Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Workout/diet advice please

Hi Sarah,
Well...there are no "right or wrong" answers, and while I agree with some of the things that Michelle wrote, I disagree with a couple of things.

While it's true that in order to lose weight you have to expend more calories than you ingest, it's also important to understand which foods promote fat loss, not just weight loss. If you want to look good, weight loss is only part of the equation...body fat is the other part. And in fact, because muscle weighs more than fat, as you do strength training, you may not see the weight loss as dramatically because you're building muscle (which is heavier than fat).

From everything that I've read, and that my trainers and nutritionist have explained to me, protein is very important as it metabolizes differently than carbs and helps to promote fat loss and gain lean muscle mass.

I am not in favor of the Atkins plan where carbs are severely limited, but I think you need to keep carbs in a careful balance with proteins. The advice people have given me is to eat more protein if you're working out.

Having said that, given the importance of carbs to those of us with IBS, you can't stop eating carbs ...nor should you. When I eat my meals, I'm very conscious of eating protein and trying not to overdo on carbs (i.e., I don't eat rice AND bread at the same meal...one carb is enough). That's just what I do as I am continually working to keep my weight off after having lost 30 pounds a year ago, and continuing to lower my percentage of body fat. But I'm also conscious of needing some of those carbs so that my IBS doesn't flare up...so I don't completely skimp on the carbs and soluble fiber.

One other caveat, you should always eat a little something before you workout. A little protein and/or light carbs is important so that as you workout, your body has food in it to metabolize. After your workout, your metabolism is elevated and remains that way for about an hour to an hour-and-a-half so that's a really good time to have a good meal or high powered snack.

Hope this helps...I'm sure you'll do great! 11 weeks is plenty of time to make a big difference in the way you look!

Good luck,
Barb

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