Super sensitive stomach- struggling with diet.

krystlpierce
krystlpierce Posts: 71 Member
edited November 28 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey there! I've been struggling the last couple of years. In 2012 I had my gallbladder removed (I'd been struggling with SEVERE gas/bloating, constipation.. what not). They told me that I could eat normal again. Wrong. I couldn't eat greasy foods. Fine, that's great! Something bad to avoid. Over the years the foods that I am able to eat has been shrinking drastically. I've learned that I am very lactose intolerant- I think this has been my main issue. However, I've slowly been admitting over the last couple of years that I can't eat a lot of vegetables that I absolutely love, like cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts.. stuff like that). One little bite of onion does horrible things to my stomach and I've recently learned that since garlic is related to onion, it can have the same effects so that might be causing me issues too. Anything with even a hint of acid in it is absolutely horrible for me (which sucks because I LOVE tomatoes). Most spices that are on the "spicier" side give me horrible heartburn (again this sucks because I like spicy food). Because of all these sensitivities I tend to steer towards the unhealthy and I've gained a lot of weight in the last 5 years (like 80+ lbs).

Honestly I feel like I'm doomed to fail here. It feels like the stuff that I can eat is the stuff they tell you to avoid if you're trying to lose weight (breads and starchy foods). I have a pretty good salad that I put together that works for me, which is good for lunches and stuff, but I can't eat it for every meal or I'll give up. I am kind of a picky eater too so that doesn't help. I wish I liked more stuff but I can't force my taste buds to like something.

I guess my point is, is there anyone out there who has had problems similar to mine that has any food suggestions?

Thanks!

Replies

  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    I eat what I can tolerate (not much). I definitely am not gaining weight
  • elsie6hickman
    elsie6hickman Posts: 3,864 Member
    I am a veteran of the stomach issues starting in my 20s. And it is not fun. The last gastroenterologist I saw put me on Pantoprazole Sodium DR (genetic for protonix) since I was having the problem with any kind of grease and tomatoes after my gall bladder surgery and it has made a world of difference. He also told me to take Phillips Probiotics which is relatively inexpensive compared to Align, but has the 3 good bacteria in it. As far as being a picky eater, is it possible that some of the things you believe you don't like, could have been the way they were prepared? I find roasting vegetables makes a lot of difference with vegetables I though I didn't like. And it is possible that as a child you didn't like something, but as an adult your tastebuds change and you may now like it better. But if none of this works for you, then find the core things that are healthy and you like and experiment with them. It's hard to dislike chicken and there are so many ways it can be prepared to avoid "ugh, chicken again". And sometimes it is just the matter of the quantity you eat of something, rather than you can't eat it on your healthy eating plan. Also check out certain condiments - where sometimes just a teaspoon of it can really make a difference. Do you look on the internet for low calorie rescipes? and low carb recipes? If you could tell us some of the things you don't eat, perhaps we all could help you. But go talk to the gastroenterologist about what is going on with your stomach - they are some very good medications - and even some of the OTC stuff works quite well. Don't let your stomach issue and your limited palate stand in the way of your success.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    My mom was so hardcore when I was a kid that she made bread from wheat berries that she ground herself. However, when her IBS flared up a few years back and she learned lower fiber bread should be a food she could tolerate, she did indeed switch to that. She also has a problem with acidic vegetables. However, she struggles to stay above Underweight, because her activity level is so high.

    So, my advice is to not worry about starches and breads, but just your total calories. Potatoes have unfairly gotten a bad rep in pop culture, but studies have food they are actually a lower calorie and satiating food. (Just don't drown them in butter.)

    Also increase your activity level and eat back at least half of the calories you earn from exercise.
  • krystlpierce
    krystlpierce Posts: 71 Member
    Thanks for the input everyone! Since school started I kinda fell off the map there for a bit! So I did lots of research, and what I've been doing is eating a measured amount of diced potatoes in the mornings with an egg and a meat protein. Salads for lunch- I even found a couple non-dairy dressings! Dinners.. well usually something good and within my calorie counts and not upsetting to my stomach. I've almost completely cut out sugar which is my biggest downfall. I don't even touch dairy anymore, period. When school started a little over 2 weeks ago, I started going to the gym again (before school so I actually force myself to do it!), I've been watching my calories for the most part- I weigh absolutely everything (weekends get kinda iffy sometimes lol), and I've already lost 4.6lbs! Turns out I was just lazy and ate like crap lol. I know these things.. I just didn't want to admit them to myself. Now I have, and this is the first time in over 10 years that I've gotten results without the aid of prescribed medication (phentermine)!
    I set goals for myself and wrote them down- first time ever. I even took a before picture, which I hate doing and I've never done it before. I usually just did the measurements and weight (still doing that of course).
    My pants have been getting looser, my shirts too. My shoes even have been fitting better. I love this :smiley:
    Love this site and all the input that I can get from people, so I really appreciate the responses, thank you!
  • TrishSeren
    TrishSeren Posts: 587 Member
    krystlpierce wrote: »
    Thanks for the input everyone! Since school started I kinda fell off the map there for a bit! So I did lots of research, and what I've been doing is eating a measured amount of diced potatoes in the mornings with an egg and a meat protein. Salads for lunch- I even found a couple non-dairy dressings! Dinners.. well usually something good and within my calorie counts and not upsetting to my stomach. I've almost completely cut out sugar which is my biggest downfall. I don't even touch dairy anymore, period. When school started a little over 2 weeks ago, I started going to the gym again (before school so I actually force myself to do it!), I've been watching my calories for the most part- I weigh absolutely everything (weekends get kinda iffy sometimes lol), and I've already lost 4.6lbs! Turns out I was just lazy and ate like crap lol. I know these things.. I just didn't want to admit them to myself. Now I have, and this is the first time in over 10 years that I've gotten results without the aid of prescribed medication (phentermine)!
    I set goals for myself and wrote them down- first time ever. I even took a before picture, which I hate doing and I've never done it before. I usually just did the measurements and weight (still doing that of course).
    My pants have been getting looser, my shirts too. My shoes even have been fitting better. I love this :smiley:
    Love this site and all the input that I can get from people, so I really appreciate the responses, thank you!

    Well done! Keep up the good work! I'm glad you found the responses helpful and that you're feeling good!
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