Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: What did I eat for 8 months to stay IBS-D free when I hate to cook??!! Part 1

Hi LS-
Maybe I'm jumping the gun but your part 1 was really exciting to me. Also, writing this reply is a great way for me to share my significant frustration and discouragement today---some days are better than others and today was NOT a good day--- since having a major IBS relapse in May, 2004. So thanks to you and anyone else who takes the time to read on here.

I've never been a "kitchen type" and before discovering H's diet in 8/03 I was basically eating vegan style with lots of raw vegies and fruits b/c they're "healthy", require no prep time except to wash them and they were easy to eat plain with whole grains, which I would prepare over the wkend in large batches so my meals were fast, easy and brainless thruout the week.

SOOOO, it's been a real challenge thruout this past year for me to figure out how to switch over to Heather's diet AND keep it as simple as possible so that I can remain committed to it. Intuitively I believe that H's diet is correct. However, based upon my minimalist kitchen instincts, combined with my 25+ years of eating my former way, I haven't been able to "make it work" .

By this I mean that I can't seem to resolve my only remaining major symptoms [ which I'm certain are due to insoluble fiber b/c I've eliminated everything else, per H's 2 books, that could be causing them....really!!], which are distention and discomfort that awaken, and then keep me awake, after about 3-4 hours of sleep each night.

Not surprisingly, I'm constantly sleep deprived or, on nights when I'm desperately tired, I finally take Ambien in a small dose of 2.5 mg when my colon wakens me in order to calm my colon and let me fall back to sleep for the rest of the night. However, I hate using Ambien b/c it always causes me to sleep in late and then I miss my "window of opportunity" at 5-7 AM, which is the ONLY time my colon's peristalsis seems to want to work well.

Ambien also causes me to become more backed up, although it's supposed to cause diarrhea! I have several thoughts on why Ambien does this but that's another e-mail!

Anyway, the sleep problem constantly destabilizes my C-IBS . However, I believe that if I could just figure out the answers to my questions below I'd be able to sleep soundly until I awaken at my normal time of 5AM and voila, I'd stop being constipated!

Your e-mail raises my these ?'s perfectly! I'm really hoping it will also help to answer them!!!

As I try to become stable I'm wondering:

- how much of the insoluble foods you listed can you eat each day?

- how much at any one meal or snack?

-how long did it take you to get up to your current levels of insol intake?

-do you start every meal or snack with some SFS? What do you use? Do you think that the SFS has helped you to be able to eat more insoluble fiber?

-are all the insoluble foods you list eaten only via Heather's safe prep guidelines or can you eat fresh unground nuts and/or non- pureed berries when they are mixed into soluble fiber like rice or oatmeal?

-- how severe was your D-IBS 6 months ago and how longstanding was it?

Any other tips or insights about "how to include and eat" insoluble fiber easily AND w/o causing problems, [beyond what's in H's 2 books] will be much appreciated. Thanks, your cooking-impaired new buddy! LL

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Many years of C-IBS and pain too for past 2 years-

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