I'm not sure how bad your IBS is, but I think that the willingness to give up food is correlated to the severity of your symptoms and/or the amount they've disrupted your life. When you're constantly missing work and in danger of losing your job because you're having regular bouts of hideously painful gut-wrenching cramps and D, not eating ice cream or pizza is a very small price to pay. It's a matter more of desperation than anything else, I think.
I don't really buy the whole "substitution, not depravation" thing. Oh, sure, it works for probably 75% of things (and that includes ice cream and desserts, thank God) ... but for some stuff, there IS no good substitute. On the bright side, when you've been on the diet (with no cheating) for several months, at that point you figure out which of the no-sub stuff you actually care about. I really don't have a problem doing without fast food, for example, but I still have desperate cravings for Cherry Coke.
Also, my husband is an excellent source for controlled quantities of forbidden food. He eats all kinds of junk food that I can't have. But, if he's eating pizza, he'll let me have a bite, and that really helps satisfy the cravings without making me sick.
And you do already possess one piece of encouragement -- the success of your trip. That speaks loads for itself. If you could do so well while constantly surrounded by fast food, think about how well you're going to manage when you're in your own environment and can prepare your own meals.
It does take awhile getting used to it -- and yes, you'll often have surges of self-pity. But if you stick to it, you'll find that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. You'll also find that when you do cheat that the foods you used to love might not even taste that good anymore. I can't stand "real" chocolate chip cookies anymore, they just taste disgustingly greasy.
Hang in there!! It sounds like you did really well on your trip and I think you need to think of that as a success and not an example of how you're "different". I know, I know, easier said than done. I promise you, it WILL get easier -- you're in the most difficult stage right now. You need time to adjust and to get into a routine. As Sand said, I really highly recommend finding some IBS-safe foods that you really like -- it'll definitely help with the deprivation feeling. I recommend the peanut butter brownies in the recipe index.  If you don't cook, Newman-O's and Soy Delicious ice cream are fabulous (higher in fat, though, so eat only a bit after a low-fat meal).
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jen
"It's one of the most serious things that can possibly happen to one in a battle -- to get one's head cut off." -- LC
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Re: Feeling bitter sweet...need some encouragement
