not sure if I'm convinced...
#361400 - 10/13/10 07:52 AM
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jennkenn
Reged: 10/02/10
Posts: 17
Loc: Long Island, NY
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I don't know if this EFI diet is working for me (yet). My BM are still infrequent and hard. I'm still (if not more) bloated and gassy. Plus, all I read about it how constipating white bread, rice, and pasta can be. I haven't been able to eat any of the foods I really love in two weeks, and I thought I would be able to get over that with replacing foods that make my stomach feel better, but I have yet to feel 100%. What am I doing wrong? I have the Acacia tummy fiber and drink the mint teas every day. It's been so bad that I had to take a laxative (ok'd by my GI) last night just so I didn't have to wait anymore to go to the bathroom and so that the gas/bloating would subside. I'm in a wedding this weekend, and while I'm terribly nervous there will be nothing but oily and diarrhea-inducing foods, I'm also worried that I'm going to be bloated from being on this diet all week. UGH I'm so discouraged. 
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IBS-A...just looking for some answers!
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Can you post what a typical day of food/supplements/fibre looks like for you? Maybe we can assess what might needs changing. And PS, the EFI diet hasn't really solved my issues either.
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IBS-C, lots of spasm and trapped gas.
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Hi,
Perhaps it will help you to know . . . while my daughter took way longer than I expected at every turn with this diet, it really did bring her relief. It absolutely took her longer than 2 weeks to stabilize using the acacia fiber and it took her WAY longer than 4 days of eating btc foods before she could eat anything at all without pain. It would appear that her case was more severe than many and her slow turn around must not be typical, either, but the good thing is perseverance was totally worth it.
BTW, she also experienced more gas pains at the beginning w/the acacia - we backed down the dosage and built it back up even more slowly and that seems to be what she needed. She needed to go super slowly! (I was going to say that I don't know how we had the patience, but I actually do know how: we were that desperate!) I know it may not sound encouraging to hear that some people take longer, but on the other hand, I hope it's encouraging to hear that even a horrendous case had light at the end of the (slightly longer) tunnel!
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I'm in a wedding this weekend, and while I'm terribly nervous there will be nothing but oily and diarrhea-inducing foods
Even now there's no way my daughter would go to a big event like that without bringing a backup "safe" sandwich or something with her. (A few months ago, there's no way she could have gone, at all.) There's no way she would risk not eating enough (and she will always voluntarily just pick rather than eat high fat or high fiber, even though an empty gut triggers her, too!). As so many folks on this board have described for themselves, just knowing she has backup food prevents her from stressing and allows her to enjoy the event. I hope you can de-stress yourself ahead of time and enjoy the wedding! I'd wager the de-stressing will be key!
kem (daughter w/ibs-d)
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Thanks...I think I just have to keep at it for longer. I guess I was expecting my life (stomach) to do a complete 180 once I started following this diet, so when I didn't get the results I was anticipating, I became discouraged. I have been taking 2 half teaspoons divided throughout the day for the past week, and just last night I took my first full teaspoon. DO you think I should slow it down a little but more? I know it depends on how I feel, but just wanted to see how long your daughter waited before increasing.
You're daughter sounds like a really strong girl! IBS isn't easy on anyone, and I imagine that it's harder for her to explain to friends why she has to bring her own food around with her (adults understand much more). Thanks for the encouragement.
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IBS-A...just looking for some answers!
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Morning can be: cereal (cheerios and puffins) with soy milk; oatmeal with a sliced banana; grits with a sliced banana;
Lunch can be: turkey on a pita with mustard and lettuce; peanut butter on English muffin or with a banana; egg whites on pita or French bread; tuna (no mayo); soup (was eating Campbell's Tomato Garden, but found out there is parm. cheese in it  ).
Dinners can be: grilled chicken; pasta; chicken or veggie burgers (homemade); pizza bagels (made with vegan cheese); egg white omlettes; salmon; yams/sweet potatoes; etc.
I usually snack on pretzels, baby carrots, hummus, apple sauce, graham crackers, animal crackers, or rice cakes throughout the day/night. I have been taking 2 half teaspoons of the tummy fiber for the past week. I think one of my problems is that I don't really like white breads or rice all that much.
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IBS-A...just looking for some answers!
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Quote:
DO you think I should slow it down a little but more?
Well, I hope someone with more experience navigating this will chime in with an answer for you. That said, if I am understanding correctly that you are only taking a total of 1 tsp per day, I bet the 'experts' might suggest that you are still in the period where you need to be increasing a little bit at a time. I think you know when you've reached the right dosage for yourself when there's undeniable improvement and you aren't there yet. I had to increase so gradually with my daughter that I wondered if it would ever happen, but it did.
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wanted to see how long your daughter waited before increasing.
I waited 4 days between increases, but I increased by only 1/4 tsp each time, so that's what took a while. We followed Heather's recommendations, except I backed down to 1/4 tsp to start:
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"Start at 1/2 - 1 level teaspoon twice a day and over the next week or two (or three or four) work up to 2-4 tablespoons twice a day"
Does that make sense?
kem (daughter w/ibs-d)
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i, too, had just a bit more bloating/gas when i started the acacia fiber. it took me nearly 2 months to stabilize; it has been a while now and i have not been bloated since (well, except if i have eaten something i know i shouldn't)  i just want you to know that there IS hope. the EFI diet is a good start, but it does take a while to really help, and some people it doesn't help that much anyways. unfortunately IBS is different for everyone!
i understand where you are coming from. i did not want to stick with the diet and slowly began eating tons of really "healthy" whole grain, whole wheat, seedy (yummy) breads and salads...HUGE salads. i think my body adjusted to it for a while and then completely REVOLTED. it was terrible. i started back on the EFI diet... (btw your diet doesn't look like it should be causing you problems) BUT- if i could make a suggestion, especially since you are not into white breads/rice i would suggest trying some other grains. i regularly eat quinoa, millet, couscous, etc...you can also find good, lowfat vegan recipes for things like teff cakes, amaranth, etc. there are lots of different things you can experiment with! you don't have to just eat white bread and rice!
hope this helps!
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stable IBS-A
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