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AHHHH! I need to put on the BEEF!

I'm 88 lbs, 5"0 tall! I am tiny and feel like a tween waiting for puberty!
Shakes such as "Ensure" and "Boost" make me nauseas! No one seems to be concerned except me. I eat and feel pain ALL night because of it. EVERYTHING seems to bother my tummy. How am I suppose to gain weight if eating hurts? At what point does my weight become a problem??
 

LOSTnut

Poopy
I hated the Ensure/Boost and Power Bars -- just couldn't handle the taste. Once I switched to Whey protein shakes and added all the fruit that I like (yeahhhhh - tasty stuff) or those pre-packaged smoothies with fruit and yoghurt pieces I slowly but surely gained weight.
I made one every afternoon and had the rest for breakfast the next morning.
Ha -- I have stopped now because I felt I was actually getting fat! :D

And, they were also good in t heat of So AZ!
 
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KWalker

Moderator
I'm trying to gain weight too. I take Mutant Mass weight gainer shakes, and drink close to 3000 calories a day just with those! I really noticed it at first, but has since really slowed down and I haven't seen any improvements. I'm a boy though and I'm trying to bulk with weight training so I could feel intimidating and not taken advantage of if a scenario ever came across.

I find with whey, its more for muscle. It doesn't really help gain weight, but it helps rebuild fibers and builds muscle. The best whey to use for weight gain as well would be the ones with islolate in them.
 
I too need to gain weight , I was 146 in May 2011 now im down to 122 as of This week . I am 5ft 9 in tall so i look very sickly. I do drink the ensure drinks with the xtra calories, lots of penut butter, and plain butter, plus have porridge and add brown sugar and maple syrup. I was also told to add salt to my diet as it retains water.I also try to eat 1 fatty donut per day just for the xtra calories. I was told not to drink sooo much water which i did , reason being cause it washes all nutrients ,vitamins etc out of ur system.Well i hope there is something there to help u with. Its hard i still struggle, i mean me with 3 lbs added in 1 mth, wow its gonna take me forever. One Day at a Time.
 

KWalker

Moderator
Who told you not to drink water? When I started trying to gain weight, they told me I need to drink 6-8 bottles of water a day. 4 litres. I don't know a whole lot about this stuff right now, but everybody I've talked to says to drink water like crazy.
It could be for other reasons, I'm not too sure.
I'm a male, 21, and currently 5'11, 158lbs. I'd like to be around 190, but muscle
 
I would think your weight is an issue now. You're not absorbing nutrients clearly and I'm sure you have poor oxygen flow because you're probably anemic, I was having this same problems a year ago. You need to find a way to eat and get treatment that helps otherwise it'll just get worse, trust me. Drink water like crazy, eat safe foods that you know won't hurt throughout the day even if you don't want to. You have to get calories somehow.
 

KWalker

Moderator
You could look into "Mutant Mass" too. I'm on it right now, and its a protein powder, but its also a gainer. There's 1060 calories in each shake, and I drink roughly 3-4 every day. I paid 80 dollars for a 15lb bag, and it lasts quite awhile. You can use water and it tastes fine, or sometimes ill use milk. Fortunately I can eat a lot of foods most people can't with crohn's, so I often eat giant bowls of ice cream, lots of chicken, lean ground beef, tons of veggies, etc. Still pretty healthy foods, but lots of calories,etc.

Another thing you can do, is go to your local grocery store and look for "sweet and salty" bars. Most contain nuts, but if you can tolerate nuts, they have quite a few calories for such a small snack.

Don't do a lot of cardio (running, jogging,etc) as that just burns calories, but doing small workouts isn't a bad idea. Push-ups, sit-ups, etc are very easy to start, and as you gain some muscle, you will gain some weight as well. Its just a little helper.

I hope I've helped even a little. I wish there were some people living close to me also with crohns looking to gain weight, as its so much easier to work in partners, then by yourself.
 
Who told you not to drink water? When I started trying to gain weight, they told me I need to drink 6-8 bottles of water a day. 4 litres. I don't know a whole lot about this stuff right now, but everybody I've talked to says to drink water like crazy.
It could be for other reasons, I'm not too sure.
I'm a male, 21, and currently 5'11, 158lbs. I'd like to be around 190, but muscle
My surgeon told me not to drink so much because it washes away all vitamins and nutrients, she said drink gatorade or those powerade drinks , they are water with electrolytes in it, which i guess we need. Dont stop drinking water but we all know there are no calories in water.I still drink lots of water , but i cannot eat most foods that you can. Still healing and have a strict diet. Hope all is well and continues to go well for you.
 

rygon

Moderator
Ive heard that drinking water at meal times can wash away the calories. To some respect I agree, but water does have a lot of minerals in it already so i cant see it removing alotthem. (osmosis effect), plus i guess you would have to drink loads of water for that to happen (and remember we do need more water than usual due to D etc).

I found the only way I gain weight is exercise, maybe as it makes me hungrier, but also muscle weighs more than fat so it will help
 
I do know that yes we all need water , so i still drink plenty per day and also add in the gatorade too,and even the ensures . I lift 2lb weights right now, still too early from surgery to do any kind of exercise. AT least for me. Thanks for info, good luck to all.
 

KWalker

Moderator
Good for you, wanting to get right back in the game after surgery. Kudos! I hope I didn't come off as rude with my last comment. I didn't mean to make it sound like I thought you were wrong, I've just never heard anybody say not to drink water as I would think any liquid would wash away nutrients from the body. I drink roughly 4L of water a day. Its not easy either lol. I just thought Gatorade was expensive so I've never really thought to drink it often. What about Vitamin Water? Its relatively cheap. I think it only has 10 calories in it, but its full of nutrients and vitamins.

Also, with my food suggestions, it was just if you could tolerate it. Everyone with crohn's is different. Although I may be able to eat more varities then others with crohns,I also have a fistula that makes some of my days hell. We all have our advantages and disadvantages.

What kind of foods do you eat/can you tolerate?
 
Hey no offence taken, its not that my surgeon said no water, she did say though not soo much and to try other products. Thats why i drink the gatorade. yes they r almost too expensive ,but i am so skinny tht i will do whatever i can to try to look normal.I was drinking about 8, 500liters of water per day. I drank it more because i was worried that i might get a blockage . Something i worry about. Not sure about vitamin water , i have to b careful because im on warfarin and i cant have cranberry or green tea products. Food ,hmm well i am still testing. I can eat fish and fries , but i chew them fries really well. I am still eating only soft white foods, very boring . Still no fiber ,nor fresh fruit ,or veg or fried foods.I am only 3 wks or so into my healing. A couple more weeks and hopefully better foods. Its great talking to you. Hopefully one day i will be where you are at.;)
 

KWalker

Moderator
Well hopefully you never have to go through what I've dealt with to get here. I was like a guinea pig for the hospitals here, you name a medicine, I've had it lol. I've spent my summers in the hospital, been told from the doctor I'm not allowed to work, and therefore having to get EI for a year, many missed school days, next to know physical activities, and I'm only 21! I now live on my own so I'm able to experiment with different things, such as foods, activities, etc I can control my own body now rather than my mom being so protective and wanting to "play by the books".

I think the only way to get better, is to force yourself to get better, and I think you're off to a great start. Lifes too short to sit on the couch in pain, or avoid trying things and therefore letting crohn's hold you back. There's too much in life I want to do, to let crohn's rule my life.

Do you buy "Gatorade" or store brand? I wonder how much difference there is health wise. From what I've seen the cost is quite big. I know exactly how you feel though. I'd say I'm pretty healthy right now for the most part, and im working my ass off to gain weight, and having a hell of a time doing so, so I could only imagine what you're going through. It feels like a lost cause eh?

Lastly, 500L of a water a day?! You must be a fish! Haha
 

KWalker

Moderator
Side note: What the hell! When I first started, I weighed 150lbs. I've been eating like crazy, and working out until I physically can't lift the weights anymore. I got up to 158lbs. I haven't changed anything, I drink tons of protein shakes, water, and eat almost too much food. I just weighed myself and I've lost weight?! I'm down to 152! How does that even happen?
 

rygon

Moderator
Guess that should have been 500ml lol. Not sure if im on the right path here but I thought those drinks are just vitamins and minerals. Looking at their website the "gatorade Recover" has only 60Kcals, which is bugger all. Its the calories you need to gain weight, whereas vitamins and minerals will keep your body healthy.

I drink a glass of whey protein made with full fat milk, thats about the same amount of calories as 5 gatorades
 

rygon

Moderator
Side note: What the hell! When I first started, I weighed 150lbs. I've been eating like crazy, and working out until I physically can't lift the weights anymore. I got up to 158lbs. I haven't changed anything, I drink tons of protein shakes, water, and eat almost too much food. I just weighed myself and I've lost weight?! I'm down to 152! How does that even happen?
you naturally weight differently depending upon the time of day, I dont go on how much i weigh but how i look.

With regards to lifting weights, i used to have a tin of beans in each hand and do fast punching, uppercuts, and hooks, minute each. It is a graeat workout with little strength needed, the more you put in the more you get out.
Hopefuly by doing little exercises like that throughout the week you should start putting on weight (as long as your calorie intake is upped to replace what is lost during exercising)
 

KWalker

Moderator
Whey is actually proven to not add weight either though, unless it includes isolate. The shakes I drink have 1060 calories, just when mixed with water. Add milk and its even more. Not all people with crohn's though can handle milk, and that's why I don't drink it too often with my shakes, and never on its own.

Cecilia, check out my thread "pills to gain weight". Somebody mentioned Oxandrolone. Its an anabolic steroid, and I might look into trying to get some. Legally that is lol. Sometimes it scares me with some of these medications though. I want to be able to have kids, and since I'm so young, I don't want to develop heart, lung, or kidney problems at a young age because of medication.
 

KWalker

Moderator
Rygon, I have a bowflex at home that I use. I can do some decent numbers and reps, especially for someone my size, and I don't necessarily feel weak, but I don't feel comfortable at all with my body at all. I feel like a girl saying this, but I don't even like taking my shirt off in front of people, so I would never go to the beach or anything.

I would never hurt anybody, or lay a finger on another human being, but I want people to feel intimidated when they see me (as bad as that sounds). Nobody picks on the bigger guys.
 
LOL ya thats what i meant to say 500ml. Otherwise i am a fish. I am older and have my grown kids and all , i also only have 1 kidney so i watch my meds too. I buy Gatorade, ya kinda expensive but hopefully it wont last forever. Same as those ensures they too r expensive. I add beneprotein to my cereal every morning. Anything to help. I dont drink any dairy products, lactose intolerant. I do drink soy milk. I will check out that thread, but right now i am still on prednizones for the next 2 wks . being weaned off them . I also feel like i was a guinea pig too.
 

KWalker

Moderator
If you're on prednisone you should be gaining weight, no? How much are you on? When I was on it, I was on a very high dose, for a very long time, and gained quite a bit of weight, but then I had my crash. I went from a little over 170lbs, to 118lbs in abought 3 months. It was not a good time. That's when I was at my worst with crohns. They thought I developed colon cancer because my dad died of cancer.

Rygon, I always weigh myself at the exact same time of day. I am aware you weigh more at night. I think you guys might be mistaking your water intake as well. 500ml is only one bottle of water lol. I drink 8 a day. If you guys have a "No Frills" grocery store where you are, they carry 24's of water for only 1.97. Can't even go wrong.
 
Hi Yes i actually drink 6 to 8 of those 500ml bottles of water per day. I have been on preds since Apr 20th, started off on 8 and slowly weened off 1 per wk, got down to 3 and had to go back up again. Yes last time i was on them 8 yrs ago i did put lots of weight on but not this time. I actually wanted to .I just have to keep eating those Tim Hortons Donuts...lol. I do not have a colon anymore and I have Colitis ,or so they say. Thats alot of weight you lost, I did too but i wasnt up to 170 lbs, man that sucks!!!. keep eating , drinking and working out , you'll get there ,just like i know i will too.:ysmile:
 

KWalker

Moderator
Ohh, I thought you meant you only drank 500mL a day lol. My bad. I put on a lot of weight when I was on prednisone too, but it seemed like only in the cheeks. I have a fulll prescription at home, and I thought about using it again, but to me, its not worth the health risks, only to have puffy cheeks, and still be small. I weighed 170 because at the time I was a healthy male. Not anymore lol. It was actually scary. I had over 20 canker soars in my mouth (can be caused from crohns) so that mixed with stomach and bowel problems, I would go days without sticking anything in my mouth, and when I could get small amounts (only cold soup because everything else burned on the canker soars) it just came out the other end anyways. It was definately not a good time for me.

I think ultimately I might start working out every single day, rather than every other, and see a doctor about getting some help medically.
 
haha ya i feel like a fish, i never had any problems with canker sores ,so i have been lucky.I wouldnt use preds just for the sake of weight gain. They are so bad for us. I cant wait to get off of them finally. I dont know how long its been since u had ur surgery ? If Ueven did have surgery. I sit around abit and eat so hopefully that will help me add some pds.Try eating penut butter on white bread. lots of it. Or chicken sandwiches with lots of mayo. They seem to help me. But i must say i cant wait till i can have pizza. Doesnt hurt to go see ur doctor. Any and all info is good.
 
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