Exercise, Protein and Calories

[Guinevere]

I workout everyday on the treadmill for about an hour and jog for around twenty minutes.

The problem is that my diet is absolutely horrible and I have cut out so many foods because they make my chronic stomach ache hurt even worse.

I eat relatively no vegetables and only eat fruit, turkey, salmon, and rice.

So my question is,

How many calories should I be eating in order to be healthy?

What is the best way to get these calories because of my restricted diet and the fact that I cannot eat large meals at once?

How much protein should I try to intake each day?

Any tips? I want to keep a healthy weight and not get too fatigued.

I also should mention that I am 5"7 and weight around 120-123 pounds. Depending on how my stomach feels and how swollen it is.

Guinevere

 

[GutlessWonder86]

have you tried Carnation instant breakfast? Ensure, Special K protein shakes or powder mixed with water? I drink these along with low residue foods like applesauce, steamed rice, toddler stage baby food--usually pasta and carrots, canned vegetables as it's easier on the gut, water...lots of water, some chamamille tea or mint chamomile..that really settles the gut down.

Also, you can go to a local hospital and ask to speak to a dietician there who can give you menu ideas. That's what I did last month when I had pancreatitis and salmonella poisoning. My MD told me that I needed to be on a specialized diet until the inflammation in my pancreas was resolved and being that I haven't been on such a diet of that magnitude, (pancreatitis is VERY painful) I went to the dietician dept. where I happened to be having PT at the time and the dietician was so friendly and helpful.

Definitely look into that or check out the wiki section here on the crohnsforum site. good luck to you.

 

[PattyLynn]

Although your diet is very limited, at least you are able to get some protein and healthy fats from the salmon and all kinds of nutrients from the fruit. Ensure and Boost are fantastic and will help you get vitamins and minerals into your diet. Like Gutless, I too, saw a dietician at the hospital. She provided me with a great meal plan to help gain weight since I had lost a significant amount due to my Crohn's.

If you are trying to maintain your current weight, you probably want to consume about 1400 - 1600 calories a day. But with the amount of exercise you are doing, that number may be higher. Definitely go see a dietician - it will really help.
Good luck!

 

[Avw]

I agree with the above posts about seeing a dietician. The only advice I can offer is to eat boiled eggs! I am on a severely limited diet right now, and my only source of protein are boiled eggs, so they have been a life saver for me! That, and the occasional piece of cheese.
Best of luck to you!

 

[kllyeve]

I lived mostly on Boost for a year as everything was so upset inside. I found the Diabetic Boost was better as it had more protein and less carbs so it stayed with me longer. I also then didn't get a sugar crash from it.

I am now in remision due to Remicade. I still have IBS and am following the FODMAP food plan. This has reduced alot of my remaining symptoms. Check out what fruits you are eating as anything with a pit in it is off the plan as well as apples.

Hope you feel better soon!

 

[Mattannika]

Hi. I just got diagnosed this week with Crohn's and am pretty clueless as to what I should eat/avoid. Well, I'm avoiding almost everything at this point as its currently pretty severe and I'm in a flare. I'm mostly on protein drinks and ensure. Tried some chicken and rice tonight and my intestines don't feel so good. What is fodmap? Any suggestion on how to adapt to a new diet, especially in regards to my being in the middle of a flare? Thanks!

 

[PattyLynn]

Welcome Mattannika - sorry about your Crohn's dx Because you are very new to the disease, it will take a lot of trial and error to find what foods you can eat and what to avoid. There is certainly not a universal food list that would apply to every Crohn's patient. We are all so different in what our bodies can tolerate and what foods will cause us problems. When I am in the middle of a bad flare, as you are now, I live on Ensure and yogurt and jello and broth. Have you been put on any medications to get the Crohn's under control? Once things settle down, you will be able to see what foods are okay for you. Chicken and rice is pretty tough to digest when you are having problems. Chicken is actually one of my no-no foods at all times. But, other people have no problems what-so-ever with chicken. I don't really know anything about the FODMAP diet but I did google it. Just taking a quick look through the allowable foods I see several items that you should probably not try while in a flare. A few that stand out on the list are: blueberries (the skins are very hard on the digestive tract), pineapple (too much fibre), raspberries (the seeds will kill you - not literally but you get the idea), raisins, most of the vegetables (broccoli? yikes!) corn(OMG!), etc. It sounds like a good, healthy diet though and may be helpful once your Crohn's settles.
Anyway, I am glad you joined the forum, it is a great place to ask any questions you have and to sometimes just vent and give and get support!

 

[Mattannika]

Thanks PattyLynn. Yes, I've been put un prednisone and Apriso. My doctor suggested to add prenatal vitamins so I take the new chapter brand. So far I seem a bit better, but I can't tell if it's due treating very careful and mostly liquid or if the drugs are working, I assume a bit of both. I do have to admit I am very scared of all the prescription drugs and their side effects....I don't even really want to know...but at the same time I probably should know a but more. I definitely have less energy, but i justdont want to drive myself nuts. I've lost some weight since the tests started and diagnose happened, but not a scary amount, just a little.

 

[PattyLynn]

I am glad you are starting to feel a bit better. You are right, it is probably a combination of the drugs and the liquid diet. When Prednisone works, it works quite quickly. Your body will tell you when it is ready to tolerate more than liquids. For example, when I'm having a flare, I don't even feel like eating. Even the thought of drinking Ensure makes me want to gag. But, when I start to feel better, I actually get little hunger pangs. I start off slowly - toast with peanut butter, an egg, pudding. If all goes well, the next day I will try some salmon or tuna and cheese.
Yes, reading all of the side effects that MIGHT happen on any of the prescription drugs is scary but the companies have to list everything even if the possibility of it happening are one in a million. And, in my opinion, the benefits of the drugs far outweigh the possible side effects. See how it goes. Maybe you will only need the drugs you are currently on and your disease will go into remission - let's hope that's the case!

 

[PattyLynn]

Yikes! Any type of sprouts will put me in the hospital within an hour! That is definitely a no-no food for me. Unfortunately, not all of us are able to eat proper, healthy meals every day. That's why drinks like Ensure or Boost are invaluable to us. But in a perfect world, none of us would have Crohn's, so we would all be able to eat healthy every day!

 

[Avw]

When you get off liquids, I would try to stick to a mostly carb diet. Not a professional medical opinion by any means, just what works for me and most I know. Stay away from anything with "roughage" or high fiber. So that pretty much leaves crackers, rolls, bread, rice with butter and salt, etc. Meat is always a recipe for disaster for me, except some fish. One bite of red meat will put me in the hospital. So will whole wheat bread. So just take it slow... just introduce one new thing at a time, so you can properly eliminate your triggers. Hope you feel better soon and best of luck to you!

 

[Avw]

Oh! and dairy! Whether you're lactose intolerant or not... Don't attempt that again until you're much better. Could set you back months. And I don't mean just milk... any recipes that call for a lot of cream of any sort, be wary!

 

[Jennifer]

Hello Pattylynn..Ya i understand your feelings..Because sprouts are tasteless..But if you want to be healthy then why can't you compromise a little..???? One thing which you can do is that add some Spices with it so that it will be having a good taste..After adding some spices you would love to eat them.....

What they mean is they can't digest them and cause them pain possibly diarrhea and a whole lot of un fun feelings. I can't digest them either, remission or not.

@ Avw - That's nothing but sugar. Really not a good diet to follow by any means. Gotta increase the protein and nutrients somehow. There's no nutrients in white breads.

 

[PattyLynn]

Hi Henry,
I think you misunderstood. I love the taste sprouts - I used to eat them quite often. The reason I say they are a no-no food for me is because I have Crohn's disease and sprouts of any kind cause so much irritation in the digestive tract that I will be doubled over in pain. Trust me, I understand that they are healthy, but there is NO WAY that eating sprouts is a compromise I will make. Besides, other than the Crohn's, I am not an unhealthy person. I lead a very normal life: married, full-time job, very active. Please do not assume that I am unhealthy.

Do you mind if I ask what condition you have been diagnosed with? Eating sprouts with spices is very brave of you. Is your IBD in remission?