NHS advice for IBS includes keeping a diary of what you eat and any symptoms you get (NHS). The hard part is not knowing what to write. It is keeping it up when you feel rough.
These rules keep it small enough to survive.
1. Log the poop first
If you only manage one thing, make it this: the time and the Bristol type. It takes seconds and it is what your doctor will ask about most.
2. Write food in plain words
“Pasta with tomato sauce, coffee with milk” is enough. You don’t need weights or calories. Write it soon after eating, while you remember.
3. Rate symptoms with a number
Pain, bloating and nausea are easier to compare as 0 to 10 than as words. “Bloating 6” on Monday and “bloating 2” on Friday tells a story.
4. Add the day around it
Sleep, stress and your period (if you have one) can all matter. One quick rating a day is plenty.
5. Back-fill, don’t give up
Missed a day? Fill in what you remember and move on. A diary with gaps is still far better than no diary.
How long to keep it
Two weeks gives a clearer picture than a few days. Keep going until your appointment if you can.
Paper or app
Paper works. Our printable food and symptom diary fits a week on one page. If you would rather tap than write, the Gutsby app logs a poop in one tap and turns your entries into a summary for your doctor. Join the waitlist.
A diary shows what happened in your own log. It can’t tell you what causes your symptoms. Take it to your doctor or dietitian and talk it through.
