# i avoid eating in public..or out in general



## asian_girl (Aug 22, 2003)

having ibs d for several years, with many bad experiences to accompany it, i just gave up on eating when im out to avoid the whole anxiety and diarrhea explosion. when youre out, and dont feel like eating , what good reasons do you say to others? i hate it when people assume im on a diet. owell just something to think about.


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## Nikki (Jul 11, 2000)

A friend of mine asked me out for dinner a while ago and i said, look, don't book, if i can do dinner, we'll go. I'll let you know on the day. It got down to it and i really didn't feel like dinner so i asked him what he wanted to do instead. He said, well i wanted to take you for dinner but you don't eat! Grr...i do- i just have to be careful.Jeez.


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## Mercedes . (Apr 4, 2003)

i was invited out to dinner with a group of friends, but realised it would be pointless because i really couldnt eat anything as so many places make it difficult to avoid all those no no foods!!


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## asian_girl (Aug 22, 2003)

i never eat when im out and im sick of people asking me if im on a diet or if im fasting. its so annoying. people dont understand ibs. i dont know what else to say. maybe i shouldnt say anything at all. owell. just something to think about


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## Baby1155 (Oct 1, 2003)

I've found that usually I can get something little if I'm not feeling that great. That way I still get to go out and I can kind of avoid most of the foods thats going to make me feel bad. Soup is a good idea if you can. Appetizers can work if they're not greasy. If not you can always just get a glass of water and just enjoy being out without the anxiety.


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## jrs (Jun 18, 2001)

I've made a mental list of the resturants that have 'low-fat' items in the past few years. The worst is going to some place that you've never been to before, not knowing whether or not you're going to be able to eat anything. I was actually thinking about why no one has ever opened a 'healthy' resturant -- surely there has to be enough demand for tasty, yet low fat, meals.


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## Kyleogeous (Dec 26, 2002)

There are a few "healthy" ones out there. Evos is supposed to be better than the other fast food places. Applebees has a few items on the menu that are "better" for you. Sweet Tomatoes seems the best. I have not been to one in a while, but they are mostly vegitarian.


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## 14448 (Jun 14, 2006)

I find that chicken (with no sauce) is safest thing to order when out, sometimes I just eat chicken breast and leave carbs and veg. Or I say I'm not hungry, but then people think I'm anorexic! Worse thing is when someone cooks for group and I can't risk eating it- I never eat in eve if i have to stay for night. But it makes me feel left out and angry.


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## degrassi (Jun 10, 2003)

I usually let people know that going out for dinner doens't always work for me and i'd rahter do something else like go for drinks, movie, or just hang out. SO far all my friends have been really good about it. They dont' care whether we go out for dinner or something else instead, they just want to hang out.When i do go out to the resturant I found if we go for sushi/japanese food i'm usually ok. I dont' seem to get sick from eating sushi and maki as its mostly rice and low fat.


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## 20498 (Jun 8, 2006)

I tell people the truth...If it eat something bad it will make me sick. If your friends have a good sense of humor have them rent along came polly w/ Jennifer Aniston. The main guy has IBS & people will relate (and hopefully not be judgemental). Or sometimes I lie and say I have alergies. People usualy understand that excuse.


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## 19482 (Dec 23, 2005)

I hate it too when people say are you on a diet !! ohh you lost some weight !!!







and i'm burning from inside cuz the reason that I can't eat as normal people do..but some friends know about it and don't say anything.


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## ziggystardust00 (Aug 10, 2003)

Yup me too.I'm in Germany for a semester (part of my degree) at the mo and have met lots of new people. I've not been out to dinner with them once since I've been here! It's so awkward cos like you say people wonder what on earth is up! I'm veggie and wheat-intolerant which kinda covers why I don't eat out- but of course there are further reasons (which you guys understand and my new friends don't need to know!). What worries me is that they must think I've got an eating disorder or something!!!Esp. as I'm thin!


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## Lumanog (Feb 14, 2005)

It's hard to resist when your friends are inviting you to eat outside or a friend cooked a food for you which you cant tolerate. If I said no maybe they'll be hurted or be mad at me, but if I'll explain maybe they will understand or dont, I dont know. I think there should be a special restaurant for ibs sufferers or a special area in the restaurant for us.


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## 13647 (May 30, 2006)

I always dread the invitation of dinner with friends. I often will go if I know that I'm going to be going home immediately after, otherwise, I just don't eat.


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## 14448 (Jun 14, 2006)

Recently I've been risking eating out with my boyfriend more, I get slightly drunk or stoned before we leave, which relaxes me and seems to sedate the 'brain/gut' trigger. My flat is close to the city centre so I feel relatively safe. Also I choose places where there r busy, anonymous toilets, like Wetherspoons, just in case.My main problem is if I go out of town, I can never risk eating out (or eating much atall)for fear of having an attack.


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## 15341 (Jul 5, 2006)

Last time i ate out was over a year ago, i had a horrible experience at TGI fridays i had ribs with bbq sauce and fries, it was lovely food while i was eating it, but, well, i was in the toilet before i even left the place, and for a good 3 hours when i got home literally pooping ribs and fries!!! NEVER AGAIN at the time i didnt know i had IBS, i hadn't been diagnosed. Must admit though having IBS certainly proves the pleasure/pain theory you can eat what the hell you want when the hell you want to and get great pleasure from eating it, but you dont half know about it afterwards


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## Venom (Jul 8, 2006)

Hi, I'm new here. I am 22 yrs old, from Toronto Canada. I have been suffering from IBS for a while. I have found many ways to cope with my issue, hopefully this will help you. I used to be 6â€™4 230lbs, and because of IBS, I am now 6â€™4 190lbs. I am trying to get back into the shape I was before, but it is extremely difficult since red meat is also a trigger. I usually get my protein from chicken and fish. I have corn flakes with soy milk almost every day as a breakfast, this provides me with a pretty good dose of fiber. I drink allot of water, and I exercise every other day. The exercise really helps me. If I know I will be attending a social event, I will schedule myself to eat at around 5:00pm and work out at around 6:30pm until 7:30pm. This will give me a pretty intense workout and plenty of time for my food to digest. I will then drink chamomile tea at around 8:30pm which absolutely calms me. I usually drink this stuff before exams and other stressful situations, and it works wonders. I really donâ€™t have to worry about a bathroom and where it is all the time. My marks on exams prior to drinking chamomile tea were really low, because the stress would cause me to have an attack in the exam room, so I really rushed through a lot of them. After drinking the chamomile I saw a drastic increase in my results. The most important part of my control is my diet. I stay away from all dairy and white flour products. I tend not to eat anything that is greasy or contains any oil at all. I also stay away from spicy foods. I donâ€™t drink any alcohol because it tends to be a trigger. When I attend social events or dinners, I usually inform everyone that I have an allergy to white flour and dairy, which eliminates half the stuff on the menu. I stick with salads, quesadillas (tomato shell), and other stuff like that. Always remember to chew your food a lot which will help your stomach digest it properly and drink ample water. I have found that my method has really helped me, and has improved my lifestyle significantly. It's all about Diet and LifestyleIf you have any more questions please feel free to send me a messagehockeymill###gmail.comif you have MSN, write me an email


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## 22659 (Jul 1, 2006)

yea, i haven't figured out all my triggers, but i've stopped eating grease (anything fried or w/e), no cheese, very small amount of red meat, but i do eat yogurt because that seems to help. i also eat a ton of fruits and veggies and pasta(mostly rice). but the one food that has always calmed my stomach during this whole thing is probably one of the worst for most: cinnamon rolls. lol it's chock full of butter and sugar, but it's comfort food.


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## 13627 (Jun 16, 2006)

Well im 23 years old..can completely relate to what you all go through..and I'm usually in NY most of the time hanging out ..it's extremely hard to go out and not be able to eat all day..its what I usually do on the weekends ..and I starve myself..but lately I've been eating little things here and there..bc if I don't ..i start feeling extremely weak and my legs start to shake and get sharp pains..and i start to get headaches..its just not worth it..i try to eat some cookies or bread or somethingTrust me..being in NY and having IBS ..is not fun at all..I just stick to really simple foods ..but of course the anxiety of "what if" is ALWAYS there ..sometimes the simplest blandest foods that I never think would bother me does...and sometimes i like to spoil myself with the food i shouldn't eat and it doesnt bother me..i dont understand my stomach sometimes..


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## 22711 (Jul 1, 2006)

I rarely eat out as well. It took me a long time to get to the point where I am now and if I mess up even once I don't want my whole digestive system to feel sick again. Thinking about it, I can't even remember the last time I ate at a resturant. I tend to be very straightforward - and say something along the lines of - I can't because I'll get sick if I eat out.


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## 21787 (Mar 26, 2006)

I eat out in restaurants all the time...it's one of my favourite things to do. But I only do it when I'm having a good day! I can tell when I wake up in the morning if I'm gonna have a good day or a bad day with the way that my tummy feels. So if I have a good day, I just do as much as I can to enjoy myself.


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## 23524 (May 9, 2006)

Hi, I avoid eating in mainstream places like mcdonalds. I prefer to eat in health food places but socially ibs is very frustrating because I am so picky about what I eat compared to my non ibs friends.


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