Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Hi there Niki,

First of all, I totally agree with what Bev wrote to you about how we have all been there because we all have. I definitely have.
When I was living abroad, my mom sent me a link to Heather's website because I had been so so sick and she had found it online. I came to the website, read the diet guidelines and said, "Nope, I can't do that" and shut it down and didn't look at it again for a long while.

The thing is, I had it in the back of mind all the time that while I was eating crappy food and then feeling crappy that I HAD been told (or had read, in my case) the things that were doing this.

For me, it was a matter of getting to a "breaking point". I was so sick that I got really depressed, didn't want to leave the house, couldn't have a good time with friends, and was just in pain all the time. As much as I didn't want to give up some of my favourite foods (which seemed like a huge deal at the time), I couldn't afford to keep letting my stomach dictate how I was going to lead my life.

I think it is also a matter of taking responsibility. I feel like if I am going to eat a bunch of ice cream, I really can't moan afterwards about how sick I feel if I knew it would happen. It's like having a hangover -- you saw it coming, and you did it anyway. Sure, once and a while it's worth it but for the most part, why put yourself through that?

And here is the thing about cutting out food: The longer you go without it, the less you want it. I haven't eaten red meat in a long time, and I never crave it now like I did at the beginning. High fat foods also get out of your system really fast and you'll stop craving them pretty quick.

Another thing I found really helpful are healthy replacements for things I can't have. Like red meat, as I just mentioned. Rather than using ground beef in recipes, I use ground turkey and I LOVE it. AND I don't get sick from it. Here is a great recipe: Turkey Meatloaf that tastes pretty much exactly like regular meatloaf and is super yummy, and guilt free. If you like snack foods, you can replace regular potato chips and snacks with baked potato and corn chips and pretzels. I can't even remember the last time I had regular potato chips.
If you have a look at the recipe index you can find loads of recipes for safe meals and all sorts. I am totally addicted to some of the muffin recipes.

I think like anything else, it is a matter of looking at things and making a decision. Once you make the decision to put your health first, you have to stick to it. Most importantly, you have to eliminate the big bads from your diet and give your poor gut a break.

Try to keep in mind that making these changes aren't supposed to make your life worse or harder, but to make it BETTER.
It is a lot of guessing and testing and it takes a lot of time, but it is so worth it once you feel better.

Good luck, and let us know how you are feeling!

Cheers!
--Steph

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~~I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell-I know right now you can't tell~~Matchbox 20
IBS-D,pain.

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