Work in Progress! Finally found a diet that works: SCD

patsypooter · January 2014

Hello everyone! I have been suffering from IBS for a year now. Doctors cannot help me besides to describe anti depressants (seriously) and I was at the end of my rope. I had been eating paleo for months and felt just as bad as when I was eating whatever I wanted.

I've been struggling with the pain and bloating from IBS. The pain was so bad I was convinced it wasn't IBS and was something much more serious but after reading about other IBS c and d sufferers, I've come to realize my debilitating pain is a somewhat common occurrence. I always thought IBS was just about diarhea, I had no idea it had so many horrendous symptoms. My pain is always in my left side but once in awhile will show up on the right. Next to my belly button I will get this tightness/pressure that is there for most of the day. I would say the pain was between a 2 and a 3 on a good day and a 6 on a bad day and a 9 during an attack.

Paleo was supposed to help with IBS so I was getting distraught until I found out about the Specific Carb Diet.

I've been on it for 10 days now and my pains are GONE. GONE. However if I were to eat a sweet potato tomorrow I would be in hell for the rest of the day.

This diet has worked for me not only for weight loss but for getting rid of my IBS symptoms!!!

I know this is not a typical success story but I wanted to share it in the hopes I can reach someone out there who also had IBS and may be looking for a better way.

25lbs down from what I weighed this time last year and I feel great!

tiptoethruthetulips · January 2014

I had attempted to look at SCD as I have gut issues, however, I found it hard to get the information, the links on the website seemed circular and didn't seem to end up with being able to buy or find the relevant information.

bcattoes · January 2014

I had attempted to look at SCD as I have gut issues, however, I found it hard to get the information, the links on the website seemed circular and didn't seem to end up with being able to buy or find the relevant information.

If you decide to go with this diet I would suggest further research, but if you just want a general idea, here is a review of the diet.

http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/specific-carbohydrate-diet-review

putdownthebiscuit · January 2014

That's awesome! Congrats!

LoggingForLife · January 2014

I have the exact same symptoms you describe. I've been taking probiotics and eliminating different foods for years but to no avail. I will look at this. I've had many tests done and not one could identify a reason for my pains.

stacibuk · January 2014

if nothing else works, anti-depressants such as TCAs can be prescribed for IBD. Just saying.

tiptoethruthetulips · January 2014

I had attempted to look at SCD as I have gut issues, however, I found it hard to get the information, the links on the website seemed circular and didn't seem to end up with being able to buy or find the relevant information.

If you decide to go with this diet I would suggest further research, but if you just want a general idea, here is a review of the diet.

http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/specific-carbohydrate-diet-review

Thanks, I decided to eat clean and it's working well for me at the moment..strange that :blushing:

bperkins88 · January 2014

glad you found something that works for you!

My mother was diagnosed with IBS and IC two years ago

patsypooter · January 2014

I had attempted to look at SCD as I have gut issues, however, I found it hard to get the information, the links on the website seemed circular and didn't seem to end up with being able to buy or find the relevant information.

I think I know what website you are talking about.

Here is a list of Legal and Illegal foods. Honestly, this is all you need to know! Try the diet for a few weeks and see if it works. It can seem like a very restrictive diet but if you're like me, and have been trying to find a good diet for IBS then you probably won't find this all that restrictive.

Here, hope this website helps you understand the diet a bit more. There are a few diets that have similar restrictions but they vary somewhat.

http://www.dflock.co.uk/colitis/foods/foods.html

and a few more links

http://www.pecanbread.com/p/legal_illegal_a-c.htm

here is the "official" website. I found the list hard to read but it does contain a more detailed list of yes and no foods than the other sites

http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/legal/listing/

patsypooter · January 2014

I had attempted to look at SCD as I have gut issues, however, I found it hard to get the information, the links on the website seemed circular and didn't seem to end up with being able to buy or find the relevant information.

If you decide to go with this diet I would suggest further research, but if you just want a general idea, here is a review of the diet.

http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/specific-carbohydrate-diet-review

Thank you for sharing that link

That link has good info as well!

However I disagree with them saying it is extremely restrictive, I don't find that at all. BUT I have dieted all my life so perhaps what I would consider restrictive and what someone who has never eliminated foods finds restrictive will be quite different.

patsypooter · January 2014

glad you found something that works for you!

My mother was diagnosed with IBS and IC two years ago

Thank you so much!! If she is open to the idea of controlling her diet to help heal her gut, please show her this diet! Even just going on it for a few weeks could help, I am not even two weeks in yet and I feel 100% better. I can't even tell you how much of a relief it is to not have pain and discomfort every day.

if nothing else works, anti-depressants such as TCAs can be prescribed for IBD. Just saying.

Yes I know! My doctor recommended antidepressants and I pretty much laughed. I am a very happy, upbeat person, and have not found that stress is related to my IBS at all. It seems to be entirely food related. It's too early to say if I have "cured" it but I am definitely feeling hopeful. To have even a few days without any pain it all is HUGE progress!

dlg1467 · January 2014

My husband has very similar symptoms and we figured out that he has an intolerance to soy.
Soybean oil and Soybean Flours and Soy Protein all cause him incredible pain and symptoms.
If you are having gut issues and can't pinpoint what's causing it, I would consider eliminating soy for one week, it may help you.
it is a very common intolerance but you will find that soy in in everything, and places that you would never ever expect it to be.
its worth a try and might help you.

patsypooter · January 2014

I have the exact same symptoms you describe. I've been taking probiotics and eliminating different foods for years but to no avail. I will look at this. I've had many tests done and not one could identify a reason for my pains.

Oh please try this diet! Please! Even just for a few weeks! If you scroll up I included some links on the diet in another post.

You can imagine how overjoyed I am to be writing to you right now and NOT be able to feel my stomach. No bloating, no discomfort, no random pains! I want other people to know that this diet has worked for me. It may not work for everyone but there are a lot of us out there who might end up owing their health and comfort to this diet.

I have also been to so many doctors and even an ER visit and at first I was not taken seriously at all and given a VARIETY of different possible diagnosis. An ultrasound and a million blood test later they still cannot tell me what is wrong besides a generic "IBS" diagnosis. I was getting really worried that I had stomach cancer or something because the discomfort would never go away.

It took nearly a week before my symptoms vanished but since they have vanished they HAVE NOT come back!

patsypooter · January 2014

My husband has very similar symptoms and we figured out that he has an intolerance to soy.
Soybean oil and Soybean Flours and Soy Protein all cause him incredible pain and symptoms.
If you are having gut issues and can't pinpoint what's causing it, I would consider eliminating soy for one week, it may help you.
it is a very common intolerance but you will find that soy in in everything, and places that you would never ever expect it to be.
its worth a try and might help you.

Thank you kindly! I do not eat any soy (and havent for years now) and I don't eat any processed food or anything from a can. It's made it easy to make sure I don't get any surprise ingredients in my food because like you said soy is in everything. I also have an autoimmune disorder that I have to eat carefully for to keep under control so I've been eating pure for a long while now.

However even when eating paleo and eating very cleanly I was still having these terrible symptoms. Switching to the SC diet has eliminated all my symptoms! I don't want to say I'm cured but I have felt the first relief in over a year.

rhoule76 · January 2014

I have Crohn's Disease and I had a dietitian also recommend the SCD diet. I also have hard that going gluten free is great for people with IBS.

1Cor1510 · January 2014

I'm so glad you posted this. I have the same pain on and off, and for a while it was so bad I was worried it would land me in the hospital or something. About a week or so ago, I started focusing on my protein, and upping that number and lowering the carbs. I just looked at the SCD and it's very similar to how I have been eating except for the dairy. As I was reading your post, it occured to me I haven't had much pain for a few days now, and haven't been woken up by it in the middle of the night in a while.

I'm interested to see if the changes I made will continue to help but if this is a side effect that's even more motivation to continue! Thank you for this

patsypooter · January 2014

I'm so glad you posted this. I have the same pain on and off, and for a while it was so bad I was worried it would land me in the hospital or something. About a week or so ago, I started focusing on my protein, and upping that number and lowering the carbs. I just looked at the SCD and it's very similar to how I have been eating except for the dairy. As I was reading your post, it occured to me I haven't had much pain for a few days now, and haven't been woken up by it in the middle of the night in a while.

I'm interested to see if the changes I made will continue to help but if this is a side effect that's even more motivation to continue! Thank you for this

I can't tell you how comforting it is to hear of other people who were or are in the same boat as me. IBS is not an easy thing to live with. My typical meals before were meat, veggie and a sweet potato. Well guess what, I was still having bad symptoms and was becoming SO frustrated. To be so strict and eat so carefully and still have it, I was starting to panic. But after following the SCD I don't get any of those symptoms anymore. In six months I am hoping to start adding back in beans and legumes and nuts but right now I am just working on the basics and trying to repair my damaged gut.

I would so love to hear how you are doing so please if you have the time come back and share your progress. I will do the same.

CJisinShape · January 2014

I think that IS a success story!!

patsypooter · January 2014

I have Crohn's Disease and I had a dietitian also recommend the SCD diet. I also have hard that going gluten free is great for people with IBS.

Absolutely it is!! However I was on paleo which is also no grain and was still having symptoms. Basically when certain foods break down in your gut they fuel the bad bacteria and cause bloating and all the other fun symptoms.This diet eliminates all the foods that cause the bloating. I've tried a lot of diets and I know a lot are hooey but this one ACTUALLY worked for me! It might be different for every person but I really think this diet is worth trying out. Even a few weeks commitment might change your life.

patsypooter · January 2014

I think that IS a success story!!

Thank you so very much! I can't tell you how good I feel and then to check the scale every morning and see PROGRESS, well that is just the icing on the cake. Although I do need to stop checking the scale so much, I promised myself no more than once a week but it's addictive. lol

Anelda · January 2014

Congrats on your success!

I also have digestive problems where I'll get severe nausea, painful bloating and general pain (usually on the left side), as well as wild swings from horrible diarrhea where I thought that I wasn't going to make it to the toilet to horrible constipation.

I have tried elimination diets and have found that I have no issues with milk products, alcohol, most veggies. I cannot eat beans/legumes without problems.

What has helped me reduce issues immensely is drinking kefir. I have to drink it every single day in order for my gut to stay relatively happy. Thank you for the resources on SCD. Although I don't think I have to be quite as restrictive, it's nice to have some guidelines. I just want to be able to live my life and not have to worry about the pain that my belly causes me.

patsypooter · January 2014

Congrats on your success!

I also have digestive problems where I'll get severe nausea, painful bloating and general pain (usually on the left side), as well as wild swings from horrible diarrhea where I thought that I wasn't going to make it to the toilet to horrible constipation.

I have tried elimination diets and have found that I have no issues with milk products, alcohol, most veggies. I cannot eat beans/legumes without problems.

What has helped me reduce issues immensely is drinking kefir. I have to drink it every single day in order for my gut to stay relatively happy. Thank you for the resources on SCD. Although I don't think I have to be quite as restrictive, it's nice to have some guidelines. I just want to be able to live my life and not have to worry about the pain that my belly causes me.

Thank you so much!!

I actually got my hands on some organic kefir a few months ago and was making salad dressings and such out of it. I didn't notice any benefits with it on my previous diet but in a few weeks when I know my gut is stable, I am planning on adding it back in. I am also thinking of making homemade yogurt. However- I do have a dairy intolerance. In fact eating dairy will cause an IBS attack almost all the time for me. If I eat cheese, I get constipation. If I eat milk, I get immediate diarrhea. My worst attack where I thought I was dying (and I actually wonder if I was in anapyhlactic shock) I had eaten cheese the day before which had binded me up and then accidentally ate some milk when I absentmindedly accepted a piece of cake at a party. There was milk in the icing and within 20 minutes I was on the toilet with the worst pains I've ever felt. I was having hot and cold flashes, was certain I was going to pass out, was intensely itchy all over my body, and wasn't able to hold myself up on the toilet. I felt weak and to this day I am surprised I didn't pass out. I had to get my fiance to come and take care of me, he was quite scared. He said I was completely pale and had a vacant look on my face. I probably should have went to the hospital but I waited it out like an idiot. It was so scary and really made me smarten up my act when it comes to dairy!

However yogurt and kefir are not supposed to have enough lactose to cause reactions. Seeing as I can eat butter with no problems, I am hopeful that I can tolerate yogurt and kefir as well.

I'm not hopeful about being able to eat beans but I am definitely prepared to try! There are only certain beans you can eat on the diet so perhaps those types of beans will be ok? Don't know but I will find out eventually.

Anelda · January 2014

Thank you so much!!

I actually got my hands on some organic kefir a few months ago and was making salad dressings and such out of it. I didn't notice any benefits with it on my previous diet but in a few weeks when I know my gut is stable, I am planning on adding it back in. I am also thinking of making homemade yogurt. However- I do have a dairy intolerance. In fact eating dairy will cause an IBS attack almost all the time for me. If I eat cheese, I get constipation. If I eat milk, I get immediate diarrhea. My worst attack where I thought I was dying (and I actually wonder if I was in anapyhlactic shock) I had eaten cheese the day before which had binded me up and then accidentally ate some milk when I absentmindedly accepted a piece of cake at a party. There was milk in the icing and within 20 minutes I was on the toilet with the worst pains I've ever felt. I was having hot and cold flashes, was certain I was going to pass out, was intensely itchy all over my body, and wasn't able to hold myself up on the toilet. I felt weak and to this day I am surprised I didn't pass out. I had to get my fiance to come and take care of me, he was quite scared. He said I was completely pale and had a vacant look on my face. I probably should have went to the hospital but I waited it out like an idiot. It was so scary and really made me smarten up my act when it comes to dairy!

However yogurt and kefir are not supposed to have enough lactose to cause reactions. Seeing as I can eat butter with no problems, I am hopeful that I can tolerate yogurt and kefir as well.

I'm not hopeful about being able to eat beans but I am definitely prepared to try! There are only certain beans you can eat on the diet so perhaps those types of beans will be ok? Don't know but I will find out eventually.

I make my own kefir and it's quite possibly the easiest thing to do.

If you have dairy issues, although milk kefir is supposed to be 99.9% lactose free as all the bacteria and yeast eat the lactose, there is such thing as water kefir. As plain water has nothing to feed the kefir grains, you can feed them with sugar water, juice, or coconut water. If you do just sugar water, I highly recommend you flavor your water. You just don't want to sweeten your water with honey.

This is the website that I got my grains from and is really just a fantastic website:
http://www.culturesforhealth.com/starter-cultures/kefir-cultures.html

patsypooter · January 2014

Thank you so much!! I was actually looking into buying my own kefir, I think in the next few weeks when the bank account recovers from Christmas that I will order some.

I had a bad day yesterday, the pressure/discomfort in my stomach was back. It wasn't an all out pain which is good but it was the typical discomfort, always on the left side. It was around all day but thankfully I woke up without its presence this morning.

Looking at my food journal I have been able to work out that I have fructose malabsorption problems and need to stop eating honey and high fructose fruits such as apples. This is all a learning curve so I'm not disappointed. I just hope I continue to feel better as I make adjustments.

Lost another lb since yesterday, I'm worried that I'm losing too fast even though I know a good portion of the weight loss is probably just water weight. I'm terrified of getting gallstones so I want to stay around the 2lbs per week weight loss. I have to force myself to eat more than I am, I'm just plain not hungry most of the time which is new for me. I'm sure my body will adjust and I will get my hunger back eventually.

iamhealingmyself · February 2014

In the beginning it is quite restrictive because you need to let your body heal. After that you start adding back more foods to see what your triggers are. Some cash add back most some only a few depending on level of gut damage. The longer you are on it the more you heal so you may be able to add back something next year that you can't this year. The end result is you learn what your body can't tolerate so you can avoid it and live happy and healthy.

I've been eating paleo for a month but I was originally going to go scd but I'm still suffering with constipation so I will probably start add this month and try to find my triggers. I did manage to lose a good 10lbs in January just by giving up grains alone. Due to my back condition I cannot exercise so this was totally by diet.

Nothing will work until you decide you are worth all the effort required to do what it takes to fix your health!

Check out scd lifestyle on Facebook and online. Lots of great information. Also this is not a one size fits all plan. You need to tweak it to what your body can and cannot handle as you heal.

iamhealingmyself · February 2014

I weigh daily as a guide to how I'm feeling but only count my wright once a week for mfp. I generally tend to gain/lose a few lbs based my constipation level which makes sense. I'm hoping add will be the missing piece to the puzzle. I'm glad to have found some like minded people. It's so hard when everyone around you is stuck on the standard american diet and just don't care what they're doing to their bodies!

iamhealingmyself · February 2014

You will probably have to make your own yogurt and kefir and let it culture longer than most to help breakdown the lactose but you can also drink water kefir or make coconut milk kefir as well as nut milk kefir, again using milk you make yourself as store items are not cultured long enough or have added sugars and preservative.

I can drink milk kefir, eat yogurt and fermented foods and still not have any regularity. That's why I'm looking to scd as it might be a dairy issue that isn't quite an allergy. Constipation has been an issue since I was a baby which makes sense since in the 60's mom made formula from evaporated milk and I grew up drinking milk but not really liking it but never knowing why. While I have cut out basically all milk except for cheese and kefir I'm still having problems. Hopefully I can heal and eventually tolerate kefir.

iamhealingmyself · February 2014

As you start to feed yourself things your body will digest and absorb you won't need as much food. We over eat because our bodies are looking for nutrients that it's not getting. Since going paleo I have to force myself to eat because I have zero appetite all day long. I have water kefir grains I'd love to send for free you when are ready. It's super simple and you can do lots to flavor it. Read up at cultures for health (they're on Facebook too) and let me know when you're ready!

patsypooter · February 2014

In the beginning it is quite restrictive because you need to let your body heal. After that you start adding back more foods to see what your triggers are. Some cash add back most some only a few depending on level of gut damage. The longer you are on it the more you heal so you may be able to add back something next year that you can't this year. The end result is you learn what your body can't tolerate so you can avoid it and live happy and healthy.

I've been eating paleo for a month but I was originally going to go scd but I'm still suffering with constipation so I will probably start add this month and try to find my triggers. I did manage to lose a good 10lbs in January just by giving up grains alone. Due to my back condition I cannot exercise so this was totally by diet.

Nothing will work until you decide you are worth all the effort required to do what it takes to fix your health!

Check out scd lifestyle on Facebook and online. Lots of great information. Also this is not a one size fits all plan. You need to tweak it to what your body can and cannot handle as you heal.

Oh I do hope you try SCD! I am actually doing a mixture of SCD and FODMAPS. I found some foods that SCD permitted that I can't tolerate. I am definitely figuring out what works for me and what doesn't. I finally feel NORMAL for the first time in a long time. Most days I can't feel my stomach at all now and for only a month strictly on this diet, that is good!

I was on paleo and various low carb diets for a long while. I don't find that grains bother me but I want to make sure and give them up for a year and then try them back as I have heard that sometimes we do not eliminate foods for long enough to truly see if our body reacts.

I have been at this a long, long time and have always been a big believer in food being the cure for many of our ailments. It's definitely not always easy but if I stay on track I can at least control the cravings.

I think my problems are lactose and fructose. At least that is what I have noticed.

patsypooter · February 2014

As you start to feed yourself things your body will digest and absorb you won't need as much food. We over eat because our bodies are looking for nutrients that it's not getting. Since going paleo I have to force myself to eat because I have zero appetite all day long. I have water kefir grains I'd love to send for free you when are ready. It's super simple and you can do lots to flavor it. Read up at cultures for health (they're on Facebook too) and let me know when you're ready!

Yes I absolutely agree. I can't tell you how much hungrier I was when eating carbs. I would always be struggling to wait until the next meal to eat because I was so damn hungry. I don't have that problem anymore. My hunger seems to be cyclical and I just go with it. A few days a week I am usually really hungry and I just go with it. Othertimes I am not that hungry at all. I just eat how I feel and keep track of calories, not to beat myself up if I go over, but just to hold myself accountable. As long as I eat the right things, I do not give myself a hard time. The weight loss is not even my first goal truly my first goal is to keep feeling this good! I wasn't sure if any diet would cure my IBS as I was eating so healthy before. Guess what? I can't tolerate apples or sweet potatoes. So food that is considered "healthy" is not actually good for me at all. It's all about finding those triggers.

Glad you msg'd me as I wouldn't have noticed these posts

iamhealingmyself · February 2014

This finding what works for you is what SCD and Paleo is all about. Chris Kresser just put out a book called Your Personal Paleo Code where he explains the Paleo process but says to customize it for your current health conditions. Any diet should start with the basics then allow you to tweak it for your allergies, health issues etc. Any that doesn't is a fad and probably not something good for you.

I totally get it with the hunger on carbs! I was doing mfp and trying to increase my protein intake but no matter what I did I couldn't get it up to where it's been because I was stuck in my "cereal breakfast & sandwich lunch" mindset. My problem now is NOT BEING HUNGRY even when I haven't eaten anything! I agree with leaving out the grains for more than just 30 days to see. Our bodies will not heal overnight just as they were not damaged overnight.

Yes I absolutely agree. I can't tell you how much hungrier I was when eating carbs. I would always be struggling to wait until the next meal to eat because I was so damn hungry. I don't have that problem anymore. My hunger seems to be cyclical and I just go with it. A few days a week I am usually really hungry and I just go with it. Othertimes I am not that hungry at all. I just eat how I feel and keep track of calories, not to beat myself up if I go over, but just to hold myself accountable. As long as I eat the right things, I do not give myself a hard time. The weight loss is not even my first goal truly my first goal is to keep feeling this good! I wasn't sure if any diet would cure my IBS as I was eating so healthy before. Guess what? I can't tolerate apples or sweet potatoes. So food that is considered "healthy" is not actually good for me at all. It's all about finding those triggers.

Glad you msg'd me as I wouldn't have noticed these posts

Work in Progress! Finally found a diet that works: SCD

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