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Posted 10/27/2008 3:54 PM (GMT 0)
I've always been underweight, even before UC. But now it's driving me nuts--I look so skinny esp. when it comes to my arms and I look like I'm 12 b/c I'm so tiny! I looked at a height/weight chart and I'm about 15 lbs. underweight.

If I could gain even 5 lbs, I'd be happy. Are there any specific foods or supplements I should be taking? A dietician told me to just drink Ensure or Boost, but that stuff makes me gag.

 

Posted 10/27/2008 6:04 PM (GMT 0)
Rather than Ensure or Boost, I'd recommend you try Absorb Plus which is predigested and is formulated specifically for IBDers.

Are you currently flaring? Anything you can do to help heal your gut and thereby improve your ability to digest and assimilate what you're eating will be helpful. Omega-3s will help reduce inflammation. I've had success with L-glutamine, Mucosaheal and George's Roadrunner Aloe Vera for healing.

A diet high in calories, protein and healthy fats along with starting a weight training program will help you gain healthy weight (muscle) as opposed to increasing bodyfat.

At my lowest, I was 90 lbs. at 5' 4". Now I weigh around 115 with 105 being my "normal" weight prior to my UC diagnosis.

Posted 10/27/2008 6:39 PM (GMT 0)
eat often and make sure you're getting enough calories with healthy foods...plus proteins. Allow yourself snacks and treats...there are a lot of options along the healthy route.

Also, use weights to help maintain muscle strength and keep a bit of bulk....too much cardio will burn off a lot of calories, so if you're doing a lot of cardio or exercise, you have to make sure you're getting enough carbs into your diet. 

I was always thin, but severely skinny when the diarrhea started before diagnosis. I did slowly gain weight and remained in the low normal range for my height and bone structure until I reached middle age. I did go wild on foods (in the amounts I used to be able to eat) during an extremely stressful time and started to pack on the pounds...willingly and excitedly.

Although still in the normal range for my height, I didn't like where it settled. I've changed my eating habits somewhat within the last 2 years and am feeling more happy weightwise. I still have some room to improve, and exercise will help with the rest.

I don't want to be skinny again...

quincy

Posted 10/28/2008 12:21 AM (GMT 0)
LOL are we never happy? Your concerned about being too skinny and I am concerned about being about 15 lbs overweight! Isn't life good!

Gigi1227
Posted 10/28/2008 3:21 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the advice. I just want to gain a few pounds so I'm not always wiped out and I have weight to fall back on. When I was diagnosed last year, I was only 72 lbs at 5 feet.

I'm not flaring but I'm not in remission. I've actually read that l-glutamine can help gain weight--is that true?
Posted 10/28/2008 6:13 PM (GMT 0)
L-glutamine helps build muscle (when combined with weight training), heals the gut lining and slows or stops frequent bowel movements, giving you more time to absorb nutrients from your food; so yes, it can help you gain weight in a variety of ways.
Posted 10/28/2008 6:24 PM (GMT 0)
princesa...there are different kinds of sources of l-glutamine..is that right? I took one that was from whey isolate..wow, the cramps considering I'm lactose intolerant were, well, horrific!

What kind do you take?

thanks,
H
Posted 10/28/2008 9:50 PM (GMT 0)
Hey ComedyDork,

I lost about 20 pounds earlier this summer, and have gained some of it back. Some foods that have helped: avocadoes, peanut butter and sesame tahini (I just eat them by the spoonful sometimes), Carnation Instant Breakfast, whey powder. I also was putting butter on Triscuits and eating them for a while, but a lot of people would find that disgusting.

Being able to include dairy in my diet helps me a lot. Another thing that REALLY helped was keeping a food diary. The first day, I was amazed to see how few calories I was actually taking in (something like 1000); it was no wonder the pounds were melting off.

Mirtazapine has probably helped, too -- one of its main side effects is weight gain (another is sleepiness, which is why I agreed to give it a try).

But I really recommend the food diary, just to see where you are.
Posted 10/28/2008 10:01 PM (GMT 0)

quincy said...
princesa...there are different kinds of sources of l-glutamine..is that right? I took one that was from whey isolate..wow, the cramps considering I'm lactose intolerant were, well, horrific!

What kind do you take?

thanks,
H

L-glutamine is added to alot of protein or creatine supplements, but you can buy it separately - just pure l-glutamine, with nothing else added - in powder and capsule form. As with so many other supplements, it's easier to get large doses if you just use the powder dissolved in water or juice, rather than gulp a bunch of capsules. It's a soft, white powder that looks like powdered sugar and is odorless and tasteless. I use Fitness Labs' L-glutamine:

http://www.nutritionexpress.com/fitness+labs+l-glutamine+1+pound.aspx

Posted 10/29/2008 3:13 AM (GMT 0)
Wow, I sooo wish I had yalls problem. I have NEVER been skinny or underweight. I am the complete opposite. I'm not WAY overweight, just about 35 lbs, but I seem to NEVER feel satisfied. I'm sure I'm getting PLENTY of calories, and I do eat healthy foods, but for some reason I can eat and eat and eat and never get the satisfied/full feeling. It's weird. I hate it. I eat plenty of vegetables and fruit, especially for snacks. Anyone but me have this?
My UC is weird....lol
Posted 10/29/2008 4:09 AM (GMT 0)
Hey- princesa- you mention the 'pre-digested' Absorb Plus shakes. I know you are also a low carber and perhaps also an SCDer. I googled Absorb Plus and see that the website dioes not indicate the ingredients. Are they pretty decent? Obviously much less junk than Ensure or Boost, but what about chemicals, stuff that end in -ol, and so on? It sounds like a viable option for bad flare days.
Posted 10/29/2008 3:31 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the link, princesa.

I've been eating peanut butter everyday since I read that one spoon of flaxseed oil and two spoons of peanut better are 500 calories (haven't found flaxseed oil yet).

Emory, I'll have to try the food diary. I've had Carantion Instant Breakfast before but I don't like it. I guess if I put in chocolate milk or ice cream, I won't taste it.
Posted 10/30/2008 8:34 PM (GMT 0)
I know you mentioned that Ensure makes you gag, but it works every time for me (Ensure Plus that has extra calories in it).  Try different brands/flavors.  The Walgreen's and Ensure brands both taste somewhat nasty, but the Wal-Mart brand tastes great, not to mention it's a bit cheaper.

As far as helping put on weight, I was down to 107 when I was in the hospital, but after taking a few Ensure Plus each day for a while, I quickly got up to 145 lbs. Note that it wasn't just the Ensure that did that, but it definately helped.

Posted 10/30/2008 10:04 PM (GMT 0)

Probiotic said...
Hey- princesa- you mention the 'pre-digested' Absorb Plus shakes. I know you are also a low carber and perhaps also an SCDer. I googled Absorb Plus and see that the website dioes not indicate the ingredients. Are they pretty decent? Obviously much less junk than Ensure or Boost, but what about chemicals, stuff that end in -ol, and so on? It sounds like a viable option for bad flare days.

Yes, I feel better when I keep my carbs low and avoid grains and dairy. I don't eat strictly SCD (yes, I know it's supposed to be all or nothing) but I'm pretty close to it most of the time.

Absorb Plus was developed by Jini Patel Thompson - author of Listen to Your Gut and fellow IBDer - as a healthy alternative to commerical products. There's a pretty complete breakdown of ingredients here compared to the other products:

http://www.absorbplus.com/

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