Under eating causes SIBO - Eating more fixes it

gg12

It’s honestly pointless to do restrictive eating.
Ive been avoiding so many foods the only thing I felt I could safely eat was fruit. And even then I still felt pain in my stomach.

I have come to the conclusion simply eating more will heal sibo. No need for excessive restrictions to any things. Would I still eat rice ? No , I wouldn't bother with rice. I don't deny there are things that generally impair metabolism. But if every time your stomach hurts I think its because you haven't ate enough and especially not enough carbohydrate. I think I heard the body requires 260g of carbs daily to ensure function and things started making a-lot more sense to me because I rarely get that much.

Basic thesis: SIBO symptoms = running off stored fats / toxins / empty stomach etc, whereas you should he running off Glucose / carbohydrate / full stomach.

So I've just been trying to eat more and yes obviously I encounter the gums and what not but Im eating for the short term- even if I do eat toxins I can better clear them on a full stomach not an empty one.
Eat lots of food, in due time the body will speed up no need for restrictive eating and starving yourself that would just slow you down. Prioritize carbohydrates that work for you (waffles work for me) and the body should speed up. And make sure to eat lots of fruit!

Corngold

@gg12

agree. I used to get bad stomach pains and low blood sugar, probably not to the extent of SIBO, when trying to avoid sugar and carbs years ago. Pretty bad.

Peat and the Peatsphere helped me think about food in different ways. In one of his long interviews after the "honey diet" Anabology mentions protein restriction for active people. That just means not over-eating protein like way too many people are doing who do cardio, lift, etc. I think the figure was like .7g per 1 lb bodyweight, which is like 140g protein for a 200lb person (or 1.5g per 90kg). I think he said lower isn't bad either. At around 210lbs I was shooting for 80g protein but honestly I don't think that can be done daily, or for any good reason. It all seems very cyclical, like you can eat a bunch of ice cream one night, but not every night. Same with meat and protein sources. There's no reason to eat the same thing daily.

I think he even mentioned the feeling of getting too much protein and feeling tired and lethargic. I think that's exactly right... fruit and other carbs do the opposite but if you balance that it's good. I really like the line where he mentions that a reasonable amount protein is used efficiently after lifting and carbs will be used as fast fuel and as "free calories." That is correct imo, basically citrus, pineapple, berries, etc. It also assumes not having high fat stores or high fat eating.

By instinct, I think you're right that if you're hungry, then you should eat. If you're running higher body temp, active, then you will eat more.

Jennifer

@Corngold said:
I think he even mentioned the feeling of getting too much protein and feeling tired and lethargic.

In my experience, the protein source can make a difference. I know people who feel energized on a meat-based diet, but I only feel lethargic when a good portion of my protein is coming from meat. I’m small at just a hair under 155 cm/5’1” and 45 kg/99 lb, and for roughly 5 years I averaged 140 g of protein daily from mostly raw dairy and had as much energy as I have on a low protein (50 g), fruit-based diet (think energizer bunny). However, on low protein, I lose a substantial amount of hair (going from a ponytail circumference of roughly 4 cm to 2 cm), muscle mass and bone density—I developed advanced osteoporosis in my late 20s on a low protein, fruit-based diet and reversed it with a high protein diet of mostly dairy.

Though, it can be quite challenging, I agree with the importance of eating enough for our energy needs, even when SIBO is present. I have no doubt I would still be struggling with my health had I not made it a priority to eat an abundance of the few foods I tolerated when I had chronic SIBO and gastritis. I was living on mostly scallops, liters of fruit juice I made daily and coconut fat, until I was able to safely introduce a thyroid supplement (standardized NDT/WP Thyroid)—my SIBO was caused by an under-active thyroid—and resolve the last of my symptoms.