Is Low Carb possible with a restriced diet? advice needed -sorry for length

[witchwhoknitssocks]

Hi
I have extremely severe IBS and dysfunctional bowel, after years of tests and one surgeon wanting to remove my entire large intestine, I was referred to an IBS specialist (Prof Whorwell www.ibs-care.org/) and was put onto a restricted diet as well as medication which has helped immensely.
BUT I have put on loads of weight.
Before I was eating clean, breads were organic wholemeal seeded etc, oats for breakfast lots of veggies and some fruit, no processed meals all cooked from scratch and I lost weight albeit slowly if I stuck to calories.

The restricted diet is only white bread, pasta, rice. NO veg or fruit apart from potatoes and carrots without skins. No cereal apart from rice krispies. Nothing made from wholemeal or seeded flours. No sweeteners, honey, agave. Meat, fish diary are all allowed.

I am gaining weight on this regime as I am definitely more hungry and struggling to stick to calories and now I am starting to introduce some foods back to see what I can tolerate. A small amount of salad or veg is ok for a couple of days then I have to have a day without again...working out triggers is hard as it may be something I ate 2 days ago or a combination of things that cause problems.

SO after all this waffle does anyone think that low carb is worth a go or will the lack of veg cause problems as I cant risk constipation with my dodgy gut and I don't fancy the Atkins side effects of bad breath etc.

thanks for any help

A difficult one. The white bread and past will not have much fibre in though will it? (constipation wise)

Carrots have gentle soluble fibre. You could perhaps try decreasing portions of the bread, rice and pasta and increasing meat and carrots. Can you eat mushrooms?

You could maybe have eggs on 1/2 slice toast for breakfast or half bacon sandwich for breakfast, 1/2 sandwich with lots of lean meat / fish in for lunch or chicken soup or carrot soup with 1/2 chicken sandwich for lunch and meat in sauce with only small spoon of rice / pasta for dinner.

thank you daftdame oddly its fibre I cant have as my gut cant cope that's the reason for the white bread, pasta etc.
This is after years of being told to up fibre and get plenty of fruit and veg I am now on the opposite of what we are told to eat to avoid constipation.
It works im in less pain than I have been for years just heavier

Well low carb can certainly be low fibre. I would reduce carbs gradually and see how you cope. Hope it goes well.

Do you have to have a certain amount of bread, rice, pasta etc for your diet, or is it that if you have them at all, they must be the white versions? if it's the latter then you could try, as said above, increasing the meat and fat and decreasing the carbs, and this should help you feel less hungry. I do see that it's difficult though as you can't do what most of us do and have plenty of veg. I hope you find something that works for you - good luck.

Thanks again daftdame
Secondsop thank you Its if I have them at all they must be white, so they tend to be with every nearly every meal as I cant replace them with veg. typically toast or rice krispies for breakfast at work, sandwich for lunch and meat/ fish/ eggs with potatoes, pasta or rice for dinner.

I was worried about upping the fat as I wont be eating a large amount of low carb veg but will just have to give it a try and see what the results are. I love the no weighing aspect of this WOE but I can see I will have to weigh to keep my carbs down.