# Severe weight loss and SIBO



## Evan79 (Oct 18, 2009)

Hello,I was just diagnosed with SIBO through a breath test. I have had a severe amount of weight loss over the course of three years. (normally 140lbs, currently at 95lbs). My nutrient test levels have came back looking almost completely normal. I am just a little bit puzzled with this, and was wondering if anyone has comments. Thanks,Evan


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I think it is a traditional symptom of SIBO (one you don't see in the IBS is SIBO very often).If the bacteria eat the calories before you absorb them you will lose weight. At least that was my understanding of it. you may be eating enough vitamins that they can't take enough away from you to cause nutritional deficiency diseases.Are you sure you are eating enough calories? Have you done a diet diary and made sure. Sometimes we think we eat enough to gain weight (or on the other end of the spectrum eat enough less to lose weight) but without actually running the numbers it is hard to really know if what you think is enough really is.There are a lot of online food diaries. I use http://www.fitday.com but there are others and different people tend to like different ones.


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## Evan79 (Oct 18, 2009)

Thanks for the response Karen. The bacteria eating up the calories was what I interpreted from online research too. I eat more than I used to, but it just doesn't seem to help. It's just unbelievable how skinny I have got compared to my ideal weight! Do you know if eating more calories would help, or are those uninvited guests just going to have bigger meals?


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## Moises (May 20, 2000)

Evan,For what it's worth, I never could gain weight until I added meat and started eating low-carb. YMMV. Cheers,moises


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## Evan79 (Oct 18, 2009)

Thanks for the reply Moises. Can you elaborate on how using low-carbs helped?


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## Moises (May 20, 2000)

Evan,I just wrote to you in the antibiotic thread. Now, I remember who you are. How did low-carb help? Well, low-carb along with the product Align stopped all diarrhea. It did not cure me. I still have a lot of upper gas and some lower gas. But I went from 10 bowel movements daily to one bowel movement that was comfortable and clean. I followed something close to Pimentel's diet. I do not restrict meat and I do not restrict fat. I avoid raw fruits and vegetables. I avoid whole grains. I severely limit the refined grains and potatoes, as Pimentel outlines. I strongly recommend that you read Pimentel's book, if you haven't already.


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