Not sure what to eat

[elihogan]

I'm extremely thin (6'2, 160) and want to gain weight. I used to be a good deal heavier and have more muscle on me, but i got C-Diff and lost about 40 pounds and never gained all of it back. I was browsing the forums and saw a post about how anytime someone with Crohn's eats, it's basically like sandpaper on a wound as it passes through the intestines. I've always wondered whether eating lots of food to gain weight had a negative effect on CD, since it means you're never really letting your colon rest. Just curious as to what everyone thought about it, I look back at old pictures and think about the shape I was in and it's honestly kind of depressing.

Also, gotta love the Catch 22. Need to be at a healthy weight and have a cushion in case you get sick, but eating enough to get you there might be bad for you:ybatty:

 

[Crohns08]

You might want to try a liquid diet for awhile. They make meal replacement drinks specifically for people that need bowel rest.

 

[UnXmas]

We just started a weight gain support group, if you'd like to join us: http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=71109

I think some foods are more like "sandpaper" than others. I have been on bowel rest for a short period, recovering from major surgery all oral food and drink was stopped so the bowel could heal, but bowel rest is only needed in extreme circumstances (and comes with a lot of risks of its own).

Crohn's08's suggestion of a liquid diet can help, but it's best to only do liquid diets for short periods if you're not being supervised by a doctor, and you need to make sure you're having the right liquids. A less drastic option is to try to reduce the amount of fibre and residue in your diet.

 

[shamrock15]

There are several diets that are called low-residue diets that are good for these times. They deal with foods that break down very easily so there isn't much of that "sandpaper" effect that you are describing. They tend to be pretty bland, but can help get you through some of those rough periods. Look into them - I have a book called "The IBD Nutrition Book" published by Wiley that was very good when I was learning what I could and couldn't eat.

If your GI works with a nutritionist who knows IBD, that would be a good resource too.