Question for you all who struggle with IBS
#311378 - 07/17/07 08:07 AM
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avjens
Reged: 09/13/05
Posts: 113
Loc: Iowa
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I have IBS - C mainly with breakthrough D if I really get bad. I notice that some of you are what they call "stable". In order to stay "stable" do you always follow the diet very precisely in order to stay that way or do you cheat on Heather's Diet at times and do ok? I feel that I do really well for a while, and then I cheat, and then I pay. And when I pay it takes about 2 -3 weeks being very careful to get everything straightened out again. I just love certain foods at certain times, especially when I am felling well. Just curious what you all have found. Trying to stay on any "diet" is a struggle, especially when you are felling well.
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I'm IBS-D and find myself in the same boat. A lot of the posters here have the willpower to stay on Heather's diet a lot better than I and they have a lot more success than I do. I, too, find myself unable to say no to things but pay the price in the end. I find if I stick to Heather's diet more often that not (like for weeks before I have a special event to prepare my body to act right) I have a little more success. The hardest part mentally is knowing that if I just stick with Heather's plan ALL THE TIME, I'll feel at my best. Willpower? Haven't found it yet (of course if I had any, I wouldn't be overweight either - haha!).
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IBS-D, Acid Reflux, ???
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I have to admit - it is good to know I am not alone with not have the "willpower" to behave all the time and having relapses. I do the same thing though -- If I know something is coming up soon I behave really well so I am feeling great for that event. I messed up the 4th of July because of my IBS -- my kids were soooo disappointed. We were at the firewords display when I said the horrible words to my family, "we need to go home" before the firewors started. It made me start to think about how this is affecting my whole family 
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I think one problem is that you can tend to overdo Heather's diet almost to the point that it is no longer really Heather's diet.  I know I tend to do that sometimes, especially when I feel more insecure or have experienced some bowel problems. Then you can suddenly find yourself on a very restricted and boring diet and if you then look back and read through Heather's advice then you'll realize that your diet - probably being strict with basing the meals on SF foods and avoiding triggers - is lacking some of the variation that Heather makes clear is necessary for good health. Some people, especially D:ers, can find it very hard to add veggies and fruit either because of IF content or fructose content et.c. but it's important to add as much as possible.
When you feel like you're missing out on certain foods - what is it that you're missing and what can you substitute it with in an IBS safe way? If you're craving chocolate dessert then make one of the cakes from the EFI book for example. It may take a little more effort compared with just grabbing something at the store, but it can be done. Also, if you do stick with the diet strictly for a while you might find that your taste buds actually get weaned off the fatty foods or whatever it is you are craving. I used to eat candy almost every day before I went on Heather's diet - bags of salty, sour and chocolate candy - and I thought it would be really hard to stay away from it. But I decided that I would do whatever I could to keep my bowels as calm as possible - plus I realized that it wasn't very healthy to eat as much candy as I was eating before - and after a few weeks I really didn't miss it anymore.
Heather makes it clear that you should:
*Eat small servings frequently, calmly and leisurely.
*Base every meal on SF food.
*Let SF food be the first thing you eat on an empty stomach.
*Avoid triggers, including high fat foods.
*Add in as much IF veggies and fruit and berries as you can tolerate, but never in large quantities in one sitting and never on an empty stomach and always with SF food.
*Not think deprivation but rather substitution.
I think there is a risk you can get stuck on the first 4 of these "rules" forgetting the last 2, at least when you are feeling insecure and your bowels are acting up a bit. Of course if you are having bad attacks frequently you should do the BTC diet for a couple of days but then you should aim to get back to the "normal" EFI diet as soon as you can without going too fast. And for the "normal" EFI diet, the last two "rules" are really important.
Hope this helps.
/Ulrika, IBS-D
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I think that sticking to the diet as much as possible is the best way to get stable. I am very careful in following this diet because I do not want to feel the pain and discomfort that I have felt in the past. I am not stable yet, but I definately feel better overall. I have my flare-ups and attacks still and get frustrated because I do follow the diet so closely; however, I just have to remind myself that this is something that I want to control; I do not want it to control me.
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I do agree with what you said about Heather's diet and how to follow it correctly. I feel, for the most part I do follow it and do not deprive myself but I do ocassionally like a hamburger and fries. Being IBS - C it can be days afterword before I have an attach and then I have to sit back and think, which food that I ate caused the problem. I would think being IBS - D it would be easier to nail down the trigger food because the D usually occurs right away while my symptoms can sit at bay for quite a few days.
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