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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 3/2/2015 3:59 AM (GMT 0)
Well mini me, I'm discouraged.  A couple of years ago, after a crohn's attack, and being put on 6MP at the time,  it brought me down to 70 lbs.   The doctor took me off after 6 weeks.  I was able to go up to about 78 lbs after a long stretch but never was able to get back to where I was?  Well, to me, 78 lbs still wasn't nearly enough, so 7 weeks ago, I started charting everything I ate, and really I wasn't eating very much, but being determined to put on more weight to get back in the 90's (I'm only 5 Ft tall) I've been trying really hard.  Well in the last 6 weeks, I've put on aprox 4 lbs at many more calories than I ever use to eat?  Seems like I only gain a 1/2 pound if that in a week.   I'm now 82 lbs, but for the last 3 weeks it seems I remain the same weight without adding any extra?  During this time, I had added Ensure and Boost to my diet, but I feel so ill after drinking it, I spend more time in the can losing it.  I've also added lactose free milk and protein powder while I've been doing some strength training because of muscle atrophy after my weight loss.   The last few days the milk is causing major bloat, so that may be the next thing to drop with the Ensure.  I don't get gas, I get uncomfortable bloat.  I don't think I can go on with this?  It's so difficult. I feel like I'm force feeding myself.    Someone please tell me to keep at it, and advise me how to go up in weight again without this plateau that seems to be taking forever to put another pound on? 

Post Edited (dorri) : 3/1/2015 9:03:10 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 3/2/2015 4:35 AM (GMT 0)
I can't tolerate the Ensure and Boost without feeling terrible. I really think you should see a nutritionist. They can help you find ways to add calories to your diet without force feeding yourself. 82 lbs doesn't give you any reserves if you go back into a flare and is a dangerously low weight. Don't give up...you will figure this out but you may need some help with it.
Posted 3/2/2015 4:59 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you gumby, actually, I have seen a couple of them, but when they find out, I am allergic to foods that they are recommending, then they don't seem to know what to do with me? My GI does not recomend any specific diet, he told me when I'm not flairing to eat whatever I want, and I usually do. I would like to get up into the 90's which is my normal weight. I only have 6 more pounds to reach 90, which doesn't seem like a lot for some, but for me, well, it's difficult. I have to do the best I can do for myself, until some more help comes along. Lol, maybe I need a cook with a wide range menu? Yah right, I wish. Maybe when I win the lottery C: I need a list of healthy foods that contain more calories, so I can drop the things that are making me feel nauseous and still get in a good deal of calories, so I can get off this plateau and start gaining again. Anyone here got a great weight gaining foods?
Posted 3/2/2015 11:38 AM (GMT 0)
well ive been bulking and exercising for little while so maybe i can help with a list of foods. i think eggs are one of the best things to eat cus they are a complete protein and pretty easy to digest. adding small things like a slab of butter to each meal is about 100 calories, which adds up throughout the day. mashed potatoes are an easy way to get alot of carbs which are good for weight gain. lean meats like chicken and fish are probably the two best meats, beef is hard on the guts so i rarely eat it. oat meal is good but can be really filling, orange juice adds some carbs to breakfast, Greek yogurt is great if you can tolerate some lactose, Greek yogurt is actually the only kind i can tolerate. cheese is a really nutrient dense food with about 200 cals in every one inch cube. avocados are nutrient dense and nut butters have alot of calories, if you cant tolerate peanut butter you could try sunflower butter it supposed to be easier to digest. ive just started eating coconut oil which is supposed to be healing and has about 90 calories in a teaspoon. i think you should really focus on eating carbs, they are the number one thing to eat for weight gain. if your having trouble getting all you calories in with three meals you could try breaking it up into 5 meals a day. like instead of eating a giant breakfast just split it in half and eat the rest 2 hours later. instead of a protein shake you could try a mass gainer, True-Mass gainer has like 700 hundred calories per shake which is a lot. just be careful with supplements and do your research on them, don't use any with creatine its really hard on your body. i think half a pound a week is good, you probably just hit a plateau and just need a little bit of a push with the calories to start gaining again. stay the course and and keep working towards your goal, hard work pays off. i wish you the best, healing thoughts going your way :-)
Posted 3/2/2015 4:00 PM (GMT 0)
Rango 16, thank you for all your advice and mostly the push to keep trying.. Where do you buy mass gainer? Would you happen to know what it's derived from or the main ingredients in it?
Posted 3/2/2015 5:37 PM (GMT 0)
you can buy it online at bodybuilding.com, they usually have discounts and samples of different ones so you know if you like it or not. protein powders are usually just whey protein blend and some sugars for sweetening, mass gainer they add in more sugar, a blend of different carbs, and fat to bump up the calories. protein powder is really just used to help meet protein goals and is very low in carbs and fats.
Posted 3/2/2015 5:44 PM (GMT 0)
have you been adding calorie dense foods like cream cheese or avocado?
Posted 3/2/2015 8:16 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Rango, will check it out next time I'm in one of the places they sell it. It's not sickening sweet is it?

Kazbern, thank you for reminding me about the cream cheese. I was thinking about buying it, but forgot about it. Ya, I like that and will add it. The avocado is another story. I once bought one, and wasn't sure how to eat that. It was very hard and tasteless. Maybe, it wasn't ripe. I didn't try it since. Just how does one know how to pick out an advocado? What is it suppose to taste like, and what kind of texture is it supposed to be?
Posted 3/3/2015 9:01 PM (GMT 0)
Avocado is buttery.. You should be able to spread it. Your fingers shoul be able to squeeze it in just slightly. You can cut it many ways. I would just cut a quarter right through the skin and then just slice or spoon that out. Can be mixed with whatever else you can tolerate. I would only start with eighth or quarter. If it isn't buttery let it soften another day. I wrap vegetables in piece of paper towel and they stay fresh longer.
Posted 3/4/2015 6:11 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks ninetofive. I will try it again.
Posted 3/6/2015 2:03 PM (GMT 0)
When I was on a high dose of steroids I could eat anything - steroids worked really well for me, albeit temporarily. I was on them so much that in the year before surgery I was able to put on a lot of weight. Sadly I put on some more weight after surgery and have been about a stone over my ideal weight ever since then >_>. Unlike most people with IBD, my body seems to cling to every ounce of fat it gains, so I find it hard to lose weight. I have to be really, really ill and even then it's quite a slow process: never just drop 30lb in a month, or whatever.

Meanwhile I don't think you should be doing any exercise while you are that underweight. You won't be gaining muscle, you'll just be using up calories you can't afford to lose. Concentrate solely on weight gain; that includes being inactive as well as eating more. I personally find inactivity the easiest thing in the world to do. Comfy sofa? Yes, I will lie on it all day with a laptop/tablet, thank you very much :p

For food suggestions, smooth liquids are generally the easiest to get down. With a blender, you can use any ingredients you like: non-dairy milk (soy, almond, etc.), peanut butter, bananas, etc. Never pick low-fat options. If you google smoothies, there are literally thousands of recipes, but avoid the 'healthy' ones with kale, spinach, wheatgerm, etc. The only vegetable I would consider using are avocados. I would avoid heavily fruit-based smoothies as well, since while fruits have more calories than vegetables, crushed fruits also cause a massive insulin spike - a fruit smoothie isn't any better than a glass of Coke from that point of view. You want some fats in your food/drinks, not just sugar.

Good luck.
Posted 3/6/2015 2:48 PM (GMT 0)
Thought I'd mention that an avocados' skin will be black when it's ripe and will feel somewhat soft. They don't have a lot of taste w/o help. I love a good guacamole, but it doesn't love me back! I've been skinny, 85 lb, but the last prednisone use, stress eating, and age has me on the plus side.
Posted 3/6/2015 5:45 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks NCOT and JaSanne, When I use to be on prednisone regularly, I put on weight, it worked well for me, it kept me from looking like a skeleton. I went off 4 years ago, and the little extra weight I gained from it remained for about 2 years and then when I got attacks, it went off, little by little. I do not have any fat reserves left, so when I get hit with an attack, it does come off my muscle it seems. The weight gain is slow and yes, I am discouraged but darn, I'm also STUBBORN and determined I will get my weight back and hopefully then some, so if I have to lose any more weight, then I will have the extra to take.
With the weight lifting, it worked well for about a month, but for the last week it seems I do not have the energy to lift 2 pound weights, let alone the 8 lb ones I was lifting before, so yes, I decided to rest the muscles. Think what is happening, is; it's taking my muscles a lot longer to recover from workouts, most likely because the energy that is needed is diverted to healing the intestines so there is nothing left over for the muscles

Ja Sanne, when I bought the advocado, it was green or was it supposed to be?
Posted 3/6/2015 9:23 PM (GMT 0)
Dorri, once the avocado starts to feel soft when you squeeze it, then it is ripe and ready to eat. It is greenish/black. You can slice it and put it on sandwiches like turkey. You can also make guacamole with it and eat it with tostido chips or dip veggies in it. Or you can add it to smoothies. Google some recipes with avocado. My kids (adult kids) love to just sprinkle some salt on it and eat it plain for breakfast.
Posted 3/7/2015 1:22 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you, it will be on my shopping list.
Posted 3/7/2015 4:25 AM (GMT 0)
I've used nearly every protein shake and mass gainer on the market and found them to be a waste of time most of the weight gained fr them is usually from drinking milk or other dairy products. I've never been happy with my size and weight and with that I've been constantly battling to gain weight and keep it. In November last year I managed to gain 14lbs in 3 weeks then lost it over Christmas and now at a point where no matter what or how much Ive eaten cannot gain weight.
I would add more fruit and dairy products to you diet and cut out the supplements, drink plenty of water while training, the water will help with the bloating and also help gaining weight, I would recommend seeing a dietitian or doctor for advice on balancing out your daily intake. Hope I've helped and good luck you will feel that much better after you have met your target
Posted 3/7/2015 2:55 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, Ash87, you gained 14 pounds in 3 weeks, wow, what were you eating at the time, I would like to know.

I read that if you come to a plateau with weight gain, you need to up your calories even more, and if still no weight gain, to keep upping those calories. Well, that is so hard for a crohnie that finds it difficult to eat even the normal amount of calories. I do use a lot of dairy. I use to get sweet binges, I havent had one in a long time. I will eat them, but lately I find them kind of sickening. Think I just need an appetite overhaul.
Posted 3/10/2015 12:27 PM (GMT 0)
Is medical marijuana legal in your state? I don't use mj, but it does seem like it would help you with your appetite and many people think it helps Crohn's inflammation too.
Posted 3/10/2015 1:48 PM (GMT 0)
Don't think it's been legalized here yet? Don't know if it's available for medical use but I heard of a friend who used the street stuff for his appetite.
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