help me please have IBS and struggling to lose weight

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Replies

  • amoymh
    amoymh Posts: 44
    Hi dear-sorry for your frustrations. I too have IBS and its a pain in the but-I know. 100% Whole grain bread, lean meats and fish works wonder and staying away from acidic foods (Ketchup, vinegar etc...) helps as well because it doesnt irritate the mucosal linings of our already sensitive gastrointestinal system. The extra fibre and gallons of water I drink allows food to pass freely (and painlessly) through my system and I have no troubles in the bathroom department. Hope this helps!-Good luck girl, you will get through it :)
  • vaporhockey83
    vaporhockey83 Posts: 84 Member
    I have IBS as well. Stress definitely has an impact on the entire digestion. My doctor originally said try Metamucil or other fiber types, but I was bloating up and couldn't have a single movement. I'd start by dropping that. My doctor also gave me a medication known as Amitiza. It's for IBS folks with constipation. I can attest to having results in 30 minutes. You can use it as needed. I rarely use it anymore. Over the counter, you can try Miralax types. If the stress is getting to you, you might even be prescribed an anti-depressant as serotonin is key in digestion. I've taken to probiotics and that Amitiza to keep my digestion woes away. Not trying to push pills or meds, but in my personal situation, it helped a lot. Hope you feel better and get well.
  • angelahammon
    angelahammon Posts: 114 Member
    I suffer with IBS too, and find one week i can go every day as normal and then the next week lucky if i can go once a week, I have tried dried prunes and apricots , and they have made me go occasionally , the first time i had them i had a lot and they made me go two hours after eating them, also Peppermint tea is good for helping to support your digestive system and help go too, plenty of water or all the fibre will bung you up, I know how difficult it is suffering with IBS, try not to stress about your weight as this could be not helping either
  • Kittyvicious1
    Kittyvicious1 Posts: 190 Member
    have you tried yogurt with probiotics? you can also buy probiotics otc and put it in your food. Probiotics helps digestion
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
    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 :(
    so you ARE losing weight, it's just not showing up on the scale. you say that your body is getting smaller (tape measure) and your bodyfat is decreasing. Please stop stressing about the scale - hide it for a few weeks. as long as you are getting smaller, you are doing something right. continue measuring and take pictures of yourself in a gym outfit every few weeks so you can see the difference.
  • JoyceMccormack1958
    JoyceMccormack1958 Posts: 22 Member
    Sometimes a high fibre diet can cause problems . I have a son who suffered from chronic constipation and I can sympathise with you. There seems to be no magical cure, just plenty of fluids and a varied diet nothing over processed. Make your own bread - these quickly made commercial loaves are seriously bad, go for something with. Slow rise time, mix the dough in the morning leave it somewhere cool and shape it into loaves in the evening and whack in the oven an hour or so later. Keep the diet varied and the meals small and more frequent so that your colon doesn't have to cope with too much at once. This seemed to work for him anyway.
  • LauraHasABabyJack
    LauraHasABabyJack Posts: 629 Member
    IBS is miserable and I can sympathize though mine is the opposite. My son had horrible issues pooping until we cut out dairy. That's made life so much easier- he goes completely on his own! He can't drink milk at all or it stops him right back up. Yogurt is ok as a little cheese though I can always tell when he's had too much. My triggers are sugar, dairy and stress, especially stress (holidays can be rough).
  • kitticus15
    kitticus15 Posts: 152 Member
    Doctor referred me to weight management and it's them that are having a go at me for the scale not going down, it really annoys me cos it causes me more stress and I even told them if they aren't happy do they want me to stop eating?

    Seems they are happy to take the scale into account and nothing else...
  • karekare413
    karekare413 Posts: 1
    I have suffered from IBS for 20 years now. I do not have constipation. I have diarrhea, unfortunately. Actually, I'd have to say it's mixed. But I definitely have a pattern. I won't go for a few days, then I will bloat, get hot, cramp and go to the bathroom three times. Each time it's softer and softer until a blow out. (sorry, all conversations turn to poop eventually! LOL) I also have a rectal fissure (chronic) that I am trying to avoid having surgery for. So, I take a stool softener. The bad thing about the softener is one of the ingredients is sorbitol. IBS suffers should avoid sorbitol at all costs. I found out recently that my favorite Special K cereal bars contain sorbitol. It's a natural laxative found in a lot of fruits but it is also in gum and added to foods for flavor. There are others within the same family and I believe they are called "xylotols". Could be wrong, but google it. Red meat is a trigger for me. Small amounts I do okay with. A steak, not so much. And I love steak. Dairy is a trigger and I love ice cream. Sometimes I suffer and eat it anyway. One thing that is been a life saver for me -probiotics. My symptoms have markedly improved since beginning them. I use Colon Health, but you could anything that works for you. I don't like yogurt, so I use a pill form.

    For years, I was on an anti-depressant for IBS. There were times I needed it and I am glad it helped in more ways than one. Now, I no longer need meds and I am working with my diet to help with IBS. I wish I had tried this years ago. I'm only 45 and it started when I was in college in my 20s.

    In addition, I am a very picky eater. I like fruits, some veggies, chicken, pork, ham, turkey, beef (in very limited amounts if any at all). I love pasta and have had to try and switch to whole wheat for better nutrition. And, I started using this app for a healthier lifestyle and it's working.
  • coral_b
    coral_b Posts: 264 Member
    I'm still battling my IBS, and think it is the reason i retain weight. I've stuck to 1300 cals and exercised daily for 40 days- no drop!
    My main trigger is milk, i now have lacto free and things are much better with symptoms. Still get the odd flare up from toomuch wheat/gluten but it's better than it was- as for weight loss, FODMAP is fabulous! however it's quite strict and I struggled and reverted back. If I havent lost in a month i'll be going back to boring but effective FODMAP.
    Good luck xx
  • PunkinSpice79
    PunkinSpice79 Posts: 309 Member
    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.

    I've been reading about probiotics and IBS. Make sure that if you go this route, the probiotic has bifida bacteria. Otherwise, it won't do you any good. :)
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    I'm still battling my IBS, and think it is the reason i retain weight. I've stuck to 1300 cals and exercised daily for 40 days- no drop!
    My main trigger is milk, i now have lacto free and things are much better with symptoms. Still get the odd flare up from toomuch wheat/gluten but it's better than it was- as for weight loss, FODMAP is fabulous! however it's quite strict and I struggled and reverted back. If I havent lost in a month i'll be going back to boring but effective FODMAP.
    Good luck xx

    Many people will say you're notblosingnas you aren't eating enough.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,301 Member
    please try to read up on Salicylate Sensitivity. Doctors recognise this in relation to medication but not in general foods. Google salicylate sensitivity, there is a site of that name, most people have lesser problems. Probably better is "food can make you ill" this one has a book available as well but you can get a significant amount of information from the site it covers other potentially problem foods. SS can be at the bottom of many problems IBS is just one.

    Please come back to me if you like. I discovered SS and I am in my 60's. The chances are, being so much younger, you can reduce the severity should it turn out to be a factor. Starting out on the ss reduction can be daunting.

    hope this helps. all the very best
  • danjacharlotte
    danjacharlotte Posts: 5
    I have IBS that is triggered by my period aswell (well i did.. it stopped once I moved back to europe), but one thing that has helped since then and maybe the reason I'm not suffering from it often anymore is that
    1) i started exercising (with the goal of losing weight but not actually losing much) and
    2) identifying what made me feel bad after eating it. two of the big ones for me are spinach and popcorn. they send me into 24hs of stomach cramping and constipation, so i have completely cut them out.
    Try finding things that you eat regularly and cut them out for a couple of weeks, maybe that will help. its going to take trial and error but i think eventually youll find things that irritate your system (irritatable being the key word in IBS), and will know to avoid them :)
  • JanaCanada
    JanaCanada Posts: 917 Member
    My son has IBS. I gave him Align and encouraged him to eat yogurt. He says his symptoms are way better.
  • tarabriscoe
    tarabriscoe Posts: 2
    I have IBS and have been struggling to lose the rapid weight gain of 30 lbs in one month before I was diagnosed. Mine was caused from an infection I got in the hospital. After a year of trying to lose weight, I haven't found the answer for me. I've been on calorie restricted diets with this app. I went on a doctor-administered HCG program that I lost weight on before, and on 500 cals/day for 3 months I lost nothing. But through all of this, I've learned a lot.

    I've dreaded going on FODMAPS because my schedule is just too busy, it isn't feasible. This site has been a life saver http://www.helpforibs.com/ and where I've found most of the helpful information.

    I learned that although fiber is good for you, only soluble fiber. Insoluble fiber causes problems for IBS. So white bread is okay, whole wheat bread is not. Apples are good, but the apple peels are not. I also take enteric coated peppermint oil and it has made a huge difference, along with the probiotic Align. This site tells you, generally, what are safe foods, unsafe, and those that cannot be eaten alone or will cause symptoms.

    For constipation, I take high potency Magnesium, 800 mg. This is the most gentle laxative there is. It works by bringing water into the colon to move things along. I've taken this for over 2 decades with no side effects or rebound. And I had terrible constipation before that caused diverticulitis.

    I've read some have posted that they've lost weight eating basically chicken and rice. This is the starting point of FODMAPS. It's funny to me how so many medical websites tell IBS sufferers to eat high fiber legumes and cruciferous vegetables, which are horrible for IBS. I have another chronic health problem from which I've learned, you cannot rely on Western medicine... they are not all-knowing. You must be your own advocate, research the issue and figure it out for yourself. And if the weight management center is giving you a hard time, they obviously know nothing about IBS, and I'd drop them immediately! Especially if they are just causing you stress!!

    I think I'll look into the Paleo diet and cut out foods from Heather's list. Good luck! :)
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
    Hey,

    Sorry you suffer with that. You can lose weight with IBS or on SSRIs - are you logging everything you eat?

    Also - I do know codeine makes it MUCH worse so steer clear of that!

    Good luck! x
  • She_Hulk
    She_Hulk Posts: 277
    I didn't go through all the responses, so please forgive me if this has been said already. I have been going through the same issues for months. Stomach is completely bloated by the end of the day. GI doctor put me on FODMAPS, gluten, dairy free diet. Wan't helping. My primary care doctor decided to make sure my gallbladder, liver, intestines were working properly. He sent me for an ultrasound. Everything looked fine. To the naked eye. He then sent me for a HIDA test. Make sure you have this done. It showed my gallbladder is not functioning properly. Foods are getting "stuck" somewhere in my digestive tract. I found this all out yesterday, so I'm not exactly sure what's going on. I do know that I now have to set up an appt. with some surgeon at FL Hospital. ASAP. I haven't seen him yet, but pretty sure my gb will have to be removed. Also, all the foods the GI doctor had me eating were no good for me. That's why my diet (and yours too, possibly) wasn't working. My doctor sent me for food allergy tests and I'm HIGHLY allergic (had food allergies as a kid...thought I outgrew them) to most of the foods on the IBS friendly list. I just wanted to share my experience. Seems like my symptoms are caused by both food allergies and a non functioning gallbladder. Just make sure you get tested for food allergies and take the HIDA test. You really need to rule these things out just to be safe. Good luck! Lori
  • claireelewis
    claireelewis Posts: 5 Member
    Hi, I've had IBS C/D for all my life. I have tried the FODMAP diet and found it left me a little more constipated than usual, so if you do go down this route make sure you are getting enough fibre (the sorts you can have). Over the last few months I have been taking probiotics every morning (Lactobacillus acidophilus) and digestive enzyme supplements with each meal (although I now only have them when i need them such as when eating white bread occasionally). The probiotics have defiantly helped me and if I get a bout of D I find ginger tea and peppermint oil a big help.
  • flsunshine
    flsunshine Posts: 188 Member
    I have IBS too. what i found that works for me is high protein and veggies. more fiber actually binds me up too much. also my doctor told me to take a stool softener daily since its safe to use long term.
  • Alice_104
    Alice_104 Posts: 15
    I'm not very good with diets. Right now I'm using Roca Labs formula. 50 lbs down in 2.5 months. Still 70 lbs to lose.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    I'm doing the low FODMAP diet and am FINALLY losing weight. I'm also tracking and am eating the same calories as before but I think the bloating must have masked my fat loss before.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    I have IBS and have been struggling to lose the rapid weight gain of 30 lbs in one month before I was diagnosed. Mine was caused from an infection I got in the hospital. After a year of trying to lose weight, I haven't found the answer for me. I've been on calorie restricted diets with this app. I went on a doctor-administered HCG program that I lost weight on before, and on 500 cals/day for 3 months I lost nothing. But through all of this, I've learned a lot.

    I've dreaded going on FODMAPS because my schedule is just too busy, it isn't feasible. This site has been a life saver http://www.helpforibs.com/ and where I've found most of the helpful information.

    I learned that although fiber is good for you, only soluble fiber. Insoluble fiber causes problems for IBS. So white bread is okay, whole wheat bread is not. Apples are good, but the apple peels are not. I also take enteric coated peppermint oil and it has made a huge difference, along with the probiotic Align. This site tells you, generally, what are safe foods, unsafe, and those that cannot be eaten alone or will cause symptoms.

    For constipation, I take high potency Magnesium, 800 mg. This is the most gentle laxative there is. It works by bringing water into the colon to move things along. I've taken this for over 2 decades with no side effects or rebound. And I had terrible constipation before that caused diverticulitis.

    I've read some have posted that they've lost weight eating basically chicken and rice. This is the starting point of FODMAPS. It's funny to me how so many medical websites tell IBS sufferers to eat high fiber legumes and cruciferous vegetables, which are horrible for IBS. I have another chronic health problem from which I've learned, you cannot rely on Western medicine... they are not all-knowing. You must be your own advocate, research the issue and figure it out for yourself. And if the weight management center is giving you a hard time, they obviously know nothing about IBS, and I'd drop them immediately! Especially if they are just causing you stress!!

    I think I'll look into the Paleo diet and cut out foods from Heather's list. Good luck! :)

    Being on a low FODMAP diet isn't really that difficult. I don't think a busy s edible should put you off.
  • AshleyChapmanPlexus
    AshleyChapmanPlexus Posts: 2
    I have colitis and IBS 2 of the worst intestinal conditions to have ever. I have struggled with my weight since I was 6 years old. That was 20 years ago. Once I was diagnosed with colitis and ibs my problems became worse. UNTIL June of this year where I found Plexus Worldwide. I normally am totally against weight loss products because I felt like none of them ever worked. But, being desperate and depressed I gave in. Good thing I did. I start out in June 2013 a little over 400 pounds I am now down to 346 pounds. I also try to keep track of everything else as well as far as calories and such but truth is I don't eat enough. Never have!

    The bio cleanses I find is really great for constipation and IBS it helps to rid your body of harmful toxins but it does not "cleanse" you like some things on the market. This is all natural and does not cause diarrhea symptoms.

    I would at least consider it. It could be the answer to your prayers. It was for me. Let me know if you are interested. The Bio Cleanse is not really expensive actually it is quite affordable.
  • jamk1446
    jamk1446 Posts: 5,577 Member
    Have you looked at the FODMAP eating plan. Google it. It's advised that you do it with a dietician though.

    Even if you don't use a dietician, look it up. Very frequently, increasing fiber is the wrong thing to do for IBS-C.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    You need to find out what your intolerances are. Could be dairy, wheat, gluten or even some natural sugars. Tea, coffee. I suggest you get that checked out. Or go for the process of elimination.

    This. I recall before I knew about my food intolerances (lactose and soy) having the opposite problem of constipation and was miserable! Once I cut the foods I was intolerant to, I became much better.

    OP, I am so glad you are under the care of your doctor too.

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