I have chronic bloating which ranges from constant to severe. I have constipation also constantly. Most recently in the last 6 months or so I have struggled to lose weight even on a strict 1400 calorie control diet.
I know I am overweight. I’m 5 foot 4 and 11 stone 3 but my weight won’t move. Is this my IBS causing this?
Many people with IBS lack bacterial diversity (a lack of lots of different types of bacteria) in their guts. I have seen lots of TV programs about people who've found it difficult to lose weight, were put on a diverse diet plus an exercise regime and found it much easier to lose weight. Having a diverse diet encourages greater numbers of different types of bacteria to proliferate in the gut. I've seen in many places the best diet for the microbiome is the Mediterranean diet (pulses, nuts, fruits, vegetables, olive oil, whole grains, oily fish and lean protein such as chicken with protein leaning more towards plant based foods) with fruits and vegetables with an array of different colours.
The rub with all of the above is that people with IBS can be intolerant to a wide range of foods making gut microbe diversity a challenge which is going to be counterproductive. One potential reason is that in people with IBS there may be an imbalance of gut bacteria - perhaps a bit of overgrowth of bad bugs - this can be the result of antibiotic use or for other reasons such as poor diet or even stress. These bad bugs can produce symptoms such as gas, bloating and disturbed bowel movements. This is a potential reason why the FODMAP diet works for some people with IBS. Some FODMAPs aren't absorbed very well in some people, their waste goes to the colon and the bugs (including bad ones) have a party feeding off of them causing issues.
Probiotics can help re-balance bacteria in the gut more towards the good ones. I used to take lactobacillus acidopilus & rhamnosus - this helped a bit with my IBS, but I have been doing much better on Alflorex (Bifidobacterium infantis 35624) which has been scientifically studied for IBS - other people do well on Symprove. I have found that since being on Alflorex I can tolerate far more foods. It is available on a free 2 month trial on joining theibsnetwork.org. Eating a greater variety of foods will in turn help to increase microbiome diversity which will have the compounding effect of helping my gut and overall health in the long term. For instance good bacteria can help to reduce inflammation in the gut and help to maintain mucusal barrier of intestinal walls. Once symptoms are under control prebiotics could be considered to help good bacteria to multiply - although when symptomatic they could potentially make symptoms worse. I have only been able to increase my diet very gradually by eating very small amounts to start off with and increasing the amount over time or cutting back and staying on an amount for longer, whilst keeping other aspects of my diet the same and recording symptoms. This allows microbes to proliferate and adapt to what I am eating.
You talk about being constipation dominant. I have IBS-C and have been prescribed Linaclotide for it. The combination of Linaclotide and Alflorex have reduced the pain I am in considerably and I have been able to tolerate more foods so that I am able to consume the extra fibre I need to have a BM without laxatives including 4 tablespoon oatbran, 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed, 8 prunes, 2 tablespoon chia seeds and 3 shredded wheat (or GF version: Nutribrex) for breakfast, plus quinoa, wholewheat bread and whole grain pastas at other meals. These fruits are particularly high fibre and can help with BMs: hard pears, dried apricots, raspberries, oranges (contain a natural laxative) & 2 kiwi. In some people the Linaclotide also helps a lot with BMs which is its primary purpose.
There is some good advice about constipation here:
theibsnetwork.org/constipat...
theibsnetwork.org/constipat...
Exercise can help with BMs. The government recommends 150 mins of moderate exercise (e.g. walking as if you are late for an appointment) or 75 of intense exercise (e.g. jogging) per week. I also have a bit of a walk around straight after breakfast to get things moving.
You need to ensure that you are drinking enough fluids (2 litres of fluid per day) but preferably not tea or coffee.
In theory everything you say is sound advise, except I’ve tried all this apart from A. Been tested for Sibo and B, I don’t take any medication or probiotics. The last time I tried this laxatives sachets from the doctors they made my constipation far worse.
I eat a varied balanced diet with no junk. I don’t have crisps, pop, biscuits etc I only have a small amount of dark choc with nuts.
I hardly drink alcohol, only special occasions. I do yoga everyday and exercise.
There isn’t a particular food that causes me any problems. I don’t have a flare up after any food eaten. I wake up bloated before I’ve even had a sip of water. This makes me think it’s not food that is the issue.
Hi, xjrs, I found your post helpful, as I have IBS-C and cannot tolerate high FODMAP foods, I did try Alflorex a few years ago but with no improvement, may I ask you how long did you take it before you found some improvement? it’s great you can eat a few more different foods now 🤗
Hi bigbunbun3, thanks for the feedback. I saw improvements with Alflorex within 1 week. My dominant symptom was IBS-C with pain. The Linaclotide reduced my pain by 50%-60% and after being on Alflorex for 1 week, my pain reduced to zero. However, I still get mild pain in the early days of introducing a new food, which often settles in time by introducing it gradually. However, Alflorex can take some time to work for some people and it is worth giving it a full 2 months to give it a proper test to understand whether or not it really works for you. What are your unique set of symptoms with your IBS-C i.e. what symptoms does consuming FODMAPs give you? Have you also been on any specific medications to help?
Hi xjrs, thank you for your reply. I guess that I am fortunate that I never have any pain, just that FODMAPS stop my tummy from working, just not passing any stool hardly until the offending food has eventually passed through my system, which can take a week or so. I have had this for over 20yrs and have posted a lot on here as time has gone by. As you can guess I have tried everything, spent a fortune on Docs, nutritionists and supplements. Some times not eating FODMAPS my tummy is still not good, but just try to eat as healthy as possible. I think years of eating junk food when I was younger & anxiety have taken its toll.
I think I did take Alflorex for some time and Symprove another time, but neither helped. I think the way forward for me is to try just a little high FODMAP food for a couple of days and see how it goes. Not doing to bad with a few butter beans at the moment so that’s good 🤗
Hi there,
I don't disagree with anything in xjrs' response & it will be helpful for you to refer to it to make a detailed diet plan. Can you speak with a dietician to help you or have you tried that?
I guess that you'll probably also want something to give some immediate relief. For me, cutting out wheat, milk, alcohol, caffeine & junk food (crisps, chocolate, sweets), even temporarily, has helped with bouts of bloating. Some of that you're probably cutting back on already on the calorie control diet. Have you tried cutting out things like wheat before?
Best wishes
This is exactly what I'm struggling with. I have IBS (although, now considering it to be IBD). I'm not overweight, but I'm constantly bloated and look pregnant. I also suffer really badly with constipation. I've gained a stone and a half in the last year, and I'm struggling to lose weight too. I hardly eat anything. Sometimes only around 500 calories, and I still gain weight. I'm so sorry you're suffering with this problem. Definitely go to see a doctor x
hello! sorry to hear your struggle, I am 5'3 and 11 stone and it would not shift, i have had severe constipation all my life. Before i didn't go for 5 weeks felt no pain very odd! I do bloat like crazy every day, I wouldn't even mind the weight so much if i wasn't always bloated. I dont have any advice as such just to let you know you arena alone! i hope you find something that works
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