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Weight gain Support Group

This group is for people who are underweight. It's in the Diet forum, but I deliberated about putting it in the Support forum, and I hope it will be used for emotional support as well as talk about diets, as being underweight can be exhausting mentally as well as physically. Maybe this thread could be used to report your progress in gaining weight (and your set backs) and to post your weight-gain diet food diaries as well.
 
I've been underweight on and off and to varying degrees since I first got ill at age 13. My lowest ever weight was last year, when I went into hospital because of it, I had a bmi of 10. (I'm in the UK, and work in cms and kilos - I weighed 29kg and I'm 164cm tall - I had been measured at 165 previously, but was measured last week and apparently I've lost a cm. I think translates as 64lbs and and 5'4".)

I need an awful lot of calories, but no doctor has been able to work out why it is that I can eat so much and still lose weight. On top of that, I have gastroparesis and no appetite. I know every tip there is for weight gain, but still struggle and have gained only a few kilos over the past few months. I'm not following any particular diet. I used to have to be strictly very low fibre, but since my last surgery that's no longer necessary. I try and have a balanced diet and eat calorie-dense foods, and I get cravings, but I also find I suddenly can't stand foods I'd been fine with eating before. I've had food supplements, NG feeding, sugar-solution IVs and TPN, but now I'm just eating normal food, though my doctor tries forcing Ensures on me. To be honest I'm trying to gain weight now primarily just to avoid hospital.
 
Yah, it is really frustrating. And in the US all the food is promoted as good for weight loss! We are a real minority. 64 pounds? That is not good.
I hope you feel ok, do you? Or are you tired all the time? I also have little appetite. I miss liking food.
 
My weight has been yo yo-ing since I was diagnosed at 16. There would be times when I would gain a considerable amount of weight, and then either a flare or bad meds would bring me back down. I didn't realize until a few years ago that I had some food sensitives, so I have slowly been detecting what I am sensitive to, and what triggers me with the help of a dietician and now a TCM doctor. The latter has been helping me out a lot with a bland high protein, low carb diet. while I am feeling great, I am now at 5'11" and 118lbs (180cm and 53.52 kg). It's going to take a while before I add more foods in, and possibly gain weight, but I would love to be in this support group.
 
I am getting tired of being called frail. My husband has been as supportive given the circumstances, but I know my weight loss bothers him. He made the comment last week that he fell in love with me because of how much I used to eat. He had never met a girl who could eat as much as me. I go through periods of getting nauseous just thinking about food. The next day or week, I could eat us out of house or home. I just am not gaining weight because everything goes straight through me.

And the frail thing, my husband calls me that, my family calls me it, and today my best friend said I was very frail. I don't know why, but it strikes a nerve.
 
UnXmas

Thanks for starting the group!

That is a terrible state to be in. I went down to under 40 kg, I cannot imagine any lower than that. What led you to being so underweight last year in particular?

Where to start about the worst things about being severly underweight.

My weight loss was due to nausea and loss of appetite - caused by over a year of IBD at that point not diagnosed. Although I have never been normal weight. It seems to be a vicious circle, because the lower the weight they worse you feel, the more you lose weight........ I am now over 50 kg and want to gain more - very slowly but surely. I got the feeling I was stuck at 48 kg and then at 50 kg. One thing I remember reading and something that I apply every time I prepare something to eat: add one spoonful extra. You prepare how much you think you will eat, and then add a little bit more. It might be an extra teaspoon of jam, or an extra spoonful of cereal. Every little bit helps.

I have to admit that being sensitive to sugar, dairy, and fatty foods does not make it easy for me to put on weight.

I really wish you well. All those overweight people saying they wish they could give you theirs (does that happen to you?), I never know what to say!

What are your steps for weight gain, and can you do something about the underlying cause? Have you tried any medication that might help to put on weight? I take anti-nausea medication when I need to and that really helps me. Just one or two days of not eating is enough for me to shed a kilo or more.

Also, how active are you?
 
Hi cantthinkstr8t,

I know exactly what you mean. A couple of weeks ago, i saw some old co workers while I was doing some light duty at work. So many people told me how skinny I looked, and they weren't meant to be compliments. Someone told me I looked anorexic, and someone else just kept looking at me with concern (even though my labs have been better and my energy is better). It came to a point that when I was alone, I bursted into tears. I don't understand why if people know what you are going through, why would they say things to make you feel worse - and then they say things like, "We've got to get you to gain weight" as if they're actually going to actively help. It does strike a nerve after a while.
 
Yah, it is really frustrating. And in the US all the food is promoted as good for weight loss! We are a real minority. 64 pounds? That is not good.
I hope you feel ok, do you? Or are you tired all the time? I also have little appetite. I miss liking food.
I feel exhausted, but that's not just from being underweight, as I have in the past been a healthy weight, and was still exhausted, though not quite so much. I generally feel the same at a very low weight as at a healthy weight (i.e. I feel awful whatever weight!), which is why I'm not motivated to gain other than to keep out of hospital. I used to try and keep a healthy weight in the hopes that my periods would start and I'd be able to have children at some point, but they didn't, and my various illnesses deteriorated to the point where normal life wasn't a possibility. I actually feel worse when gaining weight than when losing it, as all the extra food is awful for my digestive system; when they forced me into hospital last year all the extra food caused my bowel to perforate. :confused2:
 
I am getting tired of being called frail. My husband has been as supportive given the circumstances, but I know my weight loss bothers him. He made the comment last week that he fell in love with me because of how much I used to eat. He had never met a girl who could eat as much as me. I go through periods of getting nauseous just thinking about food. The next day or week, I could eat us out of house or home. I just am not gaining weight because everything goes straight through me.

And the frail thing, my husband calls me that, my family calls me it, and today my best friend said I was very frail. I don't know why, but it strikes a nerve.
My doctor (GP) called me frail the day before yesterday. But my surgeons and parents say I'm resilient (that's the word both my surgeons and my mum used), because I recover from surgeries exceptionally quickly. I think that a very low weight can look much worse than it is. Not that there aren't very real risks with being underweight, but it's also possible to feel reasonably well and be able to cope well, but some people can sometimes not get passed the appearance. Perhaps the fact that we're so used to seeing healthy-weight and overweight people means that underweight people are more shocking to see.

But what does your husband mean by saying he fell in love with you because of how much you ate? What kind of basis for love is that?
 
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UnXmas

Thanks for starting the group!

That is a terrible state to be in. I went down to under 40 kg, I cannot imagine any lower than that. What led you to being so underweight last year in particular?

Where to start about the worst things about being severly underweight.

My weight loss was due to nausea and loss of appetite - caused by over a year of IBD at that point not diagnosed. Although I have never been normal weight. It seems to be a vicious circle, because the lower the weight they worse you feel, the more you lose weight........ I am now over 50 kg and want to gain more - very slowly but surely. I got the feeling I was stuck at 48 kg and then at 50 kg. One thing I remember reading and something that I apply every time I prepare something to eat: add one spoonful extra. You prepare how much you think you will eat, and then add a little bit more. It might be an extra teaspoon of jam, or an extra spoonful of cereal. Every little bit helps.

I have to admit that being sensitive to sugar, dairy, and fatty foods does not make it easy for me to put on weight.

I really wish you well. All those overweight people saying they wish they could give you theirs (does that happen to you?), I never know what to say!

What are your steps for weight gain, and can you do something about the underlying cause? Have you tried any medication that might help to put on weight? I take anti-nausea medication when I need to and that really helps me. Just one or two days of not eating is enough for me to shed a kilo or more.

Also, how active are you?
I've always lost weight quickly, but it's only relatively recently - the past couple of years - that I've needed such an insane amount of calories. I had surgery to give me an ileostomy in October 2013, and had post-surgical ileus (paralysis of the digestive tract) which caused a lot of weight loss. Then in 2014 I had a complication with my stoma and had further surgery. Then right after that a stomach bug. But I've also been phobic of eating for a long time, because eating a lot over a prolonged period causes permanent deterioration in my symptoms. And my phobia wasn't helped when, after being in hospital for weeks last summer under a specialist team of gastroenterologists and dieticians who treat severely underweight people (both those with anorexia and those with physical problems like IBD), and my small intestine became blocked - according to the surgeon it was because my intestine had formed a knot and because I was eating so much my intestine wasn't strong enough to push it all through - and then perforated.

I'm not very active. I walk my dog every day, but don't do any strenuous exercise. I see a physiotherapist because my leg and arm were paralysed last year (long story), so I do some leg, arm, hand and finger exercises. The gastroenterologist and dietician I saw last year wanted me on bed rest! Literally, they insisted I use a wheelchair to get from my bed to the bathroom. Luckily the nurses realised how insane this was, that they let me walk outside the hospital. I was there four weeks that stay, and the gastroenterologist wanted me there a lot longer but another gastroenterologist said it was ridiculous for me to take up a hospital bed and discharged me. I think it's important I keep mobile - and my surgeons and physiotherapists think the same, so I walk daily, go up and downstairs a lot and do the exercises the physios taught me, but I don't do anything that would raise my heart rate (running, fast cycling, or anything like that), and I don't walk or do my exercises for more than about twenty to thirty minutes at a time. So on a typical day I'd do maybe one slow thirty minute walk and twenty minutes of exercises. Some of the exercises are raising my fingers and stretching my hand out, but some are things like going from a crouch to standing up five times in a row, or lowering myself into a chair then standing up again, which demand more energy than you would think!

I'm on some antiemetics and have tried various PPIs for reux, and domperidome for appetite. I even lost weight while on prednisone.
 
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I'm actually up to 35kg now. So from 29kg last June, that's 6kg in nine months. But I had major surgery last September, so that caused a temporary drop in weight. Is that a very slow rate of weight gain? The doctors expected me to gain a minimum of 1kg a week, but preferably 2kg a week. I thought at the time that was a stupid idea, if it was even possible, and it was a stupid (for me anyway, maybe it's preferable for some people to gain weight quickly), so I'm nervous about rapid gaining now and want to keep it gradual. I've no idea how long it would take me to reach a healthy weight at this rate, I'm not even sure I could maintain a healthy weight long term anymore.

When I was in hospital to gain weight last year, prior to the blockage/perforation, the dietician kept increasing the amount of food and supplements I had to eat until I was gaining weight. I didn't start gaining until each day I was having three meals, three snacks, plus 1500 calories worth of supplements on top of that. Do any of you have to eat that much in order to gain weight? Does your digestive system handle it ok?
 
But what does your husband mean by saying he fell in love with you because of how much you ate? What kind of basis for love is that?
He used to be a chef and loves to cook. I would eat everything in sight and still never gain weight. He uses humor to deal with stress-I think I really stress him out.
 
Honestly, I think as long as you listen to your body, you will be just fine. No one can tell you how quickly you should gain weight, because the reality with this disease is that you cannot really control it. This disease is more about how you feel than how you look. As for me, I am just happy I am maintaining my weight at this point. I keep making soups every day or every other day (but today I am eating Salmon, yum!) - mostly 2.5 pounds of meat plus a pound of veggies a day - maybe more on days that I work out. I just received the best lab results in the longest time. So my advice is that even though doctors are telling you what to do, the best thing you can just do it take care of yourself. If you are gaining weight gradually rather than rapidly, at least you are gaining weight; if you are maintaining it, it means you are not losing any, et cetera. Be patient (it's hard!) Always look for the positive, and your healing process will go by in no time. Of course, you have a great support system here.
 
The doctors expected me to gain a minimum of 1kg a week, but preferably 2kg a week.
Yep, this has always been my experience that the doctors have crazy expectations of how fast you can and should gain weight. I think they're just frightened to have a patient with a very low BMI and want to rectify that asap but don't realize that there can be negative consequences to a sudden massive increase in calories for your body, and to a rapid increase in volume of fluids too. I've found knowledgeable specialist dieticians in hospital to be a tempering influence on those kind of doctors - but they also told me that as dieticians they are often struggling to get the doctors to understand that they can't just demand that the patients be given x amount of calories extra a day and start putting on 4lbs a week.
 
Yep, this has always been my experience that the doctors have crazy expectations of how fast you can and should gain weight. I think they're just frightened to have a patient with a very low BMI and want to rectify that asap but don't realize that there can be negative consequences to a sudden massive increase in calories for your body, and to a rapid increase in volume of fluids too. I've found knowledgeable specialist dieticians in hospital to be a tempering influence on those kind of doctors - but they also told me that as dieticians they are often struggling to get the doctors to understand that they can't just demand that the patients be given x amount of calories extra a day and start putting on 4lbs a week.
It is also very difficult to find someone who knows what they are doing. I went looking for a dietician/nutritionist to help me get my weight up with all my dietary restrictions. 2 never called me back and the rest only specialized in people losing weight. I would say maybe things have changed but this was only a few years ago. I gave up.
 
Sorry to hear that cantthinkstr8t but I do relate in that the good dieticians have been the exceptions, I have met so many who were almost worse than useless. Often they just said to me that I ate so little that they couldn't help me. They definitely majored on totting up calorie consumption for people and that was pretty much it. Sad when you work hard to get an appointment and wait and they have nothing useful to contribute. I definitely gave up on dieticians and never made any more appointments and then met these really great dieticians as an inpatient in hospital. I do feel like it was a matter of luck but I was pleased since the doctors would throw out these numbers of calories they wanted me to consume and weight they thought it was possible to gain and the dieticians were there to say no, that's not possible or sensible. And with previous admissions where I'd been put on TPN my body had struggled with the sudden increase of calories and fluid. I wish we could all have access to such helpful and knowledgeable dieticians. I've certainly met the kind you talk about too :(
 
on a happy note, I have gained 1/2 pound in 13 days. I don't know what that is in kg.
I have a very limited diet, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, eggs, turnips and other root veggies (always cooked), almond milk, rice, tomatoes, and spinach. And I put evoo on everything that is palatable with it. Totally boring diet, but I have had no pain in 2 weeks.
 
I've found dieticians useless also. I was forced to see them my past couple of (long) hospital admissions - they had the same approach as the gastroenterologists: force me to eat more. That was it, not even anything about what to eat, and they had no idea why I need so many calories.
 
on a happy note, I have gained 1/2 pound in 13 days. I don't know what that is in kg.
I have a very limited diet, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, eggs, turnips and other root veggies (always cooked), almond milk, rice, tomatoes, and spinach. And I put evoo on everything that is palatable with it. Totally boring diet, but I have had no pain in 2 weeks.
How did you manage to gain weight on that? Do you have to eat large volumes of food? What's evoo?
 
I'm actually up to 35kg now. So from 29kg last June, that's 6kg in nine months. But I had major surgery last September, so that caused a temporary drop in weight. Is that a very slow rate of weight gain? The doctors expected me to gain a minimum of 1kg a week, but preferably 2kg a week. ?
I was 40 kg in August 2012, now 51 kg in March 2015. And rising, hopefully. That is about 1 kg every 3 months. Sometimes a case of 3 steps forward and 2 steps back, but at least a trend in the right direction.

In my case if I eat more than usual I also feel worse, and end up losing the weight again. So that is not a good strategy for long term weight gain. My doctor also said quick weight gain is not good for the body because then it reacts differently, like 24601 also says.

UnXmas you said you feel back no matter what weight you are. I used to notice that even if I was just a kilo or 2 below my "normal" weight I would already feel worse.

I do not necessarily eat more, but I do eat calorie rich foods. I try to have a supply of yummy things around me at all times: there is nearly always an apple crumble in the fridge (2 helpings a day!), a supply of biscuits and nachos, and I make my own crunchy cereal that starts my day already with about 600 calories. If I can't face breakfast straight away I will eat it later. There is a fine line with fatty foods, I need the oils and fats to help me gain weight, but too much eg olive oil used to fry chicken and my guts start complaining.

Completely agree with the comments about dietitians. They have the science but can't apply it to each individuals needs.
 
By the way, I never calorie counted until about a month ago, and out of interest I calculated how much I had consumed that day: 2600 calories! I think I must be having 2000-2600 per day and yet I am still skinny.
 
I struggled with my dietician too - going to her was a decent starting point, but it was all about what I can't eat, and not what I can. i felt so lost , because she was telling me I can have cheese and corn every once in a while, but never mentioned how to appropriately prepare foods or anything. I couldn't tolerate healthy food, and my goal is to feel better! My decision to go to the acupuncturist and eat a low carb diet is extreme, and i would never suggest it to anyone unless they want to do it. However, I feel great, and my labs are showing major results. I lost a lot of weight and people are telling me i look anorexic is irritating as hell, but knowing that I found something brings me hope. I pray that all of you can find something that helps, because this disease can be so cruel.
 
To unXmas: I don't think I eat a lot at all; I get full really quickly. I eat 5 eggs for breakfast and a 60 cal. snack about an hour after. I only eat carbs the rest of the day. It is winter and I have not been very active; I get tired quickly and easily so maybe that is why I have gained on so few calories. EVOO is Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It makes potatoes taste better as I don't eat diary. Maybe this 1/2 pound is a fluke; I will have to wait and see. I think 1/2 pound is about 1/4 kg. Not much but better than the 7 pounds I lost between Jan and March. We all need to pray for each other. This disease is cruel and chronic and depressing.
 
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By the way, I never calorie counted until about a month ago, and out of interest I calculated how much I had consumed that day: 2600 calories! I think I must be having 2000-2600 per day and yet I am still skinny.
I don't count calories either, but I did a rough estimate and I reckon I'm eating around 2500 at the moment. In hospital last year I was having over 3000. Have your doctors ever talked with you about malabsorption, or done any tests that suggested it?
 
To unXmas: I don't think I eat a lot at all; I get full really quickly. I eat 5 eggs for breakfast and a 60 cal. snack about an hour after. I only eat carbs the rest of the day. It is winter and I have not been very active; I get tired quickly and easily so maybe that is why I have gained on so few calories. EVOO is Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It makes potatoes taste better as I don't eat diary. Maybe this 1/2 pound is a fluke; I will have to wait and see. I think 1/2 pound is about 1/4 kg. Not much but better than the 7 pounds I lost between Jan and March. We all need to pray for each other. This disease is cruel and chronic and depressing.
The olive oil must help a lot - it has loads of calories. 5 eggs seems quite a lot to me.

I get full quickly too. Have you ever had a gastric emptying study? I had one last year, but then stopped seeing the doctor who ordered it so I never found out the results. I keep meaning to get them from my GP but every time I have an appointment I have so many more important things to talk about I keep forgetting about it.
 
I have not had a stomach test, but I think my stomach has shrunk because I have so often been in pain and hardly eaten. 5 eggs is only 350 calories; an egg is 70 calories, so it really isn't that much. Plus, it is is the only protein I get daily except for my protein rice shakes. In a couple weeks I will add other protein such as fish and see how my system responds. Meanwhile, I am out of pain!
No one has ever mentioned this, but I wonder if having an IBD decreases proper digestion of nutrients in our what we eat......
 
I have not had a stomach test, but I think my stomach has shrunk because I have so often been in pain and hardly eaten. 5 eggs is only 350 calories; an egg is 70 calories, so it really isn't that much. Plus, it is is the only protein I get daily except for my protein rice shakes. In a couple weeks I will add other protein such as fish and see how my system responds. Meanwhile, I am out of pain!
No one has ever mentioned this, but I wonder if having an IBD decreases proper digestion of nutrients in our what we eat......
Yes definitely. I struggle to gain weight fast no matter how much I eat, but when I cut to a super low calorie diet I lose slowly so it's not metabolism, that's for sure.

The things we eat simple can't be fully utilized by a barely functioning digestive system.

I've been up and down since I started becoming gluten intolerant roughly around 2010. After I cut gluten and some other big triggers (canola, nuts, potato etc.) I finally stated gaining.

I was at 99 lbs. 5'11.75" at my worst, my small intestine was almost sealed off from my stomach from inflammation from the gluten.

In about 1 year or so I got up to 150 lb.s on mostly meat, candy and protein shakes.



This came with dire consequences however. All the sugar caused my hydradenditis suprativa to flare, I got really bad inflammation / infections in both arm pits. I went on no-dairy / no-sugar diet for a few months, dropped to about 115 I think.

Started over on a cleaner diet with a protein shake.


I plateaued on this diet, couldn't break past 136



Managed to hit 135 before food intolerances reared their ugly head up and I lost orange juice, then chocolate, now I'm back to 125ish and struggling, I haven't been to the gym since last fall.

Idk what's going on anymore. Everything gives me diarrhea.

http://www.amazon.com/Vitol-Russian...=1427497041&sr=8-2&keywords=russian+bear+5000
This was the only protein shake I found safe. They almost all have sucralose in them.
 

Lady Organic

Moderator
Staff member
Ive discovered to joy of gaining weight by eating almond butter in rather large quantities since a few weeks. I have been in between 100 and 105 pounds for more than 10 years, and am currently at 110!
 
Instant Coffee,

I've seen you post on bodybuilding.com

You should give sushi a shot and see how you feel. And STOP DRINKING THOSE WEIGHT GAIN SHAKES!!!! They are going to hurt you.

Cut out all the dairy (this includes protein shakes, you may be allergic to whey or casein), chocolate, and gluten.

My CRP has gone from chronically mid 4's to .10 (completely normal) in a matter of months (might've been only weeks but I don't get bloodwork done every week). All I eat right now sushi (salmon rolls and california rolls with salmon) and taco's. (with corn tortillas). I am working on adding things to this regimen. But these two foods have turned my BM's into the best they've ever been, and my blood work has shown that my inflammation has been curtailed, not to mentioned I just feel a lot better overall.

You have to fix your intestines before you can worry about putting on weight. You have to figure out the right foods to eat that don't give you problems. I'm not saying what I do will work for you, but give it a shot and see what happens.
 
Instant Coffee,

I've seen you post on bodybuilding.com

You should give sushi a shot and see how you feel. And STOP DRINKING THOSE WEIGHT GAIN SHAKES!!!! They are going to hurt you.

Cut out all the dairy (this includes protein shakes, you may be allergic to whey or casein), chocolate, and gluten.

My CRP has gone from chronically mid 4's to .10 (completely normal) in a matter of months (might've been only weeks but I don't get bloodwork done every week). All I eat right now sushi (salmon rolls and california rolls with salmon) and taco's. (with corn tortillas). I am working on adding things to this regimen. But these two foods have turned my BM's into the best they've ever been, and my blood work has shown that my inflammation has been curtailed, not to mentioned I just feel a lot better overall.

You have to fix your intestines before you can worry about putting on weight. You have to figure out the right foods to eat that don't give you problems. I'm not saying what I do will work for you, but give it a shot and see what happens.
I have no problems with dairy.

As far as I know most sushi contains thing (like rice) I can't have. I also can't have any kind of tortilla.

Oat has been the only grain lately that I've tried that I can safely digest.
 
. I struggle to gain weight fast no matter how much I eat, but when I cut to a super low calorie diet I lose slowly so it's not metabolism, that's for sure.
Why do you have to eat a low calorie diet sometimes? I lose easily however much I'm eating. I've had periods where I'm eating very little, e.g. after surgery, and I still lose quickly.
 
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I have no problems with dairy.

As far as I know most sushi contains thing (like rice) I can't have. I also can't have any kind of tortilla.

Oat has been the only grain lately that I've tried that I can safely digest.
I wouldn't knock it until you try it. The rice and seeweed in sushi is very sticky so it helps bind things together. Literally immediately after I started eating my BMs were the best they'd looked since having this disease.
 
Why do you have to eat a low calorie diet sometimes? I lose easily however much I'm eating. I've had periods where I'm eating very little, e.g. after surgery, and I still lose quickly.
When I have to do an elimination diet after something I've been eating becomes a trigger, I cut to just meat and it's hard to eat more than about 1200 calories a day.

I wouldn't knock it until you try it. The rice and seeweed in sushi is very sticky so it helps bind things together. Literally immediately after I started eating my BMs were the best they'd looked since having this disease.
Idk I've tried a lot of rice grains in the past year and they've all made me sick. I'm hesitant to think one will be different.
 
I wouldn't knock it until you try it. The rice and seeweed in sushi is very sticky so it helps bind things together. Literally immediately after I started eating my BMs were the best they'd looked since having this disease.
Rice (white rice at least) is a very easy-to-digest food for many people with digestive issues (I've found it is for me, and I've seen quite a few posts here saying the same, and I assume it is for many others since it's part of the BRAT diet). Maybe it's that, rather than sushi in general that's helping you? Are you gaining weight on what you're eating now?

And I have the same questions that I had about InstantCoffee's diet:

All I eat right now sushi (salmon rolls and california rolls with salmon) and taco's. (with corn tortillas). I am working on adding things to this regimen.
Literally just sushi and tacos? And again, why?

I know the theories behind exclusion diets and elimination diets, though personally I've found them to be decidedly unhelpful, but meat and sushi based diets are not ones I've come across anyone else mentioning before. I've also found limited diets are not conducive to weight gain. If you're struggling to eat enough, don't you want to be able to have whatever most appeals that you can tolerate?
 
Rice (white rice at least) is a very easy-to-digest food for many people with digestive issues (I've found it is for me, and I've seen quite a few posts here saying the same, and I assume it is for many others since it's part of the BRAT diet). Maybe it's that, rather than sushi in general that's helping you? Are you gaining weight on what you're eating now?

And I have the same questions that I had about InstantCoffee's diet:



Literally just sushi and tacos? And again, why?

I know the theories behind exclusion diets and elimination diets, though personally I've found them to be decidedly unhelpful, but meat and sushi based diets are not ones I've come across anyone else mentioning before. I've also found limited diets are not conducive to weight gain. If you're struggling to eat enough, don't you want to be able to have whatever most appeals that you can tolerate?
I'm working on adding other things to my diet. Maybe some gluten free dairy free wraps. But These two things have fixed my crp and my bowel movements, and it's slowly bringing my fecal cal to normal levels. I was introduced to sushi a month or so ago by a co worker who had celiac and it completely fixed my bowel movements very quickly. I have only just recently started focusing on trying to put on weight. If I stick to my regimen and don't skip meals I should be able to get back to 150 lbs very quickly. At about 140 ish right now
 
I don't count calories either, but I did a rough estimate and I reckon I'm eating around 2500 at the moment. In hospital last year I was having over 3000. Have your doctors ever talked with you about malabsorption, or done any tests that suggested it?
I havent really thought about it. I assumed my body still needs to repair from the long period of being seriously underweight, I can imagine alot of the organ systems were running on nearly empty. Being out and about on the bike every day means that I unfortunately lose a few calories through physical activity.

That plus needing to put on weight means I need a decent number of calories, I don't think 2500 is too many in this situation. Also I have never had any malnutrition apart from a horribly low vitamin D at some point.
 
I have not had a stomach test, but I think my stomach has shrunk because I have so often been in pain and hardly eaten. 5 eggs is only 350 calories; an egg is 70 calories, so it really isn't that much. Plus, it is is the only protein I get daily except for my protein rice shakes. In a couple weeks I will add other protein such as fish and see how my system responds. Meanwhile, I am out of pain!
No one has ever mentioned this, but I wonder if having an IBD decreases proper digestion of nutrients in our what we eat......

Well done, if it helps keep up the good work with the diet. Good luck with the reintroduction of more food. I love fish, but mind the fatty ones (salmon completely messes me up, shame because it is delicious).

I am pretty sure IBD leads to malnutrition, especially if the small intestine is involved. But there are people better qualified to answer your question.
 
I wouldn't knock it until you try it. The rice and seeweed in sushi is very sticky so it helps bind things together. Literally immediately after I started eating my BMs were the best they'd looked since having this disease.
Watch out for the soya sauce! It usually contains wheat! A coeliac friend of mine didn't realise and got very sick.
 
Yes it does. But the very minimum amount that I use doesn't seem to effect me.
I meant it more as a warning to anyone that tries sushi and it makes them feel worse: it might not be because of the rice/seaweed/fish!
I can eat sushi, but not with the soya sauce (soya and wheat are no-nos).
 
That might not be many calories but it does sound like alot of food to me!
I was thinking the same thing - a lot of calories doesn't mean a low volume of food. And vice versa - a few teaspoons of peanut butter is something I often eat to get a boost in calories without having to eat all that much food.
 
I'm working on adding other things to my diet. Maybe some gluten free dairy free wraps. But These two things have fixed my crp and my bowel movements, and it's slowly bringing my fecal cal to normal levels. I was introduced to sushi a month or so ago by a co worker who had celiac and it completely fixed my bowel movements very quickly. I have only just recently started focusing on trying to put on weight. If I stick to my regimen and don't skip meals I should be able to get back to 150 lbs very quickly. At about 140 ish right now
So it's just coincidence that you found sushi? You didn't choose to start eating it because you thought it would help?
 
Ive discovered to joy of gaining weight by eating almond butter in rather large quantities since a few weeks. I have been in between 100 and 105 pounds for more than 10 years, and am currently at 110!
Congratulations on your weight gain, Lady Organic ! :) I've found peanut butter very helpful. I keep meaning to be more adventurous with nut butters. I know I've seen cashew nut butter in the supermarket.
 
So it's just coincidence that you found sushi? You didn't choose to start eating it because you thought it would help?
I was introduced to it by a co worker who has celiac and follows a gluten free, dairy free diet. I was already dairy free. She was the one who I started eating sushi with, and she also suggested I switch out my wheat tortillas with corn tortillas. So I wasn't really sure what it would do, but I've been tinkering with my diet for the past 2 years and I was willing to give hers a shot for a little while to see if it helped.

I started eating it and immediately I noticed how much better it looked when I went to the bathroom. There were a few tweeks I've made a long the way. I can't eat all sushi, only certain kinds, preferably with salmon.
 
Literally just meat? Why?? (Sorry for all the questions, I'm just curious.)
Because it's my only 100% guaranteed safe food.
I have a LOT of triggers and some of them come and go.

Serious / dangerous triggers:
-wheat
-canola / corn oil
-potatoes
-nuts
-high fructose corn syrup
-apples, pears, certain fruits
-black pepper
-non-perishable / refrigerate only meats due to preservatives / processing

Mixed results/uncertain:
-high fiber
-high sugar intake
-onions
-peppers
-teas (chamomile is safe. Green/black teas is not. Haven't played around too much with others because I don't like tea enough to be worth the gastric suffering.)
-yogurt. All the ones I've tried have triggered me.
-0 calorie sweeteners. Sucralose = very bad. Others are mixed results / uncertain. I chew sugar free gum regularly, as long as there's no sucralose.

On again / off again:
- olive & coconut oil
-chocolate
-milk (can usually fix this one with lactase pills and Kefir supplementation, eventually I don't need them, can drink up to a quart without problem, sometimes a half gallon in one day.)
-assorted vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, cabbage, on again/off again)
-various seasonings (cayenne, paprika, chipotle seem to come and go)
-various fruits and melons, probably dependent on fiber but maybe other factors. Strawberries, oranges, cantaloupe, tomatoes, usually safe.
-alcohol. Was safe until the end of last year. Now gives me loose bowel movements with bile in them.

100% Safe:
-meat
-eggs
-low-lactose cheeses
-honey
-certified gluten free oats
-coffee, depending on brand/source
 
I find my exclusion diet extremely helpful right now. Nothing else has really worked for me up until this point, and they don't last forever. Right now my focus is on feeling better, and the weight gain will come eventually. Plus, I actually eat more than I have in the past, so I know I am not malnourished. I used to think elimination challenges were extreme, but I am glad I just gave it a shot. It works for some people, and doesn't work for others. To each their own. I can't wait until I can eat sushi and peanut butter again though (not together, haha)
 
So what would you do if meat becomes one of your triggers? And how would you know?
Hey UnXmas, I appreciate that you are trying to help out by challenging others to think, but asking questions to things that haven't happened yet could be counterintuitive. It may add stress, which is definitely not good for people with GI issues. Let folks be comfortable with what they are doing, especially if it's working out for them right now.
 
So what would you do if meat becomes one of your triggers? And how would you know?
I don't believe it ever will because of how digestion and crohn's works. I would know the same way I do for any other food though. Cut back to a bare minimum until I'm eating just the meat with no added ingredients. If I still get sick that would be the trigger.

No trigger foods = no symptoms. I've never gone more than a few months without but I know it can be achieved.

Hey UnXmas, I appreciate that you are trying to help out by challenging others to think, but asking questions to things that haven't happened yet could be counterintuitive. It may add stress, which is definitely not good for people with GI issues. Let folks be comfortable with what they are doing, especially if it's working out for them right now.

I'm not worried about it. Most likely my rise and fall of triggers is linked to SIBO which as far as I know is only stimulated by carb intake, which is why it's likely to be set off by grains, sugars, and lactose. I believe things like fiber sensitivity are a bi-product of the SIBO and can be reversed by taming it with proper diet.

Every time I've gotten worse it has followed a period of excessive, unhealthy sugar intake.

There's simply no reason for me to believe that meat would ever become a trigger. If I went on a pure meat diet, I could probably starve the SIBO to some extent but it would be really hard on my body and my mind. I've actually done it before. The biggest problem is your brain uses glucose as its primary energy source, so your body has to, over time, convert to ketogenic metabolism and you have to replace the carbs you're not getting with high amounts of fat to compensate. Very unfun diet to try to maintain. Your cravings for sweet things initially hit absurd levels.
 
I have to compensate my low carb intake with high fat meats as well. I try to buy whole chickens and turkey breasts for soup, and buy separate thighs (since those areas of the body tend to have the most fat) if they're less than 4 lbs. I always mix them with 85% lean ground beef. I don't have SIBO, but I never realized how much sugar had an impact. I even gave up fruit for a month because my cravings would make me so miserable the next day. I now can have steamed apples and pears without any issues. It is an incredibly boring diet, but I am enjoying life more now then when I ate more of a variety and still felt crummy.
 
It's sometimes hard to tell what people's intentions are in the internet, but I don't think UnXmas' is trying to worry you. She's expressing her opinion, which is great and welcomed here, but it's unnecessary to question what someone else is doing if it works for them. That's why I tell people that what I may be doing is extreme to some, but I have tried so many other things before - doesn't mean I think anyone else should do it. They just need to find their own way. Plus, I feel like we're questioned enough by our families, friends, coworkers, etc. I had to tell my dad the other day to please stop talking about how much time I spend in the kitchen simply because people outside of home are constantly commenting on how my diet is making me too skinny. 2 different things, but it gets irritating after a while lol.
 
Someone eating nothing but meat is not something I've heard of before, so I have a lot if questions about it. I also wasn't sure (and I'm still not sure) how it helps with weight gain. I haven't expressed an opinion, I've just asked questions.
 
Someone eating nothing but meat is not something I've heard of before, so I have a lot if questions about it. I also wasn't sure (and I'm still not sure) how it helps with weight gain. I haven't expressed an opinion, I've just asked questions.
Eating a food you can fully and safely digest will always trump any quantity of trigger food. This is why I highly recommend anyone with any extreme symptoms try elimination diets. Many are scared of 'giving up' their already limited diet, but if what you're eating is making you sick, it's not really helping you much at all is the problem.

Like Basmah said, eating a limited diet and feeling good is much more satisfying than eating things that make you sick and have variety.

If you're experiencing diarrhea then your bowels are moving faster than your body's ability to break down and absorb the food. I don't think I need to explain how bad vomiting is lol.

If I've been eating trigger foods for 1-2 weeks things get really bad.

For example garlic just started for me about 3 weeks ago, I didn't figure this out until last night. Frequent diarrhea, sleep loss, gas, etc. It took me a long time to figure out because I've been eating garlic safely for 3 years and I use it as my primary seasoning on all meats. I was blaming cooking oils, dairy, all sorts of other things but cutting them never helped.

When I eat a trigger food it often starts with diarrhea, if I keep eating it eventually it reaches a point where my digestion slows down and the food won't leave my stomach, I don't fully understand it but it seems that my intestines fill up with bile as an attempt to digest the food and blocks it from emptying into the intestines. I've thrown up food I've eaten as late as 12 or so hours after consuming it. Healthy digestion should complete in about 7.

Meanwhile I'm rapidly expelling liquid waste, constantly running to the bathroom, and end up dehydrated, and feeling extremely cold. If I throw up the food still in my stomach the problem shuts down much faster. It's like the food triggers symptoms almost immediately upon entering the small intestines, I sometimes know in the middle of eating the food.

Hoping now I can get back on track with my weight gain, going to have to find some new spices to use.
 
Thank you for explaining, InstantCoffee, and I'm sorry if my questions were annoying, but as you said, a "pure meat diet" would be veryunhealthy, and I think it's appropriate to question something potentially dangerous.

I've had very different experiences with elimination diets: the more I cut out, the sicker I got and the more weight I lost. I used to benefit from eating a low fibre diet up until my last surgery, though I had no specific trigger foods, which was one reason elimination diets weren't good for me - I could improve my symptoms by changing my diet as a whole, but not by eliminating and eating specific foods. I know a lot of people do benefit from eliminating foods, but I think you would be an exception if you are symptom-free when you avoid all your trigger foods. A lot of people will have symptoms no matter what they do and don't eat, which must make it much harder to identify trigger foods.
 
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Yeah, I agree that people should question all diets, even the "healthy, whole foods" lifestyles. I only get irritated when people are like, "that person is eating so and so; he doesn't know how much he is damaging himself". (I am right now thinking about a blogger who is primal, and ridiculing a man with CD who brought awareness to the disease by eating free unlimited food at the Olive Garden...nevermind that he said he was in remission, and altered every meal to cater to his needs). It took a whole bunch of research for me before I decided that the elimination diet was the way to go - before, I was very resistant to the idea. I am glad I am doing it now, though.

It is so hard and frustrating to identify trigger foods, and this disease is already difficult enough without the extra effort you have to put into it to at least minimize the symptoms. I really hope you find something that benefits you, UnXmas. I might have missed this before, but what are some things you are able to at least tolerate at the moment?
 
I can tolerate pretty much anything at the moment. My stoma used to block on even small amounts of fibre, but since my last surgery about six months ago, which involved creating a new stoma, I haven't had that problem and have been cautiously testing foods I haven't been able to eat for years, though since most of them are fruits, vegetables and whole grains, it doesn't really help with weight gain. I just can't seem to get enough calories in no matter what I eat.
 
Thank you for explaining, InstantCoffee, and I'm sorry if my questions were annoying, but as you said, a "pure meat diet" would be veryunhealthy, and I think it's appropriate to question something potentially dangerous.

I've had very different experiences with elimination diets: the more I cut out, the sicker I got and the more weight I lost. I used to benefit from eating a low fibre diet up until my last surgery, though I had no specific trigger foods, which was one reason elimination diets weren't good for me - I could improve my symptoms by changing my diet as a whole, but not by eliminating and eating specific foods. I know a lot of people do benefit from eliminating foods, but I think you would be an exception if you are symptom-free when you avoid all your trigger foods. A lot of people will have symptoms no matter what they do and don't eat, which must make it much harder to identify trigger foods.
Best I can guess is that intestinal flora works both ways.
If you have a healthy gut flora balance, starving it of the foods it needs to survive could be killing it off leaving your body to have to digest food in other ways (increased acid, bile production etc.)

It's also possible Crohn's is different conditions with a blanket diagnosis and mine is different considering I seem to be one of the few that's completely untouched by dairy.
 
It wasn't because of flora that elimination diets didn't help. Mainly it was just that I don't have any trigger foods, so I was never going to improve as is supposed to happen. Then eating diets of just a few foods either made me sicker in that I lost weight because I couldn't eat enough (e.g. when just eating rice or similar plain foods), or they made me sicker by ruining my digestive system because the diet was too high in fibre (e.g. diets that forbid all processed food and consist of a lot of vegetables and nuts) and/or too much hard-to-digest foods like meat.
 
Colonoscopy prep + travelling on holiday + PMS and period = expecting to lose quite alot of weight in the next few days.

As you all know, it is much easier to lose weight than to put it back on. The doctor doesnt realise how demoralising a colonoscopy prep is just in terms of losing precious weight.
 
It wasn't because of flora that elimination diets didn't help. Mainly it was just that I don't have any trigger foods, so I was never going to improve as is supposed to happen. Then eating diets of just a few foods either made me sicker in that I lost weight because I couldn't eat enough (e.g. when just eating rice or similar plain foods), or they made me sicker by ruining my digestive system because the diet was too high in fibre (e.g. diets that forbid all processed food and consist of a lot of vegetables and nuts) and/or too much hard-to-digest foods like meat.
I can recommend you the protein shake I get, it's the ONLY one on the market I can safely digest, but it's hard to get. It's from Russia and the price fluctuates between $35 and $50 week to week on Amazon, I have to order off other sites to get good deals sometimes.

It's called Russian Bear 5000, it also has all your daily recommended vitamins and minerals, medium chain triglycerides and a bunch of herbal weight-gain and health supplements in trace amounts like colostrum, yohimbe bark, tribulus, some others, feel free to look them up.

The sugars are from glucose polymers which is why I believe it's so safe for my belly, low fructose content.
 
Colonoscopy prep + travelling on holiday + PMS and period = expecting to lose quite alot of weight in the next few days.

As you all know, it is much easier to lose weight than to put it back on. The doctor doesnt realise how demoralising a colonoscopy prep is just in terms of losing precious weight.
When I was in hospital last year to gain weight, and I wasn't supposed to go home until reaching a target weight (though in the end I did go without reaching it), they made me have an upper endoscopy (no food for half a day) then a small bowel MRI (no food then drink the laxative contrast). When they then ordered a pill cam, I refused to have it.
 
I can recommend you the protein shake I get, it's the ONLY one on the market I can safely digest, but it's hard to get. It's from Russia and the price fluctuates between $35 and $50 week to week on Amazon, I have to order off other sites to get good deals sometimes.

It's called Russian Bear 5000, it also has all your daily recommended vitamins and minerals, medium chain triglycerides and a bunch of herbal weight-gain and health supplements in trace amounts like colostrum, yohimbe bark, tribulus, some others, feel free to look them up.

The sugars are from glucose polymers which is why I believe it's so safe for my belly, low fructose content.
Really not my kind of thing: I'm female and weigh 35kg (up from 29kg).
 
When I was in hospital last year to gain weight, and I wasn't supposed to go home until reaching a target weight (though in the end I did go without reaching it), they made me have an upper endoscopy (no food for half a day) then a small bowel MRI (no food then drink the laxative contrast). When they then ordered a pill cam, I refused to have it.
I love their methods for making sure you put on weight!
 
Well to be fair to them, I'd been there weeks and was eating over 3000 calories a day and had hardly gained anything. On admission, they were assuming I had anorexia in addition to physical problems, they assumed I'd been eating hardly anything and expected the weight to go on when they made me eat a lot. When that didn't happen they had a panic and ordered every test they could think of.
 
Good for them to cover all the basis to make sure you gain some weight. I remember a few years ago when I was hospitalized, and they were treating me for anorexia as well, even though I wasn't. One of the IV's they gave me had some sort of sugar substance in it to give me nutrients. The problem was after a few days, I was eating less and less, and I knew it was because of the IV. The doctor was insistent on giving me a colonoscopy (after doing all of these other tests) to see what's wrong, but I argued with her that I wanted to go home since I knew what was making me not hungry. I did get to go home the next day, and ate like a horse lol. I am glad to hear that you are gaining weight, UnXmas. I have been at 118lbs for a few months now, but I just weighed myself at the gym today, and it said 121. Woohoo, I am getting there!
 
I don't have a scale so don't know if I am losing weight, but my stomach hurts a lot and I don't want to eat. I am on prescription Prilosec and endecort and take carafate before each meal but it does not seem to calm my pain. Any suggestions? I do have a nutritionist and she just changed my diet....added fish and ground turkey, I had the turkey for dinner last night and think it may have caused the pain.
 
Turkey and fish are generally pretty well tolerated. Sometimes you can just get symptoms whatever you eat.
 
I just got back from my dr. My mom went with me, she told the dr that I was starting to look like her mom before she died. She then proceeded to call me gaunt, and freak out saying that with how thin I was, she was afraid I would be dead in 6 months. I think she was being a tad dramatic.
 
Actually it takes quite a while to starve to death, especially if you are still eating as we are even tho our food is not being digested right nor do we eat as much as others who are overweight. My mom decided to die (she had become blind and was bored with life) and she was very skinny when she decided to die and it took 3 months. Of course she drank liquids, just not any food. She died very peacefully at home; she was 88 years old.
Yes, your mom is not correct; you are not going to die for a long while even with crohns
 
As I said in my first post:

. My lowest ever weight was last year, when I went into hospital because of it, I had a bmi of 10. (I'm in the UK, and work in cms and kilos - I weighed 29kg and I'm 164cm tall - I had been measured at 165 previously, but was measured last week and apparently I've lost a cm. I think translates as 64lbs and and 5'4".)
I even had emergency surgery at this weight last year, and I'm still living (though the surgeon did warn me before the surgery that I might not survive it).

I seem to adapt very well to low weights. I'm not sure how other people would though. But while you probably won't die, being underweight can lead to chronic health problems, so it's still best avoided.

What did your doctor say, cantthinkstr8t?
 
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What did your doctor say, cantthinkstr8t?[/QUOTE]

He said I have lost too much weight too quickly and he doesn't really know what is wrong. He has no idea what is going on and I am a "rare" case because I have other health issues.

He thinks I may have an obstruction so I am scheduled for a CT scan on Monday. They ganged up me again not working.
 
I lost weight quickly, 37 pounds (more than 16 kg) in 2 months. I was sent to a psychiatric hospital to learn to think positive! I also had lots of pain. I tried various helps (naturopath, acupuncture etc.) but after 4 years of losing more weight and being depressed, I had a pill cam and the (new) doctor found 9 ulcers in my upper intestine which can be found only by a pill cam. Other tests do not see or go to that area. I am still on anti anxiety medicine from the psychiatric hospital and would love to get off them as I think they dry out my body too much, including my stomach, which is not healthy for digestion.
I guess this is why doctors "practice" medicine.
 
Hi guys, I've written some weight gain tips as I thought it could be a useful thing to add to this thread. They're pretty basic, but if anyone's got any more tips, or lists of high calorie foods, recipies, etc. feel free to add them to the thread.

Unintentional weight loss or an inability to gain weight can occur because you're not consuming enough calories (e.g due to lack of appetite) and/or because of malabsorption. Weight loss may need to be addressed medically in addition to addressing your diet.

Weight gain diet tips:

- Exercise is healthy but does burn some calories, so limit strenuous exercise. If you're very underweight you may need to limit all physical activity.

- Eat what appeals to you, even if it's not healthy. It's easier to eat if the food tempts you. If you're very underweight, it can be better for your health to eat some junk food in the short term rather than force down only healthy food and fail to gain weight.

- Eat little and often.

- Consume high calorie drinks. Liquids are less filling than solids.

- Your doctor may suggest supplements like Ensure, Fortisip or Boost. These provide all the nutrients you need (so you won't need to fill up on low-calorie vegetables in order to get vitamins).

- Eat high calorie foods. This one's obvious, but it may be worth checking you're not mistaken about the calorie content of your food.
 
Thanks for getting me over to this thread. It makes sense to eliminate gluten if you read how it flattens the villi in your small intestine and prevents absorbption of nutrients. As mentioned in other thread I have had Crohns for over 40 years with a large length of my small intestine removed about 28 years ago. They took a tiny bit out 4 years ago and widened the inflammed sections (strictureplasties). I have never been over 140lbs and now I weigh in at 128lbs. Most of my life, so far, I have weighed about 136 (5'/9"). I love most every food and never loose my appetite, but the food slides right through me.

I would like to hear some more encouraging stories about gluten-free diets.
Thanks! --Jeff
 
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Jeff, I have been gluten free for about 3 years and it has definitely helped. I have used the FODMAP diet which has helped me the most. I was weaning off Budesonide (endecort) recently so had a flare up and dr put me on mercaptopurine, and my stomach has been hurting a lot which I think may be the mercaptopurine, so am going off it and trying infusion. So I can't tell you gluten free cures you but if I ate gluten I would be much worse.
I read somewhere that bread today has more yeast than years ago as bread companies want the bread to rise quickly, and it causes the gluten to be stronger. Here's the site:



http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/02/bread-gluten-rising-yeast-health-problem
 
I went gluten free first, and it helped me out a lot. I found out though that I was sinsitive to other things, so I am now eating a bland diet of meat, cooked veggies, and cooked fruit. can only have some olive and sesame oil, and now a little soy sauce with no problem, but I am not eating any dairy, grains, or nuts at the moment. It's seriously helping me out a lot. I was on 100mg of mercaptopurine a day, and now I am at 63.5 (will reduce to 50 after my colonoscopy this Thursday). It's helped me out so much..my energy and mood are better, and my inflammation rates are going down. I won't say that gluten free cures you, but actively trying to figure out what triggers you (not just food, but exercise, work, general lifestyle) will make living with this disease more tolerable.
 
Well, I am jealous mercaptopurine helped you so much. I have been on it 3 weeks and have been having a LOT of stomach pain which can be a side effect. I am seeing my dr. on Wed. and he may give me mercaptopurine as an infusion. (My husband jokes "immersion." I suppose it costs a lot more.
I am flying to MN Thursday to help babysit my 2 grandchildren and there is no way I can do that feeling the way I feel today.
 
Thanks so much Gail and basmah.

I know that everyone in this group knows there is no universal cure for IBD. When you have a disease like Crohns you realize just how unique we are and can't simply follow a specific diet or multiple diets(I have tried a lot) without monitoring and testing your reactions. As a teenager, when I was diagnosed with Crohns my GI Doc peeled of a "bland" menu from a pad and told me to follow the diet. He gave the same diet to all his patients. I think of him every time I eat a handful of almonds (well chewed) or a raw vegetable salad (I eat daily). They were both forbidden items. By the way, I soak my raw almonds in water for about 8 hours and peel the skins. When I forget to soak in the evening I can still eat some, but prefer the taste and texture after soaked.

Yesterday I downloaded a FODMAP app on my phone to remind me of the foods That don't digest well. I have practiced Food Combining for years and sometimes eating a forbidden food by itself or with acid or base foods gives me no problems.

I feel good about eliminating gluten, but i have to get enough calories to put some "meat" on my bones.
 
Jeff, thanks for the info on almonds. They are so good for us and I don't eat them as it hurts. I will try your technic and maybe I can eat them. I desperately need to gain weight. What about soaking cooked almonds? Would that be even easier to digest? Why do you use raw almonds? and what do you mean about food combining, please? And does anyone eat avocados? It is a no no on the FODMAP diet, but high in good fat.
 
Gail, I read this book back in the 60's. I think it was published in the 50's. A lot of info has stuck with me. Check the food combining charts first. http://www.soilandhealth.org/02/0201hyglibcat/020195.shelton.combining.pdf

Raw almonds are the way they come out of the shell with skins. Skins are difficult to digest for some people. Soaking them for 8 or nine hours (I use distilled H2O) is fine. They don't need to be cooked. Remove skins. If you are a bit concerned about chewing, eating, digesting then put a handful in a high speed blender with a few ounces of H2O. You just made almond milk (but a tiny bit chunky depending on your blender).
 
And does anyone eat avocados? It is a no no on the FODMAP diet, but high in good fat.
I used to eat a lot of them because they're one of the few fruits which are ok on a low fibre diet and which don't cause stoma blockages. They're high calorie compared to other fruits and vegetables. But since my last surgery and getting my new stoma which doesn't block I've been so glad I can eat all the fruit and vegetables I like and am no longer so limited, so even though avocados have more calories I need a break from them!
 
Hi guys, I've written some weight gain tips as I thought it could be a useful thing to add to this thread. They're pretty basic, but if anyone's got any more tips, or lists of high calorie foods, recipies, etc. feel free to add them to the thread.

Unintentional weight loss or an inability to gain weight can occur because you're not consuming enough calories (e.g due to lack of appetite) and/or because of malabsorption. Weight loss may need to be addressed medically in addition to addressing your diet.

Weight gain diet tips:

- Exercise is healthy but does burn some calories, so limit strenuous exercise. If you're very underweight you may need to limit all physical activity.

- Eat what appeals to you, even if it's not healthy. It's easier to eat if the food tempts you. If you're very underweight, it can be better for your health to eat some junk food in the short term rather than force down only healthy food and fail to gain weight.

- Eat little and often.

- Consume high calorie drinks. Liquids are less filling than solids.

- Your doctor may suggest supplements like Ensure, Fortisip or Boost. These provide all the nutrients you need (so you won't need to fill up on low-calorie vegetables in order to get vitamins).

- Eat high calorie foods. This one's obvious, but it may be worth checking you're not mistaken about the calorie content of your food.
Thanks for that UnXmas. I agree with going with what you want to eat and not worrying about is it healthy. Fruit and veg = nearly no calories. I am a vitamin pill fan.

The advice that stuck with me was always:
- add an extra spoonful to the plate
- cut the slice (bread, cake, cheese, you name it) a bit bigger
- slather on a bit more spread or filling
- take an extra sip

I think about it now every time I prepare or serve food for myself. Those little extras add up.

Personally I think eating at regular times helps because then the body expects food and gears up for it. It's not always possible (I often skip breakfast because I can't face it).

Oh yes, and the days I feel nauseous and can't face food I pop an anti nausea pill and then I can usually eat a decent amount. Is that good advice, I don't know?
 
I used to eat a lot of them because they're one of the few fruits which are ok on a low fibre diet and which don't cause stoma blockages. They're high calorie compared to other fruits and vegetables. But since my last surgery and getting my new stoma which doesn't block I've been so glad I can eat all the fruit and vegetables I like and am no longer so limited, so even though avocados have more calories I need a break from them!
I haven't checked out the FODMAP diet but every time I try an avocado it makes me sick. Shame because I love them.
 
I would like to hear some more encouraging stories about gluten-free diets.
I am another one who believes they have been helped going gluten free. My diarrhea was fatty and sticky and pale, and that changed when I went gluten free. I do not feel bloated any more and I am certainly less nauseous. It is not the whole answer but I think I am better without it. Put it this way, I don't want to restart to see what happens.

It is not the easiest diet (married to a french man - baguette, croissants, pastries.......), good alternatives are hard to find and it's worth investing in a gluten free baking book if you have time to prepare things yourself. I make my own cereal, bread (from a bread mix), biscuits, cake. The shop bought stuff tends to be too high in sugar and fat for me.
 
I know loading up on calories is important for weight gain, but if my, reduced length, small intestine is not functioning efficiently and my absorption rate is miniscule then I don't know if quantity is always the best approach. Some days I see a 3 to 4 lb difference in weight from the time I go to bed to just after a visit to the bathroom in the morning. The quantity leaving my body is huge. If the Villi in my small intestine are not transporting nutrients or my enzymes are not doing their job, I can graze every half hour for 12 hours and never see a permanent weight gain. How do I fix "my machine"? Is medication the answer or diet modification. I know gluten-free is a first good step.
 
I have the same problem. I really don't eat much as stomach pain has shrunk my stomach, but my BMS seem as big as the amount of food I eat. Therefore, how can I gain weight?
I asked my GI but he did not give me an answer. I think IBD must prevent our bodies from absorbing food as it should if healthy. But it is just a thought, I have no science for this opinion....except I have so much trouble gaining weight even when I eat well. I look anorexic, but I know I am eating more than someone who is anorexic. ??????? I have no answer for you, JeffBee, I'm sorry.
 
I don't think size of bowel movements is relavent. Bowel movements can vary in volume depending on their water content and the amount of fibre you're eating more than on the overall amount of food you consume or calorie intake.

I eat loads more than people with anorexia too - I've had a whole team of experts completely unable to explain why, while they monitored my food intake for weeks and weeks while I was in hospital.
 
. I know gluten-free is a first good step.
Only if gluten is a problem, and for most people it's not. I would think it's better to get tested (in this case for coeliac) before cutting things out, unless the connection between food and symptoms is very obvious. A long time ago I cut out gluten (and various other things) and it didn't help in any way, and restricting your diet can make it harder to gain weight.
 
I don't think size of bowel movements is relavent. Bowel movements can vary in volume depending on their water content and the amount of fibre you're eating more than on the overall amount of food you consume or calorie intake.

I eat loads more than people with anorexia too - I've had a whole team of experts completely unable to explain why, while they monitored my food intake for weeks and weeks while I was in hospital.
This is why groups like this are so important. Comparing and learning from personal successes and failures helps to get answers to many of our frustrating health issues. The insights learned here along with our own personal experience are so helpful. We have to remember that even a "team of experts" do not always know the answers.
 
Usually people who are not gluten intolerant (or who might be, and don't know it), give up gluten to motivate themselves into eating whole foods - that's probably the only time when it becomes an important role in regards to nutrition. Part of the problem with people thinking it's a "fad" is because many people try to substitute their food with gf options (i.e. gluten free bread, cookies etc). If you are making attempts to heal your gut, stay away from those substitutions at first.
 
Usually people who are not gluten intolerant (or who might be, and don't know it), give up gluten to motivate themselves into eating whole foods - that's probably the only time when it becomes an important role in regards to nutrition. Part of the problem with people thinking it's a "fad" is because many people try to substitute their food with gf options (i.e. gluten free bread, cookies etc). If you are making attempts to heal your gut, stay away from those substitutions at first.
We should look at diet restrictions as an opportunity to try new whole foods. You are correct, there are many people that search out recreations of their favorite foods (cakes, cookies, candy, soda) without the damaging ingredients like gluten or sugar. Then we find out that the replacement chemicals are much worse for us (like artificial sweeteners). This gluten intolerance trend still has me wondering about the usefulness of this ingredient for any of us.
 
JeffBee - I'm sorry, I realised my post basically just dismissed your idea of cutting out gluten. I had a horrible time in the past where various nutirionists and alternative therapy practitioners made me believe I'd get better if I did what they said and cut out all sorts of things from my diet - gluten was one of their favourite things to ban. I ended up confused and feeling like a failure when my health just got worse (and my weight dropped) and I had driven family and friends mad by excluding myself from meals and making my mum buy all different foods and pay for useless food intolerance tests and alternative therapy appointments (I was a teenager at the time).

I would still advise people to be careful about cutting out gluten. As gluten is in so many foods, avoiding it could make gaining weight harder if you haven't found good substitutes. Getting a proper test for coeliac is also a good place to start if you suspect your symptoms are affected by gluten. From what I've read in the media and elsewhere, there is some confusion about at the moment over whether people without coeliac disease can have some other kind of sensitivity to gluten, or whether gluten is just generally unhealthy for everyone. Personally, I think that last possibility is unlikely, I think gluten is fine for most people. I do think it's possible that some people with Crohn's or other digestive disorders could have difficulties digesting gluten; most of us do have trigger foods or find we can improve our symptoms by adjusting our diet. But if someone really needs to gain weight, I don't think it's a great idea to start cutting out something like gluten which would require cutting out so many common foods. The exception to this would be if they suspected the food was so bad for them that eating it results in major symptoms or malabsorption and is actually hindering weight gain. But if someone does suspect this, I think that's serious enough to warrant consulting a doctor. (I've done this - the problem for me was too much fibre, and doctors recognised the need for a low fibre diet. I also found out that my digestive system just couldn't handle NG feed, which my doctors stopped as it was clear the NG was making things worse and not helping me gain weight at all.)

Also, you may find it harder than you think to identify foods that cause you problems. When I've tried various exclusion diets, I found I often saw patterns that simply weren't there. Often our symptoms are not the result of anything we've eaten or otherwise done "wrong" in our lifestyle - sometimes we are just ill, for reasons we can't identify and which we can't control.
 
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No apology necessary UnXmas,
During my many years with Crohn's (40+) I have talked to lots of docs, lots of nutritionists, lots of alternative practitioners. I have tried many therapies from meds to accupuncture to red light therapy. When I walk into a new doctors office I remind them that I am a professional, a professional patient. I will listen to them, but they better listen to me and my vast history of experiences. I have a short fuse when it comes to a young practitioner who wants to give me a restrictive diet or dozens of tests. Makes me feel like a Guinee Pig. If I went totally vegan or on the Gerson Therapy diet I would disappear (weight-wise). I have never been a big meat eater but not against animal protein. It has helped to hear about people with IBD on gluten-free diets.
 
I struggle with weight gain, I know I need to gain weight but I don't like the way fat deposits on my body (all in my abdomen), making my clothes not fit right. So now, I am working on weight gain along with doing yoga to hopefully help my body stay flexible and in shape with the added weight. I am a vegetarian and I do try to stay away from a lot of gluten. For me, it is only the refined, bleached flour that I have problems with, if I cook with unbleached flour, it is fine. I also try to incorporate other gains just because I believe a variety of food sources will give my body access to more chemicals/minerals it needs. Avocados on crackers is delicous and high in calories. I also use a lot of olive oil and sesame oil in cooking. Sesame sticks are a high calorie snack that don't upset my stomach.
 
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