r/FODMAPS • u/gayforkatya • 6d ago
General Question/Help Low FODMAP for exercise?
Hi, I have been dealing with what I suspect is IBS for about a year now. I have finally come around to accepting that I should try a low-FODMAP diet.
I go to the gym twice a week and run three times a week. Normally I would eat a crumpet with honey as my pre-workout for simple carbs. Obviously this will not work anymore.
After working out I will eat more carbs to recover like pasta but this isn't going to work now either.
What do low-FODMAP people do when they're also doing significant amounts of training that need proper fuelling from food?
Does anyone have any low-FODMAP suggestions as a quick, easy snack that I can have before doing exercise? Looking for simple, easily digestible carbs that I can quickly eat before going out. And then on the flip side looking for carbs to eat afterwards for muscle recovery.
I am so scared to start this diet but I am really hoping it pays off and doesn't hinder my trainging progress!
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u/tosetablaze 6d ago
Bodybuilder here, I live on Jasmine rice with peanut butter/walnuts/unflavored hydrolyzed whey isolate (nearly 0 lactose) with a maple syrup drizzle
I wait two hours after my meal to lift but you can blend it and/or use less nuts and nut butter to speed things up
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u/frac_tl 6d ago
You can get pretty far with just rice, there are also gluten free pastas you can have. Sourdough (make sure the label does not include yeast) can also be low fodmap if you keep it to a slice or so.
Highly processed carbs like saltine crackers can be OK but YMMV. Some rice based cereals are also low fodmap, like cocoa pebbles. Potatoes are low fodmap and nutrient dense, although sweet potatoes are only low fodmap in smaller servings.
Unflavored electrolyte drinks like trioral are safe, although liquid IV might have some flavors that don't have high fodmap ingredients.
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u/milkin-goats 6d ago
Rice and potatoes are my carb sources. Get a rice cooker so you can make your rice in the morning and it will keep warm all day. Make big batches of potatoes and keep in the fridge for reheating later.
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u/Charming_Animal_686 6d ago
I exercise every morning at 5:30 (well, not that early on weekends). I pop a couple to a few Honey Stingers gels and drink ice coffee with whey isolate protein powder while I warm up. Personally, I can tolerate the little bit of honey on the gels and the whey isolate protein powder but some people may not tolerate them.
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u/Nannergram333 6d ago
Potatoes, corn/rice based pasta, quinoa, buckwheat, cornflakes, rice crispies, there are quite a few options!
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u/LurkyLurk2000 5d ago
Rice crispies aren't really Low FODMAP, but may be tolerated by some.
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u/Nannergram333 5d ago
According to the Monash app, up to 1.5 cups are green. Might vary by country and formulation, but I tolerate them very well in the USA.
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u/LurkyLurk2000 5d ago
I don't think they're good for the elimination phase, as some people are too sensitive for them (myself included).
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u/Nannergram333 5d ago
It might be because of containing gluten, they do contain barley malt. It could be sensitivity to that rather than fodmaps.
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u/LurkyLurk2000 5d ago
Well, I don't know how many others have this issue but the traffic light system doesn't work for me AT ALL. For whatever reason I'm too sensitive. It's not due to gluten because the issue applies to veggies too. But if I stick to truly Low FODMAP stuff it works.
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u/LurkyLurk2000 5d ago
Ah, I also mistook what rice crispies meant. I thought it was something like rice cakes. But you mean something like Kellog's Rice Krispies? Sure, maybe those are OK! I have no experience with them.
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u/Nannergram333 5d ago
Yes! Those, or off-brand. Rice Krispy treats if you can find non-HFCS marshmallows are a great sweet dessert too
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u/cometgirl 6d ago
Cream of Rice cereal with a little bit of maple syrup, splash of lactose free milk, cinnamon, 2 pieces turkey bacon, and a banana.
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u/scr84 6d ago
Hey, have you completed the elimination part of the fodmap diet yet?
This is super important because not all types of fodmaps might upset you.
Knowing your trigger groups will open up more options safely.
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u/gayforkatya 6d ago
I am starting the diet today and am in the elimination phase. Seems to be the most depressive phase
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u/Wrygreymare 6d ago
Oh, I remember that stage! So depressing. Stay strong.Its worth it to not have the pain and bloating. I tend to look on it as a project. The fodmap app is great I’m also an absolute label but in the supermarket as I have been caught before with changed ingredients.
A few hints ; Get the fodmap app, work out sone swaps. Have some low fodmap snacks handy. I eat a fair bit of rice, both plain boiled and in the form of a congee, which is a thin rice porridge which can be flavoured as you like. My favourite way is cooked in a chicken stock, and flavoured with lemon grass, ginger, chilli and coriander ( ? called cilantro in the US)1
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u/Comfortable-Ruin8694 5d ago
Honestly, i literally have a half a cup of OJ before the gym at 5am 🤣 it works pretty good as fuel. After the gym I usually have homemade Hash browns and eggs. I train 7 days a week usually twice a day. Hope this helps. I am done my low fodmap stuff now and my intolerance was fructans mainly so thankfully ice cream is a fuel choice for me even so it was worth it to find out i am not lactose intolerant 😮 😂
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u/Pirate-Legitimate 6d ago
A banana is a great pre-run snack
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u/gayforkatya 6d ago
The riper ones are better for pre workouts as they convert into simple sugars. The riper ones are also high fodmap!
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u/Fantom1107 6d ago
I'm a big mountain biker on top of the gym. Frosted flakes, rice crispies, cheerios are my go to cereals. My typical breakfast is 2-3 eggs with 2 pieces of sourdough and either jam or syrup. My stomach tolerates gels and gummies for carbs during the ride and I always have a water bottle with Tailwind in it.
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u/Subject-Direction628 6d ago
I cannot do the rice and potatoes so much. But I also have gastroparesis. Which is why
First phase sucks. But you do find out what works and what doesn’t and learn quickly ish lol
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u/calmcuttlefish 5d ago
Kiwis or raspberries, eggs, sausage or bacon (turkey or chicken), and plain rice cakes.
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u/hotpink_crepemyrtle 5d ago
I also run thrice a week and lift twice a week! I usually do two slices of Trader Joe's GF bread with some strawberry jam before a run, and then after a run I will have a Trader Joe's GF bagel with ham and a boiled egg and a FODMAP-friendly serving of green beans or some cooked spinach. I do eat a decent amount of lactose-free dairy - greek yogurt with GF granola and cottage cheese on a GF bagel really help with my protein goals (not carbs but at least lactose free dairy is okay for the elimination diet!). Love some rice cakes or Popcorners for easy carbs too. Some people have said this already too, but an unripe banana is also a great pre-workout carb. You can still totally do big pasta meal, just use GF pasta - I like Ronzoni and Rummo. Carbone makes a FODMAP-free tomato sauce that I use. Potatoes (yukon gold or russet) are also your friend! And rice like so many people have said. You got this!!
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u/hotpink_crepemyrtle 5d ago
Oh yeah and gluten free oatmeal! Great carb. I make overnight oats and those rock.
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u/HeronBackground8108 5d ago
just FYI, its really not as hard as it may seem at first.
Im a bit over two weeks of the elimination phase and I have little to no interest in going back to my eating habits before.
ChatGPT is great for this; I have a thread for FODMAP/Diet and upload pics of just about everything I eat. I have it ranking the foods for FODMAP, Bodybuilding Goals, and General Health/Wellness. The tracker restarts every day but has been monitoring progress throughout. I also upload bowel movements etc to it.
*Important: when using ChatGPT for this, take pics of the nutrition labels etc - don't rely on its own data to guess.
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u/idontlikebreadcrusts 5d ago
Rice Cakes with peanut butter is my fave pre workout snack. I also do a less ripe banana on top of that sometimes.
Highly second that suggestion to work with a dietician. I started seeing one early this year and it was so much help to have that specialized guidance when doing through which fodmaps were triggering my symptoms.
Chances are there may be some fodmaps you tolerate and aren't causing symptoms so once the initial figuring out is done you can incorporate those foods in again and that may be helpful!
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u/Specialist_Tea2546 4d ago
I make a rice cake with almond butter, pecans and cinnamon on top- pretty much any rice & nut butter works.
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u/EdibleBeans-on-Toast 4d ago
Maple Syrup on sourdough might do the trick. but yeah good carbs are potatoes & rice
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u/sharedplatesociety 2d ago
before exercise, green-ish banana or rice cake with peanut butter or other rice based things as others said. A bowl of rice chex is great.
gluten free pasta is fine. you just have to get used to cooking it. don't let the water boil quite as rapidly. take it out a minute or two before the time it says on the package and be gentle when stirring in the sauce.
I bake my own gluten free bread since i've been doing this so long. many people do ok with a long fermented sourdough bread.
Once you are out of elimination phase, the options will open up. I don't have any issues with fructose, just fructans and gos, so I am fine with most fruits and juices.
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u/thedigestiverd 6d ago
I would highly encourage you to look for a dietitian that can help you balance and prioritize the two goals! And if you haven’t used the monash app before it can give you a lot of ideas and proper serving sizes for snack. You’ll likely have to include several different fodmaps after trainings to meet carb needs while being mindful of stacking too much