Why am I so thin

[Ozboz]

I've been trying to gain weight and for some reason just keep going backwards i'm 5'7 and weigh about 105 pounds does anyone know why this is happening and what can I do to reverse it. This is prob why I'm always tired and have headaches> I try and eat all day and my stool is formed although there is a lot of undigested food in it

I',m a bit worried that something else is happening with me but still tryin to be positive

 

[UnXmas]

I'm having the same problem. Either you're not eating enough or you're not absorbing what you eat - or both. My problem is that I have no appetite so I find it difficult to eat enough to take in the calories I need. It's strange because I increased the amount I'm eating recently, but my weight doesn't seem to be going up. But it maybe that you're not benefiting from what you're eating even if you're taking in enough calories, although I would think in that case you'd be having diarhoea.

The only things to do is to try and eat more, maybe use supplements (like meal-replacement milkshakes) as they contain lots of calories and often go down easier than food. If you're eating all you can and still losing weight, maybe you should ask a doctor to find out what's causing it.

 

[Cross-stitch gal]

I'm afraid that I can't help you any. But, can give you support and an understanding because I too am very underweight. I'm about 5ft and probably weigh about 86lbs. Seems like whenever I can finally get to the point I can start gaining, end up in another flare...

 

[shamrock15]

I would go with absorption difficulties. Do you have a diagnosis yet - I may have forgotten your individual case. I was 5'9" (shrinking a little as I get older) and 170 pounds when my crohn's went active in my late teens. By 25, when I was first hospitalized for it, I had dropped to under 125. At that point the disease was extremely active, and I was about 3 months away from my first surgery. I had to go on a high calorie diet for about 15 years just to maintain a 145 pound weight afterwards. I absorbed very little fat, had little diarrhea at that time. I created my own weight gain supplement (eggs, sugar, milk at the core of it, flavour to taste - in my case cocoa and vanilla, sometimes orange sorbet).

The weight loss is something you want to check out with your doctor. If you are really malnourished right now, it can do a lot of damage to your body that remains even after your crohn's is gone.

 

[sashaz]

I have the same problem, found out I have a low enzyme output so the food isnt digested well. I dont know if this is something you could look into?

 

[CrohnsChicago]

Absorption issues are a huge possibility. Do you tolerate foods such as peanut butter for example to offer protein (give energy) and healthy fats?

Definitely discuss this with your doctor or a nutritionist as they can help you come up with a safe way of putting back on the pounds without negatively impacting your crohn's.

 

[Price]

Also if you're not on any already, supplements can really help you put on weight. Things like Ensure/Modulen are great for putting on weight, although modulen tastes like nightmares.

Foods like peanut butter (as suggested above), olive oil (good fats), milk are great at putting weight on. I drink 4 pints of milk a day simply because it's easy. I know people who drink tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. They're not the most fun ways to gain weight but they work.

 

[Patootie]

Hey! Been where you are and I know its scary, I was underweight and losing 1lb every 2 days. The fact you're not digesting your food properly means its just traveling through you and not doing its job, feeding you! Try and focus on trying to get nutrients inside you and improving your health, not to just put on weight. Taking a high dose of probiotics definately seemed to help me, and alot of the meds we Crohnies take harms our internal bacteria so generally a good idea for us!

Are you on any meds? And do you have any general idea of the current state of your bowel? I persuaded my Doc to give me an MRI off the basis of the weight loss which gave me some answers.

 

[Ozboz]

I'm having formed stool but lot's of them that would explain the fact I'm not absorbing much I have a dairy intolerance but I can easily eat peanut butter so will give that a shot into maybe and ensure shake

 

[heatherb]

You can always add peanut butter to milkshakes also - like using almond milk, banana, peanut butter etc. Avocado is another good food - I try to eat half a day (although lapsed lately with not being able to deal with food much).

I've just been told not to eat dairy, but unfortunately HATE peanut butter! Annoying as I know it's full of stuff I need haha.

Supplements like fortijuice/creme/sip are good. My dad had stomach issues and he managed to have these as they're not huge in volume but have a high calorie profile.

H

 

[Sailorluna]

Have you had your protein levels checked? In the months leading up to finding out i had crohns I went from 190 lbs to 125. my protein levels were super low because I was not absorbing food. If it gets too low you can start getting crazy swelling in your feet and legs. If they have not checked it yet you may wish to.

 

[Ozboz]

Yeah my nutrionist says ineed to get at least 100g of protein into me a day like a few shakes or something like that