Venting
#329112 - 04/29/08 06:15 PM
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Kteach84
Reged: 03/31/08
Posts: 181
Loc: MA
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I am following the EFI diet- have been for a week or so (no cheating at all). Before that I was following my own diet very strictly (before I knew about this one), still wasn't having a lot of fat, but was having a bit more veggies and less soluble fiber. Was also having a little diary but not much because I don't really eat anything with dairy as a main component anyways (just didn't look to avoid it in ingredients etc). I was a lot more stable on this diet than I was before I knew had IBS but I was still very bloated and sometimes C.
Now I am more C. than I was before I started EFI and equally bloated. I also have a bit of stomach pain and occasionally nausea (nothing like before I started watching my eating at all though). It seems like this diet is making me worse or not helping at all  ( I have been taking Benefiber for the past month or so, and just switched to Acadia two days ago (on 3 tsps per day), also taking peppermint capsules. Gave up caffeine 3 weeks ago.
Just frustrated. I wish there was just a list of things I definitely could not eat- like with allergies or something. I am frustrated that I could be giving up things for no reason and that I might be eating tons of rice, bread and plain potatoes for no reason! Also I think my body does not like sugar very much...not in fruit but like table sugar. This makes me feel like my diet is limited even more since many of the flavorful, don't worry its not so bad foods have a lot of sugar in them. Maybe sugar doesn't even affect me as much as I think- I don't even know how I'm supposed to know. With bloating and C. I feel like its so hard to tell what is really bothering you- I've been keeping a food diary for over a month now and all I have discovered is that carrots make my bloating worse (and cooked they are fine). Thats it!
Sorry to be negative, just needed to vent. 
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I am training for a Sprint Triathlon- Check out my Blog!
http://redsoxcap.blogspot.com/
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Re: Venting
#329135 - 04/30/08 08:15 AM
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Sand
Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 4490
Loc: West Orange, NJ (IBS-D)
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I'm sorry you're having such a miserable time. I wouldn't wish IBS-D on my worst enemy (okay, maybe on my *worst* enemy) but at least with my D I started feeling better really fast on the EFI Diet.
If you haven't already taken a look at them, there are a couple of issues in the Newsletter Archives that might give you some pointers and possibly even some reassurance. In the June 7 and June 22, 2005, issues Heather talks about the "Five Constipation Frustrations". She begins her advice with the following:
Quote:
"What if you think you're doing everything you're supposed to do for constipation, but nothing is working?!"
Well, first of all, take a deep breath, relax, and realize that you're not all alone here - and you're definitely not helpless, even if it sometimes feels that way. Constipation tends to be one of the more frustrating IBS symptoms, and it does take longer to resolve through lifestyle changes than diarrhea. But - there are many, many ways to help alleviate constipation successfully, it just takes a little patience and persistence.
When she talks about the Break The Cycle diet, she says:
Quote:
Constipation, especially if it's been chronic, can take several weeks after you initially calm down your gut. Please hang in there.
I know that's probably not what you want to hear when you're so miserable but please do hang in there. If you think it would help, post what you eat for a couple of days and people on the Board may have suggestions.
I don't know what to say about sugar. I can certainly imagine that worrying about it would make your diet seem even more narrow. Perhaps a compromise where you have just one sweet treat a day, something to look forward to when you can't stand the sight of more brown rice? And I'll keep my fingers crossed that sugar doesn't really bother you and once your IBS has calmed down you can eat it safely.
HTH. Take care.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Re: Venting
#329153 - 04/30/08 11:53 AM
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catnut
Reged: 04/08/07
Posts: 106
Loc: Kentucky, USA
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The only way to get ahead of the IBS is to keep at the diet, read every label and ask questions when you're in restuarants to make sure what you're eating is safe. Unlike pharmacuticals the effects are not generally immediate. It took time for the body to get out of whack and it will take time, patience and good eating to get it back in line. With that said, it can be done and you will get there. I have to do a different version of the EFI diet because I can't eat wheat. That really restricts me as I can't eat the bread or pastas in restaurants like everyone else. So, I bring my own bread or bread sticks to eat and I order whatever there is that is made with rice or a potato. I carry Acacia fiber everywhere with me so I'm never caught out without it. Part of the EFI diet requires some lifestyle changes. Compared to being in pain these changes are well worth the effort. Make the effort it is worth it. Unfortunatly we have become so used to things being fast paced that when you have to deal with things holistically it's hard to be patient. A bunch of ladies at work are currently doing a diet with the idea that they have to stick with the changes for 21 days in a row. It takes 21 days to make the new habit intuitive, thus replacing the old bad habit. You're not alone in this endeavor to get stable. Like an alcoholic we have to "take one day at a time". On some days it's more like one meal at a time with a safe snack inbetween. Give nature and the new diet time- that does mean try it for at least a month so that you figure out what you can eat and your body has time to calm down. I eat very well rounded meals all the time. You can do it to.
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Catnut IBS-C for many years, finally diagnosed in 2005. Wheat and dairy sensative.
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Thank you both for your encouragement. I feel a bit better today, at least my attitude. I know this will take awhile, I guess I am seeing even less immediate results because I already had so much of my IBS under control with all the diet changes I have made in the last year. I do need to give it a serious try before I give up though, I know that. I think eating out is the most difficult part, but I'm definitely starting to take initiative asking questions and demanding things prepared the way I need them. When in doubt, I suggest Panera )
Thanks again for the support.
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I am training for a Sprint Triathlon- Check out my Blog!
http://redsoxcap.blogspot.com/
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