[Isis5244]

It's a challenge keeping this under control, esp. with other dietary restrictions for hypoglycemia and GERD. Now that everything is reasonably stable for now, I really want to try to lose about 20 or 25 pounds. Does anyone have suggestions for meal plans that would help me do this without making my IBS worse? Soluable fiber really works for me, but it's so high in carbs. The nutritionist hasn't been any help, she's only concerned with what's medically necessary right now. Although 20-25 lbs less would put me well within the healthy range for someone my height and age, my weight isn't causing me any health problems. I'm afraid if I keep going like this I'll be another 20 or 30 pounds heavier next year and then I'll have 50 to lose.Any thoughts about this would be welcome...

 

[earthgarden]

Hi there,I actually found out that my eating habits were the cause of my ibs-c occasional D and my constant snacking/grazing/picking was exacerbating the problem! When I stopped snacking between meals and ate a balanced diet, my ibs symptoms ceased! And I lost some weight!I would suggest you perhaps start the day with some bran, like all-bran, meusli perhaps, or a wholemeal roll. A banana would be a nice, healthy extra!For lunch, keep it fairly light and healthy, think healthy dark fish like mackrel, sardines and a nice crispy salad with a tiny drizzle of olive oil.If you are not full, try a peice of fruit or a slice of wholemeal bread (no butter) or a yoghurt.For evening meal, think grilled chicken, 2 small potatoes (jacket or boiled) and either lots of salad or mixed garden vegetables. If you are not full, try a peice of fruit or a slice of wholemeal bread (no butter)or a yoghurt.Keep fruit and veg the biggest part of the meal as it contains lots of vits but not lots of cals!If you are still hungry after your meal that you have eaten slowly, chewed properly and drank a glass of water with it, try waiting for 20 mins and you will no longer feel hungry (so they say).Another tip, I drink smoothies. These fill me up whilst giving me lots of vits and help with constipation too.I don't actually eat this much and skip breakfast. I am usually full on the meal itself and don't need the extra fruit or bread. Anyway, good luck.Another suggestion, write everything you eat down in a daily diary for 2 weeks, take it to your doc/GP and ask if it's a healthy diet - he may suggest an alternative.Drink lots of water throughout the day. Often we mistake thirst for hunger!

 

[Isis5244]

Thanks Earthgarden. I've been eating so much better over the last couple of years because of IBS-C and LI that I just found out my cholesterol dropped from 201 to 181 in that period! I've been eating lots of soluable fiber, mostly in the form of oat bran. I've also increased my (good) fat intake as I was having very little fat of any kind before, things like olive oil, avocado, nuts etc. The weight gain is really frustrating, it seems to be caused by exactly the things that make my IBS-C better, soluable fiber and (good) fats. I agree with you about the junk food. I realized that those low and no fat snacks that were supposed to satisfy the crunchy/salt craving were actually binding me up within hours after eating them. I had to stop that too, so no junk food at all in the last year or so. I've also increased my fruits and veggies, lately trying to eat more dark leafy greens. Unfortunately I have to have six small meals each day instead of 3 bigger ones, and I need a substantial amount of protein with each meal in order to keep my blood sugar under control. I think if I'm more careful about eating the right things in the right amounts, I should be able to keep from snacking between those six meals. I think you're right about the "grazing" thing. I eat a lot of fish and chicken, usually baked or pan fried with a little olive oil (in a nonstick pan so I need very little oil). I also have a lot of canned tuna, salmon, and vegetarian dishes made with things like beans and corn (protein AND soluable fiber).Wheat bran really aggravates my C, I can't have that much insoluable fiber or I'll be on the toilet many times a day with hardly any results. In other words, I'll have lots of cramping and bloating with a lot of difficulty passing any of the stool. I've had to eliminate whole wheat from my diet. As far as fruit goes, bananas are binding for me, but I eat all kinds of other fruit. I can't have yogurt because of the LI, I'm off all milk products, but maybe I can substitute a glass of soymilk where you suggest. The lowfat versions of it are pretty awful though, another area where my fat intake has increased. I'll have to try making smoothies with soymilk, great idea.Water, yes! I try to drink as much as I can but I just hate doing anything that causes me to spend even more time looking for toilets than my IBS! I do need to drink more and it always helps to have another reminder.Another thing I know I need to do more of is exercise. I get some, but not enough and not regularly enough. I've just got to make the time.Thanks for the suggestions, I really appreciate your response. I'm thinking now it's probably a matter of being just a little more disciplined and making some minor adjustments to what I'm already doing.

 

[earthgarden]

Isis, it looks like you are pretty well informed on a healthy diet. I too have to make efforts not to eat those things that are so easy to hand, like bread, biscuits, cakes. I have kids! I have found that if I buy ready made salads in a bag, cherry tomatoes and a cucumber, I can whistle up a salad very quickly indeed. If you have low sugar levels, is it not possible to drink fruit smoothies to raise them? I think these smoothies are a food in themselves anyway! My suggestion to anyone suffering with IBS whether C or D is to write down everything that passes your lips over a two week period, take it to your doctor/GP and ask if it is suitable for your needs and if not, to suggest a diet for you or give you a diet sheet. You might be very surprised at the rapid improvement.Dieticians/Doctors can often see where we are going wrong.

 

[Isis5244]

Hi Earthgarden,Yes, I've discovered those ready made salad mixes, use them all the time. I love arugala and mix it with any other salad greens I happen to be having.I also keep a small bottle (expensive) of very pungent olive oil around to use small amounts of on my salads.I'm going to try making fruit smoothies with soymilk, but I can't have too much. I need to keep my blood sugar at a nice even level throughout the day. If I raise it too much, I have a rebound effect, which can cause me to cycle up and down. It's similar to the kind of alternating D/C cycle I try to avoid by not using too much MOM when I need some.Doctors over here know very little about nutrition, although many acknowledge its importance. I see a nutritionist several times a year. As I said though, she dismisses my weight concerns because I'm not overweight enough now for it to cause health problems. She's more concerned with the IBS/LI/GERD/Hypoglycemia, even though that's all under control for now. Most people don't even think I'm overweight but I know it, and that's enough for me. I'm ready to deal with it now, before it becomes more of a problem, it's frustrating that she won't work with me. Thanks for the ideas!

 

[pollymc]

Hello Isis1,I just joined a f ew days ago. I was looking for advice on how to lose weight. I have constipation predominant IBS, and am not gaining weight, but am finding it impossible to lose weight, particularly in my stomach. My gut is constantly bloated and distended due to the constipation. Have you had any success? If so, I'd love to hear your ideas (or anyone elses). I also noticed that you are in Boston. I am in Ipswich, MA! Has your nutritionist been of any help to you? I am always looking for new ideas on how to deal with the cramps and constipation. Also looking for new ways to diet.

 

[Isis5244]

Hi Pollymc,I'm no expert, I'm looking for ideas myself. Long before I was diagnosed with IBS/LI/GERD I was able to lose 25 lbs with weight watchers. It was pretty easy to adapt their structure to my needs so I could manage the hypoglycemia at the same time. The problem I'm having now is that I can't cut back on the specific foods that are making me gain without my C taking hold again. Be careful not to confuse a bloated gut with overweight, although it can look exactly the same. My belly is far bigger after dinner than it is when I wake up in the morning, and it's almost perfectly flat after I've done the prep for colonoscopy. It can have nothing at all to do with excess weight. That side view in the mirror is a killer though, I know how awful it is to see that and wonder if my body will ever get back to looking good again. The weight I'm gaining is showing up elsewhere though, and the scale tells me that's what it is.I think the nutritionist knows her stuff, but she keeps ignoring the weight issue. I'm wondering now if that's because of the way the GI doc wrote me up. I just saw my PCP, who gave me another referral to the nutritionist for the specific purpose of managing weight loss while keeping everything else under control. I hope that does the trick.The nutritionist helped me with the basics, gave me the foundation I needed to shift my thinking and make good dietary choices for my IBS, but that alone isn't nearly enough to control it. This board has been far more helpful to me though with learning to handle flare ups, and to lessen my chances of having one. They are far less frequent now because I found a combination of things that works for me from reading this board. As so many of us know, that could change at any time, and what I've learned here gave me some tricks up my sleeve, so I think I'm ready for the next round. Here's what I do every day. I'm sure I left something out, but this is most of it:morning:200 mg Colace (NOT Peri-Colase)1 cup of coffee (can be decaf, it's not the caffeine that works)1 serving hot oat bran cereal with 2 tbsp. flax meal mixed into the cooked cereal, a handful of dried fruit (things like dates, cranberries,etc.), and a handful of toasted almond pieces an egg white omlette (with tomato, mushrooms onions etc. Totally awful without that) or two eggs with one yolkan hour before bed:8-11 oz of prune juice, depending on how I've been feeling that dayas much as I can during the day:water water waterexercisedark leafy greensprotein (not animal protein)Limited amountslive and/or flax oilnutsavocadochicken cutlets (very lean)fish beans,esp. black beans lentilsfresh fruitdried fruitcornpeassquashless often, other green and yellow veggieseven more limited, grains and bread, eggsavoid like the plague:red meatmilk products(not all dairy)wheat brananything high in saturated fatanything high in insoluable fiberall junk foodbananasI'm thinking a little visualization couldn't hurt either, like closing my eyes and shouting at my colon "bring it on baby, I'm ready for ya!" Haha. I'm kidding but I might just try it anyway...

 

[earthgarden]

lol, Isis! Regarding the smoothies, you don't have to have milk in them. I don't make them with milk, just the fruit. They can even substitute a meal they are so filling!My IBS -C/d actually improved when I reintroduced red meat once a week! Just thought I would add that. Perhaps I was slightly anemic - I dunno.My tips for losing weight are:-1. Plan your meals the day before and prepare if poss.2. Don't wait until you are starving before preparing it coz you will end up nicking a biscuit outta the tin or grabbing a slice of bread and butter!3. Drink lots of water! Often we mistake thirst for hunger!4. Stick to meal times (unless you have probs with low sugar levels). Make it a rule never to graze/snack in between.5. Never eat standing up (less likely to snack or rush a meal then).6. Never eat a takeaway more than once a week.7. Never eat a ready made meal more than once a week.8. Make veg/fruit the biggest part of your meal.9. If yr meal is high in fat or sugar don't eat it.10. ALWAYS leave SOMETHING on your plate.11. Eat slowly and drink water with your meal.I try hard to stick to this and the results have been pretty good. I've lost some weight, feel loads better and my IBS is better than ever!I honestly really feel the difference.I wish everyone well and I apologise if I sound authoritarian, parentlike or condescending. My intentions are good.Regards