New to Heather's Diet AND trying to get more fitness oriented
#257681 - 04/11/06 07:10 PM
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Hi, I'm Meghan and I'm new to the site, diet, and all related.
I've had IBS since the beginning of this year. The past 3 years have been really hard on me. First, I had to leave school, because I came down with Epstein Barr and chronic fatigue. I could barely move from my bed and it took 6 months to get me back up and functioning well. However, after my bit with EB, I had urinary problems (certain foods causing me to really go) and found myself having to change my diet to accomodate them. Slowly I became unable to eat certain foods. It started with Pork and went on to red meat and so on. I went to the doctor and found out I had IBS. 
All of my problems have been stress related. Part of it was due to school and losing this guy I really loved, but most of it has been due to my father. It's hard to explain and I'm not sure I want to, but the main thing is I won't be living with him for many more months, because I'll hopefully be moving.
I got Heather's book two weeks ago and it has helped a good deal, but I'm still getting used to the changes and figuring out which foods I can substitute. I'm writing here, because all the stress has caused me to gain 20+ lbs and I really need to lose that. Not only will it raise my selfesteem and be more healthy, but I think it will help the IBS. If I wasn't so stressed out I think I would be losing weight just due to what I eat, but sadly that's not the case.
It's been hard for me to exercise, because I spend so much time uncomfortable or in pain. It's draining. I also haven't been good at keeping it up, because my stamina really went down. Instead of feeling energized like trainers say I should feel after exercising, I feel really tired and that pretty much ruins the rest of my day that consists of working.
So, what I really need are some people to help me stay motivated and some tips on exercises that may offset the tiredness. Anyone willing to help?
I'm going to try and exercise atleast a little bit everyday.
Meghan
P.S. I live in a rural area without a local gym. I have hand weights and ankle weights that I used to use.
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Im in the middle of the horrible prep you have to go through for a colonocopy at the minute...so Im trying to keep my mind of it and thought I'd welcome you to the site....its a fantastic site...everybody is so supportive of one another and is always here for friendly advice and well wishes...we all go through the evils of ibs everyday so we can relate to one another....its one of those things that unfortunately isnt always easy to talk about to just anyone.
Firstly...coming on this site is the first step to getting better and reading heathers books and all that. Trust me you can feel better...I was at a loss when I first found this site and I never thought Id be able to cope the way I can...but you will....firstly...have you tried the breaking the cycle diet?? If not and you're having major symptoms at the minute then do that first. Means restricting yourself to soluble fibre foods for a few days...eg white rice, white bread, plain pasta etc Then start to add in things a see how they affect you....you may already know some foods that are making it worse??
I would also recommend if you can afford it...the ibs 100 hypnotherapy program....heather sells it on this site....loadsa people have used it...including me plus Ive had actual sessions with Michael Mahoney the man who created it...and it is fantastic. It really helps with the emotional side of things and dealing with stresses and strains of having ibs...I used to be a walking nervous wreck until the hypnotherapy....I would definately see if you can find a way of buying the cds....theyre well researched and very effective.
Most people on this fitness board follow calorie counting...because of the sort of food we have to eat to be safe it tends to be easier that way to just keep a diary of the amount of calories you should be eating....most people work this out on things like FITDAY.COM maybe have a think about doing something like that??
As for the exercise...Im sure theres loadsa people on here who will help you will that one...especially shell marr who has lost tons of weight since following the ibs diet/exercise...her story is a sticky post at the top of this page. I would suggest maybe getting an exercise video...or some way of exercising at home if you dont feel comfortable anywhere else....start very slowly I think that is the key. I can relate to you completely with the fatigue thing cos back when I was in school I had glandular fever and I had it really bad and spent nearly 6 months in bed...it was aweful and I know how hard it was to get back to being normal again....trust me that is something that will only come with time. My body just didnt want to move for ages and I really thought Id never live an active life....its a one step at a time process....try a little and gradually build up...but it has to be very gradual...or you will find you get to tired and it becomes counter productive. Stay on the boards...keep posting your progress and we'll be behind you all the way.
Ask me anything you want or email me(address in my profile) if you need anything
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 Natalie
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Natalie,
Thanks so much for all the tips! I've been trying recipes out of Heather's book and it has amazed me how good they taste. I guess I was expecting on giving up flavor as well, but then I realized that much of what I like to eat is what I can eat. Except I see chocolate is on the list, but I still eat that and surprisingly it doesn't bother me. It's a weakness so I try to eat only one small piece a day and that usually fixes that craving.
I was actually just on Amazon looking for a good workout video. Something else I used to do and should probably get back into is playing DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) on PS2. It gets your heartbeat up, has a calorie counter, and is fun.
The Fitday site looks very useful. I'm going to open a journal there too. I was trying to add up all my calories lastnight and the count appears to be pretty low, but I'm sure this will give a more accurate measure.
I'll probably get the hypnotherapy program too since it seems to work for others.
Thank you so much for all the tips! I hope the colonocopy goes well.
Meghan
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WELCOME!!!! I'm a little busy at the moment so I have not read your whole post YET... but wanted to welcome ya!
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www.facebook.com/shell.marr
www.myspace.com/shellmarr
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Hi Meghan,
I'm glad you found this site, it's a lifesaver. I'm sure you'll get the hang of the diet in no time. Fitness/health will come a bit slower but you're starting at the right place.
One thing though, with change in diet and all you could be missing some much-needed nutrients such as iron, B12, calcium etc, so try seeing your doctor to make sure you are completely healthy in those ways. This will help with seeing results from working out.
Have a look around the message boards. There's tons of info here. And I'll be posting some of my personal experiences and tips for fitness (and how to get fit even with IBS in the way..) as soon as I have time to, so keep an eye out.
Kat
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Kat
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Thanks Kat! Will do!
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Thanks
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