# Is there a good diet plan for losing weight if you are an IBS-D sufferer?



## spazzy (Mar 29, 2010)

I was wondering if anyone had any ideas about where to locate a good cookbook for IBS-D sufferers who want to lose weight. I'd like to start off with about 1200 calories per day, but don't want to load up so much on salads and raw vegetables since they tend to be bothersome.

I'd love to find a good nutritional plan with a variety of different ideas for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.......and snacks.

Have any of you successfully lost weight while living with IBS-D? Actually, I have Biliary Salts Diarrhea, also. Seems I had IBS-D for years, and then after my gallbladder removal, the BSD started. Both of them cause a lot of diarrhea and pain.

I can't believe I've put on so much weight since I got very ill about 5 years ago. It's so strange. About 5 years ago I became quite ill. I went to numerous doctors, and not one of them could diagnose me with anything specific. But I dropped 40 pounds literally within a couple of months, food absolutely tasted like cardboard to me, I developed extreme insomnia, had my very first panic attack (which continued for some months), developed thrush in my mouth due to the antibiotics they kept prescribing for me. It was just a horrible time in my life, and I honestly thought I was dying. Forcing myself to eat every day was just the most difficult exercise, and I love food! I thought I had cancer. My gastro doctor said the only issues he could find were elevated liver enzymes and some anemia. But he couldn't tell me WHY I had those problems......and neither could any other doctor. I was at the ER many times over a period of about 5 months. It was not a good time for me.

Strangely, it all resolved on its own. So I still to this day have no clue what was going on with me at that time. But it was sooooo frightening. I put the 40 pounds back on, food started to once again taste wonderful, and I even added about another 60 pounds on top of it! Yikes!.......not a good thing at all. Now I am overweight.

Until I can get to a doctor to have my thyroid checked again (a doctor took me off Synthroid about 5 years ago), I can only assume that I may be having some weight problems due to thyroid. Someone told me recently that once you're on Synthroid, you should be on it for a lifetime. That may be true; I really don't know. But the doctor who took me off of it wasn't the one who orignally prescribed it. I think the problem was that he was an internist and he assumed that having a so-called "normal" thyroid level meant that I had no thyroid problems. But I've since learned that it's a bit more complicated than that. You can actually have a "normal" thyroid level, but indeed still have a thyroid problem.

Anyway, I really do want to get rid of about 60 pounds. And I'd like to do without bombarding myself with an overabundance of fiber.

I am determined to get this weight off. I'd love to hear from those of you who've lost some weight, and what you did that worked for you! Thank you for any helpful advice or suggestions!


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## goodmorning111 (Feb 20, 2014)

I think I can help; I've lost weight that I thought I could never lose, and I struggle some with ibs-d. Firstly, I had to count calories too, which I dreaded for a long time. It got to be workable, as folks do tend to eat somewhat repetitiously. If your system can tolerate protein, we're on an easier journey than you think. My choice of protein was beef, chicken, tuna and eggs. You can consume a lot of chicken, btw, and not gain weight. I knocked my carbs way back. so, one slice of bread with a meal/sandwich, not 2. If I had a burger, it was homemade, and I used my George Forman grill often. Drains off the fat with no effort. Secondly, I had peanut butter between meals- again, it's high protein, low carb, and low sugar. Even "skippy" or peter pan has low sugar grams. What helps with the diarrhea from any of these foods is diarsoothe. I keep it on hand, and can do a couple of tablespoons a day. The great thing about it , is it gives me a boost of energy, and for whatever reason, makes my sinuses feel good. weird, but true. Anyway, it's key to have your food purchased and planned before meals come. This is so key, as you don't want to be hungry, and have nothing on hand, so hence, the carbs, the cookies, stuff like that. If you'll do the planning and buying ahead, it's 90% of the battle. Ok, I've written a book, so I'll stop here. Let me know where this needs tweaking for your needs.


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## PD85 (Aug 19, 2010)

1200 calories is way too low to start at. You will plateau quickly and have no where to go. What is your height and weight, and are you male or female?

The first thing you need to do is change your diet so you are eating healthy amounts of fat, protein, and carbohydrates, in that order. This will drastically alter your physique to begin with.

Example diet would be:

breakfast:

smoked salmon on crackers with grass-fed butter or 2 eggs

lunch:

pastured chicken with brown or white rice (seasoned however you like), strawberries and blueberries, some almonds

dinner:

grass-fed beef, zuccini, bell peppers, broccoli, and some sweet potato

Once you have a solid diet in place while eating your maintenance calories, you can start subtracting or adding calories. A real diet is one you stick to, and like the above poster said, you will likely have to count calories.

The MOST IMPORTANT thing is that you start at the highest possible caloric intake you can and with healthy food choices, and go from there.


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## Colt (May 5, 2011)

My two cents....not necessarily a "diet" per se, but I strongly suggest you look for the hidden fat in your diet. I had a medical condition about eight years ago where my body decided not to process fat properly. The doctor put me on a near-zero fat diet for a 6 week period in order to conduct tests.

I lost 15 pounds comfortably with no other effort besides watching fat. That one single Costco Muffin had enough fat for three days. When you start looking, you will be shocked by fat content in things you never thought had fat. Make sure to get a good understanding on "good" fat versus "bad" fat too.

Believe me, check EVERY label. Switch to snacks like pretzels and rice cake. Low fat ice cream......you can still eat the good stuff and lose a lot of weight.

Give it a go!! Best of luck to you.


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## movetony88 (Mar 26, 2014)

Solid suggestions. Cut out the fat, yeah. Also, cut out what appears as the more healthy drinks, like gatorade. looks healthy, but is deceiving. cooked vegetables are easier on the stomach, I've found. a little boring for snacks, but I can tolerate tomatoes pretty well.


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## PD85 (Aug 19, 2010)

Colt said:


> My two cents....not necessarily a "diet" per se, but I strongly suggest you look for the hidden fat in your diet. I had a medical condition about eight years ago where my body decided not to process fat properly. The doctor put me on a near-zero fat diet for a 6 week period in order to conduct tests.
> 
> I lost 15 pounds comfortably with no other effort besides watching fat. That one single Costco Muffin had enough fat for three days. When you start looking, you will be shocked by fat content in things you never thought had fat. Make sure to get a good understanding on "good" fat versus "bad" fat too.
> 
> ...


The only problem with this advice is that fat is THE number one most important macro-nutrient to consume (of course you NEED all 3). Your brain is made almost entirely of fat, and needs fat to operate. Every cell in your body is only made of protein, fat, and water. If you just eat carbohydrates you are simply providing energy for your broken, sick, malfunctioning cells. You will never get better. Quality animal fats (and certain other fats like avocado, olive oil, and coconut oil) provide the real nutrients your body needs to replace cells, make healthy ones, and heal itself.

Low-fat diets are the worst diets in the world for all-around health and are one of the main causes of the high rates of diabetes and heart disease in America.


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## Debbie Barber (Apr 2, 2014)

useful tips thanks


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## Colt (May 5, 2011)

PD85 said:


> The only problem with this advice is that fat is THE number one most important macro-nutrient to consume (of course you NEED all 3). Your brain is made almost entirely of fat, and needs fat to operate. Every cell in your body is only made of protein, fat, and water. If you just eat carbohydrates you are simply providing energy for your broken, sick, malfunctioning cells. You will never get better. Quality animal fats (and certain other fats like avocado, olive oil, and coconut oil) provide the real nutrients your body needs to replace cells, make healthy ones, and heal itself.
> 
> Low-fat diets are the worst diets in the world for all-around health and are one of the main causes of the high rates of diabetes and heart disease in America.


I did not say anything about being "fat-free" to the point of killing or hurting yourself. I guarantee everyone eats at least twice the amount of fat they need. I am saying that simply cutting down the fat to what a person requires is the key to losing weight. I lived this first hand and was shocked by the amount of unnecessary fat I was taking in.

There is also the issue of "good" and "bad" fat.

The OP can do as they wish, I am only sharing what absolutely worked for me.


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