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Should I try to lose weight?

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Posted 1/30/2008 5:18 PM (GMT 0)
I am about 20 lbs overweight, since the Prednisone I can't fit well into my pants :( so I guess I need to lose at least 5 pounds or else I'm gonna have to go up a size, which I REALLY don't want to do... Ok, so I definitely need to lose at least 5, but should I try to get to my "healthy" weight?  I might be getting surgery and am thinking I might lose quite a bit after that and then I will be too thin??  What do you all think I should do?  PS- I am on a new med, Lyrica, which can cause weight gain and my "diet" right now is mostly carbs...
Posted 1/30/2008 5:58 PM (GMT 0)
Typically they say all of us IBDers should try to maintain a little more than our recommended weight for our height, but 20lbs does seem a little high, I think being about 10-15 lbs overweight is the recommended numbers simply because when a severe enough flare comes on we tend to drop weight too quickly.

Regular exercise and a healthy diet along with portion control is the safest and natural way to lose and maintain a healthy weight.

:)
Posted 1/30/2008 8:17 PM (GMT 0)
i would say if your diet is mostly carbs, that's what you should be trying to lose - the weight will probably follow - a low carb diet has been beneficial in reducing UC symptoms for a lot of us - it's worth a try - Lonnie

Posted 1/30/2008 9:13 PM (GMT 0)
I'm in the same boat as you.  After my last major flare and round of prednisone - I ended up around 20lbs over where I started (lost 15 lbs and gained 35lbs. from the pred).  I went to the nutritionist in my GI's office to get a diet plan that was IBD friendly.  Well - it didn't work then cuz the pred was still coursing through my system but at the beginning of December (it's now 2 years later) I gave it a try again - and it seems to be working now.  I have so far lost 15 of the 20 lbs and I am finally starting to fit into my clothes again!  If you are interested I will be willing to share the details.

And yes - I would definitely try to lose the weight now because the longer it sits on you the harder it is to lose.

Posted 1/30/2008 9:16 PM (GMT 0)
Don't worry about potential weight loss from surgery. Yes, most of us lose on average 10lbs after surgery but that weight quickly goes back on during the recovery. I was at my perfect weight at surgery, lost 10lbs after the surgery, and then with a healthy j-pouch I put on 30lbs!

If you are overweight now and considering surgery, lose the weight.

Sue
Posted 1/30/2008 9:30 PM (GMT 0)
I think if you are feeling a bit lousy about yourself, and feeling like losing weight would make you feel better, then go for it, for sure. being at a healthy weight is something everyone should aspire to, both IBD-ers and non-IBDers. I understand the issue though, in terms of a carb-heavy diet. I am eating lots of carbs these days too, as it seems to be one of the only things my tummy is realy happy with right now. so I am just trying to eat a bit less, in general, to balance it out, and that's working ok for me, so maybe just a smaller quantity would do the trick for you...nothing too dramatic.
Posted 1/31/2008 4:50 AM (GMT 0)
it will be easier on you to be at a healthy weight when you have the surgery, it's always easier to recover from anything if you are not overweight. However, it's next to impossible to lose weight while on steroids, and as ya'll know, the weight you put on from steroids is not the same as regular weight, it's really hard to lose. I also know how hard it is to lose weight with any kind of IBD, because what you can eat is really limited. When i went in for surgery i was about 135, a pretty good weight for me, when i came home i was at 122, i looked like a skeleton! But it didnt' take long to gain back up to 135, and then a little more!
Anyway, if you feel like it, work in some walking and cut out your sugars, i don't hold much to the low carb diet thing, but alot of people do.
good luck
Posted 1/31/2008 5:00 AM (GMT 0)

If you didn't see the other thread about oxygen and weight loss (ironically, I have NEVER lost weight from UC and gained from the Pred) you should check out oxycise.com  It not only gets oxygen into your oxygen starved cells, but you end up losing fat. It has been proven that when you do aerobics, it's not the movement and sweating, it's the increased oxygen that does the good work. Check it out - it's all good healthy breathing.

Diagnosed with LS UC 1984, suffered for 16 years, high doses Pred and eased off to Azulfidine; remission for 9 years, just flared recently. Asacol 3, 3x day; 20 ml. Pred.. Heading into remission again with addition of: prayer, deep breathing, walks on the beach and: 4-1000 mg.garlic twice daily; 2 zyflamend twice daily, SuperFoods RX multi-whole food vita twice daily, SuperFoods RX Omega 3; 3 Asacol 3 x day with 3 Vitamin Shoppe Ultimate 10 Probiotic; Metamucil morning and night - no dairy, hardly any coffee, lots of water and green tea. Was using L-Glutamine but read that it can aggravate?

Posted 2/1/2008 6:14 PM (GMT 0)
My personal opinion is that as UC folks we need to focus on healthy eating and put less focus on losing weight. Since so many of us have to personalize our daily foods, losing weight is tough. Some, cannot tolerate fruits and veg. Others, no whole grains. What we need to do is choose the healthy eating at every meal and snack. Basic math helps. Calories in versus calories out. Yes, white bread and white foods are generally not the best choice. But for UC folks, sometimes it feels like that safe choice. Just my 2 cents. Judy
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