Slimming World & IBS (TMI post)

Hi guys

Been a while since I last posted :/ I had a break from SW, tried WW, came back to SW - but this time at a group rather than online. I have to say, I am loving the group atmosphere!

I'm just having one small problem.. And it's lasted a good 3 weeks now! I am SO constipated!! It's unbelievable. I can't remember why I stopped SW before, but I have a feeling this had something to do with it.

I have been sticking to plan 100% & had a low loss of 4.5lbs so far. My next WI is on Weds. Problem is, my body is retaining everything. And I've tried so much to shift it, from increasing water intake, to exercising and eating different fruits. Today I had enough & ate a bunch of crisps and chocolates just to induce an IBS attack to give me some relief :( Now I'm upset that I didn't stick to plan, but my insides certainly feel better!

I don't know what to do now.. I don't know what it is exactly that's causing the problem, but I think it's too much fibre. What can I even do about that? SW is all about the fibre! I think too many fruits & fresh veggies are the culprits. I'm going to tone down the fruits & go back to frozen veg to see if that helps.

Has anyone else had this problem? I'm going to my GP on Weds to see if she can offer any advice.. I certainly can't keep going if I'm going to be this constipated.. But then I don't want to go to WW because it's so restrictive & it's difficult for me to cook for me & Hubby & make enough for him, while making sure I get the right amount of points! :(

I've had to swap my breakfast back to 2 chocolate weetabixs for now as well, sometimes messing with my breakfast can send my stomach funny.. Even though I was having the chocolate spoonsize weetabix?! Turns out the normal size ones aren't on the website as a HEXB anymore.. So I'm not even sure if I'm right in using that! :( Feeling so low at the moment. I bet I'm going to have a gain this week thanks to my off plan eating this afternoon. Ugh. So disappointed :(

If it is too much fruit and veg that is causing you to feel like this, I agree that you need to see your GP!

Don't be downhearted. Stick to the plan, it's going in the right direction and see the doc for some advice on managing your 'insides'. Perhaps it's as simple as a period of adjustment that your body needs to get used to before things return back to normal. Good luck.

I have heard people say that it will just take some time for your body to adjust, and that loads of water is the key.

I have had issues with constipation for a number of years on and off, so I drink slimatea before bed now and then if things aren't coming naturally. Lots of info around about it, and it really works for me.

Don't give up :) just keep trying new things and experimenting, you will find what works for you. Good luck x

Thanks for the advice guys :)

I went to see my GP in the end & he agreed that the amount of fibre was making my IBS worse :( He wants me to see a dietician for a proper meal plan based on my needs, which I know is a good idea.. However, I am a student & I've already had to have a week off with this. I don't want to risk having more time off while playing trial and error with a dietician! :( He has told me to do whatever normally helps when my IBS is like this (Which is to induce a 'real' IBS attack & I have been trying to for the last few days, but with little effect). He's also prescribed a stool softener.

His overall opinion though was to stop Slimming World :( I am really disappointed and I am so upset because I've made some wonderful friends. I've emailed my consultant to let her know, obviously she wants me to stay & is trying to offer advice, but unless I increase my syns and HEXs then I'm not going to be able to carry on. And, of course, by increasing them, my weightloss will be slow or non existent! Especially towards the end.

Although my GP suggested the dietician, I really enjoy the group atmosphere, so my friend has recommended Weight Watchers (I know, swear word in here!). They're more restrictive on amounts of food (which is why I chose SW in the first place) but the food is more varied & that's what my body needs :( With SW, once my syns are up, snacking is on fruit & muller lights.. Which my poor tum can't handle. I guess I have more freedom with WW in that I can have cakes, chocs etc if I need to.

I imagine I'll end up going to the dietician in the future, so I can learn to maintain my weight and control my IBS.. But for now, I really just want to lose a bit of weight! Lol.

Hi,

Just wanted to say your not alone as this is the exact same problem I have with sw and now have started switching between the two diet plans and getting nowhere fast! I do find peppermint tea helps though and I also take tablets from holland and barrett. Some sort of colon clense containing aloe vera that you take before bed and its really gentle so doesn't tend to flare an attack up like some laxatives can. Not that expensive either and I stock up when they have the buy second item for a penny lol. I also find porridge really helps to but it did take a bit of getting use to as I'm not all that fussed on it.

It would help as well if you can find out what fruit and veg make it worse. Apples are a no go for me even though I really like them and I seem to find that fruit makes it worse than veg but why that is I don't know.

Don't know if any of this is any help but hopefully you'll find something that works for you.
Good luck
Dan x

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dan8317

Hi,

Just wanted to say your not alone as this is the exact same problem I have with sw and now have started switching between the two diet plans and getting nowhere fast! I do find peppermint tea helps though and I also take tablets from holland and barrett. Some sort of colon clense containing aloe vera that you take before bed and its really gentle so doesn't tend to flare an attack up like some laxatives can. Not that expensive either and I stock up when they have the buy second item for a penny lol. I also find porridge really helps to but it did take a bit of getting use to as I'm not all that fussed on it.

It would help as well if you can find out what fruit and veg make it worse. Apples are a no go for me even though I really like them and I seem to find that fruit makes it worse than veg but why that is I don't know.

Don't know if any of this is any help but hopefully you'll find something that works for you.
Good luck
Dan x

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Hi Dan,

I'm sorry you've been having the same difficulties! It's so frustrating! I've never tried peppermint tea, although I have heard great things about it. Is it very tea-tasting? I'm not a big fan of tea. Lol. My IBS is such a pain, no one thing sets it off for sure & that's where a lot of my problems come in. & then the types of attacks, or flare ups I have can vary greatly as well :( Oddly, I'm ok with apples! I do enjoy fruit, but when every meal is made with a fruit/veg base, then it starts getting too much. I can add some veg to a spag bol for example, but making the sauce from scratch with tinned toms, using fresh, rather than frozen veg all makes me bad! Changing the tinned toms to a ready made sauce really helps & frozen peppers are brill. When I really sat down & thought about it, I realised most of my syns would end up going on alternatives to keep my stomach in check!

Weetabix is my life saver! Hehe. Never been a big fan of porridge, but weetabix (chocolate normally) will fix most problems! So I was a bit disappointed when I found out it's no longer a HEXB! That was 8 syns just on breakfast! *shakes head*

My SW consultant has been lovely about all of this. I've told her that this is no way a reflection on her or the group - because they really are an amazing group of people!

Have you ever been to see a dietician for your IBS?

xx

My doc hasn't been all that helpful to be honest so hasn't even mentioned seeing a dietician :( Basically has told me to just get use to it and learn to live with it.

Like you I don't really know what sets mine off apart from a few odd things I've noticed. Its really frustrating when all the things that are good for you can cause such problems.

With regards to the tea it doesn't taste like normal tea and does take a bit of getting use to but after a while its not to bad.

You could try cal counting while your waiting to see the dietician but you'll have the same problems with meals as you do with ww. Only other thing I can think of is doing ww simply filling and switch back to the odd day of pp when you need to. Such a shame though you can't stick with sw when you like your group/consultant because that can make such a difference but like you said 8 syns and that's only on breakfast so not going to be sustainable long term.

Dan x

Look up soluble and unsoluble fiber foods - and I bet you are eating one more than the other. I can't remember which way around it is, but maybe try incorperating the other types into your diet (if you haven't already)? I think soluble is the good fiber, so see if you are getting enough of this as for IBS etc soluble is much much easier to digest and break down, thus gets you moving quicker.

I found sw has bunged me up a bit, and I'm a vegan! So I am looking at types of fiber to see if I can switch a bit of it. Drink 2x the amount of water you think you should - I drink about 4l a day including tea. It might take time to adjust but its worth speaking to your doc just to see if there is anything else you can do, or if they can refer you to a specialist who can help you find triggers for your IBS. There is a lady on this forum with the same problem (IBS) and she has intermittent problems with it too but it shouldn't be for weeks on end!

I personally find lentils are really good at getting me moving. And broccoli! Wholemeal rice and pasta bungs me up! Again I think these are diff. types of fiber, not all fiber is great if you have a funny tum. Worth a look anyway - I hope you have some relief soon x

If you still want to do SW have you thought about doing either a green or red day instead of EE, with those SW recommend you have 1/3 superfree but not the same as if doing EE.

Also, choc weetabix did used to be a hexb + 2syns, I've no idea why they changed it, maybe the ingredients altered in some way.

My OH used to suffer with constipation & used to have an Aloe Vera tablet every morning (Boots sell them or Holland & Barrett) which really helped.

What about doing red days - are you a meat eater?

I know they don't encourage it, but a lot of people don't get there third superfree! I personally do, but I know people that regularly don't, for whatever reasons.

IIRC, some high soluble fiber foods are legumes (like the lentils i mentioned above!), nuts, seeds, oats, broccoli...I try and eat these a lot as I have real problems passing stools sometimes despite having a very high fiber diet.

TMI ALERT!

Soluble fiber disolves in water and makes poo 'wet' and easier to pass
Insoluble passes through you intact, adding bulk. good for some people but with IBS this can be hard to move...am sure a dietician will tell you more about this if you get to see one.

You can get soluble fiber tablets from health shops, or work more into your diet (bit by bit!)...might be worth a shot. I find a good curry with lentils, broccoli, carrot moves the next day TMI again!! And doesn't make me feel bloated or gassy :)