Nice to see this thread. I think my IBS is a little unique, it centers mostly around dairy products, and I am fine with some of the other foods mentioned (seeds, peanut butter). After trying lactaid for a few years I gave up, and now I only consume some dairy in moderation. I think IBS is as varied as lactose intolerance. I am one of the most severe cases I know on that, but have friends who can't consume ice cream or yogurt, but can have slices of pizza. Even sprinkles of cheese will put me in utter pain for hours, though I find I can tolerate small amounts of 'cream' derived products.

I found personally just sticking to small meals was the most helpful for me. As well, I am not a person who drinks much water and it can leave me feeling icky if I drink too much when I'm not eating as well. I use caffeine on a daily basis to balance out the constipation when I know I am in a safe place with a private bathroom, and that helps if I end up eating a larger meal later in the day.

I think on a personal level IBS has been harder for me than the pain (though I am some prescription medicine that is just a take it when you need it anti-spasm that works wonders). I'm not sure if others feel like this, but I just feel so gross all the time. I feel disgusting when I am intimate, and am terrified about being in a situation where I only have access to public/stall type bathrooms. I think IBS can really bring down your self esteem. I know weight loss can help, I've seen mine improve slightly with some and my family who also has it improved majorly with dramatic weight loss. I suppose dieting is easier for us though as the exercise routines are often blown away during major attacks.

Was nice to get that all out, thanks gals.

I, too have this same problem, but I've been eating better cereals, and it's gotten just slightly better with the increase in fiber.

I know mobility (moving) can help with this problem. So exercise can help. Drinking lots of water, and if it's really a problem, ask your pharmacist for an over-the-counter recommendation. They are usually great resources.

I changed fom Metamucil to Benefiber and I don't get that bloated feeling. But everytime I go away, I get bad, Mima

I also have IBS. What works for me is taking fiber suplements and limiting the foods you mentioned. My advice is just to have her consume less of the items that are high in calories. I have lost weight by keeping my calories down, and I'm still eating all the foods that don't bother my IBS.

ETA: I use the Metamucil capsuls and they don't give me any touble.

I too have IBS but I seem to have it in reverse. I changed to a vegan diet 3 months ago with lots of gluten and wheat which usually bungs IBS sufferers up and I enjoyed 3 months or regualrity and no pain. Now i have started exercising and eating more fibre i am constipated all the time and having spasms again. I don't understand my strange body. My only advice for others with constipation is to try eating citrus fruits. It sends me completely the other way but then it tends to settle down for a week or two. Don't eat too much though i usually only have to have 1 tangarine segment before i'm running to the loo faster than my legs can carry me! I understand what blues4miles means when she says it is embarrassing and harms your self esteem but lots of people have it and i'm reliably informed (by my sister in law) that having a baby makes it disappear! So you never know there may be light at the end of the tunnel!

Hope you all feel better
Sarah

Hello, Annie Ru here! I'm the one who started this thread. Nice to see it continuing on. Reading everyone's fiber issues I wanted to share an experiment I did with my daughter, the one with IBS that was the inspiration for this thread. I wanted to demonstrate the difference between soluble and insoluble fiber for to help her understand why she needed to make sure each meal contained more soluble fiber than insoluble fiber to avoid IBS with constipation and why she needs to daily take up to 3 tbs of Benefiber, particularly if she's had something containing a good amount of insoluble fiber. It was a great illustration and those of you IBSers may want to try it to get a visual of what these two things do in your body. We took a cup of cooked white rice (this is soluble fiber) and placed it in a tall clear glass and covered it with water. Then we took a cup of dry high fiber cereal (we used Kashi Heart to Heart) (This would be your insoluble fiber) put it in the same size glass and we covered it with water. We let the two sit over night. The rice still had lots of water and had become gummy, the dry cereal had absorbed all the water and was at least twice its size and almost coming out of the pan. It was really clear to see how one blocks you up and the other doesn't. Now she seems more accepting when I add something to her meal that is soluble fiber and take away some of the insoluble. So I recommend you IBS sufferers try this experiment, it gives you a really good picture of what soluble and insoluble fiber does in your intestines. From what I've learned trying to manage my daughter's IBS symptoms, it is all a balancing act with avoiding known triggers and knowing the difference in fibers. Good luck to us all. Keep posting!

OMG!!!! I'm so glad I found you guys in this thread!!! I've been struggling so much with my IBS and losing weight! I just got diagnosed less then 2 yrs ago, and trying to get my diet and such under control. I get bloated so easily, and find it difficult at times to get my energy going. I feel so discouraged everytime my pant size expands. Just when I think I'm getting the hang of this IBS, it changes on me... FRUSTRATING!

I agree, fatty foods and dairy trigger attacks for me! I can't eat Chinese food or eat alot of icecream or cheese without feeling incredibly sick afterwards! It's encouraging to know that I'm not alone in this, and hopefully we can support each other through this struggle!

Thanks for all the adivce in your posts....you don't know how much it helped!!!!

Glad to see this post still alive. Can anyone tell me how to pull this thing up so I can keep it fresh and get others replying to it? Took my daughter with IBS/weight issues on a family reunion and we did great. In the past she spent most of it the bathroom. We found a little trick that helped start her day off right. It certainly was a balancing act between soluble and insoluble fiber. For breakfast we couldn't do her usual eggbeaters with benefiber cooked into them and turkey bacon so I added two TBS of benefiber into 2 TBS of reduced fat peanut butter and added honey so that it wasn't so dry. She handled the peanut butter really well and then I knew she was getting here benefiber in - we did the rest of the daily benefiber with the caplets. She does well with about 5 TBS per day of Benefiber. The reduced fat pnut butter with the benefiber and honey seems like a good dieting option because with 2 TBS of Benefiber added as no calories it makes a lot more peanut butter and I found that it went far unlike when you try to only use two tbs of peanut butter normally it seems like nothing and you feel deprived. She loves it and I could really measure the WW points. Usually only used half of the batch one morning and saved the rest for the next morning. Good luck everyone, please keep posting food ideas that help with IBS and weight loss. Also discovered Flavor SPlash made by aquafina. IT is non-carbonated flavored water with splenda. Citrus Splash is excellent. My daughter loved them. I think they are only 5 calories and splenda doesn't bother her like other sweetners.

Hi there-while I was thinking I had a bout of serious IBS, I finally went to Doc and he gave me a prescript of antibiotics for diverticulitis and I am feeling so much better, I suffered for so long. I am not sure citracel works as good as benefiber. Haven't tried the caplets yet. I have to be sure to take fiber for the diverticulitis-I have a lot of it but too much triggers IBS so it is a balance. Bye for now-Mima

I have IBS C &D, ostioporsis, Acid relux and have just in the lasat couple of months started having anxiety aattcks.
My IBS is helped by 5-6 small fat free meals/meals. NO spicey food, the only dairy that does not bother my ibs is cheese and cottage cheese.
I did notice when I started taking calcium for the ostio, my bm's changed for the better. Exercise helps with the IBS and Ostio. The one thing that comforts me when the IBS is flairing up is carbs, rice, bread, dry cereal and potatoes. Well you get the idea. Because of the acid reflux I avoid caffene, and try to avoid spicey food.The anxiety is a new thing I gave yet to learn how to deal with. I m ever so slowly loosing weight

I have IBS-D. I eat 1/2 cup fiber one cereal with soy milk each morning. Works great--I haven't had diarrhea in weeks:) Sorry to be gross!

http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tra...0/175/200/.png

I'd be interested to hear anything that is working for people for IBS-C and/or diverticulosis. Right now I'm trying to eat more soluble fiber (oatmeal, etc.) The last couple of days I've felt quite a lot better, so we'll see....

P.S. You may want to check out this thread on the same subject http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...69#post1090769

This thread is great...I was diagnoised with IBS last year, after a bout of what I thought was food poisioning two weeks ago, the doctor sent me for an abdominal scan where I was diagnoised with Gall Bladder sludge, a condiiton that calls for removal of the gall bladder.

I mention this because I had atypical symptoms, it wasn't until very recently that I developed the pain normally associated with GB issues, and the IBS and GB together made it difficult to diagnoise.

I am schedulng surgery for after taxtime (it is my busiest time of the year) but am now forced to eat low fat, no fiber foods for the next 7 weeks. The doctor that I am going to is a specialist in Laproscopic surgery and he also has a bariatric clinic, and introduced the lapband procedure as a possibly to help control my weight. I just meet the required BMI 40 is required, I am 42. I am considering it but am also feeling that after the GB is removed I will be able to control the IBS and then get the weight loss under control.

The doctors think that I may have been suffering with this for the last four years, most doctors I was seeing before writing it off to stress and the weight, with being advised to lose weight, one doctor just wanted to me have gastic bypass, which I don't feel comfortable with, but while I would not consider the lapband as a separate surgery, I will consider it because I have to go under anyhow.

Sorry for rambling, just in that place if trying to weight the options, opportunities and keep in check with myself.

RB