Some questions for TOTALLY stable IBS'ers
#316867 - 10/18/07 03:09 AM
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AndrewIBSC
Reged: 03/23/07
Posts: 159
Loc: PHiladelphia, PA
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Hello I have not posted to this board for about three months because a lot of times I get freaked out by what seem to me to be contradictory posts that are quite different from Heather's guidelines. However, I have been following the diet religiously and have hit some speedbumps that I need help with. But please if you are not stable I would prefer you not replying. No offense but I think that if your not stable your in the same boat as me and you too are still experimenting. Also if you still have D or C but consider yourself stable or are having a good week please do not respond. In a nutshell this is for the people that are rock solid STABLE! Anyway I am having some difficulty with the following:
Eating every 2 hours...I wake up at 5 and go to sleep around 9. That's 8 meals if I do the math right. How do you plan so well?
Finding the right ratio of SF to IF. I take 15 g of SFS a day, throughout the day and sometime feel if I eat too much SF and SFS that I get backed up. I have been told by doctors that too much fiber can cause constipation. Also Heather says to NEVER eat more IF in a sitting but I feel that I am at a point where I need as much IF as I can get or I get constipated. Anyone out there actually have a ratio with more IF per meal/snack.
I hope I get some responses....I have improved on the diet but not enough for all of the planning and worrying that it requires. I am starting to believe that ignorance is bliss and before I knew all this I was sicker but happier, if that's possible. Thank you for any advice from STABLE people.
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I was totally stable for about 10 years. I hit some speedbumps last year when I was laid of from my job. (Anxiety realy triggers my IBS). That's when I found Heather's website, which got me back on track. I don't know if anyone is actually rock-solid stable, but for 10 years I really didn't have to think about IBS. (though I never ate fried food and had to watch coffee and wine). I don't count grams, it takes too much thinking. The secret for me is to stay away from trigger foods and fill up on "safe" foods. I get enough IF by eating something SF right before. It does get to the point where you really don't have to think about it so much, you just know you feel better. Hope that helps.
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In my opinion: most people that come here are desperate for help and aren't stable. But, good luck finding them!
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IBS-C since 2006. No signs of IBS now, it's been 4 yrs. Only dairy allergy now.
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cate3, how long did it take you to get stable? I'm far from stable now and it seems that anything can throw me off the wagon, not just trigger foods. I can't wait to feel "normal" again even if it means diet forever 
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IBS-C, bloating, cramps
pregnant
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I'm food stable although not anxiety stable by which I mean if I follow Heather's guidelines I never have an attack unless my anxiety cranks up. And even my anxiety attacks are pretty mild these days. So consider that a heads-up when considering my advice.
Eating every two hours. I'm a big proponent of not letting your stomach get empty but I don't think there's anything magical about every 2 hours. I'd say that if you get:
breakfast
snack
lunch
snack
dinner
snack
you're doing fine. (I also find a "pre-breakfast" of hot decaf tea and applesauce with Acacia helpful to wake up my digestive system.)
The size of the snack depends on how close together the meals on either side come and how big the previous meal was. For example, whether I have a mid-morning snack depends on how late I ate breakfast (that is, how late I got up - my schedule is totally fluid) and how big breakfast was. I always have a mid-afternoon snack because there's usually a big gap between lunch and dinner. And my post-dinner snack is usually small - a cupcake (no icing, no egg yolks) or a couple of cookies with IBS-safe tea. Sometimes I'll break the bank and have "ice cream".
The SF to IF ratio. I'm not sure about "Heather says to NEVER eat more IF in a sitting". I don't really remember that from what I read - although it's been a long time since I read through her books - and my own belief is that you should eat as much IF to SF as you can get away with. I'm IBS-D and even I find that the further along I get the more IF I can handle with relatively little SF to cushion it. And even I sometimes feel that if I get too much SFS I can get clogged up (especially if I'm not good about getting enough fluid). So I say if you feel you need more IF to SF, give it a try.
HTH.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. Under the FAQ section Heather says "The number one rule here is: Never eat insoluble fiber alone or on an empty stomach. Always eat it with a larger quantity of soluble fiber, and you will help keep your IBS stable." So according to Heather a 1:1 ratio is not even acceptable. Am I correct. I get confused because I know these are guidelines but the word NEVER is a pretty black and white term for her to use.
Another question....if I cook down insoluble fiber does that mean it is not as effective in helping move things along? I read in her book that cooking insoluble veggies "makes there fiber content dramatically less." So is it not going to have the effect I need it to have on my system to get things moving?
One last thing....I have been eating grains for IF because they are generally easier to prepare with my workday schedule as a teacher. Below is a list of a typical day of eating. Would you please take a look at it and let me know what you think? I really would appreciate it.
SFS-3Grams
Breakfast:Oatmeal w/ 1/4 cup Blueberries and 2 tsp. ground flax
Snack: Corn Chips (About 12-15 Baked Tostidos)
SFS-3Grams
Snack2: Cheerios w/ sliced banana
SFS- 3 Grams
Lunch: Turkey sand. w/ well cooked greenbeans
SFS- 3 Grams
Snack3: Soy Yogurt w/ 1 T ground Flax
SFS- 3 Grams
Dinner: Chix Breast w/ rice and veggies
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That's my problem with the boards...not trying to be negative but it often seems like the blind is leading the blind! Take care, Andrew
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It took a year of being really careful, but as I said, there are some things I never eat(I have not had a doughnut in 20 years!), and I did have days here and there. But I did get to the point that I didn't have to think about IBS (when I was diagnosed it was called spastic colon)or what I ate all the time, and I felt pretty good. It does get manageable, so hang in there.
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Thanks Cate, that's really encouraging! There are things I wouldn't eat either but I would also be able to get stable and have little cheats (a bit of a doughnut from my husband, a few potato chips (not the baked kind, etc). I wouldn't dare eating a greasy cheeseburger or do major cheats like that. Like you said, it's nice not having to think about IBS, go through bloating, pain, C or D and just enjoy life .
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IBS-C, bloating, cramps
pregnant
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Well said, Sand!
I don't follow the IBS diet as strictly as some, but I've modified it for what works best for me. I have a pretty good handle on what is safe for me, in other words.
The main triggers I avoid are dairy and beef.
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