# FodMAP ... not much success/lessons learned



## mk_ruah (Jul 10, 2014)

I did the diet to my best for 5 weeks - despite having to eat out quite frequently - with mild success if any. I still only had three "normal" days in the whole time which isn't too different than my usual.

Trying to figure out where I go from here. I've been off the diet for a couple weeks - still not eating much garlic and avoiding some of the obvious irritants.

Suggestions? Do I keep following fodmap?? It seems like a lot of work for minimal results. Most of the below stuff I knew already except for the garlic.

I cheated maybe twice knowingly


once when I had the chance for a 5star meal...only mildly upsetting
once on wheat products, which I wasn't too worried about because I've gone GF for as long as a year and a half and that was obviously not the main culprit. (Have also been tested three different ways for Celiac and gluten sensitivity)

What I know aggravate the gut:


Strawberries (a few are ok) but these are supposed to be okay on Fodmap...
Lemonade (again, a little is okay)
Salad??? Even when free of garlic and onion products....
Citrus on an empty stomach
Bubbly water
Beer - sometimes but not always
I think garlic is a culprit...doesn't cause a meltdown but might be a commonality on some of the flairs
Apples
Grapes have been an issue (but fodmap says ok...I ate them this month and was okay if I kept portions small)

Foods that have some other reaction:


Chicken...often makes me phlegmy in my lungs
Cornflakes and almond milk often makes my nose run

What I learned in general:


Stop eating the minute I felt something bad in my gut
Eat smaller portions of everything... an abnormally large portion - even if I'm not gorging - can push me into discomfort


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## Reallyoldkid (Nov 10, 2014)

For me figuring out what has been causing my digestive problems has taken years. I started with a gluten free diet which helped for some time. Then as my problems worsened I did an elimination diet through a naturopath. With that I found I had a severe reaction to nightshade vegetables and have eliminated those. I now am working on eliminating the FODMAPS. So far I know pistachios and several fruits and polyols are a definite no.

Figuring out sensitivities takes time. I have found that eating out makes it more difficult because you have no control. I used to love to eat out. I rarely do now, and I have to be very careful of where I chose to eat out.

Good luck with your search to eliminate what is making you ill.


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## Reallyoldkid (Nov 10, 2014)

Oh yes, cornflakes have gluten, unless purchasing GF. You may have a sensitivity to chicken? I have a sensitivity to soy and chicken often has soy in it so I have had to limit chicken - I try to buy organic.


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## onyx (Jan 13, 2006)

I tried gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free first, and when that did nothing I tried FODMAP, although I only lasted about 2 1/2 weeks. Noticed nothing except being more hungry. Someone recommended escalating to SCD diet which sounds quite intimidating.

I have this suspicion diet has nothing to do with my IBS-D but all my attempts to help with supplements, probiotics, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, etc. went nowhere, so I'm considering either a more strict retry or the FODMAP or maybe SCD. It would be so much easier attempting these difficult diets if I had some assurance there was some benefit down the road.


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## terbear1516 (Nov 13, 2014)

I haven't done the FODMAP diet, at least not knowingly, but by keeping a journal and close track of what I eat I have been able to come up with a large quantity of items I can't go near. Wine, coffee, garlic, onions (red yellow and white, a few tiny slices of green onion as a garnish seems ok). I have to avoir any kind of pepper, as well as corn, popcorn, most green vegetables. Beans, quinoa and chia can be eaten in small quantities and I have no problem with gluten products. I can't drink milk, but I can handle cheese, cottage cheese, etc in small quantities. I think that knowing the triggers is always better and I commend anyone able to cut out gluten products for any length of time. I definitely can't do it. There are some days that crackers are the only thing I am able to keep down.


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## vermeera (Aug 27, 2014)

I did the full low-FODMAP routine. 6 weeks of eliminating all the high-FODMAPs, and then for the following 5 weeks I introduced one category at a time.

My findings:

Polyols are not a problem for me.

Fructose is a HUGE problem, and discovering this shed light on many previous flare-ups. Even small amounts of honey make me sick.

Galactans are not ok. Lactose is not ok (already knew that one.)

Fructans I think are fine, just not in large amounts. So, occasional wheat products are no big deal.

To give you some numbers, in a 6-week period *before* changing anything about my diet, I had 17 days of diarrhea. During 6 weeks of low-FODMAP eating, I only had 4 bad days (which I can tie to restaurant-eating and discovering my extra-low fructose tolerance. i.e. - bananas are bad.)

So cutting out FODMAPs reduced my symptoms to less than a quarter of what they used to be, which is pretty great.

Not directed at the OP, just at anyone considering doing it:

I have to emphasize that it's the sort of diet you really can't half-ass. You can't "only sort of" cut "most" of the foods, and then claim it doesn't work for you. These foods have a cumulative effect on our bodies, and you won't see a difference if you don't bring your levels as far down to zero as possible. Then trial the food types one by one to see which are your culprits.

The low-FODMAP route is not a magical pill that solves your problems for you. It's a tool to help figure out what your own tolerance levels are. And it helps 74% of IBS sufferers, so if you haven't given it a try, I would definitely recommend it. The odds are in your favor. It just takes a lot of work (meal planning, food diary, extra food prep, etc.) Worth it, though.

Sorry for the novel!


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## Amanda Nicole (Jul 14, 2013)

mk_ruah said:


> I did the diet to my best for 5 weeks - despite having to eat out quite frequently - with mild success if any. I still only had three "normal" days in the whole time which isn't too different than my usual.
> 
> Trying to figure out where I go from here. I've been off the diet for a couple weeks - still not eating much garlic and avoiding some of the obvious irritants.
> 
> ...


It's not surprising that you had minimal improvements after following FODMAPs... in fact, I wrote a blog post on this very topic a while ago if you're interested in knowing why FODMAPs didn't work for you - http://getwellified.com/think-twice-before-going-low-fodmap/. I rarely ever recommend FODMAPs for my IBS clients for the reasons outlined in my blog post. I've found that identifying sensitivities is a much better way for my clients to find relief. There is testing that can be done to pinpoint your unique triggers, so it doens't have to be a long process of trial and error. Hope this helps!


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