STOMACH ISSUES

Has anyone had stomach issues since they started dieting? I have IBS and
I have found that I can't handle any type of Malodextrin or Splenda in sugarfree or light products. It makes me cramp up and have to run to the bathroom. This makes it extremely hard to cure my sweet tooth. I try to be good and grab a yogurt, ff whip cream or SF fudge bar but end up with awful results. Does anyone else have this problem and if so what do you do if when you get hungry for something sweet?

Sun. Sep 10, 11:21pm

I don't believe in IBS. A doctor told me I had it once, when I was in one of the most depressing periods of my life.

Once I managed to find a way out of that situation, I never experienced IBS again.

IBS (imo) might be more likely something that occurs when you are very, very unhappy and you don't see any way out of the situation so your stomach deals with your stress.

But I have never had any type of sweet tooth so I can't address the sugar issues. I hate sugar and sweets.

Sunday, September 10, 2006, 11:36 PM

I'd say IBS is more often a result of what you eat... try cutting out wheat and dairy and see how that helps. If fake sugars irritate you, don't eat any of them. Try real sugar. It's better for you than the fake stuff. Just chose a good quality sweet and enjoy it. I'm all about the lindt chocolate myeslf...

Sunday, September 10, 2006, 11:48 PM

To the poster who doesn't believe in IBS, I don't think you had it, your sounds more stress related. IBS is very real as many people who have the misfortune to really have IBS knows. It can be extremely painful and even make you afraid to do things in fear of having to search for a bathroom. Its not fun. I don't have it but know several people who do. I do have Ulcerative Colitis though but a very mild form. I never experience pain but do have flare ups if I'm not careful of what I eat. I don't have a problem with splenda at all but definitely can't have anything with malitol in it, immediately sends me to the bathroom and I have cramps with it. You can try stuff that is fruit juice sweetened or maybe with stevia, but stevia products are a bit harder to find and they are a lot more expensive. And the other poster is right, nothing wrong with good old real sugar, unless your a diabetic. I have heard that some people have that reaction to splenda but most of them have said after a while they adjust and it no longer is a problem for them. Good luck.

Monday, September 11, 2006, 1:36 AM

IBS is real!

I agree with the poster above who said that IBS is very real. I have struggled with it for almost 6 years now and I seem to have it somewhat under control. It's essentially a functional gut-brain disconnect. It's not just in someone's head, it's an actual physical, functional problem. I highly recommend a book called Eating with IBS, written by Heather Van Vorous. You can also check out her link below that has much of the same info as the book (only for free). Following her principles really helped me a ton, including her ideas on stress management. Hope this helps!

Link

Monday, September 11, 2006, 9:43 AM

I had some major gastrointestinal issues related to my gall bladder- eating ANY fat made me very, very ill or gave me a lot of pain. I used that to get rid of fat in my diet almost completely. I'm telling you this because, I know it sounds crazy, but this is a golden opportunity to be rid of your sweet tooth.

If that doesn't work, try eating fruit, or something sour.

Hope this helps.

Monday, September 11, 2006, 12:25 PM

I get seriously irritated with the "it's all in your head" answer given by people who have no idea of what they're talking about! Of course IBS is real. And even if it were 100% psychosomatic, the sufferer still SUFFERS. I'm sorry if I'm being a bit defensive here, but you get the same type of silly answers from people who have never suffered depression. "It's all in your head." Duh!

OP - I have exactly the same issues, and none of the answers. Yet. I just know that if I persevere with a good diet and exercise, I'll beat the sugar thing... and the extreme stomach pains and diarrhea too. Good luck! You're not alone.

Monday, September 11, 2006, 3:12 PM

The book "The Second Brain" talks about how your intestines have their own nervous system that -- guess what? -- doesn't always listen to the one in your head! The intestinal nervous system uses some of the same neurotransmitters that your brain does, so it makes perfect sense that when your levels are off, as in depression, you'll have GI effects as well. Fascinating reading for those of us (me included) who have been perennially tortured by IBS...
In short -- NOTHING in life is "all in your head" -- even the stuff in your head is REAL. The only difference is that sometimes you can help modulate it a little with your thinking habits, if you're lucky.
BTW -- IMO, just stick with real sugar but try to cut it down. The fake sweeteners just keep your sweet tooth active anyway. Cut it out for a week and the cravings will tone down. Cut it out longer and you realize that everything in America is overly sweetened -- ick!

Link

Monday, September 11, 2006, 4:17 PM

Also, why not try fruit sorbets, or those whole fruit popsicles. Lots of sugar but at least there's the fruit, and you can't really go crazy with them or you get brain freeze ;)

Monday, September 11, 2006, 4:20 PM

I don't know anything about IBS, but I have noticed in my light cookbooks that many of the sweet recipes call for honey instead of sugar. That might be a compromise? If you are baking, that is. I recommend making stuff at home with half of the flour being wheat flower, using applesauce or that fat substitute instead of oil, and maybe honey when you can substitute it for the sugar. There are TONS of recipes on line for cutting down on calories when cooking. Good luck, and listen to your body.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006, 8:57 AM

take some juicy-juice or other 100% juice product and pour it into ice cube trays and freeze. when you get a craving, pop a cube out to suck on. you could even insert a half of a popsicle stick into each one.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006, 9:40 AM

Thank you to everyone who posted!!!!!!!!!

I really appreciate everyone’s input. For those who do not believe in IBS, I am proof it exists as well as my 74 year old grandmother. We are the only women in our family with this problem. It can be rather debilitating if you don't know what is causing it. I have avoided dinner parties, restaurants because different foods as well as exciting events trigger my IBS. The cramping, bloating and urgency to run to the bathroom made it impossible to enjoy these things. If they made bathrooms sound proof I might not feel so anxious about having it. I have learned what triggers my IBS and that helps so much. I don't drink diet soda or eat anything with Malodextrin or Splenda in it. This makes it a little more difficult for me to stay true to my diet because I crave sugar. I don't know if the fake sugars mess with all people with IBS but I've learned my body hates it! I still have bouts of IBS when I'm excited. I have to stop 9 times while at an amusement park but I've learned to live with that. Who knows, maybe I'll become a bathroom inspector!!! :o)

I will defiantly look up the websites and books posted. I love the fruit juice idea and a friend suggested frozen grapes. I will try healthy alternatives to fake sugars and see what happens! Thanks again everyone!

Wednesday, September 13, 2006, 11:15 PM

I'm an IBS sufferer too! I've found that ALL processed foods double me over, and I"ve had to give up a lot of faves. I don't know about the rest of you, but I developed IBS around age 20, and it got worse before I altered my diet.

Has anyone tried Activia or taken acidopholus in pill form? I started doing both a month ago, and I already notice a difference.

Good luck!

Thursday, September 14, 2006, 11:20 AM

IBS issues answers here

Guys IBS is really real! so if you think it is not talk to the millions of people that have it! OK WANT HELP! I have had IBS for years and i make alot of money so it is not depression that gives you IBS. I work only 2 days a week from home and three days at work so stress can but not always the cause of it! I have been to doctors for 5 years and no cure! Then i did my own research and tests with my body. I stopped eating gluten products which by the way is about 75 percent of the products i was eating had gluten in it:) bread was the hardest to stop of course becauase i love my pizza! I started a company called RawFoodMedia.com since that was the one food i could eat and not have any issues!

Link

Sunday, July 15, 2007, 12:55 AM

sweetners like Malodextrin or Splenda note

I to have noticed that malodextrin and splenda cause me to have IBS issues to. I have been studing what i eat for years and certain things caused my IBS to get worse! Malodextrin, splenda, gluten, oats, anything high in sugar, chips, meat, steak, corn chips, sweet deserts excempt for stuff made with agave sweetner! Note agave is made from a cactus and has been shown to be diabetic friendly! So folks that are looking for a sweetner other then sugar and the other bad stuff goto agave and give it a try. THey sell it at wholefoods and health food stores around the county. Good stuff!

Link

Sunday, July 15, 2007, 1:02 AM

I have uc. which is very similar to IBS.. I use stevia. its said to be more natural and I have no problems with it. I also use a nectar from a plant called agave syrup. speaking from somoene with stomach issues for years. I can totally relate. its not all in your head.

Sunday, July 15, 2007, 3:17 PM

I don't have IBS, at least I don't think so, but I can't eat Splenda, it makes me really sick. I just use real sugar, but less of it.

Sunday, July 15, 2007, 8:03 PM

ditto to all those in support of the reality of IBS. I have it despite being extremely happy with my life. It's not a by product of depression although its true that emotions effect it. With me its more a case of nerves, if I get nervous about something or even am thinking too much about something, I am running to the bathroom within 5 minutes. So not fun. I still haven't pinned down foods that make it flare up, I've tried eliminating dairy and am in the process of trying to eliminate artificial sweetners

As an unrelated side note, I found July 15, 2007, 12:55 AM's comment about "making a lot of money so of course they're not depressed" interesting. It's interesting that people still equate money with happiness. I know plenty of very wealthy people who are miserable and people living from paycheck to paycheck without a care in the world.

Monday, July 16, 2007, 8:32 AM

I used to think I had IBS but it's really all in what you eat. I have a really sensitive stomach and ever since I've stopped eating white breads and pastas, I haven't had any problems. I love whole wheat bread now, because I don't cramp up after I eat it! I've also lost 11 pounds just by switching to whole grains and splenda.

Monday, July 16, 2007, 9:42 AM

re: IBS or any other health information

One wonders what qualifies anonymous posters on this site to make a medical diagnosis for someone they've never met, examined, or taken a medical history on.

Online support, as with any other peer system, can be a valuable tool in weight loss, but does not replace the role of appropriately trained and qualified health care providers.

To the original poster who reported gastrointestinal issues from using artificial sweeteners, yet wants to satisfy a sweet tooth, here's an odd way of dealing with that I learned about many years ago. Sounds weird, but some people report that it works for them.

When you feel that craving for something sweet, and you've tried the obvious delay tactics like physical activities, a drink of water, or a light snack, but the sweet craving just won't go away ... eat a cold dill pickle.

I can't remember why this is supposed to help, but I think it had something to do with stimulating receptors that would otherwise by stimulated by sugar.

Of course, pickles contain a lot of sodium, so don't replace a bag of M&Ms with a jar of pickles!

As with everything, moderation is the key.

Monday, July 16, 2007, 2:19 PM

MODERATION

I too have IBS. I was diagnosed before I started losing weight. Since I have lost over 100 lbs. Extreme changes in your diet can be hard on your gastric system because sometimes it takes your body a while to adjust to the changes you have made. As for the sweetners used in sugarfree products such as splenda they do have a laxative effect when they are consumed in large quanities. The same thing if you were to consume to much Olestra the product used in Lay's Light potato chips. So consuming to high of a quanity will make the average person go to the bathroom but the fact that you have IBS makes you more sensitive to the product. Moderation is key with everything.

Sunday, July 22, 2007, 1:42 AM

I also have UC and i have noticed that moderation IS the key. The things that send me to the bathroom...if i eat less of them i am OK.

Sunday, July 22, 2007, 9:56 AM

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