Why isn't this Diet Working Anymore?

Over the last year or so I have been adherent of the low FODMAP/GFCF (gluten free/casein free) diet. I have had really, really good luck with it and continue to use it with various tweaks and adjustments as my body sees fit. Have there been times when I thought the whole thing was bust and that it was just the perennial placebo effect taking place? Sure, because sometimes I have really bad flares that last for what seems like forever. There is a tendency to give up on something if it doesn’t provide 100% total relief all the time. The human tendency tends towards impatience and an overwhelming urge to change things that aren’t 'working.' We are impatient creatures by nature. So do I think the concept of a low FODMAP base for my diet is wrong? Not, in the least. It has done me MUCH more harm than good, but I will share my thoughts as to why it may not seem like it’s working at certain points or perhaps it may not work for you at all.

Don't give up too fast

I have said time, and time again, that IBS is a particularly crafty illness. It seems to adjust to our body chemistry and our lives consistently. Almost like a virus or something. The several times that I almost decided to scrap the whole diet (I mean why shouldn’t I just eat cheeseburgers if I already feel this way) I decided to take a look at what else was going on in my diet and in my life. Now, this little exercise does require complete honesty. In this case, I was following the diet like a champ, drinking lots of water, exercising and had a rather strict meditation routine. All great stuff, right? Well, then, why did it seem like my bowels were at war with the rest of my body? Why was I in pain AGAIN? The reason was probably because my anxiety was bad, I started drinking too much diet coke and coffee. Wasn’t even that much Diet Coke and coffee, but my IBS doesn’t play well with soda or coffee. It wasn’t the diet’s fault as sure as it wasn’t the water, the exercise or the meditation. What ELSE is going on. In each of our cases the answer is going to be different. If you are going to tell me that there were no extenuating factors and you have been living like the guru in the hills, then perhaps you need to seek more professional answers to your questions. My point is simply, don’t give up that fast. It may be a particular food that needs to be removed and things might be groovy again. But, what food?

Importance of a dietitian to help with IBS symptoms

This is kind of where (if you can afford it) employing a professional dietitian to help you towards a healthy IBS existence can help more than any guessing on your part. It is a dietitian’s job to understand how most foods interact with our systems and various illnesses (IBS and otherwise). To be able to have access to this kind of information can be invaluable in this fight. It’s sort of like trying to be your own therapist. You may know a lot about psychology and empathy but it simply isn’t the same thing as having an unbiased, trained professional to talk to. They’ll give it to you straight. I have a good bit more to say on the subject, but for the sake of time, I’ll leave you with these thoughts for the day. This is an interesting topic.