The Girl with IBS

As you may remember from my first post, sweets are one of my No-No Foods. Controlling my ever-increasing sweet tooth has been an issue since day one. I love chocolate, candy, baked goods, ice cream, everything. However, eating these amazing foods leads to days of bloating, cramping, and worse. Does that stop me from stuffing my face with cake and icing? No. No, it does not. The realization that I will never be able to control my IBS without cutting adding sugars has led me to the creation of the Sugar Incentive. A two-month plan that rewards me for cutting sugar from my diet. Every 7 days, I have the opportunity to earn a new incentive. The incentives are either non-food items or experiences. To keep me on track, I created a daily chart and this blog. As often as possible, I will be sharing my thoughts and experiences with the Sugar Incentive with you. Here are the rules: No Packaged Sweets No Baked Goods No Vending Machine Purchases (even chips) No Ice Cream or Fro-Yo No Art...

A few years ago, my doctor diagnosed my chronic and mysterious stomach pain as IBS. At the time, I could barely eat. I was living on the BRAT (banana, rice, applesauce, and toast) diet, losing weight rapidly, and barely sleeping. Before the diagnosis, I went through weeks without lactose, meat, soy, gluten, and other ingredients in an attempt to discover an allergy or intolerance. After several tests, we decided it was IBS and I would have to learn to manage the symptoms on my own. According to the Mayo Clinic: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that affects the large intestine (colon). Irritable bowel syndrome commonly causes cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation. IBS is a chronic condition that you will need to manage long term. For me, IBS means nausea, vomiting, bloating, cramping, and constipation when I eat large meals or too many No-No Foods. My No-No Foods include sweet, fried, and acidic foods. I have learned my body's ca...