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Scared to eat fruits and veggies for weight loss

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 1/27/2008 7:53 AM (GMT 0)
Hello,
Lately with 4 asocal 3 times a day and enemas at night I seem to possibly be in remission. No bleeding I still have some urgency. Well I am thankfull and hope that this continues. I however and 80lbs overweight and would like to eat some fruits and veggies but I am scared. I haven't eaten fruit in who knows how long and veggies in small amounts. Should I just leave the stuff alone? I cook veggies which is fine but everytime I've eaten it on a daily basis for weight loss I started flaring badly. I know that food does not cause flares but..............I just don't know what to do.
Posted 1/27/2008 9:35 AM (GMT 0)
mjw, im in remission, or yet i was untill friday, i started to be giuded by a diet althou i was doing it myself, eating fruit and veg in a health befor uc diagnoses, and yes i lost 7lbs in a week but ive been unwell and so tired for 2 weeks, my bowel movements was not consistant what so ever as the usual pattern was, im on asacol 2 a day and a vitamin, since fri i have been diagnosed witha flare up, due to diet and stress, now ck on prednisalone, 8 a day
good luck, ask to see a dietician,, i have been waiting since october, but im in uk so i exspect a big wait lol

good luck x
Posted 1/27/2008 3:10 PM (GMT 0)
MJW, I have felt the same. I started Weight Watchers in the middle of tapering prednisone and thought I would throw myself back into a flare. I was ok and found that eating the veggies and fruits was something I had been missing for awhile since diagnosed with UC. At first I cooked veggies and then pureed them in the blender. They come out nice and smooth and good for bulking up and also in a chicken broth (makes me feel like it's more substantial). Once I can handle them like that, I cook them very well and eventually progress further. I try not to eat seeds, at first, until my body is accepting the extra fiber. Now I can eat a lettuce salad daily inclding the cucumber with the skin on! I can even eat potato skins, too! Bananas are a good fruit to eat that don't have the seeds, but you could try some fruits cooked and pureed, too. Apples, pears, etc. I tend to stick to bananas and I also like the tangerines/clementines as well as mandarin oranges and pineapple. Watch your acid, though, that can disturb the system. Just take one small step at a time and gradually increase what is working!
Posted 1/27/2008 3:18 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for the advice. I have not had grapes in a long time almost a year I think maybe I could try eating just a few of those. I really want to lose weight and have a big appetite so fruit and salad were alway away for me to fill up so that I did not eat a lot of high cal stuff.
Posted 1/27/2008 5:26 PM (GMT 0)
if you do notice yourself getting bothered by a bit of fruits and veggies, try cutting carbs.
i lost weight fast when i was trying the SCDiet and the anti-fungal diet.
but definitely start with very well cooked veggies if you haven't eaten them at all for a long time.

hope you continue to feel well!
Posted 1/28/2008 4:38 AM (GMT 0)
I had similiar fears because I had read so much stuff that said fruits and veg's were bad during a flare. When I started the SCD diet, that is like a major part so I slowly introduced them. I peeled everything (even if I cooked it). I would try one veg or fruit at a time so you can figure out what you do not react well to. There are some fruits and veg's that I now know are not good for me. However, I have also found that when I am in a flare, salads (surprisingly) are good for me. I realized once I started eating fruits and veg's after not eating them for months that my body really needed them. Also, there are some veg's and fruits that are suppose to be easier (like carrots, apples, squash (I think). You can look at the SCD diet and it kinda tells you more specific because the easier ones you introduce earlier. Hope that helps.
Posted 1/28/2008 7:38 AM (GMT 0)
You won't know till you try. As well, your bms will change when you start introducing those foods...too many will probably garner you more symptoms.

Start slowly, but do try.

You need carbs in your diet regardless...that's what the body burns..especially if you're exercising.

quincy
Posted 1/28/2008 3:19 PM (GMT 0)
Your safest bets are well-cooked veggies that don't have a tough outer skin or have been peeled. Some safe choices are green beans, carrots, winter squashes, zuchinni. Avoid beans and raw veggies. Everything should be cooked very tender. Soups are good and can even be blended for easier digestion. Use olive or flax oil instead of butter for healthy fat.

Cooked fruits like baked apples or pears are a good choice for fruits. Applesauce can be even easier to digest. Canned fruits are safer than fresh. Very ripe bananas with brown spots on the peel are usually well tolerated. And everything should be peeled. I'd stay away from grapes and berries because of peels and seeds and citrus because of acidity until you're better healed.
Posted 1/29/2008 9:52 AM (GMT 0)
I feel you! I went almost 3 years without fresh fruits and veggies. I added everything back really really slowly. Started with the fruits (which were better tolerated by my GI). I started with melons, oranges/clementines, berries, etc. Apples were the last because of high cellulose in the skins. For Veggies, I added things like tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots first. I'm still working in greens very slowly.

I literally added one new food per week, and in increasing amounts. Now, I can pretty much eat all the fruit I want, but I still have to take it easy on veggies. I never thought I would miss salads so much!

Good luck! and if you have a bad day don't worry too much! Skip a day or so, and then try again.
Posted 1/29/2008 6:02 PM (GMT 0)
I'm no pro, but I'd imagine fruit smoothies (and blended soups, as someone else mentioned) would be a safe bet. I'm a big fan of smoothies with soy milk, bananas, chocolate soy protein powder, flax seed oil, and coconut sorbet. And blended carrot soup (with apple sauce, soy milk, garlic, cinnamon, and nutmeg). Very satisfying (and filling), yet healthy and easy to digest.
Posted 1/30/2008 5:09 PM (GMT 0)
hi MjW - i agree with what everyone has said - i'm pretty much UC free & eat mostly fruits & vegetables (former strict vegan)

remission for me came mostly from elininating ALL grains & most starches - the only thing i can add is giving juicing a try if you haven't already - it's a great way to get the benefits of raw foods but giving you gut an easier time digesting them - it worked wonders for me - just be careful of too much fruit juice - you can pack a bunch of sugar in just one glass - i would stick mostly with veggies to start, then gradually add some fruit - good luck !

Lonnie 

Posted 1/30/2008 6:57 PM (GMT 0)
I live on fresh fruit and veggies and is the only thing I can eat when I am flaring. You won't know unless you try. My philosophy is that if you want a good immune system you have to feed it the vitamins it needs.
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