Other people with IBS trying to live healthier?

IBS affects what I can eat, but beyond that has not affected my loss.

Foods that I avoid are: cabbage, asparagus, cauliflower, bread. Since I cut down on these, my IBS has gone down in frequency- I still get IBS with PMS.

I have started reading about the fodmaps diet.

I forgot to add- I increased my exercise, which probably reduced IBS from stress

I have IBS. I feel that things have been going so much better with the inclusion of a better diet and exercise.

For me, having IBS includes so much bloating that it was difficult for me to see any positive changes in my body when I tried to lose weight. I would bloat up so much that my pants wouldn't fit at the end of the day. I started taking probiotics daily, and I have found that my bloating is probably 80% decreased!! I still have IBS symptoms, but I am so happy with the decrease in bloating! Now that I can see the changes in my waistline due to eating healthier and exercising more (rather than any progress being masked by a huge amount of bloat), I am so motivated to keep going!!

My tummy troubles have been much improved by eating allergy free. If you haven't done so already, I highly recommend an allergy elimination diet to find out if you have any underlying food allergies or sensitivities. I've also lost some weight by eliminating food that I have sensitivities to (wheat and soy). Good luck!

This helped me immensely too. OP, I know you said you don't have the resources or desire to try this, but thought I'd chime in anyway... Stress for me is a big factor, but even that was helped immensely after eliminating food sensitivities.

On another, really gross note, I drink a lot of coffee in the morning. At least 3 cups a day (down from a pot). It, um, helps with the constipation. :blushing:

For me, having IBS includes so much bloating that it was difficult for me to see any positive changes in my body when I tried to lose weight. I would bloat up so much that my pants wouldn't fit at the end of the day. I started taking probiotics daily, and I have found that my bloating is probably 80% decreased!! I still have IBS symptoms, but I am so happy with the decrease in bloating! Now that I can see the changes in my waistline due to eating healthier and exercising more (rather than any progress being masked by a huge amount of bloat), I am so motivated to keep going!!

What probiotics do you take? My bloating is so bad I look very pregnant and I could not see any difference in my stomach after losing 2 stone

I have had IBS for a year now and I still find it difficult to live with.

Usually I am fine and nothing affects me then it will suddenly trigger due to stress and for the next few weeks I cannot eat much without experiencing horrendous cramps, trapped wind and either running to the loo several times a day to hardly going in a week.

I have been tested for coeliac and it came back negative, but I am starting to cut out wheat and it appears to be helping. My stomach still bloats a lot though This phase has lasted a month, last time I couldn't even go to the gym due to the pain!

You could be intolerant to gluten even if you don't have celiac. My sister also tested negative for celiac, yet when she eats gluten, she looks like she's about 6 months pregnant. Try cutting out all gluten, not just wheat and see if that helps.

I have had IBS for a year now and I still find it difficult to live with.

Usually I am fine and nothing affects me then it will suddenly trigger due to stress and for the next few weeks I cannot eat much without experiencing horrendous cramps, trapped wind and either running to the loo several times a day to hardly going in a week.

I have been tested for coeliac and it came back negative, but I am starting to cut out wheat and it appears to be helping. My stomach still bloats a lot though This phase has lasted a month, last time I couldn't even go to the gym due to the pain!

You could be intolerant to gluten even if you don't have celiac. My sister also tested negative for celiac, yet when she eats gluten, she looks like she's about 6 months pregnant. Try cutting out all gluten, not just wheat and see if that helps.

Thanks for the advice, I never thought of it that way. Maybe its an intolerance and not as bad as an allergy?

I think I will go ahead as I tried it for 2 weeks and felt much better. It's just getting used to the new taste!

The way it was explained to me is that celiac is an autoimmune disease that affects the lining of your (small?) intestines. With gluten sensitivity, the body reacts with inflammation inside or outside the gut, but it doesn't attack the lining. In any case, I went wheat free about a year ago to see if it helped with my IBS. I felt better, but didn't feel that it actually helped. Then a few months ago my naturopath suggested going gluten free (I was eating a lot of spelt...) to see if it helped my migraines. Well, I haven't had a migraine since and it seems to have helped my IBS. (I also have dairy and soy sensitivities, so I avoid those as well.) So far, when I do get a flare up, usually due to stress, it isn't nearly as bad as it has been. (I also take a probiotic and digestive enzymes when I'm having a flare up.) That's just what has worked for me!

FYI: If you do have a gluten sensitivity, you need to give your body time to rid itself of it. Two weeks is not going to be enough. It took a good three weeks for me to see a noticeable difference.

I've had IBS-D for 20 years now. I have never cut anything out of my diet, I just couldn't be bothered dealing with special or restrictive diets. I've tried dieticians, GP's, specialist etc over the years all who told me something different. So I've just lived with it.

In the past I just ate whatever I wanted and just dealt with the consequences as I hated missing out on yummy food! Since I've gained weight though and changed my diet and all junk food has been cut out except for a little treat once a week. I have noticed a bit of a difference, but not enough to say I'm cured that's for sure!

I'm not sure if it's just eating better in general or also because I've started eating yogurt which has lots of goodies in it for your digestive system.

I don't know if the IBS has had any impact on my weight loss. I don't have anything to measure it against as the only two times I have tried to lose weight were while I've had IBS.

Either way if it keeps improving I will be very happy.

I'm one of those that get bloated from gas. Makes it real hard to ride my bike when I can't breath.

I've had IBS for about 6yrs now - my doctor says there's no connection but it arrived I was diagnosed with a tumour on my ovary which also coincided with me gaining a load of weight for the first time in my life. His suggestion of 'live with it' and some tablets for stomach cramps meant I didn't bother going back for further diagnosis or help - something I've heard from lots of people with this condition.

Now that the weight is dropping off (so slowing now, but at least it's not still rising rapidly!) I've found the symptoms have reduced with episodes only occurring on a weekly rather than daily basis.

Food wise I've always eaten pretty well (just too much of it for a post menopausal 40 something) so I haven't done anything to adjust that. My only issue really is I need to be careful before I go out running as sometimes exercise can bring on the urgent need to go so I need to make sure I've taken care of business before I go out the door lol

So for me, losing weight has definitely helped and I'm hopeful that the symptoms will stay reduced - nothing seems to help the bloating though

Are there other types of meds available to IBS sufferers?

I'm curious about this too. My doctor had nothing (that worked anyway), but that was years ago.

I have suffered with IBS for about 5 years now. I never really got serious about it and just dealt with it the best I could when I would get an attack. For me I could go long periods of time without an issue and then bam I would have a serious attack that would keep me off work for three days due to the pain and the fact I could stray far from the bathroom. A year ago last April I had my worst attack ever and I decided that was it. I bought a couple books, did some research on the net and cut out absolutely everything that could be a trigger.

I dropped 20 pounds in no time and that motivated me to keep going. Currently I have lost 70 pounds with 10 more to goal weight. In this 15 months I have only had one attack and it was because I ate the skin on an apple. I have added a lot back into my diet due to trial and error but there are certain things I avoid and have not eaten for 15 months. I do not eat red meat, egg yolks, fried foods, raw broccoli, cauliflower or cabbage. I have added some dairy back in and don't have an issue with greek yogurt and hard cheeses. I find if I eat salad with soluable fiber I am ok. I still get some bloating from time to time and the occasional bout of diarrhea but for the most part the quality of my life has improved 100%. When I lost about 45 pounds I felt that I could start exercising again and now combine regular exercise with a healthy diet which has helped my weight loss and symptoms greatly. People who do not suffer from IBS have no idea what we go through on a regular basis. They don't understand why I can't eat this or that or bring my own food to a BBQ. I would love to have some IBS sufferers as friends so please feel free to add me. Understanding and support is always a great motivator!