People often ask me about my experience on the Low FODMAP Diet. The most common questions I am asked are: how did I manage to stick to such a restrictive diet? How did I cope for so long? Is it hard to follow? Were you hungry? So I thought it would be very useful, to go into more detail and share my full experience for anyone: currently on the diet, about to start, or has been recommended this by a doctor. I will break it up in to several post over the next few weeks (as there would be too much to cover in 1 post!) starting with what my mood, energy and symptoms looked like on a weekly basis.
During my time on the diet, I filled in a daily log to keep track of the foods I ate, number of bowel movements and any type of exercise sessions I did that day. I also tracked and scored my top 3 symptoms (which were- bloating, gas and tiredness) daily out of 10, which I share with you below, to give you an idea of what to expect- though I must stress, we are all different and what my progress looked like would not be the same for you. This is also the case for the length of time you would be on the diet- It took a while for my body to adjust and see changes, but for most, the diet is followed for around 2-6 weeks.
This is all a part of the process to narrow down the foods, that trigger your symptoms.
Common questions answered:
How did I manage to stick to such a restrictive diet?
Planning and more planning! I knew how committed I had to be in order to follow this diet properly, so I made no plans to be anywhere. I looked at it, as if I was about to take on a project for a few months and that it was only for a period, not forever. I batched cooked a lot, planning all my meals for the week. However, the one thing that made me stick to it was my mindset- I had nothing to lose trying this diet and I knew it would help me learn a lot about the foods that trigger my symptoms. I wanted to feel better.
Is it hard to follow?
Yes, because I had to eliminate many of the foods I was eating, which also meant cooking and eating different meals to everyone else. Writing down what I ate every day was like an extra chore! It was hard at family gatherings being surrounded by lots of sweet treats and having to resist! The 1st month was definitely the hardest, with all the change happening at once. BUT……as the weeks go on, you do get used to it- it gets easier resisting the treats and once you have committed for a length of time already, you don’t want to give up all that hard work and progress you have made and that keeps you going!
Were you hungry?
At the beginning, I did get hungry at times but that was because I had to cut out all the snacks I would usually have and was learning and adjusting to my new diet. Once I started trying out the new recipes and learned what low FODMAP snacks I could have, I didn’t feel hungry.
Weeks 1-4
The first week when I started this diet, I was at the peak of my symptoms, bloating, gas and tiredness was at its worst. My sleeping routine was not great, so was not getting enough sleep at all. Symptoms were very up and down for the first 4 weeks. I came down with a cold on week 4 and felt no different from week 1. I felt really deflated- thinking all this hard work was changing nothing.
- Bloating 9/10
- Gas 7/10
- Tiredness 7/10
Weeks 5-8
I start to notice that I get bloated around midday, after lunch. Week 6, I wake up bloated- started noticing that it could be linked to my poor sleep habit. By week 7, I started to feel unwell again after just recovering a few weeks before and ended up having to take antibiotics! (so bad for the gut!) I experienced bad cramps and unusual bowel movements too. Week 8, did not feel my best- however, I noticed the bloating had calmed down a little. Being on this tough diet and being sick at the same time really tested my will power!
- Bloating 7/10
- Gas 7/10
- Tiredness 8/10
Weeks 9-12
Energy levels were great, more active than the past 2 months. Week 11, I gave in to temptation, just for a few hours! It was Easter holidays, and I ate some high FODMAP foods! My stomach did not respond well, but I told myself, it was ok and went straight back to what I was doing! I’m human, we mess up sometimes! But that indicated to me that sugars are a trigger….By the end of week 12, gas had reduce a lot. Bloating was still there but not as severe. Friends and family started noticing that I had lost weight especially around my stomach.
- Bloating 6/10
- Gas 4/10
- Tiredness 3/10
Weeks 13-16
By now, I had become quite the master at making my own low FODMAP meals without following recipes. My energy levels were great but that was also down to me sleeping better. My gas reduced a lot and was not as smelly as it used to be. My stomach was definitely less bloated and looked flatter too.
I hope this gives you an insight of what to expect from week 1- week 16 (if you have to do it for as long as I did!) on the Low FODMAP Diet. When I wasn’t seeing progress after doing it for weeks, there were moments when I felt like giving up- thinking it’s not going to work and do anything for me but remember, always trust the process!