Anyone with IBS?

Options
Hi guys I have been using MFP for about 2 weeks now and i've lost a couple of pounds. Find it really useful! Need to lose at least 2-3 stone, but i'm taking it 1 pound at a time! Anyway, a few months ago I was diagnosed with IBS. I've figured out I can't handle too much caffeine and certain artificial sweeteners. This week i've been really bad again and can't figure out why :( Anyone else suffer from this? I'm going to go back to my doctor. They weren't much use last time! Basically told me to get on with it and watch what I eat! I think it could be largely stress relatrd too. I lost my Dad a little over a year ago and we've also moved house and various other things. I work fulltime with 2 kids so life is hectic. I get quite down at times and anxious. Just wondered if anyone else was in a similar position. Thank you x

Replies

  • deviboy1592
    deviboy1592 Posts: 989 Member
    Options
    I had the same problem, I've cut out a lot of glueten from my diet and found that helped significantly, as well as cutting a lot of beer from my diet. My IBS is virtually gone until I have a couple of beers in a night. That being said, it is an option you can try but it might not work for you. I also stopped drinking soda. That crap would just fill me up and make me bloated.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    Options
    gem deviboy's beer remark reminded me how I got rid of my IBS after 30+ years. I was trying to manage my arthritis pain by diet and went off of most all carbs (<50 grams daily) which meant no grains, sugar, etc. While it decreased the pain very well my IBS just left at the same time.

    Of course when one cuts out Carbs they are to be replaced with Fats. I use coconut oil heavily and that itself has gut healing features.

    After abusing carbs for 40 years life was hellish after ditching carbs cold turkey for about two weeks. The IBS left as well as cravings for sugar/carbs in two weeks.

    What worked for me may not work for you.
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,954 Member
    edited March 2015
    Options
    Do you keep a food diary? If you don't, it's a good idea to start and see if you can nail down your triggers. I have been gluten free for three years but I did that because I realized gluten triggered migraines in me. It helped with the IBS a little bit but certainly didn't cure me. Last fall I decided to go grain free because I usually feel better when I'm not eating a lot of grain foods but over the last several months my symptoms have been the worst they've ever been! I tried going low carb and then Keto hoping that I would find relief, even worse!

    In desperation I was searching the internet trying to figure out what to try next and came across an article about IBS and a low FODMAP diet. I've seen it before but the initial stage is really restrictive so I just kind of stuck my head in the sand and tried to ignore it. Well, desperate times call for desperate measures so I decided to really look into it and try it.

    When I reading about what to eat and what to avoid I realized that all the foods I'd been eating copiously on my no grain, low carb menu were the very foods that are considered the most irritating for IBS sufferers! So I committed to the elimination phase and will add things back in one at a time in a few weeks. This will let me see what I can actually tolerate.

    It's been less that a week for me and I am already feeling better. Not completely cured or anything but much, much better! I am hopeful that as I am better about sticking with it and my body heals I will improve and maybe be able to live life without needing to know where every bathroom is. :smile:

    Look into a low FODMAP diet and see if you're eating things known to irritate IBS sufferers. Monash University has been testing foods using some fancy machine to determine the FODMAP levels in foods so lists they they have put out tend to be the ones I trust a little more. It's not a weight loss diet or even a life time diet, it's an elimination diet to see if you can nail down your triggers. Good luck!

    ETA: Stress is a big trigger so try to find ways to relax. Exercise is VERY helpful because not only does it help alleviate stress (reduces cortisol and releases happy endorphins) but it also helps the digestion. When I'm feeling the effects of IBS a good workout always makes me feel better. Yoga is also very good because not only do you work on the relaxation aspect at the end but there are poses that are good for the digestion as well.
  • gemgemz130
    gemgemz130 Posts: 4 Member
    Options
    Thank you all your replies and responses. Would any of you be willing to add me as a friend so I can see your food diaries? X
  • queenoflogres
    Options
    It helps to see someone else with the same sensitivity to caffeine. I am sensitive enough that I use a small bottle of Lucozade if I need a laxative, as pharmaceutical laxatives give too violent a result! I also can't tolerate sweeteners (although for me that affects bladder more than bowel).
    My dietitian prescribed a low fibre diet. However I think , in my case, my bowel simply cannot tolerate VOLUME. And that means not just high fibre, but anything that can ferment and produce gas in the digestive tract.
    The trick is finding low volume foods that will keep my calorie intake up.... :lol:
  • Noonoo91
    Noonoo91 Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    Hi there. I have been suffering terribly with IBS for the last year and a half I have been under the hospital ever since, they put me on the low FODMAP diet which wasn't that great. I have found that caffeine isn't good for me either is red onion. I have found buying fresh pasta is better than dried. Also been told not to reheat anything like pasta, rice, potatoes as they cause you to bloat. Stress is very related to IBS.