Is everyone skinny with IBD

Hi everyone, I was at the clinic yesterday and everyone there with IBD was really skinny. Im skinny so Im wondering if everyone is skinny?

Nope. I'm 5'8", have a very large frame (broad shoulders, etc) for a girl, and am what I would consider a healthy weight for my height and frame.

I would like to add (this is the "edited" part) that when I was flaring, I lost a LOT of weight.  I started flaring in November, and by the end of January, I was 25 lbs below my pre-pregnancy weight, and I'd gained about 25 lbs during pregnancy.  I had lost quite a bit of my baby weight before I started flaring, though, because I was breastfeeding.

I inherited my thinness and was always lower than the low range of normal weight-wise all my life till I got UC....then I plummeted to 109 on a 5'8 frame. Not pretty.

I've since gained my weight back...and more! Being middle aged helped me to feel normal weight. I was 20 pounds heavier a few years ago, now I'm in the normal range around 140.

q

Nope, I don't feel like a weakling. Like I said, I've got a pretty broad frame for a girl. If I happen to put my hand on another woman's shoulder for some reason, I usually think they feel really small! I also have a 20+lbs nine-month-old that I haul around all the time, and I've always done quite a bit of physical work. When I was flaring, however, I did feel really weak. My son often got fussy at night, and the only thing that calmed him was walking around the house with him...I was too weak to do that, and he was under 15lbs at the time.

No, I don't feel like a weakling....but 114 pounds for 5'1 is the norm on the if you're large boned.

If you're wanting to increase strength, work on muscle tone and balance....eventually as you get older (trust me on this), you will gain a different kind of weight.

I do understand, however, what you mean by feeling vulnerable....since I've gained the weight, I feel like I have more presence. Probably because everyone always complained about me being sooooo skinny. I think it was more that I didn't have the curves that made me look like "more".

I'm now "thicker"....not necessarily curvier. But after 50, I feel I've earned it, but can work on my waist being a bit smaller. That means working on it..sigh.

LOL!!!

q

Thanks for that advice quicy. You do have alot of good advice, i always read your threads .The raw foods form told me the same. They told me to take yoga. i stress alot so this will help my mentality. I would like to be 115 though. I just hope I don't flare so that i can gain this weight. I know its a crazy achievement for someone who is eating raw food.

You're welcome..thank you for the kind words.

Look at the big picture, but just be aware that it takes baby steps for it all to eventually come together.

Yoga is good for mental focus, and remember that stressing is/can be a habit that feeds one's needs. Worrying is difficult to stop, but with you to place yourself as an observer making yourself the guinea pig...some of your stress might stop.

Some people worry no matter how sure a fact is....again...trust is difficult.

If you do this experiment and it's not successful completely, look at the parts that are. Use the parts that are successful and change it a bit.

Remember, it's not all or nothing. It's finding what can work and changing what doesn't.

If your decisions and worry is based on guilt or that you're not doing things right...you're not understanding the complexity of UC , the mind, emotions, food intake, relaxation, distress.  They can work against each other even if one thing is working...believing it isn't makes it more so.

quincy

but mudua, your weight gain was from pred....sucks for sure.

I wish I was thin! But I don't wish for a flare that could get me thin. I could stand to lose 30 pounds. When I had my bad flare in the beginning I did lose 20 pounds.

When I was having a severe flare last year I lost 15-20 lbs, and my waist size dropped from 32 inches to 29 inches - skinny. I'm back to normal now.

I have had 2 flares. I lost 20 pounds in each, down from 135 to 115 the first time, Prednisone brought be up to 140. I was working out to get in good shape, take care of my body, etc in between the flares. I got down to 125 and was nice and cut, muscular, etc. So, went into another flare, that time down to 105! Way too skinny on my 5'2" frame. Pred brought me up to 126 this time around.

I, this time, though am having a hard time getting back into working out. I am just exhausted. I don't know if this is the new meds or what. Sticking around 126 for now, but this time my muscles aren't very toned, not feeling strong or balanced, etc. My PCP wants me to see a nutritionist, so I have an apt in a couple of weeks. We'll see what she says.

Jen

I've always been a petite person but I could stand to lose about 5 pounds right now.

Kitty,

I saw this on your signature this: "dyslexia- found out that many people with learning difficulties also have food sensitivity".

I also have dyslexia and learning disabilities and I had never heard that people like us also have food sensitivity. I have had food allergies and sensitivity all my life. I'm 47 now and back when I was a kid the doctors just dismissed my protestations that certain foods made me feel ill. Hot dogs and luncheon meat gave me violent headaches as did chocolate.

Tofu