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Are all Crohns patients big eaters?

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Posted 7/3/2009 12:12 PM (GMT 0)
I seem to be hungry all the time and don't eat big meals as I hate the stuffed feeling but I do eat through out the day, munching morning, noon and night.

Is this just me or do any of you have the same eating issue. Are we just feeding the the monster inside of us?

Posted 7/3/2009 1:06 PM (GMT 0)
Wolfie- Are you on Pred?

When I am on Prednisone of ANY DOSE! I munch....all the time. On everything. The first time I was on it I found myself munching on ICE CHIPS to control my bouts of hunger. It is a side effect of the Evil Pred. I am on it now and it hasnt effected me as bad, still does though. I drink ALOT of water to try and control the hunger I get. Sometimes I feel like I get more cravings when I am on Pred. I consiider Prednisone the "Devil Drug" its a joke between my mom and I. But regardless of side effects its keeping me alive so......I gotta EAT!!!!! haha good luck tapering.

If your not on Pred. I would say that eating is GOOD. When I am flaring, I dont eat as much because I know everything will hurt. I usually end up dehydrated and needing fluids so Id say eating alot of small meals is a GREAT thing.

Posted 7/3/2009 1:36 PM (GMT 0)
No I don't eat alot and I am in remission at the moment. Everyone always says how I eat like a bird. My husband and I can go out to eat and most times share the same plate. I think my eating habits have rubbed off on my poor husband.
Posted 7/3/2009 1:52 PM (GMT 0)
I could eat all the time. I wake up at night, because I am hungry. I do not eat alot at once, because then I throw it up (overly full), but usually eat 6-8 5 inch plates worth of food a day.
Posted 7/3/2009 2:05 PM (GMT 0)
There are days I could(and have) ate 4k calories plus, but then I have a few days every now and then where I just don't eat anything. So i dunno my eating is all out of whack, as long as I look and feel healthy I'm cool with it.
Posted 7/3/2009 2:25 PM (GMT 0)
I love food, but only eat small portions. I usally share a meal when going out to a restaurant or just order an appetizer. If I eat regular portions I am miserable, especially if I eat carbs. But on the other hand if I don't eat enough I feel weak and get light headed. My new weakness if anything that is spicy. I'm good just so I don't get a large portion.

Elizabeth
Posted 7/3/2009 4:16 PM (GMT 0)
I eat between 1500 - 1800 calories a day, which is usually an effort. It's mostly high calorie foods (yogurt, nut butter, cheese), so I don't actually eat a lot proportion wise. I don't usually have much of an appetite, unless I'm taking a medicine like prednisone or zyrtec.
Posted 7/3/2009 4:41 PM (GMT 0)
a lot of people with strictures can't eat at all except liquids or certain foods. I'm sure I'm not just speaking for myself when i say there are quite a few that don't have as many food choices, or ability to eat what and when they want. That's probably more the rule than the exception.
Posted 7/3/2009 5:54 PM (GMT 0)
I'm not on Pred, and should have said binge eating without Pred.
I eat alot of small portions as i don't like the feeling of being full. It seems like i can eat something every hour. The bad news is that I can't gain any weight.
Posted 7/3/2009 6:10 PM (GMT 0)
I used to eat  A LOT. Seriously. I was up to 220lbs at the age of 22..and Im a female.  During my last flare I went down to 173lbs (my lowest weight....ever).  Was put on Prednisone 100mg for over a year..gained back 60lbs.  Im a binge eater, with or without the prednisone.  Just recently joined Weight Watchers, and a gym.  Im down 10lbs in just over 3 weeks.  I really dont know why I used to binge eat...I knew it would make me sick, and give me horrible D....I guess I just didnt care.  I couldn't imagine how heavy I would have been if I didnt have Crohns "helping me drop the weight".

Posted 7/3/2009 6:27 PM (GMT 0)
I don't eat very much. Sometimes I go through phases where I snack a lot, but most of the time I am sort of scared to eat... I just try to make sure I keep enough weight on me for the bad times. I tend to lose 10 lbs in the hospital, so I make sure I can handle that. I'm a pretty small person and 10 lbs is a big % of my weight. So I force myself to keep it up.
Posted 7/3/2009 8:23 PM (GMT 0)
I graze all day. I can't eat large amounts in one sitting or I throw it up. I don't go to places that are "all you can eat for..." because I normally only eat a very small amount at any sitting.
Posted 7/3/2009 8:35 PM (GMT 0)
wolfie--I wish I could eat all day and not gain any weight. I cant seem to get rid of it. Even in a flare. Im not fat. Only 114 lbs. and 5ft 2 in tall just cant shed the pred weight. and i dont eat that much.
Posted 7/3/2009 9:34 PM (GMT 0)
I've actually always worried about the example I set for my daughters. I don't eat regular meals, I tend to pick through out the day, and then I will eat dinner with the family, but I don't eat much. Since I don't eat fruit or veggies, it doesn't look like a healthy diet and that just sets a bad example for teenage girls. But I always cook a veggie with dinner and have lots of fruit in the house. Some days it will be 3:00 and I will realize I haven't eaten all day, but I just wasn't hungry. Then all of a sudden I can be ravenous. I try to only eat things that I know won't "harm" me, but it isn't always easy. The hardest times are vacations, when the schedules are all mixed up and you have to eat at certain times or you might not eat again for hours. I hate to eat if I am not hungry, but I'm always afraid to not eat if food might not be available when I want it, cause being hungry just makes my tummy really upset too. After 21 years, I'm still learning how to deal with this DD.
Posted 7/3/2009 11:12 PM (GMT 0)
I've always had a HUGE appetite, and I think I do eat alot. I snack a lot too. I've never had a problem with weight gain until I hit 35. Could always eat whatever I wanted: biscuits and gravy, cookies, chips etc... Now, I'm 38 and my metabolism has slowed WEIGH down. I'm the heaviest I have ever been even after just having a resection. I'm 5'7" and weigh 166 right now. I would like to be around 150. I am on prednisone right now--trying to taper and it's not goign so well, but I still eat quite a bit when I'm not on prednisone.
Posted 7/4/2009 12:04 AM (GMT 0)
I never eat, except when I am on pred hehe..

I don't like the feeling of being full so I try to eat small portions but I don't eat much.

I feel it is not worth it to eat, all the pain that follows :(
Posted 7/4/2009 1:57 AM (GMT 0)
Wolfie--For several weeks I HAD to eat every 2 or 3 hours. I was down to 90 lbs. At 105 now and finally don't need to eat in the middle of the night, I still need to eat around 6am and then again before 9am, 1130am, and then at 1pm. If I don't have a real dinner by 8pm, I'm not a very nice person. Need an afternoon snack, vitamin water before and after walking. For a while, my body was either soaking up everything I was eating or sending it right back out.

It's been mentioned on this conference before but I highly recommend the book Cooking Well for the Unwell by Eileen Behan. She has all sorts of strategies for any issue you can think of (low salt, high protein, no appetite, 100 calories an hour, low sugar, no lactose, low fluids, etc. ). She explains why it's difficult to eat and maintain weight. I got the book at our library and then ordered from amazon. It's fantastic and really helped me add nutrition and calories in unexpected places. For instance, adding a mashed banana, egg, and molasses to pancakes gives more potassium, protein, and iron.

Finally, while everyone seemed to be pushing me to eat, it was my GI who said repeatedly--don't worry about gaining weight. Eat as healthy as you can, stay hydrated, and the weight will come. High protein and lots of fluids seem to be key.

Good luck.
Posted 7/5/2009 8:22 AM (GMT 0)
I am always hungry! Yet, I can only eat 5-10 bites at a sitting, 4 times a day. My mind wants more but my body says no!
Posted 7/5/2009 12:54 PM (GMT 0)
My secret to being a fat crohnie...ice cream (the good stuff you know at least 22 grams of fat in each 1/2 cup serving) in my 3 times a day milk shake and sometimes I would throw some creamy pb in it. Thank goodness I am not lactose intolerant, but now I am struggling with how to eat more normal food (like a salad) without bleeding.
Posted 7/6/2009 4:06 AM (GMT 0)

Eating was a sore subject literally painful when I was really bad a few years ago..It was liquids to low residue with no appetite, always nauseated, and my weight was in the toilet literally..I think everything went out of wack at that time..I have to watch it now..Predisone has brought back my eating & a ton of weight..I binge too much on stuff I now better not to, and I still will have pain and a few days of nausea.

Cindy

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