Tricks you know to gain weight?

I don't know if you can handle or have tried weight gainers like True Mass. My husband (who does not have cronh's) drinks this stuff to keep his weight up. He is naturally very skinny. He also lifts weights to keep the calories from turning to fat. Maybe you could try a protien weight gainer like that with a very light work out. You should of course ask your doc before taking anything including this stuff. Good luck!

Me, I would start by thinking in terms of nutrition rather than weight gain: lots of pureed vegetable soups, fruit juice, baked custards, rice, steamed white meat, things like that, instead of foods that are high in fat, sugar and additives.

You said that foods like Boost run straight through you, so I am am wondering if perhaps you have a milk or lactose intolerance. You might have more success by trying a supplement that does not contain milk products, and by switching to soy or rice milk, or goat's milk if you can handle that.

You can also buy a tasteless powder called Polycose that is high in energy and a few essential vitamins / minerals. You can add it to hot drinks, mashed potato, casseroles, soup, whatever, to increase the calorie content of whatever you're eating.

All the best,

Ivy.

ps. Could you please shorten your signature so it is less than ten lines long, Laury? Long sigs take up a lot of server space and end up costing Admin money... which is a huge strain on him, when you consider that this site is free.

Thanks,

Ivy.

I have similar issues and one thing that I've found helpful when I need to gain weight is yogurt-based smoothies. I use homemade SCD yogurt with whole milk. I'll blend about 1/2-1 c. of yogurt with some fruit and a tablespoon or so of honey, depending on how sweet the fruit I'm using is. My favorite is half a ripe banana and handful each of frozen strawberries and blueberries, but you could use whatever fruit you can tolerate (I've found that using jars of fruit baby food like blueberry or peach works well when I'm really flaring and having problems with roughage/fiber, since they're strained).

It packs in a fair amount of calories and protein without the additives that are in many meal replacements and protein supplements (some of which can be irritants in the gut), and I'm getting fruit in a very digestible form and extra good bacteria, plus it just tastes delicious and I can switch up the ingredients to tons of flavors.
And making it yourself means it's not pricey like many of those shakes you buy.

If you find a protein powder that doesn't bother you, you could also add that for an even more nutrient-dense shake. But my GI does say that I have trouble tolerating or absorbing things like Ensure probably because they are so unnaturally nutrient-dense, so I haven't experimented with that. If you wanted higher protein content you could drip the yogurt (and just use lower fat milk if you don't want to add more fat along with the extra protein).

I bought a bag of Myoplex something-or-other (soy protein?) from GNC. I chose the vanilla flavor and I mix a scoop in all of my glasses of milk. I also found that taking immodium tablets and a probiotic have helped to slow transit and firm up my BMs.
heidi

Zanne said...
Try looking for a book called "Cooking Well for the Unwell" by Eileen Behan. She has a section in it about making every bite count calorie wise. She is an RD and her book has sections on basically every situation we encounter as CDer's. I have found it very helpful. I don't think it is still in print, but I got a used copy from Amazon for about $4.

This book has been SUCH a help to me since my surgery! Just this minute I have Behan's pear bread pudding in the oven for a late breakfast. Last night, I made her sausage, apple, squash dish. While I'm slowly putting the weight on, she's helped me to 1-think of foods to eat in dfferent combinations (I was stuck on chix broth) and 2-explains so well how foods work and why we might not want to or can't eat. This was especiallly effective when I just couldn't eat when I got home. I have to substitute a lot of canned items for her fresh.

She has a lot of quick ideas for adding calories or protein or whatever it is you need. I got the book on amazon.

Having my mom cook with and for me really has helped me. Even if you feel totally well, having someone help create a few meals for the freezer could be a help b/c the food is already there and you may be more likely to eat.

Finally, the small, frequent meals/snacks are truly helping me.

Good luck!