Community Forum

I am on my third flare-up since I was diagnosed with UC about 8 years ago.  I'm overweight and have been for most of my adult life.  The onset of my current flare occurred after I lost 30 pounds.  My Mom then mentioned to me that she found it an odd fact that all of my flare-ups happened while I was dieting and after I had lost at least 20 pounds.  I talked to my GI about this and he found it interesting, but there is no literature I've read or he has heard of that ties weight loss to UC flares at all.  My GI has explained to me that my flares have nothing to do with what I'm eating, but I still find it unusual that they have occured so far only after I've lost a significant amount of weight.

I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced flares after losing weight?  I follow a reasonable healthy diet plan and lose 1-2 pounds a week. 

 Reply posted for BluSkye.

Your reasonable healthy diet plan may be fantastic for the general public, and causing you to successfully lose weight.  Or it could be causing your flare - and the disease could be contributing to weight loss.  
 Here is where I recommend learning about nutrition, a couple of helpful books:
(as a nutrition education - recipes not specific to IBD)Eating for IBS: 175 Delicious, Nutritious, Low-Fat, Low-Residue Recipes to Stabilize the Touchiest Tummy - Paperback (Oct. 30, 2000) by Heather Van Vorous

 Reply posted for BluSkye.

I experienced a similar situation. Before my first flare up I was on a high fiber diet with lots of veggies! I lost 50 pounds in a month without really trying to loose soo much weight soo very fast. Hello UC! I really do think diet can be a trigger and extreme weight loss a side effect. Of course none of my doctors were convinced. So it's hard to say but I do feel that every time I loose weight (even slowly) I have to be very careful that my body is getting the nutrients it needs. Good Luck!

 Reply posted for BluSkye.

I have Crohn's that is currently flaring.  I am also on prednisone and an antidepressant that makes me gain weight.  I find it so difficult to eat well, especially since I am still on a soft, low-residue diet.  It's frustrating!  I want to lose about 40 pounds; I feel horrible about my health right now.  Any tips, anyone?

 Reply posted for BluSkye.

Well, I still have no idea if diet matters or not, but I am on my second day of following a gluten-free, lactose-free (except probiotics in yogurt), low chemical additive/preservative (trying for free on that, but it's hard), low-carb diet, with one pill of cod liver oil a day. Still shying from veggies at this time.  So far--and I'm sure most of this is due to the effects of the drugs from the colonoscopy prep--my gut seems much, much calmer.  I have less pain.  I have less bleeding--no large clots of it, at all today.  And I'm not on my meds yet, since the pharmacy has to order them.  Today, I will start a cortenema daily for 4 weeks and then see the GI again.  I will say that the day of my procedure, before I went on this diet, I had nothing but low-fat milkshakes and my gut was a mess that day.  So, I'm not convinced, but I'm feeling hopeful that this change in diet is going to make a difference and maybe this flare will become controllable enough that I can stop missing work.  It is such a huge relief to not be in constant pain, even if it lasts just a couple of days!

 Reply posted for alanschachter.

I think I do agree that whole grains are an issue. That feels right to me based on my dieting experiences and symptoms.  I did seem to be doing fine eating the veggies and fruit until I also added whole grains into my diet.  I had my first colitis symptoms for this flareup after starting to eat shredded wheat for breakfast.  I am shying away from fresh veggies at this time, because they do seem to increase the symptoms for now.  As I recall from the past, though, the worst symptoms I ever experienced occured every time I had popcorn, so I have not eaten popcorn or corn for years.

 Reply posted for Lizzies Mom.

I am on exactly that sort of diet. I'm following the Weight Watchers Points Plus plan currently.  At first, eating all the fresh fruits, veggies and whole grains had me feeling way more energetic and I lost 30 pounds on it, losing 1-2 pounds a week.  However, after the 20 pound mark, I started getting colitis symptoms.  The only times I have had flares have been after losing 20 pounds or so on the same sort of diet.  So, yes, it gets confusing to me that every GI I have had and my general doctors all insist diet has absolutely nothing to do with this and my health plan won't pay for a dietician based on the same reasoning.  I have always claimed I felt much better when I was eating burgers and fries all the time, than on going on a low-fat diet.

I have been trying to convert to "clean eating," which is eating whole food in as close to it's natural state as possible (do away with processed foods as often as you can). With that in mind, I have been removing refined sugar from my diet.  I tend to want to believe medical science more than testimonials but my Mom has been pushing me to look into alternative medicine and she would also like me to try the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

 Reply posted for BluSkye.

I think there are many who beg to differ w/your gi.    Diet certainly does have everything to do with your status. Without knowing what your diet consisted of, I can't speak in  specifics, but I can tell you if you were on a high fiber, low cal diet, like many Americans, eating lots of salads, raw veggies and things of the like, that could do it!  

Hoping you are feeling better soon. 

Lizzies Mom

 Reply posted for BluSkye.

Do you use a low fat or a low carb diet for weight loss? Low fat is not good for uc especially if the remaining fats are mostly refined pufas.