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Trying to cut down on my bloated stomach

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lori_en
lori_en Posts: 133 Member
in Social Groups
but the only things I can think of cutting out are dairy and bread that to me have any real affect that I notice.

Is anyone able to give me any other suggestions? I've been eating porridge for breakfast, so I don't know if I should find an alternative to that or not?

I would really appreciate people's ideas

Thanks!

Replies

  • Terrizgoal
    Terrizgoal Posts: 5
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    I have cut out milk products and drink vanilla flavored soy milk. I love bread and I am having a hard cutting out bread from my diet but I have noticed that rye bread really causes me a lot of bloating and tummy troubles. I have been sufferring with IBS (that is what my doctor thinks that I have) for so long. I'm not even sure what brings it on and which foods I should eat. Mornings I usually have oatmeal with blueberries and a glass of soy milk. Seems to be okay so far,
  • lori_en
    lori_en Posts: 133 Member
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    Yeah I was "diagnosed" by my doctor a few years ago who put me on some tablets that just gave me really bad stomach pains and bloating!

    I was on the dukan diet last year and my stomach seemed to go down slightly, probably because I wasn't eating any bread. I was still having low fat dairy though and my stomach was still bloated so I'm thinking of cutting out both for the time being and seeing how I get on.
  • amyB27
    amyB27 Posts: 105 Member
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    Hello lori_en! I have had IBS since I was 14. Bloating is a huge issue for me as well as water retention (which probably isn't related to the IBS lol). Some things I've noticed that help my bloating is cutting out carbonated beverages, cuttin down highly processed foods, and making sure that I don't go too long w/o eating. Another neat "trick" I recently noticed is that a vigorous "massage" helps. Haha I noticed that after mowing the yard one day & our side yard is very bumpy. My tummy went down two inches! So I tried massaging my stomach vigoriously & it helped too. Not as much but it did help. I know it sounds strange but the results lasted for a few days. May be something you want to try. :-) Keeping my carbs in check has helped too.
  • Kymmu
    Kymmu Posts: 1,650 Member
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    I find fructose is my worst problem. I was being healthy and eating loads of fruit- then it struck.
    I'm still in the initial stages of cutting food out till I feel better, but so many labels have HFCS or other words that mean it ...crazy.
    I'm bloated and uncomfortable by 3 pm even being careful, I don't eat wheat or dairy, so there is something else upsetting my system.
  • fcordingley
    fcordingley Posts: 25 Member
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    Try cutting out resistant starches- so starchy foods like bread, pasta and potatoes but also re- heated or dried food. My dietician recommended it to me. So anything that has been cooked once and then has to be re-heated/ re- cooked can cause extreme bloating and stomach pain. Its worth a try :)
  • SarahNerd
    SarahNerd Posts: 7
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    If you are planning to make any food eliminations or major diet changes, only do one thing at a time. Do that for a month or so, log how you feel, what you eat, when you eat everyday, and measure your bloating. If you make several changes at once, you will have no way of knowing which food you actually have a problem with.

    I have had IBS since I was 12, but I also have some food intolerances. To find out what, I took one thing out at a time over the course of several years. (For me, it turned out to be red meat, white meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, dairy, egg yolks and whites, gluten containing grains, and oats.) I still had bloating after that, even with anti-gas medication, but I had fewer symptoms over all. Sometimes, you can't escape the bloat, only minimize it. =/

    I am currently trying one more thing to see if the bloating will go away, but I am less than a month into it. The test is eating enough food at regular times only when I am hungry. I feel a little better, but I am not convinced yet. If anyone is curious, I will follow up in a month or so and let you know how it went.

    Good luck, I hope you have some improvement. IBS sucks.

    Note: Sorry left something out. This latest attempt is in addition to things my doctor has said to do, such as reduce potato, rice, onion, and sugar intake. Doing those things did help.
  • lori_en
    lori_en Posts: 133 Member
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    I haven't visited this thread in ages, so thanks to those who have posted since I last wrote on here! :ohwell:

    Since visiting this thread last, I actually went for a blood test at the doctor's to see if I could finally have some sort of clue as to what causes the reactions and bloating. I was checked for pretty much every single intolerance and when the results came back... nothing! I'm not allergic to gluten, nuts, everything that I could possibly be tested for, I'm completely fine.

    Which really frustrated me at the time, as I just really want to know the cause so I cna do something about it! :grumble:

    Anyways, after the over indulgence of Christmas, I have gone back to cutting out as much carby stuff as possible, although I still occassionally have rice and potatoes, bread and pasta I am avoiding as much as I can.

    I've lost a good amount of weight so far, but I haven't noticed a drop yet in the bloating, so it may be a plan to cut out the potatoes and rice... but I'm only in the 3rd week of making the changes, so I've still got time to see if there's a difference.

    EDIT: I should probably also add that I've started drinking peppermint tea (at least two cups a day) as I've heard it helps with digestion. So far it does seem to be working, although not so sure about it helping with the bloating. And it's really helping me sleep at night too, as I used to have problems getting off to sleep before, it's no longer a problem for me! :)
  • alt1268
    alt1268 Posts: 159 Member
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    Hi my name is Anita, the dr.s are thinking I have ibs. my problem started in Octboer. actually. I started having severe upper stomach pain, where your ribs split. Then going to the right side. (where your gall bladder sits) I eventually ended up in the ER. I have had a colonoscopy and an endoscopy which primarly are normal. mild acid reflux. I have been on Nexium 2 times a day, zantac 2 times a day. bentyal and now topamax.

    I am not sure about diet restrictions except to say I found out that rice gives me severe cramping.
    I am trying to stay away from gaseous food, fiberous food, etc. Altough I forgot yesterday and ate Turkey chilli and I have been sick all day today. (throwing up)

    I do have some bowel changes, but I didn't until I started my diet. I usually *(before my diet go 2-3 times a day) now I go everyday to every other). I really would love opions and guides on where do I go from here.

    My stomach hurts 80 percent of the time.
    Thank you in advance

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