# Food to gain weight



## pompeybird (Jun 25, 2010)

Hey there 
I was diagnosed with chrons yesterday and also have a lot of other problems that have mentioned in my previous thread 

Im desperate to put on weight as if i dont in 3 months i am going to have to go into hospital to be tube fed at night 

It seems no matter what i eat the weight just will not go on , my doctor actually said at one point it was all in my head and i was anorexic (before chrons was diagnosed) 

I just wondered if anyone had any tips on what to do or eat to help me gain some weight ??

im 5ft 4 and 6 stone 2 (around 38 kilos) 

any help would be great thanks


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## Rebecca85 (Jun 25, 2010)

Try drinking nutrition shakes (ensure, boost, complan etc) in between meals.


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## kello82 (Jun 26, 2010)

hi there!!

IT IS NOT ALL IN YOUR HEAD! the weight issues are very real and we all know its easy to start doubting yourself when docs tell you youre thoughts are wrong and it sucks, but just know that you know yourself best.

anyways, yeah weight has been a huge issue for me. when trying to gain weight i did what rebecca suggested, drank the boost/ensure shakes and such. often i mix them with ice cream and cookies and crap like that to make it taste better, you can get them to acttually taste like a yummy coffee drink or milkshake or something.
my personal fave is choco boost/ensure/whatever, coffee ice cream, crumbled oreos, and caramel syrup in the blender =]
but i mean even that is hard to down when you are just NOT hungry.

i gotta say though, i dont think i have ever had success GAINING weight by increasing calorie consumption. if that makes sense.
a couple months ago i was hovering around 90 lb and drinking 3 boost a day plus meals, i mean literally forcefeeding myself, and not gaining, sometimes even losing. and now, i am rapidly putting on weight with maybeeee 1 1/2 or 2 meals a day. no more boost.

i am starting to think that it really doesnt matter HOW much food you shove in there, if your intestines are in the wrong state, it just passes out completely un changed you know? like if youre trying to fill up a cup of water in a cup that has no bottom! doesnt matter how much water you put in the cup, it will will never stay there. not until the bottom is sealed on can you fill the cup. 
that is a strange analogy but i hope it makes sense. 
ya know?

i mean that would explain my struggle with weight at least. i never eat very much, even when i am at a healthy weight for me, at like 120 lb like i said, i eat like twice a day. two meals if im lucky.
and at 85 lb force in 4 meals. TWICE the amount of calories.

how does that work?!

idk, its the only explanation i can see for this craziness


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## My Butt Hurts (Jun 26, 2010)

Are you on any meds or anything yet?  What are they doing to help you control your symptoms?  
The time that I was trying to gain weight, I had just started Humira and was on steroids (so that helped with my hunger) and I tried to gain it as fast as possible while I felt great, and before I flared again.  I know that's not the healthiest way to do it, but I did manage to put on 40 pounds.
I drank Carnation Instant Breakfast (like a supplement drink).  I added flavored coffee creamer to it, It's full of fat, and I used about 1/4 cup of it with each drink every morning.  On the way home from work, I got a milkshake and fries every day or every other day.  I didn't limit myself on calories at all.  I didn't try to eat fruits or veggies.
I think that the biggest part of gaining weight is feeling well enough to do it.
Welcome to the forum.  Sorry you have to be here, but glad you found us.


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## pompeybird (Jun 26, 2010)

Thank you so so much for the replies its so nice to know its not in my head 

The strange thing is i dont get diarreah so i honestly dont know where the calories im having are going 
I have to admit some days im really not hungry but i still try and make sure i eat although not easy 

I was on 5 protein shakes a day (350 calories each) prescribed to me by a dietican from when i was in hospital ................. my doctor took me off them along with ALL medication i was on for all my problems (ankylosis spondalitis , osteoperosis , arthritis , b12 deficant ) 

I was on tramidol , baclofen , narproxen , liquid morphine (oramorph) , multi vits , b12 jabs , calci chew , fortisips (protein shakes) 

The only thing i am on at the moment is my B12 jab every 12 weeks and something called budesonide which the specialist prescribed me thursday when i was diagnosed , aparently it is going to be very difficult to treat me as what they would normally give me to treat the chrons can make one of the other conditions worse (mainly the osteoperosis) and what they would normally give me for pain etc for the other condidtions could make the chrons worse so it seems like its a catch 22 situation 

Im due to see the GP next week (which im so not looking forward too as its the same one who said it was all in my head and that i was anorexic) 

I can barely walk most days because of pain , my partner has had to give up work apart from weekends as im unable to take the children to and from school , make dinners etc 

I do think putting on weight would be half the battle with pain as i have no muscle or fat at all and im fed up with people looking at me like im anorexic or saying i would love to be your size ............. no you wouldnt as its not nice to look at and its not nice feeling so ill most days and wanting to sleep all the time 

If i bought something like complan would that interferre with medication that im likely to be given for the chrons ? as im thinking of doing that and not telling my GP 

With regards to the chrons itself im not sure what the next step is apart from seeing the specialist in 3 months , waiting for an appt with a dieticean and with a rhumetologist 

I actually made the appt with the GP before i was diagnosed so im hoping his attitude will change now i have a diagnoses 

I really dont know the next course of action apart from what i have said which isnt helping


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## MapleLeafGirl (Jun 26, 2010)

pompeybird said:


> The strange thing is i dont get diarreah so i honestly dont know where the calories im having are going


I had the same thing last summer.  Someone offered the following explanation - every calorie you consume is going to fight the inflammation in your body.  As Regular Joe explained in an old post - your immune system is doing double duty - it is starting the inflammation and it is fighting the inflammation it started.  That's an awful lot of calories being eaten up.  I was force feeding myself too and nothing made a difference.  I wasn't able to gain weight until I went on prednisone and everytime I come off, the weight slowly comes back off too.  

Hopefully that won't happen for you.  The energy drink advice is good.  Hopefully you can find one that you can stand the taste of!!


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## pompeybird (Jun 26, 2010)

MapleLeafGirl said:


> I had the same thing last summer.  Someone offered the following explanation - every calorie you consume is going to fight the inflammation in your body.  As Regular Joe explained in an old post - your immune system is doing double duty - it is starting the inflammation and it is fighting the inflammation it started.  That's an awful lot of calories being eaten up.  I was force feeding myself too and nothing made a difference.  I wasn't able to gain weight until I went on prednisone and everytime I come off, the weight slowly comes back off too.
> 
> Hopefully that won't happen for you.  The energy drink advice is good.  Hopefully you can find one that you can stand the taste of!!


That makes PERFECT sense thank you so much !!!!! 

Blimey our bodies really are strange things arent they lol , seems it is going to be a lot of trial and error but thats ok i just want to put the weight on


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## kello82 (Jun 27, 2010)

pompeybird said:


> The strange thing is i dont get diarreah so i honestly dont know where the calories im having are going


in my opinion, even if its not diarreah doesnt mean that the food still isnt going right through you. 

if your intestines are inflamed and scarred and everything, all of that carnage is blocking the little fuzzy things that line our intestines from absorbing the nutrients, you know? 
so the food passes through but the little fuzzy fingers are too wounded and scarred to grab hold of the nutrition as it moves along.
ALSO our body's natural way of trying to heal is to coat the intestines with mucous, and THAT can form a barrier between the fuzzy fingers and the food as well, so the food just turns to waste and slides on thru without getting trapped and absorbed.


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## gmm (Jun 28, 2010)

i would ask your doc about pred too, it really will make you eat more and help put on weight,  it was a wonder drug to me  when i was starting all this and ended up at 8 stone in weight and 6 ft tall, i could eat for scotland, having three main meals a day  after being told by the dietician  to eat anything thats basically "bad" for you, lol,  fried foods   full fat items   etc,, its worth asking about it   and  eating all that glorious bad food  is a real feel good factor


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## Musica (Jul 5, 2010)

Eat chocolat bars with cocoa (50%, 60%, 70% cocoa) each day. I would recommand to avoid over 70%. Cocoa must be in first (70%) or second position (50% and maybe 65%) in the ingredient list.

More % cocoa = less sugar.

Cocoa contain magnesium (110 mg for 100 g), a natural relaxant that will favorise the absobtion of ailments and help fight constipation; potassium, iron; Thiamin B1 for amino acids involved in protein but also for fats and sugars, B2 (riboflavin) that will help for oral inflammation, chronic digestive problems and diarrhea; Niacin B3 which is essential for the digestive system; pantothenic acid B5 for helping diarrhea; and B12 that will help in the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and proteins (96 calories by 30g). Cocoa is also high in fibers.

All this will favorise a gain weight. 

Do not eat chocolate with sorbitol or substitute of sugar. They will favorise diarrhea. If you can find chocolate with sugar cane instead of sugar it is better for health.


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## barmybev (Jul 6, 2010)

Hi, I have the same problem trying to gain weight  because i'm tall 5"9  I look like a bean pole!! I have now started following a high calorie diet and see if that helps x


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## xxNoGodxx (Jul 6, 2010)

6 ft ten 133 lbs and dropping, I'm at a loss as to how to gain weight.


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## Astra (Jul 6, 2010)

gmm said:


> i would ask your doc about pred too, it really will make you eat more and help put on weight,  it was a wonder drug to me  when i was starting all this and ended up at 8 stone in weight and 6 ft tall, i could eat for scotland, having three main meals a day  after being told by the dietician  to eat anything thats basically "bad" for you, lol,  fried foods   full fat items   etc,, its worth asking about it   and  eating all that glorious bad food  is a real feel good factor



My god! it beggars belief! did your dietician really say this?!!


http://nutrition.about.com/od/dietsformedicaldisorders/f/GainWeight.htm

here read this

xxxx


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## gmm (Jul 6, 2010)

hahahah    yep, thought i was gonna be told to eat the blandest foods available,at that time  i was near a walking skeleton,   in fact  the head consultant   told the dietician   that an escapee  from belsen was about to appear ,  with the pred and all that good food  it slowly took me a while to make it up to 11 stone


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## EthanPSU (Jul 8, 2010)

I have the same problem. Im 6'0 155lbs. Im doing ok but really would like to add more.

Right now I eat 4000-6000 calories a day which has gained me 5lbs over the past month


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## Poppysocks (Jul 17, 2010)

5'11 135 lbs if even that now.

I try so hard to put on weight I'm at a loss. I've gotten close to 150 lbs multiple times, and I'd be happy at that weight. But I always end up getting sick and losing it all after working so hard to put on the pounds. 

I'd like to try some formulas like Pivot 1.5 but they seem to be too expensive to try.


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## CyCrohn'sGuy (Aug 1, 2010)

I'm also desperate to gain weight.  I'm currently at 51 kg which is better than 42 kg but not yet at my comfortable 65 kg.  I'm 1.70cm which I think is about 5ft 7".   It's very much a vanity issue with me I guess as well as a psychological one.  If you look well then you feel well!!!  My clothes look as though I bought them from a thrift shop as they are so ill fitting.  I bought a pair of children's short trousers and even they are too big for me. It's pathetic looking!  Whatever I eat just does not stay on and it's such hard work (and a waste of time mostly).  My arms and legs are spindly with loose skin that needs to be filled in so it's a constant reminder to me.  I cannot look at myself naked as it makes me sick to my stomach.  I've tried several diets to gain weight to no avail. Before becoming immune to Remicade I looked and felt really well after such a long time.  I pray that Humira will be the one for me.  I'm so impatient to start the therapy.


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## rygon (Aug 1, 2010)

Musica said:


> Eat chocolat bars with cocoa (50%, 60%, 70% cocoa) each day. I would recommand to avoid over 70%.


Any reason why you would avoid over 70%, I love dark chocolate,once i got used to the taste. Dont like eating milk choclate at all now. Do find varying tastes to it so does take a few to find what tastes good to you


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## kari (Aug 1, 2010)

You can start adding flax, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, or walnut oil to your foods right before you eat. There is also a coconut kefir drink or you could make smoothies with yogurt (soy, coconut, rice, or cow's milk) and plain coconut milk. 

If you had a high powered blender (vita-mix or Blend Tech) you could make cashew cream. You soak the raw cashews (not roasted or cooked) over night in water, drain the next morning, put the cashews in the blender and just cover with fresh water. Blend until a thick cream is achieved and you can add this to smoothies or mashed potatoes instead of cow's milk or soy milk. Or add more water to make a cashew milk for cereal. You can always strain it as well to catch the tiny tiny bits of cashew that may be left. You could also do this in a food processor but will need to strain it. 

Avocados are so healthy for you and full of great fat. Avocados are high in fiber where the coconut kefir and oils are not. 

Olives are also very healthy foods that are good for gaining weight. 

You could also try smooth nut or seed butters like Sunbutter (made from sunflower seeds), cashew butter, macadamia nut butter, hemp seed butter. 

Good luck gaining weight!


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## Rae410 (Aug 2, 2010)

Drink milk, eat peanut butter, and lean meats!


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## CyCrohn'sGuy (Aug 5, 2010)

Well I tried peanut butter (smooth, obviously) and it was delicious.  However, I have been bloated since last night.  Could this be from the peanut butter or from the 3 wine gums I ate?


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## wolfem (Aug 8, 2010)

Boy have I been having a hard time gaining weight!   I know the feeling.  My diet is really restricted so a lot of foods that help you can weight, I can't have.  Stinks.  Anyhow, what I've done is kept a continuous supply of lean meat.  Meat, meat, and more meat.  I also eat lots of veggies.  For me, its the only way to keep a majority of the inflammation down.  If I eat the wrong foods I won't absorb anything it doesn't matter how much I eat.

Here are some foods that have helped me:
Lots of avacados
Almond butter+bananas
Coconut oil
Meat (very little red meat)
Protein drink consisting of rice and hemp protein (although tastes really nasty it tastes o.k. blended in with fruits.)

Hope this helps!

5'4" current weight: 100lbs    Weight gained: 10lbs


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## wolfem (Aug 8, 2010)

kari said:


> You can start adding flax, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, or walnut oil to your foods right before you eat. There is also a coconut kefir drink or you could make smoothies with yogurt (soy, coconut, rice, or cow's milk) and plain coconut milk.
> 
> If you had a high powered blender (vita-mix or Blend Tech) you could make cashew cream. You soak the raw cashews (not roasted or cooked) over night in water, drain the next morning, put the cashews in the blender and just cover with fresh water. Blend until a thick cream is achieved and you can add this to smoothies or mashed potatoes instead of cow's milk or soy milk. Or add more water to make a cashew milk for cereal. You can always strain it as well to catch the tiny tiny bits of cashew that may be left. You could also do this in a food processor but will need to strain it.
> 
> ...



Yeah!  I completely agree with Kari.  Blending the foods and adding the oils really works.


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## Bizkid (Aug 8, 2010)

To gain weight you need a calorie surplus. So 
1g of fat- 9 calories
1g of Carbohydrates=4 Calories
1g of Protein=4 Calories

Personally, I gain weight easily on high carbohydrates. They are dense and can eat a lot of.


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## -jayson- (Oct 17, 2010)

This thread was really interesting to me, its comforting to know I am not the only one dealing with an inability to gain weight.  Ive been skinny my whole life and have been trying to gain weight my whole life, im 5'10" 150lbs, i really cant ever seem to get above that point, but i can definitely fall below that.

Ive found that working out is the best thing to gain weight, eating really never seemed to let me gain weight, maybe for a bit, but then I would almost instantly lose it again as soon as i went on a more normal diet.  The problem with working out is your body uses fat to build muscle, so with little fat its really hard to build muscle.  But you would be really suprised with how little working out you need to do to build muscles.  I usually do short intense work outs or when im off, i do push ups and sit ups in the morning and before bed.  If you work out too hard you will begin negating any gains because your body will use muscle tissue to power itself.  Best bet for me is to eat lots of calories and do high weight short workouts.

When you build muscle, it seems to be harder to loose during flair ups and just in general since your body will burn fat before it burns muscle.  The gains are painstaking slow though.  But the other added benefit is that working out in general is just good for, releases endorphins and does a lot of good for your body.


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## kildare crohnie (Oct 18, 2010)

Ive found that working out is the best thing to gain weight, eating really never seemed to let me gain weight, maybe for a bit, but then I would almost instantly lose it again as soon as i went on a more normal diet.  The problem with working out is your body uses fat to build muscle, so with little fat its really hard to build muscle.  But you would be really suprised with how little working out you need to do to build muscles.  I usually do short intense work outs or when im off, i do push ups and sit ups in the morning and before bed.  If you work out too hard you will begin negating any gains because your body will use muscle tissue to power itself.  Best bet for me is to eat lots of calories and do high weight short workouts.

i taught sit-ups were bad for crohns because of the stress on the stomach??


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## BWS1982 (Oct 18, 2010)

In calorie deprived states, the body loves to gobble up muscle tissue, actually, because you're not getting enough protein (muscle is protein) and muscle is costly. It actually goes first, because it costs around 35 calories a day to maintain a pound of it, whereas fat is almost "free" to maintain, costing maybe 2-5 calories a day per pound. As a result, muscle goes quickly when you're hypocaloric and not eating enough to maintain what mass you have (this is why starving people in third world countries don't have such low bodyfat, and often get that distended gut, that's preserved fat being held onto).

The optimal way to gain, if you can't eat enough food, is to find something that you can both tolerate and your disease can tolerate, and eat a lot of it. The more desperate you are, the more loose you can be with nutritional constraints, in my opinion. I'd say if you're that desperate and love potato chips, have them. If the status of your disease won't get worse from them, eat some cookies now and then. Just make sure you're taking vitamins and eating as much healthy food as you can around it. And don't risk your disease getting worse for gaining muscle/weight. It'll backfire. "Padding" your diet with "junk calories" is only recommended in circumstances like ours, major medical setbacks. This is my take, at least (I love certain kinds of crackers, and when that was all I could stomach, I'd eat Cheddar Jack Cheez-It's and Creamy Chicken Soup in 2008).


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## Manimation (Oct 19, 2010)

BACON.  My body loves bacon.  Bacon and eggs, bacon and sausage links, bacon and eggs and sausage links.  Oh my god do I love bacon.  It's never hurt me.  I'm 5'10 and hovering around 135lbs.  Working my way back up to 145-150.  

Can yall eat fast food?  McDonalds double quarter pounders aint exactly making anyone skinnier these days.  A horrible habit but when I was weight lifting and on prednisone I couldn't physically stop eating... I'd bulldoze through a DQP like it was a happy meal.


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## Jared (Oct 26, 2010)

I have been dealing with trying to gain weight and it has been a struggle. I just said screw it I'm desperate and will do about anything. First thing was I needed to get about 4000 calories a day which if you are eating healthy is nearly impossible. So for short term I am drinking a half gallon of whole chocolate milk everyday in addition to eating about 5 times a day, the milk adds 1880 calories which I need. The milk is also one the best calories per cost 5 times cheaper than ensure or boost, also being a liquid it is much easier to get down as I'm not always very hungry. Exercise has helped too. I jog just a little bit and it adds to my appetite and makes me feel stronger. I eat lots of protein rich foods. Starches are also good like bread and potatoes. I take a multivitamin. All this has helped me


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## Mountaingem (Oct 27, 2010)

I used to add a few tablespoons of coconut oil to homemade smoothies. It adds healthy fat, and also has strong anti-inflammatory properties. I would add to the coconut oil a bannana, greek style vanilla yogurt, cinnamon, nutmeg, a little sugar and ice and blend...mmm, yummy and easy on the tummy. I would drink this several times a day. Since I've taken sooo much pred, now I'm chubby AND malnourished at the same time...I didn't know that was possible! :lol2:


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## Beach (Aug 14, 2011)

No fun when a doctor begins throwing around the "it's all in your head" idea.  Had that happen to me with one doc.  As sick as I was to my gut, running to the toilet all the time, wasn't very pleased about his diagnosis.  Would have been better if he didn't know what was wrong, to say he did not know what to do.  

In the end, what helped me to gain weight was to eat a paleo diet.  Typically the diet is eaten for weight loss by many.  But found the diet improved my health and as a result the weight came back on.  I'm energetic enough now that I weight lift also, and the weight gain has been lean muscle.  

Basically, on the diet I avoid eating the typical gut irritators of grains, like wheat and corn, plus stay away from diary - most of the time.  Some days I'll sneak a piece of cheese into a meal.  

Thought this a nice sight listing several different paleo blogs, giving information on the diet.  

http://www.dietdoctor.com/new

Good luck!  Hope you put some weight back on!  I know for me, after what I've been though, I freak out when I loose weight.


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## scoutfinch (Aug 17, 2011)

I only started gaining weight when I got the Crohn's under control with Remicade.  Prior to that I had been losing weight steadily (was at 75 lbs at my lowest..yes, 75 lbs) no matter what I ate.  I tried many of the things people have mentioned on this thread - nutritional shakes, fatty foods, carbs, etc.  I never exercised.  Still the weight steadily dropped.  

Get the Crohn's under control, if you can, and you will start to gain weight again.


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## num1habsfan (Aug 23, 2011)

Prednisone is definitely a weight gainer! And it increases your appetite.

I'd tell you to eat a lot of specifically gluten-free stuff but that's no guarantee and I'm not sure how readily available it is out there?...there's been recent proof that 80% of people gluten-free gain a lot of weight, but then there's that other 20% who are the opposite. It couldn't hurt though. Gluten-free is very high carbs...carbs=weight for most people.


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## Swathy (Aug 18, 2013)

I've been diagnosed with Crohn's for over a year now. I've always been on the thinner side even before i had Cronh's but now I've lost over 6kgs. I find it so difficult to gain weight. Flare ups happen once in a while and am very cautious about my diet. I've become lactose intolerant (only milk) recently and I follow a vegetarian diet.  I don't know how to put on weight. Finding it extremely difficult. Any advice on how i can gain weight? I have always been on the thinner side but with Cronh's its become even more difficult to gain weight. I am 173 cms tall and almost 15Kgs under weight. Please help.


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## Beach (Aug 18, 2013)

When I read Dr. Hunter's IBD book he had a brief mention on how surgeons would help Crohn's patients gain weight before an operation.  Patients would use a liquid diet for a short while.  That might be something you could ask you doctor about, if he has suggestions on a drink that could help.  

It isn't directly about gaining weight, but on Dr. Hunter's sight he has a mention on his experience with choosing an enternal feed.  

"Which dietary treatment should I choose?"

http://crohns.org.uk/crohns_disease/nutritional_therapy/which-dietary-treatment-should-i-choose

Good luck!


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## jlm (Aug 18, 2013)

Manimation said:


> BACON.  My body loves bacon.  Bacon and eggs, bacon and sausage links, bacon and eggs and sausage links.  Oh my god do I love bacon.  It's never hurt me.  I'm 5'10 and hovering around 135lbs.  Working my way back up to 145-150.
> 
> Can yall eat fast food?  McDonalds double quarter pounders aint exactly making anyone skinnier these days.  A horrible habit but when I was weight lifting and on prednisone I couldn't physically stop eating... I'd bulldoze through a DQP like it was a happy meal.


Haha best post I've read all day. I didn't even know a double quarter pounder existed lol


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## jlm (Aug 18, 2013)

Even though prednisone will most likely help with her crohns and weight gain she shouldn't take it because she has osteoporosis. That would be an awful combination.


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## UnXmas (Sep 3, 2013)

Swathy said:


> I've been diagnosed with Crohn's for over a year now. I've always been on the thinner side even before i had Cronh's but now I've lost over 6kgs. I find it so difficult to gain weight. Flare ups happen once in a while and am very cautious about my diet. I've become lactose intolerant (only milk) recently and I follow a vegetarian diet.  I don't know how to put on weight. Finding it extremely difficult. Any advice on how i can gain weight? I have always been on the thinner side but with Cronh's its become even more difficult to gain weight. I am 173 cms tall and almost 15Kgs under weight. Please help.


Hi, I have the same problem. (Btw, this is an old thread - if you start your own you may get more replies to your specific situation.)

My doctor prescribes me Fortisips to help me gain weight. Some have dairy in them, but I believe you can get similar products without lactose. I find them much easier than trying to eat a full cooked meal when I'm feeling really ill. Also, because they include all the vitamins and other nutrients you need, I don't worry about eating enough fruit and veg, which not only fills me up without providing many calories, but the fibre makes me feel bad too. 

Peanut butter is a great vegetarian food for gaining weight through healthy fats.

More generally, eating several snack-sized meals a day can be easier than eating three full sized meals, and high calorie liquids (juice, etc.) can be an easy way of getting extra calories.

Also if you're really struggling to gain, checking with your doctor to address any specific medical cause for your weight loss is important. A doctor may also be able to help you determine whether the problem is lack of appetite or malabsorption, or both.


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## brucep10 (Oct 21, 2013)

I've had similar problems - the shakes helped, but I found that I actually had to add some supplementation.  I actually used one of the "muscle builder" powders that had the ripped guys on the bottle.  This stuff actually worked!  Now, I'm not one of "those guys" that is in to that stuff, but I was so frustrated with my inability to put on any weight.  This actually worked.  YMMV but it may work for some folks!


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## brucep10 (Oct 22, 2013)

I'll second your recommendation of the coconut oil - I'm using it for everything now, and do a 5 minute "oil pulling" with it and it every morning , and it really helps - here is a YouTube video about what oil pulling is: http://tinyurl.com/lywpbkm

I've tried just about everything - then on a whim I tried a couple of muscle gaining products, and they DID help - these are products with the weird pictures of the ripped guys and such, but this one helped called Muscle Rip and it did because I think it not only increases protein, but also flushes waste.  This other one I just thought I would try for a week - but it helped too and I'm still taking it - it is called Nitric Oxide and this I think helped the most.

Again, everyone reacts differently, but this really helped me.  I got more energy, actually gained 10 pounds and was able to start exercising again (not to strenuously) and it was nice getting some strength back...


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## brucep10 (Oct 22, 2013)

I'l


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## fozheart (Oct 22, 2013)

I do so much better while on prednisone, and can eat more.  Also...I don't know why, but if I take even just a half of a xanax in the evening, to help me sleep, that is when I go down to the kitchen because I am suddenly hungry!  Heading down now, for a peanut butter and fluff sandwich and an ensure! I am wondering, I am wondering...I am 5'4" and 99 lbs.  How many stones is that?  Good luck putting it on!


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## RachaelJeanne (Oct 23, 2013)

I am also struggling to gain weight.  After a small bowel resection in May and a month long hospital stay, I was discharged at 97 pounds.  Here it is October and I am only 112.  It is very frustrating because I DO EAT.  I also drink at least two Ensure a day.  But the diarrhea is counterproductive.  If I can just get my colon to not be as spastic and food not run right through me maybe I could absorb SOMETHING that would help in my weight gain.  Its not fun and it is definitely an ongoing battle.  I also just started a three week Prednisone treatment.  I am only four days in as of today.  You are not alone in this and it is definitely NOT IN YOUR HEAD! It is the life of a Crohnie.  I am also on an antidepressant that can cause weight gain.  Although my anxiety is down, it has yet to help increase weight.


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