WOOOO HOOOO.....I gained 5 whole pounds! Finally!

I am 5' 2" and had weighed 104 lbs. for at least 28 or 29 years. The most I've ever weighed was 117 lbs. when I was a junior in high school. Five years ago I had my first real major flare and dropped down from 104 to 83 lbs. It was frightening.

One shot of pred and a year later I had worked my way up to 108 lbs. by eating lots of barbecued ribs, smashed garlic potatoes and all kinds of nasty things I shouldn't have eaten. Even went a brilliant step further and started adding some grand marnier to my diet. Well......I flared something awful from all that and went back down to 85 lbs.

Two years later I was still holding at 85 and trying to gain without eating all the junk. Then, THEN!....I discovered I could eat walnuts! And I've been stuffing my face with them for the past several weeks. As a result I've gained 5 lbs. and am now up to a whopping 90! I am so excited! Wonder if I can get another 20 packed on with walnuts? I'm impressed that I can eat them at all. But I do chew them to the consistency of butter. I also watch my diet much more carefully now as I know lots of carbs and sugars and yeasties will send me to the ER.

Anyway, just wanted to share the good news. It sucks being skinny...mostly because I have no reserves if I happen to get sick again. The only meds I'm on is Asacol...and I only take two tablets a day. Hardly the therapeutic dose. I'm supposed to be taking 8, but they really screw up my muscles. I'm heavy into alternatives and seem to be doing okay as I go around knocking on wood all the time.

Good for you!! I used to be in your boat about two years ago,then with Prednisone,I gained all my weight back that I was supposed to,and then alittle bit more.

I FOUND THEM.....RIGHT ON MY THIGHS!!!!!

Writer....oh yeah, I've always got my face shoved into avocado. And I eat bananas. I feel my best when I'm doing veggies and plain proteins...cept for cheese. But there's no gaining weight on veggies and meat. So I supplement with avocados...a lot. I can do certain apples and various fruits that aren't too sweet.

I do eat a little sourdough bread. It seems to be the only kind I can tolerate. I don't do protein shakes of any kind because they either have sugar or soy...and I'm intolerant to soy. Sugar does not do well with me. BUT!!! I CAN DO COFFEE!!! Whooo Hoooo!

Right on Squattie, good for you! Keep up those walnuts. Full of heart-healthy essential fatty acids!

Congratulations! Every little bit helps. I remember when I was about 11, my Mom coming home from one particularly bad bout in the hospital at 73lbs, boy did she look sick. After her last resection, she ended up with short bowel syndrome. She used to eat a pound of homemade fudge every few days and still couldn't maintain weight. Not an option for you, since its pure sugar. The only thing that helped her was a medium chain fatty acid. It must have been a prescription. It was basically an oil that she would bake into muffins or the like. But you could also use it in salad dressings or anyway you would use an olive oil. Once she started using that, she was able to start gaining weight little by little.

I'm new to Crohn's, but not to dietary restrictions/allergies. (Diabetes and Celiac.)

I'm reading what people are eating and I am totally confused?

Apples? Thought that they were bad for people with Crohns?
Walnuts/nuts? Heard the same.
Coffee?? For people with Diarrhea? I drink it, but no Diarrhea of late.

My gluten free Celiac foods seem to keep the weight on nicely for me (6'2", 205 lbs.)
Rice and Tapioca flours are used in them. Is that something that you are able to eat with the "yeasties" (sorry don't know what that is.) Tapioca root was used to fatten brides in Polynesian culture I understand. Maybe it's worth looking into?

I hope I don't offend anyone by asking these questions. I am really confused by some of the contradictory things I read. Thanks.

Hello Miguel,

Different foods affect different people differently. How's that for profound? Actually, I haven't always been able to eat nuts, or apples, etc. But I think as my gut heals, I'm able to tolerate more now than I could a while ago.

If I'm in a bad flare there's no way I'm going to eat an apple, or nuts or anything that might be abrasive to the gut. As far as coffee goes, that has never affected me. However, if I'm in a flare I find I have absolutely no desire for coffee. I try to listen to my body more these days. But then sometimes I also tell it to "SHUT UP!" Especially if there's something I really, really want and know better than to have. I'm also willing to pay the consequences for doing that.

Each individual is different in what they can, or cannot, tolerate. It's up to each one to determine for themselves. You can have 50 people come on here and proclaim all the benefits of eating yogurt for good bacteria. Even when I'm well I cannot tolerate yogurt. Most people can.

Outside of Universal Laws, there are no rules that apply to everyone all the time insofar as crohns and diet.

I've never tried the tapioca flour. It sounds like something I would like to try. I do use rice flour for thickening as a gravy, etc. My talents for baking and cooking don't exceed too far beyond making toast and cereals.