# FODMAP diet works



## tezamumma

I am 41 years old and have 2 kids (5 and 2). My whole life I have suffered anxiety and panic and have sought help over the years sometimes needing medication and othertimes therapy. I have always had slow motility and in my twenties went through a long period of unexplained diarrhoea and "dumping" that started suddenly after a very rich french meal one night and lasted for at least a year with no other symptoms. My doc diagnosed it as irritable bowel. I finally had a colonoscopy but oddly never experienced the symptoms again after the bowel cleanse that preceded the procedure. I was good for at least 5 or so years but then after my pregnancies more and more I felt constipated, bloated on and off, nauseous on and off, had bad flatulance, seemed to crave sugar and carbs and had trouble losing even 2 kgs. Over the years I have sought various naturopathic advice and eliminated wheat and dairy with very little to no result. I gave up after that and just got by as best I could.Then in november 2011, I finally decided to try again with a new naturopath after she'd successfully helped me to sleep better and feel calmer during the day with one of her herbal remedies. she put me on Gut relief, Iberogast and a probiotic. On the first day i had quite uncomfortable cramps but I thought it was the stuff doing their job and ignored it. by day 5, I was having discomfort and felt sick so i asked her if this was normal. she said give it 14 days to resolve. Well by day 10 I threw everything away and made a appt with my GP. I had terrible heart burn that felt like an ulcer, I was super constipated, I had reflux that often resulted in food actually coming back up, I had a swollen stomach, I had cramps and at one stage I had not eaten for 2 days because I felt so full. looking back now it seemed ridiculous that I would let myself get that way but I believed the advice I was getting and just kept going day by day before I realised that I was so much worse than I had ever been.My GP was appalled. She put me on an proton pump inhibitor to help my oesophagus heal and I started the slow and frustrating task of discovering that I had developed chronic IBS. I couldn't eat or drink anything without pain and so for a week or so lived on green tea and toast. My anxiety levels went sky high and I became scared to eat because of the pain that always followed. on one of my many trips to the GP she suggested I look into the FODMAP diet. she had a tiny bit of info about it told me to try it. I was willing to try anything. I googled and found this forum but couldn't find a current definitive list anywhere. Then I discovered the work being done at Monash University on the diet and bought their booklet online. It was the best $10 I have ever spent because within 3 weeks my symptoms had completely disappeared and I felt better than I have felt in years. 4 months in and I am still on a strict FODMAP elimination diet. I have discovered that I am now lactose intolerant as well so it has been very restrictive but amazingly rewarding. I have lost 6 kgs, I look the best I have in years, my tastes have changed and my cravings for sugar and carbs is gone. My bowel habits are still not "perfect" but are markedly improved and regular in their own way!! i have challenged myself on occasions and discovered what blow outs do to me and am still learning how to live within the parameters and in my "new" body. I have since read that prebiotics, like the ones prescribed to me by the naturopath, are often FODMAPs or at least act like them and should be avoided as a treatment option as they exacerbate symptoms of IBS.Today I have a flat tummy, a slim figure, no pain or reflux and drink 2 litres of water everyday. The biggest dietry change I have grappled with is going wheat free and eliminating some fruits and vegies that I used to eat in large quantities like apples and watermelon. Luckily restaurants are more and more becoming aware of food intolerances so it's probably the best time to be stuck with food issues. I am on antidepressants, as I slipped into a bad state feeling overwhelmed by my symptoms, the pain and the thoughts that i had bought this on myself. My GP has suggested that my anxiety and my bowel issues may have been linked my whole life and has suggested that with time and a brighter outlook I may be able to challenge elements of the diet in order to lift the restriction. for now I don't feel so trapped by my diet and have managed to eat quite well with the help of the book "food management plan" by sue shepherd.If you have not tried this diet for yourself yet or and been dedicated to it for at least 6 weeks I can't recommend it highly enough and suggest your first step would be to purchase a copy of the booklet from http://www.med.monash.edu.au/ehcs/docs/booklet-order-form-2010.pdf. It has the latest info and a clear list of appropriate foods and need-to-knows in an easy to read and simple format.that's my story!


----------



## briarashley

Hey, Thanks a lot for this, ive been on the diet for two weeks. Im getting so frustrated with the mixed messages I get from different websites. I will order this form, it wont arrive for two weeks though as im in NZ. Its ok though I'll keep doing what im doing, its hard to stick to though, i crave so much sugar! Im use to eating apples and chocolate and diet coke to get through the 3pm low.


----------



## tezamumma

briarashley said:


> Hey, Thanks a lot for this, ive been on the diet for two weeks. Im getting so frustrated with the mixed messages I get from different websites. I will order this form, it wont arrive for two weeks though as im in NZ. Its ok though I'll keep doing what im doing, its hard to stick to though, i crave so much sugar! Im use to eating apples and chocolate and diet coke to get through the 3pm low.


I feel your pain! I was a chocoholic and just ate bread and muffins and choccy to get me through too. I always started the day with good intentions!! the other thing I have changed but had NEVER done before is eating tuna or egg or left over meat from dinner for lunch. I have for decades only eaten cheese and salad for lunch in a roll or sandwich or whatever but since eating a meat protein for lunch it has really helped to curb the munchies and fatigue around 3pm. also if I eat tuna for lunch with salad and GF bread I have rice cakes with peanut butter or cheese on around 3pm and I'm good till dinner. RE the diet, there are alot of mixed messages but the fodmap diet pdf available on this forum is probably the best start while you are waiting. the booklet is very clear and has a research based explanation as to what your body is doing when it's suffering from IBS and what the fodmaps do. initially the diet seemd so restrictive and I was devastated but the more I live it the more it feels normal. If I go out for dinner or lunch I have worked out I can have wheat or whatever that one time ( if I have no other GF options) but if I do it again the next day I'm in trouble. this realisation is very reassuring to me that i won't be that person no one wants to invite cos of all my food issues. everyone's tolerance is different so what hurts you may not hurt me. I slipped up one night and drank about 500ml of carbonated grape juice, ate hotdogs and salad for dinner and had choccy after. It was australia day and early on in this discovery. I was fine all night but the next day I was in such excruciating pain that I seriously contemplated going to the ER. by the end of the next day i was fine but i didn't know what had caused it. The GP pointed out that it was very likely the juice and that I shouldn't drink more than 100ml at any sitting. since then the two books I have noted above have mentioned the "dosage" of fruit and juice is important and the hours between them too. you live and learn!!! good luck. I hope it works for you.


----------



## KJL

tezamumma said:


> I feel your pain! I was a chocoholic and just ate bread and muffins and choccy to get me through too. I always started the day with good intentions!! the other thing I have changed but had NEVER done before is eating tuna or egg or left over meat from dinner for lunch. I have for decades only eaten cheese and salad for lunch in a roll or sandwich or whatever but since eating a meat protein for lunch it has really helped to curb the munchies and fatigue around 3pm. also if I eat tuna for lunch with salad and GF bread I have rice cakes with peanut butter or cheese on around 3pm and I'm good till dinner. RE the diet, there are alot of mixed messages but the fodmap diet pdf available on this forum is probably the best start while you are waiting. the booklet is very clear and has a research based explanation as to what your body is doing when it's suffering from IBS and what the fodmaps do. initially the diet seemd so restrictive and I was devastated but the more I live it the more it feels normal. If I go out for dinner or lunch I have worked out I can have wheat or whatever that one time ( if I have no other GF options) but if I do it again the next day I'm in trouble. this realisation is very reassuring to me that i won't be that person no one wants to invite cos of all my food issues. everyone's tolerance is different so what hurts you may not hurt me. I slipped up one night and drank about 500ml of carbonated grape juice, ate hotdogs and salad for dinner and had choccy after. It was australia day and early on in this discovery. I was fine all night but the next day I was in such excruciating pain that I seriously contemplated going to the ER. by the end of the next day i was fine but i didn't know what had caused it. The GP pointed out that it was very likely the juice and that I shouldn't drink more than 100ml at any sitting. since then the two books I have noted above have mentioned the "dosage" of fruit and juice is important and the hours between them too. you live and learn!!! good luck. I hope it works for you.


thank you, that is really reassuring.I always thought I had issues with gluten/wheat. But found that sometimes when I ate bread I was fine, and then other times I wasn't. So maybe it was because I'd eaten it two days in a row when I felt worse. I've had coeliacs blood test, but that was negative.Waiting on referral to a gastroenterologist (sp), and maybe I'll find more out then.I'm using the pdf on this site to help me, I'm only a few days in. I have noticed some improvements, but not a great amount yet. I am also on a lot of meds so it's hard to tell if the diet is helping a lot yet. But I've read you have to wait a few weeks to see big improvements anyway.I looked at the link you posted, but as I'm in the UK it's pretty expensive to purchase. So I'll wait and hope gastro refers me to a dietican!


----------



## tezamumma

this link was helpful. see the pdf attached.http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/138274-printable-fodmap-diet-chart-for-your-convenienceit's pretty much the basics. there is more to the diet regards quantites of foods etc but at least you can be sure of a reasonable list of the things to avoid.NOTE: that I recently read that not all 100% spelt is ok on the diet and I discovered that the hard way!!! see below:http://dietsolutions.net.au/research/research-updates


----------



## KJL

tezamumma said:


> this link was helpful. see the pdf attached.http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/138274-printable-fodmap-diet-chart-for-your-convenienceit's pretty much the basics. there is more to the diet regards quantites of foods etc but at least you can be sure of a reasonable list of the things to avoid.NOTE: that I recently read that not all 100% spelt is ok on the diet and I discovered that the hard way!!! see below:http://dietsolutions.net.au/research/research-updates


Thank you







Yes that is the list I've been using. I've not seen spelt bread here, but will avoid for sure I'm definitely seeing an improvement today. Oddly when I had a banana yesterday I noticed problems, so decided to avoid this morning and I'm doing better.


----------



## anneybell

Hi folks,

First timer but join you all in suffering. Going to try the Fodmap, thankyou for the download. Just one question, where is the meat, fish or chicken? Have I missed something here??


----------



## tezamumma

meat, fish, chicken, eggs are all fine. no fodmaps in there so not mentioned. the low fodmap diet restricts foods that have specific sugars or undigestible fibres etc so it really only applies to fruits, veggies, dairy, if you have probs with lactose, and then the classic problem causers like legumes some nuts and wheat. the latest research says cashews are an issue! spewing cos they were a fav of mine!!! It's not a diet as such, more a list of things to avoid. if it's not on the list then you're pretty much ok to eat it. even if it is on the list it may be ok in a small amount depending on your specific tolerance. Anyway, I've got a bit omplaicent since I've been feeling so good, over the xmas period, without challenging the specific groups so i have no real idea what my specific issues relate to beyond the wheat part and now I'm symptomatic again but am not sure what to attribute it all to. started again on a 8 week elim today and will def follow up with a proper challenge so i can sort this out once and for all. Its 12 noon and I'm already struggling. It will take a few weeks of being diligent to settle in again.


----------

