IBS and weight loss??

I have IBS. The #1 trigger that makes it worse is STRESS.

-Try yoga every once in awhile. You can actually find a lot of yoga for digestive health on YouTube.

-Gas relief and Tums are my best friends. When it gets really bad, acid reducers help. I have some prescription acid reducers, but OTC stuff works fine.

-Avoid beans, broccoli, and other gas-causing, fibrous foods for awhile. Eat them in extreme moderation if need be. Read up on "debloating" foods. Cherries, almonds and avocado are some.

-Keep a journal of thoughts/feelings. I know, sounds hokey as ****...but as a grad student, you must be under a lot of stress. If writing doesn't help, find the right outlet FOR YOU!

-EXERCISE! It helps so much with my digestive issues. Try low impact, like a long walk, if it gets bad.

Are you self diagnosed? Have you had a GI scan? Just wondering.

If all else fails...the less popular idea is smoke a little pot. :laugh:

I have IBS. The #1 trigger that makes it worse is STRESS.

-Try yoga every once in awhile. You can actually find a lot of yoga for digestive health on YouTube.

-Gas relief and Tums are my best friends. When it gets really bad, acid reducers help. I have some prescription acid reducers, but OTC stuff works fine.

-Avoid beans, broccoli, and other gas-causing, fibrous foods for awhile. Eat them in extreme moderation if need be. Read up on "debloating" foods. Cherries, almonds and avocado are some.

-Keep a journal of thoughts/feelings. I know, sounds hokey as ****...but as a grad student, you must be under a lot of stress. If writing doesn't help, find the right outlet FOR YOU!

-EXERCISE! It helps so much with my digestive issues. Try low impact, like a long walk, if it gets bad.

Are you self diagnosed? Have you had a GI scan? Just wondering.

If all else fails...the less popular idea is smoke a little pot. :laugh:

I was diagnosed 2 years ago after my celiac test came back negative and have had a scan although nothing came up for concern, except of course i still feel like crap most of the time

Gotcha. The problem with IBS, I've found, is that it's not treated as a 'real disease' to some doctors. My doctor recommended me to a good psychologist after my GI scan. It was so frustrating after over a year of anguish.

The only things that helped: seeing a counselor briefly, and moving out of my family home...which was causing all of the extreme stress and anxiety for me. I know you said completely eliminating stress isn't an option for you (is it for anyone??), but working on ways to expend the stress could be beneficial.

You're on the right track being here. You can do this! :flowerforyou:

I have colitis - maybe similar to IBS but not as sever as Chrons - Stress definitely aggravates my symptoms. I too am bloated all the time- its the worst feeling especially when you are trying to eat healthy and maintain an eating schedule. I am trying to introduce more fruits and veggies into my diet.... not really a good thing for a colitis patient- they cause flare ups. I do take a probiotic that helps keep symptoms at bay - I also find that keeping up with my workouts definitely help with my digestion - or maybe its the morning coffee after :ohwell:
Good luck to you with yoru weight loss - I am eager to read the responses in the thread to see if there are new ideas for me as well
Thank you for posting this question

I have had stomach/intestinal issues since I was 16. I am now 50 something and my IBS has changed in the way it manifests itself. I am a grad student as well (better late than never) and I hope to graduate in December.

Stress is a definite trigger as are some foods, or all foods! Acidic foods are the worst, and beef doesn't digest well with me. I deal with anxiety and depression as well, and I have been told that exercise can work wonders for many problems, but I haven't gotten there yet.

There is a prescription medication I was given several years ago and it helps when things get more intense. It is an anti-spasmodic. It keeps your intestines from constantly working to move things along by slowing down the muscle contractions. It helps when you constantly feel you have to go to the bathroom, but little or nothing is there, except probably a lot of gas. This is kind of gross but it is what it is, mucus in the bowel movement is another indication that my IBS has kicked up. My bloating was the worst when I was younger and thin which made it very visible as you mentioned. The bloating seems to not be as big an issue for me as I've gotten older.

Social situations can aggravate my IBS and I have learned which situations set me off, so I try to be prepared. I feel for all of you that have to deal with this problem; and yes, doctors don't seem to be able to do much for it. I wish you luck in your studies and hope you can take control of your IBS so your future can be all you want it to be. :flowerforyou:

I wish someone had told me this 10 years ago. It would have saved me a ton of misery. I have two pieces of advice: first, minimize or mitigate the stress in your life as much as possible, and second, try an elimination diet to find out what foods trigger your IBS.

I had debilitating IBS for over 10 years - nausea, vomiting, constipation, pain, diarrhea...the works. When I would have bad cycles, I might lose 8-10 pounds in a week or two because I just couldn't eat. That's NOT a good thing when you're already at the low end of the healthy BMI like I am. I developed a panic disorder due to the constant fear of having a random IBS attack. I stopped wanting to even leave my house. It seemed like I was always either trapped in the bathroom or dreading the next episode. I couldn't figure it out and most doctors (even specialists) weren't helpful at all.

My current doctor suggested an elimination diet to figure out my trigger foods. It took a few months to not only get everything out of my system but to heal my digestive tract as well. Since I identified my trigger foods and completely eliminated them, I have been virtually symptom free. After years of being sick ALL THE D@MN TIME, I finally feel free.

There's only one food I truly miss on my trigger list - cheese! Otherwise, I am willing to go without the others (including the primary offender - wheat) for the rest of my life. It's a small inconvenience to be able to live like a human again. It's a pain in the rear to have to cook everything from scratch, but at least it's really healthy and it keeps me in good shape.

My worst offender: gluten

Additional trigger foods are: casein (milk protein), saturated animal fats (extra lean meats/lean poultry are ok), eggs, artificial sweeteners and some preservatives (processed food is terrible for me).

Safe foods for me: rice, potatoes, gluten-free grains like oats, lean poultry, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts/seeds, olive oil and stuff like that.

I can have other foods, like extra lean cuts of beef, corn and beans, but I need to limit the amounts to keep my bowels happy.

Good luck!

the aloe nectar berry gel from Forever living products is quite sweet and I drink it every day. You can mix it with fruit juice if you don't like the taste but its quite nice on its own. My kids call it the do everything better gel - whenever I am grumpy they say " have you had your juice mummy" - loving it