Losing Weight with Low FODMAP Diet

I was wondering the other day if non-IBS people used the low FODMAP diet as a weight loss diet. I don’t generally pay much attention to formal ‘diets’ per se, because I am a simple man. Sometimes I am thin…and sometimes I am fat :-) All joking aside, the reason I was curious was that I lost a pretty good amount of weight for a while after I started with the FODMAP idea. I was curious to see what other people thought about it and decided to share my thoughts on the idea. This is all pure speculation, but personal thoughts from one person with IBS to others with IBS.

Weight loss on the low FODMAP diet

I have read that the low FODMAP is not something that is used as a weight loss diet. FODMAP's claim to fame is really its efficacy in treating IBS and other health-related issues. That does not mean that it is not possible to lose weight using this relatively strict and restrictive diet. Picture this, before I actually started looking for a diet to manage my IBS, I was eating what you might refer to as ‘cowboy food.’ Steaks, bacon, pork, potatoes (with gravy), lots of cheese and apple pie. Yup…just those things ;-) So when I took on the undertaking to only eat from the FODMAP chart and eliminated things like milk that I thought was giving me trouble, well, what do you think happened with my weight? Right, I lost forty pounds. The answer, at least to me, is simple. I was forty pounds overweight. I am 44 years old and I was eating like my metabolism was still 25. This is not difficult math. I started eating all kinds of relatively healthy foods, in portions so small that I didn’t know I had eaten AND I started drinking more water and exercising. This is not brain surgery. I am sure there are MANY people on this site that know a helluva lot more about physiology and dietary matters than I do. That said, I have found that whenever I have become dedicated to eating ‘clean,’ eating vegetables and fruits, good protein, good carbs and exercising, the results sort of speak for themselves.

Gain weight on the low FODMAP diet

Looking at the FODMAP food list, I believe the opposite of the anecdote above could also be true. Say, you were undereating because of your IBS issues before deciding to find a diet to help. All of a sudden you learn how to use the FODMAP concepts to full potential and eat a bunch of small healthy meals every day. You will then be healthier and your body will become stronger. In this case, I think you may see some good healthy weight gain. I think the FODMAP idea is fantastic. Even though being restricted to a certain set of foods can seem daunting at first, there is a whole lot of really healthy, great tasting options on there. With some flexibility, I think you will find that you cangain weight, as well as lose weight with the foods on the list depending on a number of factors. Remember, the idea is to be the healthiest people we can be and that doesn’t mean that we should all be choosing the same foods, the same portions or the same eating schedules. You have to read the body. Be good to it and it will be good for you.