Hunger pain

[EnikoF]

Does any of you experience hunger pain? Mine is the worst when I don’t eat a lot of calories. I think a healthy person would not have any symptoms eating as much calories as I eat on these “low- calorie” days. I even get very bloated from the hunger.

[Luisa22]

Yes, it can be difficult with IBS to get enough food sometimes.

I do get some hunger "growling in my belly" and sometimes slight pains. But I am lucky because there are a number of foods I can eat now, and some are quite high calorie, so it eases up after dinner.

Are you OK with carbs, such as rice, potatoes, toasted bread or ordinary bread, pasta, noodles (maybe Quinoa if you don't mind that it's high fibre) and such? And can you eat fats such as olive oil, butter, avocado, oily fish and such?

Those foods are pretty high calorie. I am okay on them. My worst things are fruits and some vegetables, though I can literally now manage 17 different vegetables.

I'm OK with sweet things too, no upset for my gut, so low fibre desserts, simple cake, and chocolate etc are ok for me (I have IBS D). But I can't handle artificial sweeteners or too many additives, and like things sweetened with just sugar or with honey, maple syrup etc.

We are all so different with foods that suit us and what's OK for one person can be bad for another. But there are many high calorie foods which can be OK with IBS. So you could experiment to see what suits you?

[EnikoF in reply to Luisa22]

I have been experimenting with different diets since 2016. I came to the conclusion that my main problem is consuming fat and sugar together. My cholesterol level is a bit high all the time even though I’m slim. Now I’m in the middle of transitioning to a vegan lifestyle. (I’ve always been a pescatarian.) My plan for the future is to mainly eat raw plant-based food. I also have problems with artificial sweeteners but not with fruits - except for the very acidic ones. I hope I can stop these crazy symptoms. Good luck for you too!!

[Iesgobdafydd]

I used to occasionally fast for up to a day or two - drinking but not eating - before I got IBS, and I tried doing that once after I had IBS because I read some people found it helpful, and after some time - I think it was around 24 hours but not sure now - I got burning pain in my stomach of a kind I've never had before or since. Not at all like ordinary hunger. I ate some oatcakes and it went away again, and I haven't tried fasting since.

[EnikoF in reply to Iesgobdafydd]

That sounds like me. I got the same after fasting for around 24 hours. It was so painful.

I think my underlying issue has something to do with acid. I don’t think I will ever understand it completely but my plan now is to go vegan (eat most of my food raw as cooked food is killing me) and I will see if it helps. I have tried several diets throughout the years and they didn’t help at all. This is the first time I try the vegan diet (the focus on raw food) and I really hope it will help me. Good luck for you too!!

[Iesgobdafydd in reply to EnikoF]

I hope it fixes your issues! My IBS is cleared up now anyhow, but the root cause is proving harder to get rid of, so I still need all the luck I can get.

[trace55]

yes i get the same problem a very sharp indigestion pain until i ether eat or take a indigestion tablet, i find a small glass of milk helps quickly to relieve it. hope this helps.

[EnikoF in reply to trace55]

Thank you! Same here. And milk was my go to as well!! It works wonders.