Question about losing weight
#308314 - 06/01/07 07:49 AM
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plo66
Reged: 05/28/07
Posts: 9
Loc: Iowa
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Hey all .. does anyone know if it is possible to lose weight on heathers diet? I found the recipes on the index and I would like to try some. And what does the soy cheese taste like? I love cheese and it breaks my heart to give it up. Also, I am addicted to chocolate. What do I do about that? Thanks alot 
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Everything in her book points to losing weight on the IBS diet (I know I have, though I can't really afford too as I'm already at the low end of my weight range), but I think it depends on how your body processes the carbs that are considered safe and how much you eat.
I have found that I have less of an appetite since starting this diet...
As to soy products in general...I'm not a fan, but I know a few people who really like them. Perhaps it's just taking the time to adjust to the different taste. I too am a cheese lover. But I have found that if I eat a few (3 in my case) Benefiber plus Calcium Chewables (Wild Berry...they are almost too sweet though) before I indulge a little, I am usually okay...I may get a bit gassy, but that I can tolerate.
Chocolate...If I remember correctly, unsweetened baking cocoa is okay... There are some recipes both on this site and in Heather's recipe book.
Good luck.
Vanessa
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Finding a good soy cheese is a trial-and-error thing.
Most of the white cheeses I've tried in any brand are decent. I like Lisanatti & Galaxy best. SoyaKaas tastes good, too, but it's not fortified like the others.
Finding good soy cheddar is the biggest challenge. The only I've found that I like is Lisanatti, but they're hard to find in my area, so I stock up whenever I can out of town. Every other brand of soy cheddar I've tried was so, so, so very nasty that I didn't try more than 2 bites.
Except when I'd just barely started the diet and was very unstable, I've always been able to handle at least a little dark chocolate, but I guess not everyone is so lucky.
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to control the amount of calories you have in your diet per day. If you exceed a certain number of calories, you will gain weight. If you reduce the number of calories, you will lose weight.
Yes, Heather's diet can be a little challenging if your goal is to lose weight. However, if you find your calorie intake is elevated because of the increase in soluble fibre that Heather's diet recommends, simply burn off those extra calories by working out at a gym or doing some other form of rigorous exercise.
I speed walk on a treadmill and can burn off 450 calories in 70 minutes. That enables me to maintain my weight (85 pounds) or lose weight if I find I have gained a few pounds.
It may also be necessary to stay away from some high-calorie foods such as rich desserts in order to increase your soluble fibre intake. On the other hand, if you have IBS, you probably shouldn't have, and can't tolerate, calorie-rich desserts anyway.
All soy cheese available on the market contains casein, which is a milk product. Personally I can't tolerate it.
I believe cocoa may be a good IBS-safe substitute for chocolate. Others on this board may know more about this since I can't have chocolate or cocoa because they trigger migraines.
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Yep, exactly
#308357 - 06/01/07 03:57 PM
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atomic rose
Reged: 06/01/04
Posts: 7013
Loc: Maine (IBS-A stable since July '05!)
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Everything Belinda said. The only - and I do mean ONLY - way to lose weight successfully, period, no matter what kind of diet you're following, is to burn more calories than you eat. You'll probably find more inspiration over on the IBS Fitness board - there's at least a few people around who've lost weight while following the diet.
As for the chocolate, you're not going to find a safe substitute for chocolate candy - even dairy-free, it's pretty high in fat. (Junior Mints are the exception; they're actually perfectly safe.) Once you're stable, you may be able to handle some here and there. But if you're trying to lose weight... you know... probably not the best idea. 
Soy cheese... personally, I found it a lot easier to give up cheese. Seriously, you won't even miss it in a few months. Every soy cheese I've tried has tasted absolutely horrible - like plastic-coated chemicals. But some people here really love it, so your mileage may vary on that one. LOL!
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My DH has found a wonderful brownie mix that virtually fat free and tastes like the real thing. You make it with yogurt (soy yogurt) or you can you applesauce. They are called "No Pudge" Brownies. It even shows on the box how to make individual portions so you don't eat the whole tray at once-which I would basically do myself on a weekend. It will help those cravings you get now and then.
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Susan
IBS-A, Gas, Pain, Reflux
"The first in time and the first in importance of the influences upon the mind is that of nature. Every day, the sun; and after sunset, night and her stars. Ever the winds blow; ever the grass grows."
Emerson, August 31, 1837
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Lost 20lbs in the 1 1/2 yrs on the diet (still loseing). I also walk 45min to an hour daily rain, sleet, hail, snow,ice, heat and yes we get them all. Plus the excercise aids in controling my IBS.
Soy cheese YUK!! 
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Don't be discouraged. Losing weight is hard work but I wouldn't think of it that way. I would approach this as a lifestyle change. Everyone knows that weight only stays off anyhow when people make good nutrition/health part of their routine and not just a temporary thing. Heather's diet can go either way in terms of overindulging on the "allowed" treats or SF (like rice and pasta) versus eating low-fat and small meals. I found I lost weight at first b/c I finally stopped making a glutton out of myself at meals. I LOVE to eat and often would eat very large meals especially at night after I had starved myself all day for fear of d. I also ate fattening foods (doughnuts, muffins, etc.) b/c I never saw any rhyme or reason as to why I had attacks anyway.
Try to eat smaller meals more frequently and make a basic overhaul of the fat thing, ie., less oil, no real butter, of course no cream sauces, etc. My friends used to jokingly call me the "condiment queen" b/c I went overboard with it all (syrup, butter, mayo)...God help my IBS back then. No wonder I was having attacks! 
It is true what others have said...you will eventually get used to this change in eating and not crave or miss so many things. For example, if I eat anything too "rich" I am almost grossed out and nauseous. Like restaurant food...while onion rings, french fries, tortellini alfredo all used to sound good, now I'm like ugh...maybe I would crave a bite but anymore would make me feel just plain yucky(think about how you feel after eating a bag of potato chips...ugh  ).
It's important in the beginning to not cheat at all, but know that down the road you MAY be able to tolerate a bite of something here or there just to take the edge off. In my case, it keeps me from going crazy and being resentful (ie., last night we had frozen pizzas for dinner so I had all "safe" pizza (Toffutti) and then about a 1/4 of a slice of the real deal that my husband and the kids had. Important to note that I'm stable and can't do this daily or every meal, but it is a nice treat once in a while.
Well I'm rambling, but I guess I just want to stress that you will fare best with both the IBS symptoms AND the weight if you change your way of thinking about food. I myself need to lose some pounds and have been trying to work out. My problem is like I said, I love to eat, and now I need to counteract those calories like everyone else mentioned. Up until now, I was only looking at mostly fat.
Good luck. You can do both...the ibs and the weight loss...just be patient and if you get off track, don't quit...just start again at the next meal. It is totally worth getting your life back.
Oh... and as for chocolate...I crave chocolate after dinner all the time. Some safe fixes for me have been:
Chocolate Cake for One (do a search)
Rice Crispies with chocolate almond/soy/rice milk
Luna Bars (nuts over choc...but I have stopped eating them so much b/c they made me gassy)
Brownie Mix (without dairy) made with applesauce and egg whites or sometimes I can handle one whole egg throughout the whole box
If it is just sweets in general that you like, search the dessert recipes. Almost anything IBS safe can have brown-sugar safely added...I have made Heather's banana bread and thrown in some choc. morsels. YUM
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Originally IBS-D for a million years!
Then IBS-A, Now a transformed slightly C
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