Weight Gain questions

[ejh96]

I am a 16 year old boy diagnosed with Crohn's February of last year. After a while on prednisone (and some horrific psychological side effects) I gained tons of weight, going from my natural weight pre Crohn's of 145 to 180 in a couple months. Got off the prednisone middle of last year and dropped back down to about where I was pre-diagnoses. I got really dedicated to working out around the beginning of 2013, and right now I hover from 160 to 165 depending on how much water I'm retaining, but I'm about to start adding calories until I hit 170.

I have a couple questions. Using weight gain calculators, I figured I need about 3300 calories a day to hit 170. But no weight gain calculator I've ever seen accounts for Crohn's and I'm not sure exactly how much extra calories I should tack on, or if I should at all. My disease is very mild apparently and I'm in remission right now, so I don't know if I should just take the numbers at face value. I would ask my doctor, because he is absolutely brilliant and I think the world of him, but before I began lifting I was having appetite loss and he recommended 2000 calories a day which is not nearly enough for me to be lifting on so I just don't think me and him will see eye to eye on the weight gain issue.

My other question is about my stretch marks from prednisone. My thighs are literally more stretch mark than healthy skin and my butt and back are crossed all over with random stretch marks. They aren't like normal stretch marks which would have faded to look like normal skin that was just discolored within a year, almost all of them are still like big purple grooves cut in my skin. People say I have a good body since I gained weight and I try to be cool about it, but on the inside the stretch marks REALLY bother me. Can anybody with experience tell me if they ever fade to where they aren't so noticeable? Or ill they just always be there because I gained 40 pounds in like two months and prednisone's effect on the skin's elasticity? I'm 6'2 10% body fat according to my last DEXA if that makes any difference whatsoever. Thanks.

 

[Trysha]

I would like to suggest that you trust your doctor and teel himexactly how you feel and what you would like to achieve.
You have lots of time to achieve your goals but be careful to do it the right way.
Your doctor is your best friend when it comes to crohn's and weight issues.
Can't afford to mess with crohn's....
I don't know anything about stretch marks, I would have thought they fade in time.
Someone more knowledgeable will soon be along to help you with that.
Hugs and best wishes
Trysha

 

[KayleighMeek]

For stretch marks I have used bio oil before its a bit expensive but you don't need to use much but it will help fade them and make them much less noticeable. Another good one for stretch marks is cocoa butter and is a lot cheaper but I found didn't fade them as much. Hope this helps a bit x

 

[Jmrogers4]

my son per his GI was recently trying to gain weight we had him at about 3000-3300 calories a day and he gained 23 pounds in about 2 months but then he was only 5' and 77 pounds at 13, he is 100 pounds now and looks and feels healthy so the 3300 sounds about right. He is also in remission, but I agree with above talk to your doctor you want healthy weight gain. Simple formula obviously is put in more calories then you burn and you will gain weight. My son is fairly active, plays sports, spends more time outside then playing video games although he hasn't done any weight lifting, but then I was always worried about him losing more weight that he didn't have to lose when he was so tiny. We just joined a gym together so that he can start working out.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

If your Crohn's is in remission, then you should be able to absorb nutrients & calories fairly normally. I'm in remission too - when I was ill and flaring, the weight was dropping off of me. When I was put on steroids, I gained a bunch of weight too. And now that I'm in remission and off of steroids, I can gain/lose weight like a normal person. Some foods still don't digest for me - things like seeds & skins (foods like grapes, tomatoes, etc) don't break down, so I know I still have some issues with digestion going on. But for the most part for me right now it seems to be calories in = calories absorbed. If you have scar tissue or if you've had a resection then that could complicate things as far as absorption, but if not then I'd say you're probably okay to take calories at face value.

 

[kel]

Depends totally on your metabolism+malabsorption from crohns. I needed about 3500 cal to get up to 180 lbs or so, and after that needed about 5000 cal to get up to 200.

 

[ejh96]

Thanks to everyone who answered. Ya'll cleared things up. Good to have found this forum.

 

[zilla7777]

If it is available where you are, maybe ask your doctor about seeing whether you can supplement your diet with enteral nutrition formula. I've been on Modulen IBD as my sole diet for about 4 and a half weeks now, and in that period I have gained 4.7kg.

 

[amrycrohns]

Even for people with no IBS calorie intake can only be estimated by calculators. You can use it's estimate as a starting point and adjust as you go. Basically if you go with 3300 calories and gaining 1 pound per 10 days then you know you have a 300 calorie surplus per day and you can adjust from there for you wanted weight gain pace (aprox. 3,000 calories per pound).

I had stretch marks on shoulders and butt when I started lifting heavy and gained a lot of weight quickly 215 to 250 in really short time. Mine have completely disappeared now, although mine didn't seem to be as bad as the ones you described. Ask your doctor about creams and other ways to reduce stretch marks, I know they give pregnant woman some stuffs.

 

[kel]

Your doctor is your best friend when it comes to crohn's and weight issues....

rehab documentation software

Not in my experience. And I've seen 5 different GI.