you have IBS, period!
#357991 - 04/23/10 06:51 PM
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I have seen the attitude over and over in the last few years- "I am not better yet and so this diet must not work". You have IBS- there is no cure- deal with it! People sometimes have enough of doing something seemingly so hard as following a healthy diet and taking in fiber and still having IBS so they leave and think it will all be better once they stop following the diet. Guess what? They certainly ain't gonna get better doing nothing! What happens to them? I have asked my GI doc about this before, they eat differently and for a few weeks may feel better (or they may be worse right off- it depends) because sometimes the gut likes a temporary change, but after a little while and they still have horrible symptoms, they blame someone else for not curing them.
With IBS it is all about improving symptoms and living as close to stable as possible. I notice that especially young people cannot handle the idea that they don't always look their best or can't eat or drink what their peers can. It is IBS to blame for that, not Heather or your doctor or whoever. Sure it is unfair but yes indeed it could be much worse. IBS gives us a chance to work on our inner selves and appreciate life more than people who never have health problems.
If you can't handle the self-deprivation, go ahead and do whatever your heart desires but when you are in pain or on the toilet from it, don't blame EFI for not getting better. It's just like someone with type 1 diabetes who decides to eat carbs and drink alcohol however much they want to- they end up in the hospital or worse. At least we can't die from IBS. Sure it is unfair but that's life. You have IBS and that won't change. You have to change your thinking to improve your symptoms. If it is all "oh woe is me I can't drink or eat cheese because Heather says I can't" for your own sake change that to "I'll feel better if I don't drink alcohol or eat cheese and I like feeling better." If you constantly feel sorry for yourself for the little inconveniences of IBS (compared to real diseases), you won't improve and believe me it makes it much harder to have that bad attitude! It is much, much better to feel proud of having the self-control needed to help improve your symptoms. Learn that that actually feels good. Don't give in to envy for people who eat and do whatever they want. Remember you are healthier and that you have adversities and overcome them. It is very empowering!
For anyone who feels they would be better off not following the EFI plan remember this: you may still have horrible symptoms but they could be much worse off the diet! That is true in my case. I used to poop out what I just ate still in tact. I used to get horrible swings of C and D very often. My bloating is terrible and only improves in summer but if I slip on the diet or forget my fiber for a few days or something else stupid, I pay for it!!! That proves to me that the EFI diet is in my best interest. Also the testimonials from health professionals and others about the EFI plan makes me trust it.
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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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dont u ever worry about eating so much white rice and bread and carbs?...seems like we have to eat what everyone says is so bad for our bodies...makes me scared actually...it's hard to understand that the foods we should be eating like greens, raw fruits/vegs and grains that God put on this earth...we are not allowed to...it's just strange to me...
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You say:
Quote:
dont u ever worry about eating so much white rice and bread and carbs?...seems like we have to eat what everyone says is so bad for our bodies...makes me scared actually...it's hard to understand that the foods we should be eating like greens, raw fruits/vegs and grains that God put on this earth...we are not allowed to...it's just strange to me...
That's not what EFI says. Go back and read the signature in Little Minnie's post:
Quote:
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!
Avoiding Insoluble Fiber (greens, fruits, vegetables, grains) for a few days to stabilize is fine but you should not avoid them forever. Add them in slowly; chop, puree, cook them to make them easier to handle; always eat them with Soluble Fiber. But eat them.
Here's a sticky post that gives you links to what you need to know to do Heather's EFI Diet the way it's meant to be done, complete with greens, fruits, veggies, and grain: web page
Also, I don't agree that "white rice and bread and carbs" are bad for our bodies and here's a sticky post that addresses that idea: web page
To me, Heather's EFI Diet looks a lot like the Mediterranean Diet, at least as presented in the "Mediterranean Diet Cookbook"I have: carbs as the base; as many fruits and vegetables as you can tolerate; and lean protein.
Even beyond that, though, how can it be unhealthy for me to eat what does my body the most good? If I omit Soluble Fiber foods and load up on what so many people insist are the only right foods for everyone, I'm going to be sick, miserable, and house-bound. That doesn't sound very healthy to me.
I have a medical condition that constrains what I can eat. People without that medical condition are not so constrained. People with other medical conditions have other constraints. I simply don't believe that one size fits all when it comes to what foods are good and bad for people's bodies.
If you're unconvinced then take another look at the list of Soluble Fiber foods and use the less white ones as your base foods: sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes; quinoa; see if you can tolerate brown rice (some can, some can't); and so on.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Thanks Sand for doing the work of that reply! 
I have a friend with colitis that is not under control. No matter how healthy she eats the nutrition ends up in the toilet. She is very underweight. If someone is going to D out any healthy food they eat by eating too many raw veggies and scratchy whole grains, they won't get any nutrition from it at all. Eating as many healthy foods, like fruits and veggies (the basis of my diet), in a safe way with SF, is the best for IBS and health.
Jillian Michaels was on the Today show this morning and talked about how healthy sweet potatoes are. Gillian Mackeith from You Are What You Eat agrees! I love sweet potatoes- nature's gift to us. I am hoping to get a crop from my garden this year. 
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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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I was having thoughts similar to this over the past week. Thinking about how many years I've been dealing with this, the frustration from having "sneak attacks" even if I've done everything "right". But I certainly don't blame anyone else, I play the hand I'm dealt. Life isn't fair and it sucks, but you know what? When I do have that rare really good day, I appreciate it. Not to say I don't have days of wallowing in self pity. That's just human nature. The key is to take one day at a time. If I had known when this started that I was going to have decades of off and on misery, I would've gone crazy. And I try not to think of the decades to come. Just make the most of today. If it's a good day, savor it. If it's a bad day, just get through today and tomorrow will be better. And it usually is.
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IBS-A and GERD since 1983
Low FODMAP since 2012
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I couldn't agree more. You play the hand you are dealt...period! 
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I totally agree with you guys. I think what frustrates me the most about IBS is not being able to eat whole grains. This always bites me in the butt. I try to eat at "healthy" places when out, and usually if I'm going to find something vegetarian, it's on whole grain bread or a whole grain tortilla. And those little hole-in-the-wall healthy cafe type places ALWAYS have nothing but whole grain breads. They think that's so much healthier than something like sourdough. Well, it's not for everyone!!!! Grrr!
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Lisa, IBS-C (Vegan)
Stable since July 2007!
Mommy to Rhiannon Marie (Dec. 13, 2008)
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I have to agree with Sand. "They" say that whole grains are better for our bodies but for me personally whole grains send me right to the bathroom with D. Eating whole grains are not better for my health. I try to focus on healthy things that are good for my body and the heck with what the so called experts say.
I do have IBS which can be frustrating and upsetting at times. Even stable I still have days where I think about how I wish I didn't have to be so careful with the things I eat and the worries about being away from a bathroom. The majority of time though I choose to focus on the exciting things I can do in life instead of thinking about what I can't do. Stressing or being upset over the things you can't do is only going to make you miserable.
Even if I didn't have IBS I do have high cholesterol and I would still be eating low fat, no fried foods, etc.
If I go to a gathering that has food I can't eat it really doesn't bother me that I can eat. I enjoy socializing which is the most important part of getting together with people anyway. If people ask why I am not eating I just say I ate before I came or I am not hungry. I don't think I will starve if I skip eating high fat party foods.
IBS is not only a physical issue but as we all know a mental issue. As with anything in life a positive attitude makes all the difference in how you deal with things.
I also agree that the EFI diet doesn't work for everyone. If you find it isn't working then there is something else out there that will work. Explore other options instead of beating yourself up over why the EFI diet isn't working for you but is for other people. This only causes more stress which is determental to IBS.
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Janey
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You know, I disagree.
I'd do anything to fix my IBS, including this absurd diet.
I've done it for five years because it was embarassing that I looked so fat/bloated and scrawny.
Guess what?
Exercising 5 hours week and eating this diet, I STILL HAVE A FAT BLOATED GUT.
I still have trapped gas/distension/and C.
I'd like to hear Heather's response as to why.
Heck, would like me to post a diet log of what I eat.
What I find most laughable is how I am supposed to get my fiber.
I get 15-20 grams a day, because the EFI diet makes it IMPOSSIBLE to get the recommend 30 g (or however many Heather states).
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IBS-C and Bloating
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Do you think it's fair I do EFI and workout for 5 hours a week AND THIS IS HOW I STILL LOOK?
Let me ask, with IBS, will I EVER look better, or no matter how hard I workout, is this my destiny forever?
[image]http://forums.musculardevelopment.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=186361&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1272090628[/image]
Why can't the Image code work?
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IBS-C and Bloating
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