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Has anyone tried the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) ?

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 8/5/2008 3:57 AM (GMT 0)
I have been having problems with "D" for the last few months, and I started a low carb diet about five days ago and although my symptoms are not gone I feel alot better. I can't believe that I have not lost 60lbs in the last three months from the D alone. I have gained weight actually-figure that one! It seems that most everything is digested at the speed of light. I found out today that I can not eat lettuce........the hard way of course. For IBS I am so surprised that people are told to eat fiber, when that seems to be the absolute worst thing for me. I ate a fiber one bar and about died!! I found this diet that looks very promising- helping people with Crohns, Ulcerative colitis, Celiac disease, IBD and IBS. It is a strict grain free, lactose free and sucrose free. The recipies there look good actually. There is a book that was written about it called "Breaking the vicious cycle" by Elaine Gottschall. Her daughter was so sick when she was younger they wanted to remove her colon, she found this way of eating and her daughter perked right up, and was rid of her seizures also.

I have always been a carb addict, and at 22 I can say that every time I cut out gluten and sugar and carbs in general I feel amazing and my stomach is regular. If anyone has heard of this diet or tried it I would love to know if it has helped you. I don't know what I will do if I have to live the rest of my life not being able to leave the house. I would eat tree bark and nothing else if that was a cure!!! I am going to try to start SCD diet very soon, I don't have a alot of extra money for groceries but I'm sure my mom will help me out- anything for me to feel better. I am going to let everyone know if it has helped or not. I hope that it will help me and others here! Please check it out- it definitely sounds better than pumping yourself with drugs to manage. -Hollie
Posted 8/5/2008 8:18 PM (GMT 0)
Just a thought- It may not have been the fiber in the Fiber One bar that bothered you, but the other "interesting" ingredients like the HFCS ( a trigger for many IBSers), other preservatives, shellac, sugar..... I am with you on the lo-carb diet helping my IBS symptoms. If I reduce grains, sugar as well as yeast, I am a much happier camper. I also think gluten is another unrecognized trigger/allergy for many people. After eliminating gluten many feel so much better. I actually had UC for 8 years along with IBS, and after experimenting with an antifungal diet (much like the SCD, but not as strict) I got well again, and was able to throw all my meds aside. There is merit to it. Save your money, if you don't have enough for the actual SCdiet, you may want to check out the antifungal phase one diet I used to get well, found at www.knowthecause.com under the FAQ section. It is all about eating whole natural foods and eliminating refined sugar, grains, yeast, and some dairy products, pretty well all processed foods. If the reduced sugar/grain diet works for you, stay with it! :) Continued good success......

Posted 8/14/2008 2:21 AM (GMT 0)
hmvx3 - I started the SCD yesterday. How is your progress?
Posted 8/14/2008 2:39 AM (GMT 0)
Hi- I have been cutting out alot of foods and slowly making the transition, just cutting out alot of the carbs has helped. I have been trying to put together my meal plans and get prepared to start. It's so hard because I also have a two year old and a boyfriend and that means we are all going to be eating different things at each meal so instead of preparing 3 meals a day I am making 9. Not to mention the cost- but I have found some good recipes that we all can enjoy and I am excited to get started. Let me know how you are feeling- I hope the diet can relieve some of your problems. The scddiet.org site has alot of good recipes if you haven't already checked it out. Good luck! -Hollie

Posted 8/14/2008 7:29 PM (GMT 0)
The SCD works for some while another form of a modified diet works for others.
I totally cut out gluten and dairy from my diet and I doubt I will go back to those foods because i feel tons better. But I started out with only fresh meats, fresh well cooked veggies, rice, eggs (but those make some people sick), potato, fish, - pretty much whatever fresh you can find except for dairy and gluten/wheat. But eventaully I was able to add in sugars, chocolate, brown rice, more veggies, rice yogurt, rice milk etc.... it just takes a while for your gut to heal (took me almost 1 year to feel about 60% better.

Eating things that are different from the other people around you is definately hard. My wife now eats gluten free and diary free to help me out. Good luck with your decision.
Posted 10/16/2008 8:35 AM (GMT 0)
Just as a followup- I tried the diet for a little while but my stomach seemed to be winding down on its own- I was eating better and eating alot of yogurt but I know what sets my stomach off and I avoid it. But I am so thankful that those problems have eased up. I am into a new set of problems though, I am having a hard time breathing and I feel like I am at the end of my rope with everything, I am really afraid something more serious is going on and I am going to the doctor tomorrow or friday. I just don't even want to get out of bed anymore, I can barely stay awake to take care of my son and I can't keep the house clean or keep up on the laundry, I don't have the energy to get a shower most days. My boyfriend along with everyone else could care less and only makes each day harder. I am only 23, I hope I have one more chance to be healthy again, I took it for granted and didn't take care of myself like I should have. I just want to be around for my little guy. I really wish everyone the best of luck and hope everyone can live the best life free of pain and full of love!
Posted 10/16/2008 11:34 AM (GMT 0)
I've been on a low residue diet for 9 years now, after having had rectal cancer, 90% of sigmoid removed, 15 inches of my colon, gall bladder taken out, a temp ostomy that was reversed 8 weeks later, etc. What I've been left with now is IBS-like symptoms, or I should say - IBS-D, if have high fiber, fresh produce, etc. I could never eat a fiber one bar! Like you, I'd pay for it. Big time.

We're Survivor fans in this family and I was catching up on a previous season we rented from the library. Contestants had family members visit for a rare treat. One young man told his mother he hadn't had a bowel movement in 2 weeks. All he was eating was white rice and white fish.

Well, my family looked at me and I said - that's it, that's the secret here - I need to go on Survivor.

Seriously though, I eat so many, many white foods - plain bakery bread, plain english muffins (Bay's in particular, you find them near the cream cheese), white rice, cottage cheese, bananas (never without them), applesauce, vanilla flavored yogurt over fruit on the bottom or mixed fruit varieties, club crackers, pretzels, instant mashed potatoes (for some odd reason these are much easier on my gut than mashed potatoes from scratch), turkey, chicken, fish.

The meal that turns me around is roast turkey, mashed potatoes and plain dinner rolls or white bread.

I will never understand why doctors and/or dieticians recommend high fiber for those that struggle with D.

I will say that if I follow a low residue diet my stool is usually formed, not D. But it comes all day long, as long as I continue eating.

My 2 cents worth on the matter.....I will definitely look at the diet link you provided. I've always said we are what we eat. Those words are SO TRUE!

Mary/Marsky
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