just starting out, how bad am i doing? now i am depressed......
#221206 - 10/25/05 01:05 PM
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catnapt
Reged: 10/21/05
Posts: 22
Loc: NH
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i am just starting an IBS diet, at least i am trying to- i had my gallbladder out a year ago, and unfortunately what that meant was that i was able to eat all sorts of unhealthy things- with the "only" bad side effects being wt gain and severe constipation. Fried food,candy- esp chocolate, ice cream and sherbet with chocolate shell, italien subs and pizza- that was my diet this summer 
i have a terrible sweet tooth, i am the first to admit it! but i think the changes i have made, while not ideal, are reasonable given just how hard it is for me to give up sweet things.
so far my subsitutions have been: pears, apples (no peel) homemade applesauce with just a tiny bit of added sugar (under 1TB in 3 cups of applesauce)
bananas, low fat cinnamon graham crackers, no sugar added blueberry spread, and fruit and cereal bars (low fat, sugar about 13 grams each)
i have been eating carrots and plain white potatoes and soup (beef & barely soup, i take the beef out- its 99% fat free) and my sisters great chicken noodle soup (no idea how much fat is in that, but knowing her,its very little)
i know that i can have oatmeal, but the only way for me to eat it without adding honey, or maple syrup or brown sugar, is to put raisins and apples in it.
i told my sister about my diet (she recently lost over 30lbs and i think she is embarrassed by my size- currenly 193lbs and i am only 5 ft 3 inches)
and she thought it was horrible!! "all sugar" she said
well ok, i admit that there are sweet things, fruit is sweet, and so is the fruit spread, but just what am i supposed to eat? i cant imagine cutting all sugar out of my diet all at once. i think i would be miserable, in fact, just thinking about it, made me so depressed i went back to bed after talking to her. now *thats* not gonna help any!!
sorry, i have ordered the IBS book (thru half dot com- i have a very low income) and until it comes and i have a better idea what i can and cant' eat, i think i am doing ok with what i have.
i have no money left for the rest of the month to go out and buy things like the fennel tea or the acacia (i am using benefiber) i can not make drastic changes until i can actually afford to.
plus a lot of the things she was telling me i should eat, would aggravate my GERD (i can not even think about eating anything spicey) i love brussels sprouts, but i am afraid of what that might do if i were to eat them now. i have IBS-A and need a delicate balance or i will be a mess.
sorry to vent like this- i was so happy when i found this site and really thought i had things under control, and at least headed in the right direction.
now i feel like i am doing everything wrong.
i also eat whole eggs, i cant' eat em without the yolk. they are cheap and quick and easy, so i cant see me cutting those out of my diet.
after talking to my sister it seems like the only safe foods i have in my house are oats for oatmeal (she eats them dry!!) and some frozen winter squash.
help!! what do i do, stop eating altogether?? i know my GERD is severe if my stomach is empty. my insurance (medicaid) will not pay for the medication i need (nexium or prevacid) and i cannot afford the prilosec otc (its over $20 a box!!)
my sister eats a lot of salads too, i have TMJ, i cant eat salad. i have not been able to eat any raw veggies in a long time (tomatoes on a sandwhich maybe, if my GERD is under control)
sorry this is so rambling. i was just starting to feel good about things..........
sigh
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so it can't be all bad can it?
i have spent all summer with *severe* constipation- so severe i was convinced i must have a blockage or cancer or something!!
and since i started making even the small changes that i have, i have been *regular* ever since!! it feels wonderful!
but can anyone tell me if i am going too heavy on the sugar? and if so, what else i can eat?
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Well on the weight front, I'd really suggest you have a look at www.fitday.com ...you can eat alot of stuff you like if you control your calorie intake compared to your expenditure.
All Heather's guidelines are actually on this site. You just need to trawl through the IBS Diet pages. This diet is NOT restrictive, even when you add in the GERDs restrictions. 
Remember as well that although it's calorific, sugar is actually safe for IBS AND GERDS! It's the dairy and fat that so often goes along with it that's the issue for IBS. So the occasional sweet treat is definitely allowed, even when you're controlling your weight. That's another reason to do the calorie counting with something like fitday...you can have a safe chocolate brownie instead of five crackers or whatever.
Keep your spirits up. This diet is GREAT! There's so much yummy stuff we can eat that actually makes us feel better! 
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Sugar is fine for IBS (if not weight gain )...you need to read the diet guidelines on this site. 
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um i thought i did. cant say i remember anything specifically addressing sugar.
when i told my sister what i had eaten, all she kept saying (after each item) was: sugar!!
pear- sugar! applesauce- sugar! white potatoes-sugar! (huh? it was a white potatoe not a sweet one) english muffin with blueberry spread- sugar!
well i did find a quote from Heather about simple carbs, this must be what my sister is referring to, that white bread and white potatoes are just "sugar" and i sent it to her.
but beyond that, i do have a preference for things that taste sweet. always have. but i am not eating *fatty* sweet foods, and in my mind that is a huge improvement.
my sister is telling me that fruit should be considered a dessert, that it is not even good for you at all, and you should only eat a tiny bit once in awhile
by the end of today, i will have had two peeled apples, one banana and two pears- my sister would faint LOL
is that bad though? i guess its not balanced, but i know if i start eating things like rice, or noodle type foods, i am going to want a lot of fat on them (cheese or margerine) and it seems to me that the fruit is safer.
am i getting this all wrong?
sorry i have slow dial up so i know that there are things i have missed, i am making my way thru it as fast as i can, but a lot of the info here is so completely, well *opposite* what i have been hearign for years, its hard to absorb.
i have one person pushing an atkins diet on me (yeck!) and another telling me to cut out all simple carbs. which leaves me nothing at all to eat!!
thanks for your reply, i am having a *nobody understands me and my dietary needs* kind of day!!
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Well your sister is NOT talking about IBS. And there is no reason to NOT follow eating for IBS - it's def. possible to lose weight on it.
You need to tell her to feck off IMHO! Fruit IS good for you. Yes, it's a low fat dessert, but that's no reason not to eat it throughout the day!
And sugar is NOT bad for you as long as you are keeping an eye on your calorie intake.
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I really feel for you with all the good intentioned people giving you diet advice. My friends were upset that I found IBS related information online. Well guess what...it's the ONLY information that EVER relieved all my pain and in a few weeks changed my constant D to a comfortable once in awhile attack, to pretty stable at this point. Look at the food diary's that some people give in the "fitness room"..that may give you some ideas. Print out Heather's "cheat sheet" (sorry I don't know how to lead you to it directly but it is in the basic web pages.) Or do a search of "cheat sheet" on these boards. Find a way to stop listening to ALL the people who are giving you conflicting advice and find your own way to healing!!!
Just MHO  ..
My husband is a diabetic and the dietitian told us that it doesn't matter if his daily carb allowance comes from a candy bar or pasta. He eats good nutritious foods and has a snack with sugar. It is the total number he takes in at each meal and snack. Eating healthy doesn't mean never having sugar in whatever form you choose.
I have lost 28 pounds since May and I eat sugar every day in one form or another, it is not the primary component of my daily intake. I keep my calories around 1200 and only 20-25% fat. I am 5' and weighed 198..not good. I feel really good on this diet and when I have a little side trip (eating the trigger foods) I immediately find my way back to sanity!!!
Good luck and just do what makes YOU feel better, your loved ones who may not have a clue about IBS.
--------------------
Franny
IBS/D
Celiac
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A potatoe IS NOT SUGAR--it is a potatoe, a tuber, a starchy vegetable FULL OF NUTRIENTS.
Fruit IS NOT SUGAR, rather it is fruit and FULL OF ANTI-OXIDANTS, not to mention fiber and water and slow timed released carbohydrate energy.
THE BRAIN NEEDS CARBOHYDRATES in order to function well.
I'm with Linz--tell your sister to "Feck Off." (I believe that's the phrase Linz used.
Kate, IBS-D>
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