On the surface, the life of model and personal trainer Alyce Crawford looks glamorous and carefree.
And while the former Australia’s Next Top Model star does indeed live a blessed life, she has also battled a painful and frustrating condition behind the scenes for years.
In 2013, Ms Crawford, 27, was shocked to hear that she had been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) – a condition that causes severe bloating, abdominal pain and digestive problems.
Now almost five years on, Ms Crawford has learned to control the condition much better but she still suffers bloating and pain for weeks on end if she strays too far from her regular diet plan.
In 2013, Alyce Crawford, 27, was shocked to hear that she had been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) – a condition that causes severe bloating and abdominal pain
‘Last night I wanted to enjoy some delicious guacamole, however avocado, garlic and onion all effect my IBS, and my stomach bloated immediately,’ she said, sharing a snap of her stomach (pictured)
Taking to social media, Ms Crawford shared a snap of her bloated stomach to show what happens if she lives a ‘balanced lifestyle while suffering from IBS’.
‘Last night I wanted to enjoy some delicious guacamole (which I haven’t eaten in months), however avocado, garlic and onion all effect my IBS (high FODMAP foods), and my stomach bloated immediately,’ she explained.
‘Last Saturday night I was planning on going out to dinner with my friends and boyfriend. We must have called six restaurants prior to ensure there was something I could eat.
‘Although every restaurant we contacted tried to accommodate me, none of them could.
‘The above photo on the right where I am bloated was the stomach I put up with 90 per cent of the time for three years. The photo on the left is my stomach now 90 per cent of the time (+ 4kg of body fat down compared to the photo on the right,’ Ms Crawford said of the above
‘Situations like this takes the joy out of doing something as simple and enjoyable as dining out with your friends and/or partner, not to mention I hated that I was being difficult.
‘In the end, we had to compromise so we could still enjoy our night. My friends instead came over to our house where they brought wine, and everyone ordered take away.’
Ms Crawford said that while she was sad and frustrated, she has chosen to focus on positivity during these flare ups and will sometimes choose to eat foods she loves despite knowing the repercussions.
‘Sometimes I do choose to eat for my mind and soul (chocolate, burgers etc.) which can absolutely be worth all the pain afterwards,’ she explained.
‘In the end, we had to compromise so we could still enjoy our night. My friends instead came over to our house where they brought wine, and everyone ordered take away,’ she said
‘Unfortunately however, the harsh reality is, if you suffer from IBS, you can never wholeheartedly enjoy a lot of your favourite foods because you know the repercussions!
‘At the end of the day, feeling well and healthy always makes me happiest, so 80-90 per cent of the time I choose my health and happiness over a burger!’
Ms Crawford said that while some foods will leave her bloated for only a few days, others, like many foods she ate over Christmas, left her bloating and in pain for weeks.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia previously, Ms Crawford said she first realised something was wrong when she woke up in 2013 feeling incredibly unwell.
‘The harsh reality is, if you suffer from IBS, you can never wholeheartedly enjoy a lot of your favourite foods because you know the repercussions,’ Ms Crawford explained
The Giselle Bundchen-lookalike said she had always managed to maintain her incredibly taut and trim figure – even while eating junk food – until her body refused to cooperate.
The repercussions of feeling this way effected my relationships and my work as a model.
‘I knew there was something very wrong with my body. My stomach was severely bloated and sore. I had sharp pains stabbing me low down in my stomach and knew it was a feeling I had never experienced before,’ she said.
Ms Crawford was forced to spend all her time focusing on learning how to manage the condition. She was in so much pain she felt like it ‘controlled her life’.
‘In the beginning, I needed to take some time off from work to focus on getting better as I was constantly sick and didn’t know the first thing to do to try and make myself feel better,’ Ms Crawford said.
The Giselle Bundchen-lookalike said she had always managed to maintain her incredibly taut and trim figure – even while eating junk food – until one day her body refused to cooperate
‘I was extremely stressed because I wasn’t able to manage anything and felt very sick from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep at night. I felt like it was taking over my life.’
She was devastated and feeling immense pressure as her entire career was reliant on her body which suddenly felt like it refused to cooperate.
In the face of the painful struggle she has learnt how to adjust her lifestyle for the best possible outcome – refusing to give up when her body would not respond.
‘Luckily, I found what worked for me so I am not affected and I can do my job,’ Ms Crawford said.
In the face of the painful struggle she has learnt how to adjust her lifestyle for the best possible outcome – refusing to give up when her body would not respond and finding a passion for fitness (pictured in early January)
In 2017, Ms Crawford said one of the biggest challenges is that IBS is often overlooked by both medical professionals and members of the public.
‘No, it is not life threatening, but it is a condition that has caused and had a severe negative impact on my mental and physical health. To me, that alone is enough to be considered an illness,’ she said.
‘There was never one day in three years, that I ever felt completely well or healthy.
‘The repercussions of feeling this way effected my relationships and my work as a model.’
She said that looking bloated was just one of the battles.
‘The repercussions of feeling this way effected my relationships and my work as a model,’ she said
Ms Crawford spent a great deal of time with specialists and was able to deal with both her anxiety over food and educate herself about what worked and what didn’t
‘The other was how I felt. Sick, nauseous, sore, unmotivated and very lethargic. Feeling like this often made the smallest thing in my day a struggle (getting dressed for example),’ she said.
‘All I wanted to wear, was my pyjamas and not move from a laying down position, as sitting upright hurt too much.
‘That was just too bad for me though as I spent my day in front of the camera on a shoot, a lot of the time working for underwear and swimwear brands so looking pregnant in my bikini was obviously not the best look.’
Luckily, Ms Crawford spent a great deal of time with specialists and was able to deal with both her anxiety over food and educate herself about what worked and what didn’t.
‘I do really want to reiterate that my struggles, my journey, finally finding a way to manage my health and my experiences are what have all lead me to where I am today,’ she concluded
‘I’m human. I love ALL food and I’ve learned how to balance. I still eat delicious, healthy and low FODMAP meals, I’ve just had to learn to get creative and prepare/cook all my meals from scratch,’ she said.
‘I do really want to reiterate that my struggles, my journey, finally finding a way to manage my health and my experiences are what have all lead me to where I am today so I can’t be angry about my situation because of those positive outcomes alone.
‘Without a struggle and overcoming something so challenging, my words truly wouldn’t mean anything to anyone and has absolutely made me a stronger person.
‘My passion and love for exercise and helping others became so evident and clear to me that I studied personal training and next year I will go to university to study nutrition which I cant wait to do.’