IBS and eating low calories

[pinky987]

I have been struggling with my ibs worse then ever.

I have gone to a dietician who thought it could be a food allergy so I have to follow an elimination diet. This means not eating wheat, fish, dairy, eggs,nuts, milk and soya as well as follow the low fodmap rules.

I am finding it so hard to get the calories in each day. My average day is 1000 calories but for the last couple of days it’s only been about 450 as haven’t been able to find anything to eat whilst out.

My stomach is gurgling like crazy this morning and I feel rubbish.

Can such as restricted diet be making my ibs worse? I’m not sure it’s a food allergy as I haven’t eaten any of those foods for 2 weeks and no better.

What foods can you eat ?
If you’re hungry and not eating enough that can cause a funny tummy too.
It would be really difficult to remove everything at once and really not helpful as you will be none the wiser as to the cause of your ibs.
I would try a low fodmap diet first on its own. Ironically if I eat a so-called healthy diet it can make me really ill. Sweeteners, lentils, chick peas, Brown bread with gluten & stone fruits I’ve found all are high in food maps. And I can’t tolerate them. You may find other foods that you are sensitive to. Garlic and onions are common ones.
Try excluding the more obvious fodmaps - sweeteners, gluten containing carbs, dairy products first and see how you do?

@teta thank you. I originally tried just eating the lowfodmap diet but after speaking to the dietician they thought that the food I was eating shouldn’t be causing my symptoms so then put me on the elimination diet. I have got two more appointments with this dietician and she has said we can increase the food next appointment in September.

Since cutting back I seem to have developed a fear of eating anything different for fear of giving me diarreah however today I seem constipated and like I said a gurgling stomach.

Hope this helps

For breakfast I’d have Rice Krispies with unsweetened rice milk or coconut milk.
Occasionally gluten free toast with peanut butter or or a small portion of porridge made with coconut milk and topped with blueberries or drizzled with maple syrup.

For lunches, I had these:
Corn tortilla with grilled chicken and romaine lettuce
Miso soup
Toasted cheese sandwich made with GF bread if I didn’t have bread for breakfast

For dinner I’d have:
steamed fish/grilled chicken breast/prawns on a bed of rice or rice noodles, often with soy sauce
Feta, cucumber and quinoa salad
Baked potato with tuna

I’d snack on small portions of nuts (not cashew or pistachio), rice cakes and popcorn.

I tried fodmap with the nhs and found that I had to live on home cooking as nothing pre-packaged was possible.

Oatcakes and chicken were my staples. Can’t remember what else. I think potatoes were supposed to be ok but gave me the runs. Many of the things in fodmap were triggers for me. So I was eating a fodmap minus those things. Which left practically nothing. For six weeks. It was awful and in my case did not help at all.

I had the constant runs prior. It would take three days to show up. So I’d eat a trigger food on Monday and have pains and the runs on Wednesday. Apparently that delay shows that it’s not a fodmap related problem, as did the fact I couldn’t tolerate half the fodmap foods to start with. Apparently allergies or sensitivities should show up within 20 minutes of eating a trigger. Not three days.

Incidentally my pal has a similar thing. We are both ‘of a certain age’ and I’m sure this is a hormone related problem. I don’t know if that helps you though!?

@Ricekrispie22 thank you that’s helpful. I had to cut out the gluten free bread and other products as they had egg in and I can only eat vegan cheese but not tried that yet. I’m currently living off cornflakes, chicken, rice, potatoes, red pepper, green beans, strawberries and bananas.

@Elieza thank you I’m very similar in that low fodmap food was effecting me so that is why dietician said it could be a food allergy and started elimination diet. I have been eating low fodmap since start of July and then end of July dietician but me on elimination diet until second week of September ☹️ it’s just so little food choice. The diarreah has improved but now I’m now just having tiny pieces of poo every hour or so and I’m wondering if that is because I haven’t been eating enough.

I get that but if poo thing when I’ve eaten something i shouldnt. I get no poo at all if I havent eaten anything.

I think there is still something you’re eating that you should avoid. Or perhaps you are drinking something? Stuck to tea and water. No fuzz, alcohol or squash and certainly no artificial sweeteners. All brands run through me!

I found that my tolerance of fruit and veg is one tablespoon. Per day. Any more and it runs through me. So that’s what I have. Usually potatoes. Or tomatoes.

Eat more of the chicken and rice etc and cut the fruit and veg down to one tablespoon per day and see if that helps.

Is there a type of vegan bread you can eat without gluten?

What about rice cakes? Just trying to think up alternatives for you but it’s been a while since I did fodmap so I’m not sure!

Eat as much safe food as you can. And try a vitamin supplement.

No fizz, duh!

Have you tried adding in probiotics?
Either in tablet form/liquid or with food.
I brewed my own kefir for months using coconut milk. Plus had a lot of cider vinegar & kimchi.These were the only things that helped soothe my stomach.
You can make a stomach soothing chicken soup by poaching a free range chicken with a large dollop of live cider vinegar, turmeric, ginger ( plus garlic if allowed) and veggies.
It's nice with potatoes or rice with lemon n tamari sauce.

@Elieza maybe it is the fruit and veg portions, I’ll try and monitor it.

@teta I tried alflorex probiotic but that gave me really bad diarreah so stopped

If you were a sick pet your owner would be feeding you chicken and rice to settle your tummy so I think you’re on the right track!

My nhs dietician said not to worry about not getting nutrition for my reduced diet as I take a multivitamin and she suggested eating porridge to get roughage as an alternative to fruit and veg. So I eat that with water instead of milk (boring) and sugar (naughty but all sweeteners set me off even the ones I’m supposed to be able to take).
I’d drink Diet Coke for years and thought there’s no way that’s adding to my problems as I’m fine with that but it turns out it was setting me off. So don’t trust anything that was ok before until you’ve ruled it out by testing, which you should be able to do after a week once you’ve been on the chicken and rice and other bland things with no fruit veg (those are mostly made of water so hardly surprising they cone out the other end watery)!

I’m also on probiotics called saccharonyces boulardi by cytoplan , which were recommended by my private nutritionist.