FauxAngel Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 To cut a very long story short I have always had a terrible relationship with food as a result of bad parenting and GI issues. This time last year I was officially diagnosed with IBS and my relationship with food actually got worse. The gasteroenterologist suggested anti-depressants as a permanent solution. I hated this idea, so I worked with a nutritionist for 6 months eating variations on low fodmap and got worse not better. Psychologically, I went from not being friends with my body to absolutely hating myself, loathing everything about my body and yo-yoing between barely eating at all and excessive binge sessions including obsessively counting calories. Just before Christmas I discovered quest bars and IIFYM and started eating in a somewhat normal way again. After much research and soul searching I decided paleo was the right way forward and that doing a whole30 would kick start this process. Today is day 7. GI wise I am feeling much better. Far fewer symptoms, better sleep, anxiety is slowly getting back to being manageable. But... I am struggling to eat. I have never been a fan of breakfasts. At my best is was a protein shake or half a bowl of fruit and organic yogurt. I am not a big meat eater, in fact I would mostly prefer to not eat it at all. So whole30 is a huge challenge, I am not hungry, at all. I never want to see a sweet potato again and the thought of having to eat breakfast makes me not want to get out of bed. When I do eat I an very nauseous, irritable and miserable. Help? What can I do? I've been logging my meals here http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/16184-first-whole30-30th-jan-28th-feb/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted February 6, 2014 Moderators Share Posted February 6, 2014 The link to your food log is missing? I can tell you that eating breakfast, as hard as it is for you, is important. Breakfast is important to getting your hormones into their proper rhythm, which will make your whole life better. Many people report eating soup at breakfast an easier way to go. Now by soup, I mean soup with substance to it. Like a Melissa Joulwan, Well Fed2 soup. Here is my adaptation of one of her recipes: http://www.wholelifeeating.com/2013/11/pressure-cooker-golden-cauliflower-soup/ If you eat two boiled eggs or a serving of pulled chicken with this soup, you would have a good meal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllyB Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I'm a big fan of soup for breakfast! The silky ginger zuchini is great. We put chicken breast in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina R Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 The link to your food log is missing? I can tell you that eating breakfast, as hard as it is for you, is important. Breakfast is important to getting your hormones into their proper rhythm, which will make your whole life better. Many people report eating soup at breakfast an easier way to go. Now by soup, I mean soup with substance to it. Like a Melissa Joulwan, Well Fed2 soup. Here is my adaptation of one of her recipes: http://www.wholelifeeating.com/2013/11/pressure-cooker-golden-cauliflower-soup/ If you eat a two boiled eggs or a serving of pulled chicken with this soup, you would have a good meal. Or even better, poach your eggs right in the soup. My favorite! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beli Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Hi FauxAngel, I relate a lot with what you tell. And I trust you're on the right path, I feel much much better now. Have you seen the recommendations for people with IBS in the book It Starts With Food? I discovered them late and I think they can make a lot of difference. I summed them up on my log here: http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/16121-restart/page-2#entry175462 About breakfast, I found it was easy for me to adapt to eating it if I had slept very well (gone to sleep early). Upon waking up I wouldn't think about eating, but stretched, had a shower, got dressed, watered the backyard, and so on for a little while. Feeling fresh and ready for a splendid day of (maybe hard) work to conquer my health, I would go to the kitchen and make my Meal 1. Not "breakfast", just erase the word, because it makes you think of coffee and toast. No, I was a Norse fisherman about to eat his oil mackerel before going to the sea, or whatever. So give me a good 3 eggs omelette, with a whole bag of spinach, and a solid piece of squash, and butter all that up real nice. The amazon needs her meat. And then I found the rest of the day just flowed better. I would be hungry for meal 2, I would be hungry for meal 3, I wouldn't experience so much cravings, I would want to go to bed earlier. It really made a difference. It's another you. You'll be strong and healthy now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FauxAngel Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 The link to your food log is missing? I can tell you that eating breakfast, as hard as it is for you, is important. Breakfast is important to getting your hormones into their proper rhythm, which will make your whole life better. Many people report eating soup at breakfast an easier way to go. Now by soup, I mean soup with substance to it. Like a Melissa Joulwan, Well Fed2 soup. Here is my adaptation of one of her recipes: http://www.wholelifeeating.com/2013/11/pressure-cooker-golden-cauliflower-soup/ If you eat a two boiled eggs or a serving of pulled chicken with this soup, you would have a good meal. Thank you for the reply... I've added the link in to the original post. As I have IBS, I am following the low fodmap whole30 so cauliflower is a no. Also the idea of having to eat even more at breakfast is daunting. I also do not have a pressure cooker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina R Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 You might want to look into FODMAPs. Some people have issues with these foods. Check out the gluten free goddess post about it. WARNING: there are treats on her blog so avoid if you are battling your sugar dragon. http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2013/07/fodmaps-friendly-recipes.html. http://whole30.com/2013/06/expanded-iswf-shopping-lists/. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennor Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 I would just like to add that serotonin-elevating drugs really do work for a lot of people with IBS. I think many patients veiw them as the doctors just trying to push a "happy-pill" on them and not a medical solution. But the therapy does treat the disturbance in the gut-brain axis. Serotonin is important for signalling between the neurons in the gut and the brain, and many patients are helped by this therapy. Just something to keep at the back of your mind if you can't get enough relief from diet alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bet Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Hi fauxangel, I too have IBS. I had it for a long time before it was even called IBS. I never used to eat breakfast because it would trigger an IBS episode and I didn't want that in the morning when I was going to work. I think it was part physical and part psychological. I looked at your food blog and I see you are mostly having eggs for breakfast. I would try something different. I did an AIP W30 and found giving up eggs made me feel a lot better. For breakfast, I make my own 'sausage' patties. Just ground pork with limited spices. I bake them in batches and freeze them and microwave them in the morning. Also, I don't eat as soon as I get up. I do take a thyroid supplement as soon as I get up and I have to wait one hour before I can eat. So maybe waiting a bit when you get up might help your appetite. Also, I know you nixed the anti-depressent, and it certainly isn't a permanent solution, but it can help you. I started taking Zoloft 2 years ago and it has helped me a lot. As the post above states, serotonin is very important in gut health, and if you have IBS, you likely have serotonin issues. I do sense a lot of despair and hopelessness in your posts, and I recognize that as the way I felt before. So it's something to think about it. And don't give up, it can take awhile to really feel better if you have an issue like IBS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peace_positive Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Your story resonates with me Fauxangel. It took a lot of convincing from my sister that I should try zoloft; I finally did, and I am so happy that I did. It gave me the strength to persist in my efforts to heal my relationship with food. After almost 60 days I realize that eating healthy food has allowed my mind to heal as well. I'm planning to talk to my doc about reducing my dose. If you're willing to go without so many foods, why not try boosting seratonin? What if it works! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.