Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | How do you deal emotionally with having IBS?

I feel the same and find it very hard to accept that I can't eat freely - rebelling is a very good description of my state of mind a lot of the time. I used to be a compulsive eater and one of the most important steps for me in getting out of the bingeing/dieting cycle was to tell myself that I could eat anything I wanted, not restricted by calories or other diet rules but also not driven by food obsessions. So I find it very hard now to accept the restrictions of the IBS diet, even though I know it is for a good reason. It isn't any one particular food for me, just the lack of freedom or spontaneity. Despite this, I have made a lot of changes to my diet and do feel more comfortable most of the time, although still not really great.

Chocolate - as you are in the UK you should be able to get Alpro chocolate flavoured soya milk. It is okay for IBS as it uses cocoa for flavouring and it tastes great, either on cereal (eg Rice Krispies) or heated gently to make a hot drink. Also, Swedish Glace soya based 'ice cream', available in Holland & Barrett and some supermarkets (Tesco?) comes in many flavours including a very good chocolate. Also, I'm sure Heather says somewhere that she eats chocolate regularly, but only after a good SF based meal so that it is safe - so there is hope!

Losing weight - I have lost one pound a week steadily for over two months now. In my dieting days I would have laughed at such a pitifully slow rate of loss, but considering I am not counting calories or making any real effort to lose weight, I have been very pleased about it. I think the main reasons are cutting out a lot of high fat foods and eating smaller meals but more often. I try to go for walks when I can, but I don't follow any regular exercise routine, not yet anyway.

I think trying to lose weight always puts so much pressure on me, that it's only a matter of time before I crash off the diet and right into bingeing/depression/putting weight on again. So for me it's more important to relax a bit about the weight aspect right now and just let it happen. But I do still have an issue with rebelling ...

How long have you been trying Heather's diet? Do you take any SFS? I have a theory that taking SFS - and drinking plenty of water and/or peppermint tea between meals - helps me to eat slightly smaller meals. It's as if I don't feel as 'greedy' as I used to. But also I think some of my 'greed' was actually a response to the pain and discomfort of my IBS, eating more just helped me to numb the feelings ... Deliberate over-eating had been my way of numbing lots of feelings for years, so when IBS came along I just carried on doing the same thing.

Hope some of this helps. It is nice to hear from another ex-binge eater on the boards - I think there are several of us here with experience of eating disorders, so don't worry, you're not alone!

Josephine

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