Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

I know I totally understand...If I don't exercise, I just don't feel well, most people come home from work and relax and watch tv to unwind....I come home get my son from the busstop then hop on my exercise bike for my second round of cardio for the day...that to me is relaxing, and the family knows don't even think of coming up to the attic when it's yoga time lol

I think this type of diet is soooooooo much harder for "health conscious" people. I read tons of books about nutrition, partly because I was always trying to figure out what my prob was.....in the meantime though I have become accustomed to a diet high in good fats, lean meats, and oodles of fruits and veggies.....my skin always looked fantastic, but my belly always bloated

exercising consistantly yet still having ppl ask you if you were pregnant was heatbreaking!! (I am a size 6 I am toned, and my waist is tiny.....but from the ibs I would have this pouch in the bottom of my belly, rock hard which honestly looked like I was 3mo preg

lol I even have to go up a size on those days when it is kicking up.) I unfortuanately do not feel well when I eat all foods that are incorporated in the "GO FOOD" guidelines. That is MY body...I am sure it is a godsend to ppl who are used to eating white breads and refined grains, but I don't function as well eating such nutritionally devoid foods. I think that is because I am so active, and would imagine you are prolly the same way....in addition to that I am never quite full eating those foods......I could eat a whole loaf of sourdough/french bread and sure enough, 30 min later will be hungry again (those damn insulin boosting carbs

)

I am fortunate enough that my IBS is not that severe that I was able to still tolerate whole grain brown rice which is the staple of my diet. As for oatmeal I am unsure how I will react to that because the last time I consumed it I had symptoms, although I had mixed it with uncooked fruits which may have very well been the culprit. I still consume a moderate intake of fruits and veggies, although they are always cooked, and I had to scale down my serving sizes a tad. I also eat squash (spaghetti, zucchini, and yellow) quite often, and sweet potatoes and red potatoes are included in my meals daily. As for flax, I don't use it....although I did normally before my change in diet have about 3-5T of almond butter daily, I have scaled that down to about 1 1/2T-2T daily split up to three servings throughout the day. I also have about 2-3 servings a week of BAGGED SALMON (chicken of the sea)...that is lower in fat then the fresh salmon, so I seem to tolerate that well. Right there is adequate amount of good fats to maintain the nice glow my skin gets and my hair.
The trick is finding those sneaky foods that should be ok but aren't....like apples for me are a serious nono i ahve tried every which way to have apples, whether they are peeled cooked smooshed chopped whatever....I can't have them

blueberries, strawberries, cherries, and small amounts of blackberries are what I stick to....and I can only tolerate them cooked. My veggies are squash (even though it's really a starch

, brocolli, cauliflower and brussels...cooked ov course. AS for the peanut butter you eat.....I can't tolerate pb at all....I would eat pb (natural from our hfs) and within 10 min the bloat begins, so I just sub with almond butter (which is delicious!) I am also fortunate enough that I can get the low acid coffee and mix equal parts decaf and reg and I can tolerate that...I have 3 cups a day of that. THe only thing that has been screwing me up the past two weeks is that I have been used to having my "cheat meals...(I dunno if you are familiar with these, but with a husband who is a bodybuilder, and me eating healthy alllllll week long, we always had 2 designated meals a week where we would indulge) he would usually have a cheesesteak (extra meat ov course lol)ff and about 3 donuts! I love sweets so I was always making som sort of organic cake....but I was usually good for eating about 1/2 of it, but I would eat my normal dinner....well that doesn't work for me anymore

even when I alternate the recie to low fat it is still too much food and my belly gets really nutst up! So it seems my cheat days will be out. Only thing that sucks is usually after I have my cheat meal my body gets "tighter"...so I will prolly have to up my daily cal intake slightly to adjust to the removal of my cheat meals.

I used to be an avid runner, but since I began working full time again I split my cardio into 2 daily sessions spanning 20-30 min a piece....I also do yoga daily I alterante between power yoga and hatha yoga....I don't recall if I told you what I eat in day before but below I will give you a copy, take into account your weight (mine is 135 but my body fat is lower, I am roughly about 17% last time I checked)how much cardio you do in a day....and if you would like to maintain or lose weight, also if you do weight training you will need to consume AT LEAST 60 grams of protein a day to maintain muscle. I have been steadily losing 2 pounds a week since I have been eating the following:

Breakfast:
1/2 c cooked brown rice
1/2 c cooked blueberries
1/2 banana
1 organic egg white

Lunch:
3oz organic grass fed free range chicken
5oz baked red potato
1/2 c cauliflower

Snack:
1/2 c cooked brown rice
1/2 c cooked cherries
1/2 banana
2t organic almond butter

Snack
1c organic corn flakes
3/4 c low cal almond milk

Dinner
3oz chic or 5-6 oz of haddock or salmon
5oz baked sweet potato
1/2 c brussel sprouts

Snack
1/2 c cooked brown rice
1/2 c strawberries
2t almond butter
1/2 banana

*Add cinnamon to all snacks to help stabilize blood sugar.......I will add shredded zucchini, yellow squash, celery, or mushrooms to roasted chicken, I am also ok with roasting the veggies with onions and garlic. I know my meals seem a tad monotonous but I actually enjoy the brown rice snacks so for me it's good

I put McCormick mediteranean sesoning on EVERYTHING lol I also use strained organic tomatoes in place of ketchup.

As for your flax, try a little....a few times a day instead of alot at once that worked for me with my healthy fats, although my belly doesn't seem to like olive oil AT ALL lol it's all an enigma!

I hope I helped a little...good luck!

Edited by Rebecca1013 (04/19/09 05:54 PM)

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