help me please have IBS and struggling to lose weight

What are you typically eating now?

I assume you would want to add fruits and veg and high fibre foods to lose weight and I can't imagine that would make you any *more* constipated.

Have you looked at the FODMAP eating plan. Google it. It's advised that you do it with a dietician though.

I can go for weeks and the scale stays static then WHAM I loose 2/3 kilos! I no longer worry about the weight but rely on how lose my trousers are - I have gone down 5 sizes now! Don't give up and don't be afraid to try some of the plans that others have suggested, it's all about finding which one suits you. Good luck

I suppose you just need to keep your calories in check and exercise then. Make sure you weigh everything that goes into your mouth. I know you said you don't eat any junk food but even healthy calories add up.

And keep at it, I'm sure it will come off if you burn more calories than you take in.

My MIL found that very high fibre bread gave her a similar problem, so she now eats less "sturdy" bread. Have you tried Vogel bread - there are a number of varieties with different seeds and although the slices are small they are very satisfying. Also add in the fruits you don't give to babies because they are laxative - grapes, oranges etc. I can't stomach red grapes (or red wine) as they make me "go" amost immediately.

Have you tried reflexology to free up your system? (Works for me). Or shiatsu - there are certain places which can help - my husband's cousin recommended a particular point to press - spread the tumb and first finger apart and press on the place just above where the bones almost touch (on the back of the hand) - I used to do this with my boys when they were little and couldn't "go".

I no longer eat any junk food, I eat plenty of veg and a smaller amount of fruit as the recommendations are 2 of your 5 a day to be fruit the rest veg, it has been a long standing problem 16+ years, on paper everything is correct and I should be losing weight, the tape measure has shown reductions, the bodyfat readings have shown reductions, the scale shows nothing, if I do lose weight within a couple of days it shows it as back, so it seems I am losing and gaining the same 10lbs.

I don't even want junk food now, the smell and taste makes me feel sick, GP has said its one of those things and looks like this is how I will be, no point in fighting it, just continue to eat healthy and exercise.

its just soul destroying to know I am eating healthy and exercising but that this IBS is the problem, GP thinks it will stop after menopause as my periods are a trigger for IBS, stress causes my periods to go out of wack and scale not showing all the work is stressing me. I am in a very vicious circle

I too have IBS and had it bad a few years ago, now I only get it occasionally (cannot tell you what a relief that is). It's now thought that fibre isn't the way to go, but less fibre and white bread instead of brown is helpful too.

If I were you, I'd stop the diet for now, and concentrate on the IBS, cut dairy foods out first then slowly reintroduce them to eliminate which foods are causing the IBS... It may take a while, but you will find that everything will settle down as you cut out certain foods. (I once found that it was yoghurts making my IBS worse, I cut them and cheese out for 6 months and everything has been fine since then, I now eat them again without any repercussions) you may also find that you will also lose weight. Stress too can make the IBS worse,

Some GP's don't have a clue about IBS, they either don't believe it exists or they just don't care. If the laxatives aren't working, tell the dr you want to stop them. I really feel for you.

Have you tried FODMAP? It's not some weird thing, my hospital trained state registered dietician recommended it.

May I suggest you read "food can make you ill" a book by Sharla Race. in this book or as e.reader format she looks at different aspects of diet and things which can go out of balance and distress the system. There is also"the, "food can make you ill", web site which cross references with the book.

I read another responder mentioned the paelo diet, which basically is taking your eating back to a much more basic level. I read on the paleo mom blog that salicylate is toxic to all, though some have less tolerance to it than others.

I wish you well settling your symptoms and other discomforts.

Paleo Diet... Have you tried it yet? Supposed to do wonders for IBS and Chron's.

Source: Wife has IBS too.

Crohn's Disease and IBS are different conditions that do share some similar symptoms.

Some of the foods that are recommended in Paleo eating are known triggers for people with Crohn's Disease (although everyone does have a different response to foods). Such as nuts and seeds and fresh fruit and vegetables.

Source: www.nacc.org.uk (accredited UK site for people whose lives are affected by Crohn's or Colitis, with peer-reviewed and regularly updated information on all aspects of IBD - not IBS).

Paleo might be useful for IBS, I have never heard it recommended for anyone with Crohn's / Colitis.

I have IBS triggered by stress.

You're doing PERFECTLY fine. You're eating properly. Your body fat is going down. Your measurements are going down. This means that your body composition is changing. The scale won't reflect your muscle gain over fat loss. I have had weeks where I lost nothing, gained, then dropped two pounds. It's all a part of the process.

Are you taking fiber supplements? If so, HOW MUCH? I had the absolute worst time with fiber supplements awhile ago due to them giving me awful constipation. Now I just do 1 teaspoon of the clear fiber a day in my 1 cup of coffee. It truly helps the cramps.

Are you taking a probiotic? My doctor recommended one to me and I took it for awhile. It had the opposite effect on me, too. I completely stopped probiotic medication. If you're not taking one, however...try it! It may just help you.

Have you seen your doctor recently? I had a bad flare up and asked the doctor about the cramps. She prescribed a great anti-bloating/cramping medication. It really helps.

Under a lot of stress? Exercise! Write in a journal! Do yoga! Nobody is ever going to eliminate stress, but doing something to greatly reduce it will help you in the long run.

Ugh. People recommending the diets just....no.

I know when I 'cleaned up' my diet that I felt better. I don't eat fried foods or overly greasy foods when I can help it. Very acidic food sometimes has the same effect.

Good luck OP. Hang in there.

You may want to consider taking one food type at a time out of your diet and see if that "helps" in some way. I know that many people say that high fiber grains are the way to go. They make me bloated and they make me gain weight. I do not digest them well. So I switched to a rice bread, rice cakes and crackers, even my one vitamin is made with rice bran oil.........this was a success for me once I told my sister. She gave up wheat 4 years ago and has lost 40 pounds.

So not only we are what we eat, it is a slow mindful process of figuring out what we can truly eat, feel well and digest. Take it one or two weeks chunks and totally remove a food type out of your diet and see what happens.

I have IBS but the other way.... I go all the time. I cut out gluten (mostly) and started taking probiotics (Align) and CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid). I was hugely bloated as soon as I ate anything it seemed and I would go after eating anything. the supplements seem to have brought everything into a state of normalcy. although if I cheet and don't take them or ingest a bunch of gluten I am back to the old problem again.
I wish you luck with finding what works for you.
I know how losing and gaining the same 10lbs feels. I have also had the same problem since January and so far I feel better but my pants are still tight, my weight has not changed (except up or down by 4 every other week or so) and I am SOOOO frustrated.
if you want you can add me as a friend...

I had IBS like symptoms for 7 years still have problems from time to time. I can tell from your posts that our triggers food wise are already different except for meat. That did not agree with me at all. When I stopped eating meat I got better for a month. Then back to like before. A bit later someone told me cheese might be a new problem. So, only eat cheese on rare occasions it turns out I am ok with smallish amounts it was probably the 6 ounces a day that was the problem. I cut out milk as well and that also seems to have helped. All I know is I am not in extreme pain anymore and I rarely have an emergency situation. Those emergency situations caused a bit of agoraphobia if you know what I mean.