies

  • sarahkayhoffman
    sarahkayhoffman Posts: 7
    Hang in there....
  • Flowers4Julia
    Flowers4Julia Posts: 521 Member
    I'm feeling for you....I got rid of my IBS (finally) after switching to a paleo/primal diet (no grains, dairy). so I didn't need to go as far as the FODMAP.

    So hang in there and keep at it, you will figure it out and then feel so much better.

    I hear ya about the numbers on the scale swinging so much day to day. You are wise to remember, it is NOT fat, just water and bloat!

    Just know that you are on a good path now and this will resolve. You WILL lose the weight you want to. Have Faith!
  • greenfalls107
    greenfalls107 Posts: 87 Member
    Oh boy do I know how you feel. I have crohns and issues with SIBO (small intestine bacteria overgrowth), I have looked and tried some on the FODMAP diet. I have learned some things are triggers for me, Idaho potatos for one. I usually eat yam, sweet potatoes or small red potatos. Tonight I had a Idaho potato and wow, I think I gained 5lbs in 20 minutes. :) I had so much gas pain it shot up my left shoulder. I will NOT be eating those again. Took 2 gas x's and a painful movement to feel better. And even now, my "alien" (grumbling, and making noise in my belly) is still active.

    I can tell you for me, Dannon Light and Fit Fruit on the bottom Greek Yogurt (strawberry and blueberry) works better for me than gas x and/or probotics. I try hard to eat 2 a day (80 calories each), and then my bloating and painful uncomfortable (wow, much more uncomfortable than I ever thought) gas is much better. I was taking up to 6 dosages of gas X a day, max per my doc.

    I also have my "fat jeans" size 20 W and my "skinny jeans" size 16- I wear my fat ones - that are too fat for me on the days I feel gassy. I wear skinny jeans so other than falling down when I bend over they are comfortable. Almost as comfortable as sweat
    pants.

    When I am going out and I am feeling good, I wear my skinny jeans. I feel skinny in them. As I shrink, my fat jeans will be my size 16 (they are bit loose now) and my wish jeans size 14, will become my skinny jeans. It all changes daily, and life with IBD is famous for changing day to day, and even hour to hour at times.

    Feel better. :)
  • pomegranatemint
    pomegranatemint Posts: 37 Member
    Thanks for the support...good to hear from others in the same boat :)

    I don't find the FODMAP diet now as hard as I first thought. It's pretty clean, but you can still have gluten free products. I also do lactose free products but can cope with hard low fat cheese. I just use lots of herbs and I use soya sauce...that seems ok for me.

    I have felt so much better on it though so it's worth it to me. The thing that was happening to me was nausea and terrible bloating and fullness, that has decreased.

    Also my migraines and headaches have reduced significantly, I think it's from cutting out gluten.

    There are certain triggers, acidic foods are the worst, as is high fructose...like watermelon. I also think onions are not good for me, but I didn't realize it until I went on this diet.

    To be honest my mind plays tricks and I just thinks it's always fat...and then I get really upset and that's when I lose momentum.

    @greenfalls - yeah I have my skinny day pants too...but most of the time I have to be in my comfortable track pants.
  • xintothevoidxz
    xintothevoidxz Posts: 95
    After gallbladder surgery in 2006, its like russian roullette for food with me. It's never a particular food I eat, just how my body decides to react to it....:mad:
    I'll eat a salad and get sick minutes later and eat Dave's BBQ with a Tallboy Miller Light and be perfectly fine....:mad:

    I know how you feel :flowerforyou:
  • pomegranatemint
    pomegranatemint Posts: 37 Member
    @spikedholly - I would maybe suggest going to a dietitian, they may be able to help you figure out if there is some pattern. I thought the same as you, didn't think it was a particular food or foods, but since being on the FODMAP diet I realise it's a range of foods within the

    "Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols*. These are complex names for a collection of molecules found in food, that can be poorly absorbed by some people. "

    A dietitian is educated in areas of food sensitivities and so they maybe help you out.

    It was so worth me giving it a try, I was just guessing beforehand what was working and what was not, but really I had no clue what was going on within my stomach, a dietitian on the other hand has a scientific understanding of how the stomach is meant to function, and what may be stopping it from working the way it's meant to.
  • kblu0816
    kblu0816 Posts: 1,627 Member
    I've been diagnosed with IBS since I was about 16. Started having more problems in college and for the last year I have been 99% gluten free. I've had my slip-ups and have regretted them and of course I still have IBS flare-ups even being gluten free. So I understand what you're going through. I had a terrible food weekend, too much salt and gluten so I feel like a whale today :laugh: Drinking tons of water though. Good luck with everything!

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