IBS and Carbs

[T-Bone]

Many years ago I was diagnosed with IBS. I was on medication for a while but had to keep raising it, and eventually it would become toxic. I had no choice but to discontinue medication. I didn't want to take it for the rest of my life anyway. This was back when I was around 20 years old, so ages ago. Anyway a few years back I started a phase shift diet, low-carb/carb up..On the lower carb part of the diet I am fine, no problems and my IBS symptoms are practically gone. Once I carb up though I get all sorts of symptoms, gas, bloating, the works!. I could skip a carb up once in a while, but I want to keep my muscle strength and when I go for long periods with low carbs I start to lose strength. I do lose a lot of fat and my stomach feels 100 percent better, but I have to ask myself what I want more...I recently found some waxy maize starch and yes that works without giving me gas, but I can't live on that during carb ups. I stick to mostly starchy foods during my carb ups. Another problem is that it seems I am less hungry during the carb up, probally because of the IBS symptoms. I could just go on a straight keto diet but I don't think that would help me build any muscle and its not good for your brain and happiness. Sure I get that good feeling of seratonin release when I eat carbs but also I get the stomach problems...

What to do?

 

[mrmoose63]

A TCD sounds like it would be optimal for your position. So low carb /ketogenic with the exception of pre and/or postworkout. I'm not sure what your diet setup looks like currently but you could bump up the carbs postworkout, and potentially preworkout.

Another option would be a Paleo Style Diet. You can get a good amount of carbs in from fruit, and I have found that helps my strength a lot and fruit tends not to affect me like oats & sweet potatoes do in regards to digestion.

Hope that helps.

 

[awmcdon]

I was diagnosed with IBS about 8 years ago, so I know where your coming from.
I thought my bodybuilding career was over because I was miserable.....I just couldn't eat. A few years later I went on the Atkins dieat and just like you realized that carbs were my problem.
I have since cut the majority of carbs out of my diet completely, I have them in little moderation until about 6:00 and then after that it's no carbs at all for me, or I know it will be a miserable night.
Anyway to make a long story short even with the lack of carbs, my body adapted and I continued to grow and achieve my goals. I now weigh 242 pounds at 6 feet tall with 19" arms and a 455 pound bench.I am much happier staying away from carbs and I even found as I get older my symptoms are much more mild. I can actually tolerate more carbs than I could five years ago. I don't know if any of this helps but my point was this "if the muscle is stimulated to grow it will grow, regardless of the amount of carbs you ingest". I have firsthand experience of this. Yes I'm sure eating more carbs would help but I'd rather grow a little slower and be happy than eat 300-500 grams of carbs a day and be miserable.
I hope I've helped.

 

[alan aragon]

T-bone,

Have you tried having a single carb source at a time in order to fetter out which might be the offending sources & which ones might be okay? Pain in the ass process of elimination.

 

[awmcdon]

Alan has a very good point. Although almost all carbs affect me somewhat, over the years I have been able to pinpoint the few that affect me more, for instance fruit juices just tear me up.

 

[Guest]

Success has been reported with Anabolic Pump and carbohydrate metabolism problems. I would be willing to gift a few bottles for honest feedback.

 

[riskarb]

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[T-Bone]

T-bone,

Have you tried having a single carb source at a time in order to fetter out which might be the offending sources & which ones might be okay? Pain in the ass process of elimination.

When I was first diagnosed I was given a paper of "gassy foods". It had a list of High - Moderate - Low. The goal was to stay away from the high most of the time, well you get the idea. Anyway it did help back then. That was before I knew much about nutrition at all though or that carbs were my problem. It could be the type of carbs though also. On carb ups I try to eat starches as opposed to sugars, and stay away from a lot of spices or hot stuff. I have eaten plain pasta with tomato sauce, but now I think the sauce is making it worse. Plain pasta though is well just kinda plain, and I only carb up once every 5 days, so I like to have something good without making me feel like sh*t!. I also like going out to eat once a while but to a sandwhich shop or deli. Thats usually fine. I don't ever go to fast food places, that stoped a long time ago. I haven't been to a fast food joint in probally 15 years. The more bland foods I eat the better. So I'm not only eating this way for bodybuilding purposes, I'm not even a bodybuilder. I decided to do this diet for fat loss in the first place and to my surprize it helped with IBS.

The only thing is the carb ups are killing me. I deal with it only because it does help with workouts, otherwise I would stop eating carbs all together or maybe just have one or two carb meals per week...I bet I could get this under better control by just carbing up maybe every 3 weeks or so, just wanted to know what you guys thought. This diet I use is "The Metabolic Diet". You may know it as "The Anabolic Diet" it came out years ago as the first phase-shift type diet. I have consider trying others but this one is very simple to follow, and I'm a simple kind of guy...Well besides weighing all my food and counting every calorie. I have considered the NHE eating plan also but his diet seems a little too restrictive. He says you don't have to count calories but then in his book you have to count all other macos and have only a certain about of protein and fat per meal on the low carb portion, and also on the carb ups....Also considered lyle mcdonalds UD 2.0. Never actually purchased Lyles book though. I have "The Metabolic Diet", "The Anabolic Solution for recreational bodybuilders", "The Radical Diet 06", "Natural Hormonal Enhancement"....The first three are by Dr.Depasqual(probally spelled wrong), the last one is Rob Fagain(Spelled wrong again). Anyway I have been following "Metabolic Diet" since 2000 and I really don't want to go back to eating any other way. Like I said though I have considered similar diets, but most of them seem a lot more restrictive and detailed...

 

[T-Bone]

Success has been reported with Anabolic Pump and carbohydrate metabolism problems. I would be willing to gift a few bottles for honest feedback.

I already have tried that. It did work to a point. I have a few bottles but I stopped using because I am on the NHA Stack and I want to get the best from Anabolic Pump that I can. I wouldn't mind a free bottle though!. Everyone loves free stuff!. Hey at least I am being honest!.

 

[T-Bone]

Today was a carb up. I have had some bad problems today going to the bathroom too much. Also I have had a nervous problem all day, just anxious. I did have "Big One" coffee from Dunkin D. That doesn't usually bother me though. Nothing that I really thought would bother me, a bowl of Total ceral, small bowl of pasta with a little sauce. Two energy bars. I don't really eat well on my carb up, but don't go nuts either...It is the time in the diet where you can have what you have been missing during the low-carb portion, but to a point. I really have not been able to get in much calories today, because I feel like crap. The nervousness is really bothering me. I have had this feeling even when not consuming any caffiene at all. I didn't eat any crap really besides the energy bar which isn't that bad, used lactaid milk for my total cereal....I keep beating myself up every carb up, when my wife who I recently got on this diet is doing great and has no problems with the carb up. She is doing really good too and lost more than 20 pounds of fat the short time she has been on this diet.

 

[T-Bone]

It seems to be getting worse each time I do a carb up lately. What could be wrong?. Could it be something worse than IBS?. It was a long time ago I was diagnosed. It seems my body is just "rejecting" carbs, as soon as I eat any, shortly after I have to run to the bathroom...in and out!. I have gone to the bathroom about 12 times today!!!.

 

[Motomatt]

I can relate to this.
I was diagnosed with IBS more than 20 yrs ago, for me low carbs is the way to go to feel the best.
I race bicycles and do 6hr rides on sat an 4 hrs on Sunday.
I don't take any carbs before rides but during rides I use 4 to 1 carb/pro mix, and immediately after same. Thats what works for me.
Foods that tear me up fruits, vegetables sweet potatoes, fiber, spices,sugar alcohols( erythritol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol,mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol), fructose,tomato sauce, caffeine ,oats .
Carbs I can tolerate yellow corn tortillas , plain pasta, maltodextrin, plain bagels.

 

[T-Bone]

I can relate to this.
I was diagnosed with IBS more than 20 yrs ago, for me low carbs is the way to go to feel the best.
I race bicycles and do 6hr rides on sat an 4 hrs on Sunday.
I don't take any carbs before rides but during rides I use 4 to 1 carb/pro mix, and immediately after same. Thats what works for me.
Foods that tear me up fruits, vegetables sweet potatoes, fiber, spices,sugar alcohols( erythritol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol,mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol), fructose,tomato sauce, caffeine ,oats .
Carbs I can tolerate yellow corn tortillas , plain pasta, maltodextrin, plain bagels.

Thanks for the reply. Yes certain carbs are a lot worse than others. Definitey sugar alcohols, and fiber for me!. Maybe the tomato sauce on the pasta I have been having on carb ups is hurting me a lot. Also a few weeks ago I got some waxi maize starch because I read it is a carb source that supposedly won't bother your stomach. Now on these last few carb ups using it I have been feeling much worse. Oh well, it was only $20...

 

[T-Bone]

I am gonna skip my carb ups for a while. I plan on staying low carb, for at least a month and then try a carb up and see how I feel.

 

[Motomatt]

Thanks for the reply

:welcome:

Maybe the tomato sauce on the pasta I have been having on carb ups is hurting me a lot.

For me tomato sauce hurts me :-(

Also a few weeks ago I got some waxi maize starch because I read it is a carb source that supposedly won't bother your stomach. Now on these last few carb ups using it I have been feeling much worse. Oh well, it was only $20...

Same here, I'm going back to HRS (Hydrolyzed Rice-based Carbohydrate) its never bothered me.

 

[T-Bone]

:welcome:

For me tomato sauce hurts me :-(



Same here, I'm going back to HRS (Hydrolyzed Rice-based Carbohydrate) its never bothered me.

Never heard of this, maybe I will look into after my month is up...