# Low FODMAPs diet



## tkdgirl1983 (Nov 14, 2010)

Anyone tried this?After 'eating anything' over the Christmas period my symptoms have returned 100%. Went to see a dietician privately yesterday and this is what she recommends. Going to start on Monday and wondered whether anyone else has had sucess with it? (I need success stories to help me stick to it because it's so restrictive)


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Here is a thread with some success mentioned.http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/index.php?/topic/132602-fodmaps-have-solved-my-flatulence-issue/page__p__814401__hl__fodmap__fromsearch__1#entry814401We've also had people who do well on a general low carb diet (there is a small study that showed it helped with IBS-D) and a fair number of people limit fructose or sorbitol (even if not the exact FODMAP diet) and find that helps.


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## faze action (Aug 6, 2009)

tkdgirl1983 said:


> Anyone tried this?After 'eating anything' over the Christmas period my symptoms have returned 100%. Went to see a dietician privately yesterday and this is what she recommends. Going to start on Monday and wondered whether anyone else has had sucess with it? (I need success stories to help me stick to it because it's so restrictive)


I'm currently experimenting with the low FODMAP stuff because I'm pretty sure I have some sort of fructose malabsorption issues. Can't give you any results yet because I've been "off the wagon" for a few days now. I did completely quit eating all carbs for 4 days a couple of months ago and my IBS symptoms were reduced dramatically.(I ate nothing but protein and a tiny bit of leafy green vegetables). I can update you in a week or two because I'm probably going back on the diet this week.


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## tkdgirl1983 (Nov 14, 2010)

Do keep me posted. I'm starting it officially tomorrow so I'll update too.Unfortunately, I've just written a shopping list and I'm marginally worried that I might starve to death before I get to update again! Seriously, how do people survive on this diet? I have a fast metabolism and the meals I've worked out are going to be burnt off in minutes...:-( majorly worried about that. I'll have no symptoms because I'll only be eating 2 calories a day


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## Jackmat (Jun 13, 2005)

faze action said:


> I'm pretty sure I have some sort of fructose malabsorption issues.


Not sure that you have to go the whole hog with Fodmap. Giving up wheat alone improved my fructose absorption significantly. I've been challening myself with plums lately (don't touch plums!) and although I've had minor reactions, laughing it off has helped minimise it.


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## TummyDepressed (Feb 2, 2010)

I have looked at a low FODMAP diet before.... a lot of the foods seem to fit with my triggers. I may give it a go over the next few weeks.I found this link quite interesting:http://www.healthhype.com/fodmap-diet-foods-to-avoid-in-ibs-bowel-disorders-with-bloating-and-gas.html


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

You are including meats and oils in your list, just because fruits and veggies can be limited on the diet it doesn't mean you can't eat any food with calories in it. You do have to avoid most of the processed foods we probably shouldn't be eating much anyway.Here is Toebes's Fructose diet that has things to add as well as what to avoid, it may help.http://john.toebes.com/diet.htmlThere may be some things you can't have when you add the FODMAP restrictions, but there should be plenty on this to eat that will maintain your weight including healthy fats like avocado and olive oil.http://ibs.about.com/od/ibsfood/a/The-FODMAP-Diet.htm seems to include somethings you can't have on the fructose diet so should also give you some other things to eat other than just celery and lettuce.


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## faze action (Aug 6, 2009)

Jackmat said:


> Not sure that you have to go the whole hog with Fodmap. Giving up wheat alone improved my fructose absorption significantly. I've been challening myself with plums lately (don't touch plums!) and although I've had minor reactions, laughing it off has helped minimise it.


I'm trying to give up sugars primarily (and wheat to some extent) because apples and cherries are 2 main things that induce the IBS-D symptoms in me. That pretty much leads me to believe that I have a fructose and/or sorbitol issue. I did give up gluten back in February and noticed an an improvement in about 4-5 days. I gave up all carbs a couple months back and it took a good 3 days before I started noticing improvement. Still trial and error at this point (which is the reason I was so hep to get back to my doctor for the fructose breath test).*tkdgirl*, I know the restrictive diet can be tough if you have a fast metabolism because I am the same way. Try to eat more frequently and eat more protein. Protein seems to keep me fuller longer, and eating more often will often help with that as well. Also, drink a lot of water if you don't already.I eat beef, chicken, eggs, fish and also hard cheeses like cheddar and that doesn't seem to trouble me too much. Another thing to try is nuts (almonds are my favorite). I keep them in my desk drawer and they're great for staving off hunger. Be aware though that nuts can cause problems in some people.Also look for Common Response's posts on this board. He's been pretty successful with a low-FODMAP style diet...


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## Jackmat (Jun 13, 2005)

faze action said:


> I'm trying to give up sugars primarily (and wheat to some extent) because apples and cherries are 2 main things that induce the IBS-D symptoms in me. That pretty much leads me to believe that I have a fructose and/or sorbitol issue. I did give up gluten back in February and noticed an an improvement in about 4-5 days.


I consider myself cured. But there are still some things that are risky and one of them is cherries!When I had fructose issues the order of re-introduction when I gave up wheat was as follows:Easy: Persimmon, grapes, bananas, oranges, mangoesModerate: Watermelon, rockmelon, peaches,Difficult: Apples, pearsFormidable: Cherries, strawberries, plums.All but the last group have been successfully reintroduced. If I return to regular consumption of wheat (I still have traces and the odd cake) I know my fructose/sorbitol issues will return. Wheat is far easier to abstain from, compared to fructose.


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## tkdgirl1983 (Nov 14, 2010)

I suppose a large part of the problem is that I'm a vegetarian. (I started eating small amounts of meat recently but it's very limitted and I certainly haven't attempted cookin meat)I'm determined not to go hungry as I did when I first went wheat free so I'm stocking up on snack foods!PS Avocado is listed as a food to avoid in my documents from the dietician.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Well then Olive oil and nuts/seeds, It is harder to limit certain carbs when you don't eat meat, does your documentation allow for hard cheeses, or are you really more vegan?Would you do better with fish? Canned tuna and salmon do not need to be cooked much so may be easy to work with if cooking fish seems too daunting. Some vegetarians deal with fish more than meat. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (and you can get cooked chicken breast in a can but it usually isn't as good, and sometimes frozen precooked chicken breast strips that are easy to toss a few into something else you are cooking) tends to be easy to cook, and some vegetarians find that something they don't mind eating. You can get them already prepared and just toss it in the oven with some veggies at 350 for like 30 minutes or 5-10 minutes a side in a fry pan and it is done.Cheeses that are aged and hard have almost no lactose in them as the bacteria as the cheese ages eat all the lactose as an energy source. Soft/young cheeses still have a fair amount of lactose.


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## Cas_20 (Dec 5, 2010)

tkdgirl1983 said:


> Anyone tried this?After 'eating anything' over the Christmas period my symptoms have returned 100%. Went to see a dietician privately yesterday and this is what she recommends. Going to start on Monday and wondered whether anyone else has had sucess with it? (I need success stories to help me stick to it because it's so restrictive)


I have tried this diet myself with great success, It was suggested by my Gastroenterologist when i first presented with symptoms 12 months ago. Im not actually sure how i lived with all my symptoms prior to changing to this diet, having said that i do still have bad days when i dont stick to the foods i know i can eat safely. It is hard to stick to at first but in the end i felt so much better. After many tests in and out of hospital i was diagnosed with Fructose Malabsorption but i can eat some foods that are on the Fodmaps list.


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## notibs (Jan 3, 2011)

tkdgirl1983 said:


> Anyone tried this?After 'eating anything' over the Christmas period my symptoms have returned 100%. Went to see a dietician privately yesterday and this is what she recommends. Going to start on Monday and wondered whether anyone else has had sucess with it? (I need success stories to help me stick to it because it's so restrictive)


Hello, I have and it has eliminated my symptons and whilst it is restrictive I can not recommend it enough (everytime I have fallen off it symptoms return so it does work!). It may be worth asking your GP to refer you for fructose and lactose testing as well. My website with my experiences of the diet (and fructose malabsorportion - a largely undiagnosed contributor to IBS symptons) can be found at http://www.not-ibs.co.uk hope this helps.


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## tkdgirl1983 (Nov 14, 2010)

Well first the good news - I've lasted almost 48 hours on the fodmap diet without starving to death! However, I've been REALLY rough since I started it. I'm assuming (and trying hard to convince myself) that it'll take a while to see the positive effects and my symptoms could be a result of all the horrific food I was eating a few days ago. It's still tough though, when you're eating a very restrictive diet and still feeling ropey.PS Thanks for the link, it was very informative. I'm just in the process of changing doctors so lactose/fructose malabsorption tests could well be something I'll push for.


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## faze action (Aug 6, 2009)

tkdgirl1983 said:


> Well first the good news - I've lasted almost 48 hours on the fodmap diet without starving to death! However, I've been REALLY rough since I started it. I'm assuming (and trying hard to convince myself) that it'll take a while to see the positive effects and my symptoms could be a result of all the horrific food I was eating a few days ago. It's still tough though, when you're eating a very restrictive diet and still feeling ropey.PS Thanks for the link, it was very informative. I'm just in the process of changing doctors so lactose/fructose malabsorption tests could well be something I'll push for.


It may take a few days to notice a difference. When I quit all carbs (not just FODMAP stuff) a few months ago it took about 2-4 days for me to notice improvements.


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## notibs (Jan 3, 2011)

tkdgirl1983 said:


> Well first the good news - I've lasted almost 48 hours on the fodmap diet without starving to death! However, I've been REALLY rough since I started it. I'm assuming (and trying hard to convince myself) that it'll take a while to see the positive effects and my symptoms could be a result of all the horrific food I was eating a few days ago. It's still tough though, when you're eating a very restrictive diet and still feeling ropey.PS Thanks for the link, it was very informative. I'm just in the process of changing doctors so lactose/fructose malabsorption tests could well be something I'll push for.


I felt terrible for the first two weeks but once you get used to it, things settle down. Get a good vitamin tablet as you'll be cutting a lot out. There is one listed on my website that a dietician reccomended to me (safe from evil sugars)! I'm hoping to add a few meal plans to site soon, as when I first started I really wondered what I would eat. Hope it works for you! The foods list will also be updated as I find I can eat things. I'm off to see the UK's leading specialist in a week so hopefully that will help to


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## Jeffrey Roberts (Apr 15, 1987)

notibs: I don't mean to stray off-topic; however, we have a few guidelines about posting links to your own website(s).It would likely be more credible to our members if you only post a link to your website on a single posting, preferably in the websites forum rather than on every post, as people may think you are selling something or trying to get traffic to attract advertising.A reminder to everyone is that website links are not permitted to commercial sites, ie: where you may profit from the traffic.Thanks, Jeff


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## notibs (Jan 3, 2011)

Jeffrey Roberts said:


> notibs: I don't mean to stray off-topic; however, we have a few guidelines about posting links to your own website(s).It would likely be more credible to our members if you only post a link to your website on a single posting, preferably in the websites forum rather than on every post, as people may think you are selling something or trying to get traffic to attract advertising.A reminder to everyone is that website links are not permitted to commercial sites, ie: where you may profit from the traffic.Thanks, Jeff


Hi Jeff, I am keen to raise awareness and equally keen to learn from others experiences of this diet, hence the postings here. Thanks for raising.Notibs


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## tkdgirl1983 (Nov 14, 2010)

Well I'm officially 3 weeks in today and had an AWFUL day yesterday (6-7 D type bm throughout the day and then really bizarre noises low down when I was in bed)Feeling a distinct lack of motivation - spoke to the dietician last week when I'd had 2 good days followed by a day of constipation and felt SO positive. (Although I've had 2 good days in the past before starting the diet). I've never managed 3 good days and I'm starting to worry that this diet isn't actually going to work and I don't know what to do :-(


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

The thing to remember is diet alone may not get rid of every last trigger you have. Physical stress, like how much sleep you got, exercise (too much, too little), weather and other factors like that can effect IBS as well as mental stress. If you get upset that you can't have three good days in a row the worry as day three approaches can set off IBS by itself.That being said, if you rarely had a good day and now have good days 2 out of three days regularly it may be worth staying on the diet, but then working on other factors (and you may need to do things to prevent constipation, which will then prevent a day of diarrhea to "flush" everything out as that is a common pattern even for healthy people.A lot of people need a combination of things, not just one and only thing by itself. Combining a few things that all help some of the time may give you good days almost all the time.


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