Friday, January 6, 2012

My diet lately

I need a better way to keep track of time. Without tests and projects due, rotations are throwing me off. Since pretty much all I have to do is show up to my rotation site, there isn't too much to base the movement of time off of. I can't believe it's been almost a month since my last post.

I wanted to post tonight about what I've been eating lately because I've recently realized how horrible my diet is. So here it is:
-Bagels with peanut butter
-Cereal
-Healthy Choice Garlic Herb Shrimp frozen lunch
-Smart Ones Fettuccine Alfredo (I'm cutting this out as it's done more bad than good lately)

Did you get that? That's it. There are some random, snack-like foods I eat like Ritz Crackers with peanut butter or Wheat Thins, but that's about all I can handle lately. How sad is that? I usually end up having a bagel & peanut butter for breakfast and dinner every day and my Garlic Herb Shrimp for lunch. Every.single.day. EVERY F*CKING DAY.

I don't express my anger very often on here, but it is SO exasperating to have such a limited diet. I'm sure I could expand it somewhat, but A) I'm anything but a cook, so I don't know what else to try and B) I'm so afraid of something going horribly wrong after trying something new. If I had more time off to experiment, I would, but even though I have Friday and Saturday to try out new things, I've been sick or feeling sick every weekend.

I know for a fact I'm not getting enough calories or nutrients which is depressing. I got so close to my goal weight of 140 (I'm 5'10.5") but then started going back downhill again after I started having more episodes. Now I'm hanging out around 130. I don't like looking or feeling this thin. While people always ask me what I'm doing and then ignorantly say, "Well I wish I could have IBS so I could be that thin," I would give anything just to be able to gain some weight without making myself feel like hell.

I'm loving the Imodium because I don't have diarrhea anymore except around my period and when I forget to take it, but the other IBS symptoms are killing me. The gas pains/explosions are unbearable most of the time, and I still just get that sick feeling after eating something bad. Even though it doesn't end with diarrhea anymore, I still get the feeling that it's going to happen.

I need to take the time to sit down and find more meal options to add to my diet, but with Career Day for my pharmacy school coming up in a couple weeks, I'm too busy freaking out about the SIX interviews I have that day to make time for it or to have time to deal with the consequences of trying something that doesn't work out.

I'm just so tired of having such a boring diet. Does anyone have any tried and true meal choices that don't cause a ton of gas or diarrhea?

3 comments:

  1. Hi Rachel,

    It sounds exhausting being having such a restricted diet and still feeling sick and worrying about trying anything new. I think it is especially scary to try new things when you are so busy because you don't have time to be sick. I feel very fortunate that my IBS is fairly well controlled, but when I was going through a very stressful period (and before I figured out which foods worked for me), I had far more problems. The blog I found most helpful for working out some more IBS-friendly foods (and foods to avoid) was: www.eatandbe.com . Unfortunately, the girl who was writing it hasn't updated it in over a year, but there are still some extremely helpful posts and recipes, and she talks about what works, or doesn't work for her.

    I now write a blog myself (www.ediblepsychology.com) which, as the name suggests, is mostly about food and psychology, but with most recipes, I write something about whether, and why, it is IBS friendly. I have also written a couple of posts with tips for managing IBS. One of the most important things for me is never to let myself get to the point where I feel really hungry. Also, I'm not sure if you have tried eating oatmeal, but that is the other very most important thing for me. I have a big bowl of oatmeal every morning to get lots of soluble fiber, particularly because my stomach is empty in the morning. I make mine with soy or other non-dairy milk because I am lactose intolerant, but also because dairy products can be hard on IBS. In addition, I have found that if I eat a mostly plant-based diet, I feel far better than when I eat more meat, although I haven't cut meat out completely.

    I know everyone is different in terms of the foods they can tolerate (although there are usually some common themes) and the severity of the symptoms, but I hope this helps, and I'd be happy to talk more about it if you want to. You can contact me through my blog or at ediblepsychology@gmail.com . I think you probably know more about IBS than I do really, but I am always happy to at least share what has worked for me on the chance that you may find it useful.

    ~Emily~

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  2. I've just always cooked a ton of stuff- soup tends to be very easy to make and very safe.

    I don't lose weight with my IBS; I always understood that weight loss was considered a symptom of something more serious. I'm sorry you're having such a hard time :(

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  3. Hi Rachel. I have IBS-D and am currently going through a flare up right now (yay!) which is how I came across your blog. I always follow the BRAT diet when I am going through a flare up or not feeling well. For me, I just buy a fresh loaf of French bread (not wheat) from Whole Foods, bananas, lots of peppermint tea (no sugar or milk added to it)and gluten free chicken soup cans. Peppermint tea is key to IBS flares. It works wonders; Ive already had three cups today. Its real important that you do not cheat or eat things you aren't supposed to; believe you me it will come and kick you in the butt.
    Feel free to check out my blog (its very very new) http://ibsandttc.wordpress.com/; i wish I had someone to point in the right direction when I was in school and going through all this. Feel free to contact me through the blog if you want more suggestions.

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