Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Hi Julie,
The fear of gaining a pound - you HAVE to work on letting that go. It is sooooooo emotionally/mentally destructive. I believe it will also undermine any efforts you are making to control your IBS. The two issues truly go hand-in-hand, since your body and mind are so connected. If you obsess about and fear eating and food, how do you expect your body to respond when you eat? An eating disorder is a battle against the body, denying its urges, hating and criticizing it, fearing it, trying to subdue and control it. Whereas caring for your IBS requires a deep love and compassion for yourself and your body, a profound acceptance of yourself as perfect EXACTLY how you are. You need to care for your body and your tummy like a mother cares for her child. With love and compassion, with careful attention as you try to hear what it is telling you. Cheesy, I know - but I believe it.

If IBS has taught me anything, it's that how you FEEL is a zillion times more important than how you look. I would gladly gain 50 pounds in a HEARTBEAT if I could feel normal again. Seriously, skinny is just not worth it. Not to mention the other problems - I have osteoperosis, amenorrhea, etc. Not worth it!

Also, just on a purely physical basis, in order for a gut to function normally it must have a fair amount of food pumping through it on a regular basis. So I hope you are eating enough - the daily diet you posted earlier sounded a little meagre to me.

I think I have my ED under control. I mean, I certainly I don't do any of the behaviours, count calories, binge/purge etc. And I don't fear weight gain. But, as you know, it's complicated - it's very hard not to obsess about food when part of managing IBS is to watch everything that goes into your mouth. It's a very tricky balance to strike... I am 33 and still working on it!

My focus now is instead of obsessing about all the stuff I can't eat, and obsessing about what other people are eating, I am just trying to appreciate what I am able to eat, and maximizing the enjoyment of every meal. At the same time, to remind myself that life is about more than meals. When I find myself dwelling in food-thoughts, I try to redirect my attention to bigger issues. OK, I think I've rambled enough for now!

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IBS-C, lots of spasm and trapped gas.

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