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it wasn't good... by i also had hot chocolate and cake... i wasn't thinking it would go well... back on the diet today!
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Pud
Long Island
IBS-D & SIBO - main symptom GAS 
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For those who think their IBS will be cured by finding the magic number of things not to eat and worriedly suspecting everything they ate when having an attack, do this:
Eat the same exact thing several days in a row and notice how your symptoms will vary day by day. I ate the same thing today and yesterday but have much worse bloating and pain today. I would be a wreck if I tried to figure out what food did it. It is much more likely that I sat more today and possibly had more stress/irritation and didn't sleep that great.
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IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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Quote:
I ate the same thing today and yesterday but have much worse bloating and pain today.
Me too. So frustrating!
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IBS-C with pain and bloat
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I also think it can be the food "build up." For example, I have been trying to avoid wheat products and so far I was feeling better, but I did have some real pasta this weekend. Now today I had my first regular bagel which I thought was a real gas/bloat trigger, yet I was fine, go figure. I may feel it tomorrow or if I have another bagel tomorrow, that might be too much. Hey, I'd be happy if I could do all things in moderation. But yes, soooo frustrating. 
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Originally IBS-D for a million years!
Then IBS-A, Now a transformed slightly C
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The tricky thing is that it really applies to everything, even the EFI itself. I remember when I first read Heather's books and I was so happy. Wow, all the things that are safe, according to her. But the thing is, I can't eat all of the things she says are safe. I realized that pretty quickly. And I have never been able to eat all the spicy stuff or the beans, lentils et.c. that she often includes in her recipes. Plus I have always found it strange that some of her recipes call for quite a lot of onion or garlic and I would have to take maybe 1/4 of the amount when I have onions or garlic.
However I still think the general guidelines are useful. Though that is what they are - guidelines - and not necessarily the golden rules for every one.
Then there is the other side of the coin, which is what you mention here, READING about people who have problems with this and that. And then thinking, ok, I'd better eliminate that too from my diet. It's very easy to fall into that trap. I have done it myself several times. But it's the same thing with that. If you don't notice having any problems from a certain type of food then don't worry about it. If you suspect it then try to cut back or eliminate the particular food item and see what happens.
And then there is the fact too that you may blame food when the real reason for a flare might be stress or exercise or something unusual happening in your life.
For me, the only thing I really know causes problems is IF, too much fat (it seems, though I'm not even sure about that) and eating/drinking cold stuff too quickly. So I might experiment more with my diet in the future, once my pelvic floor muscle problems have been taken care of so I can feel comfortable even if my digestive system isn't perfect.
/Ulrika 
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This made so much sense to me. Thank you. I, like you, wonder how the recipes can include so many spicy, onion, garlic, and soy filled ingredients. Onions, even cooked, kill me!
My problem, is that I don't trust my own body. I'll eliminate a food to test it, yet if I don't feel better, I think that I really can't have that food, but that I am also intolerant of something else I still am unaware of. So, if I add the "fear" food back in, I might be "erasing" any gain or any piece of the puzzle. Does that make any sense?
What is your pelvic floor muscle problems? And what can they do about it? I went to a PT to help strengthen the muscles, but didn't get any results.
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IBS-C with pain and bloat
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I'm the same as you Jordy... The fear factor definitely comes into it big time for me! I tend to panic when trying out some things which makes the test redundant!
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Sarah
IBS-C
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I think I have found my twin! 
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IBS-C with pain and bloat
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I understand what you mean. I think it's really easy to get something bordering on an eating-disorder with IBS, because of all the anxiety around food.
Doing elimination tests can be quite tricky. If you want to you could ask a dietitian for help and either do a basic diet and then add new stuff in one at a time or try to eliminate one thing at a time. I think the general protocol is, if you start with a very basic diet, to add in one new thing at a time every 2 days or so and then if you think you have a reaction to something, eliminate it again and then wait till you stabilize before adding more stuff in. Then you should do a second round with the stuff you think might be bothering you. This is so that you can see if it's really the food or if it might have been something else, like stress for example.
About the pelvic floor muscle problems: I got an autoimmune paralysis from waist to toes from a regular cold virus when I was 12. I recovered pretty well but my right leg is still partly paralyzed and my pelvic floor muscles don't work properly. I also have bladder emptying problems. The combination of IBS-D and not having normal sphincter function is stressful so I have been through tests at the surgery department and this fall I have been going there once a week and doing electrical stimulation of the sphincter and also biofeedback training, where I can see what happens when I try to use the muscle. Unfortunately this hasn't helped so now I am waiting to try a procedure where they put electrodes in the lower back. They then stimulate the nerve connecting to the sphincter. If that works they will put temporary electrodes in and connect them to a pacemaker. I hope it will work as that would probably help prevent any future problems related to a weakened pelvic floor.
/Ulrika
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I think you can overcome this with time. I used to be really neurotic about trying new things. But lately I have been trying new stuff every now and then and if I have had a day afterwards when things have been a bit worse than usual that still hasn't stopped me from trying the new stuff again after a few days and it has worked just fine meaning it probably wasn't the new food item that caused the problem.
But I think this is something that comes with time. I don't think you can make yourself think differently. You need to ease into it. I am doing the hypnotherapy program right now too so that is probably also part of the reason why I am more relaxed about these things. However I am still more careful when it's important to be well, like now before Xmas I am not trying any crazy things as it is really important to me to be able to go home and spend Xmas with my family.
/Ulrika
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