Community Forum

 Reply posted for creedj.

Hey, what about canned green veggies like green beans or asparagus; they are less dense.

 Reply posted for creedj.

Hey I feel just like you do and it is really starting to bug me.

I'm a college student- 18 years old, and ummmm 190lbs. (yea way over weight) I feel really ugly and non of my old clothes use to fit me.

The problem is for me that I have weeks with no appitite where I'm in the bathroom all the time and I'll drop 10lbs without trying. but then for those 2 days after that my body just wants more food, its like a never ending pit and if I deny it food I will actually be in pain because of it!

I had started at like 140 lbs 2 years ago, that was before 3 steroid treatments...I know that it just takes some patience but I find it a really hard balance to make. Example: I love to work out but my body gets tired and sick so fast that when I do half the time I end up feeling miserable for a day or two. I want to eat more healthy foods but I'm on  low resedue most days, when I dare eat normal food then I'm in the bathroom and in lots of pain. Plus my body tends to not tolerate meat or dairy at all. Its soooo tough! I feel like my body is bi-polar I can either be really healthy or just suddenly really unhealthy and so I cant take weight off! Any tips, mutual feelings?

 Reply posted for malgal.

I tried aloe vera pills and had a horrible experience.  They exacerbated the CD.

 Reply posted for chas7999.

Chas, try the SCD diet. I had no problems with my weight before uc but then gained weight which I could not lose. With SCD I lost the excess fluid dramatically in the first week or two and then my weight dropped steadily. It was a bit too low for a while but gradually stabilised to an ideal weight.

The diet involves avoiding  anything that breaks down to a disaccharide sugar. It is a low carb diet which is quite high in good fats and I found that I did best on it once I realised that fat intake has to be quite high for energy. The increased fat  does not cause  me any excess weight gain nor any digestive problems. The more I have read about low carb/high fat (not refined vegetable oils) diets the more convinced I am that they can help improve many auto-immune diseases.

I have more stamina than I have had for years and don't get hungry between meals any more but I did find that I could not digest lettuce, dark green vegetables or uncooked apple until I had been on the diet for months.

Best of luck

 Reply posted for creedj.

i know what you mean, until i was diagnosed with uc 5 years ago, i was underweight, and now that ive got it under control and take lialda and canasa-im over weight!  im following a 1500 calorie diabetic diet, breast feeding and working out 3 times a week-i do weight lifting and cardio each time.  by doing all of this i am losing 2-4 lbs a month.  not a lot but atleast losing.  morale of the story-i hear you!  its freakin hard to lose weight, im being cautioned by the docs to lose weight, and simultaneously theyre saying if your doing all that you better watch it-it might be to *** your body.  so which is it doc?-lose weight or not!  i think they just believe im saying im doing all that, when im really oinking out-but im not it really is that hard.  the best i can figure is this trouble with gaining weight and it being really hard to get off has something to do with being under control and the types of meds that we have to take.  i have also noticed over the last couple of years that i retain fluid real easy-you know, like add a little salt to my food for dinner-then the next day my wedding band might fit so tight that i choose not to wear it under the swelling is better.  good luck and i hope you find the natch to lose the weight!!!

p.s.  i had a rheumatologist say to me "you have colitis?"  yes i do, why? "well you just look so healthy"-i replied well i wont look so healthy if i go into a flare because ill lose 20 pounds fast!-and be pale!!  he just started talking about something else

 Reply posted for creedj.

I know exactly what you mean...........I was losing weight until diagnosed and succesfully treated for colitis............now that it's somewhat in remission for the last 2 years.........minor flares........I have gained, gained, gained,,,,,,,still have to watch what I eat...and like other's posts here I tolerate the carbs, (white diet) best..........raw veggies and lettuce are not for me!   I am too miserable with this weight gain.......no more clothes to fit and my self esteem is gone...........I know it is better than being so sick...but I don't want to be this size either........a happy medium please!

 Reply posted for creedj.

I found out I had Crohn's May of 08, I just had my first surgery Sept 28th to remove the beginning of my colon and about 8" of intestines due to a blockage.  Prior to my surgery I started a Gluten Free diet, I seen a GREAT improvement in my flare ups and in pain.  The doctors also noted improvement in the blockages found. 

I originally had 1 major blockage (that is the one they removed with surgery) and 2 small blockages (they did not remove those) prior to surgery.  Now I'm not stating diet alone improved the blockages, I'm sure the medication helped, but I can say Gluten Free diet helped me with pain, bloating and gas.

I do recommend trying it, see if it helps.

Good luck, I wish you all the best.

 Reply posted for binkies.

"White diet" is a funny name for a low fiber/low residue diet.  It is humorously called that b/c everything you eat is basically a carb and has no fiber and doesn't linger in the gastric system.  If you want information on it just search low fiber/low residue diet.

 Reply posted for creedj.

creedj, I noticed you said you were drinking aloe vera juice.  Did your doctor okay that?  I only ask because I had a friend who heard from someone that aloe vera was an absolute miracle cure and so she started taking it only to find out that it was causing many of her problems and practically poisoning her body.  The doctor told her to immediately stop taking the aloe vera.  So please check with a health professional before continuing to take the aloe vera, just be extra careful with your body.
                                     Mal

 Reply posted for creedj.

I am also having a huuuge issue with losing weight!  I was diagnosed when I was about 19 years old and started Remicade when I was 23 or 24. While in high school, I was horribly ill b/c I didn't know I had Chrohn's and I couldn't eat anything. I was barely 100 lbs and sick all the time. I got medicated in college, and gained a little wieght. Once I began the Remicade, I was able to hold my food in and eat like a normal person. However, now the weight won't go away. I am 5'5 and I am 142 lbs. My diet consists mainly of carbs...b/c that's all my stomach can handle. I can't really do salads and I can't eat a lot of wheat bread. I have to stick to white. Ahhhh! I am getting close to 30 and I know that the older you are, the harder it is to keep a healthy weight. I obvioulsy don't want to be 11 lbs again...but I'd like to lose 10 or 20 lbs. When I see pictures of myself right now I want to cry.

 Reply posted for creedj.

creej,

 what is the white food diet?   does that mean you can only white foods... like white bread white rice, chicken, cod and other white fish?  or like  you can't eat white bread?

 Reply posted for creedj.

Thanks everyone...

I've been to two different doctors and they both are telling me the same thing.  I've been suffering with this weght gain for 4 years not and I am really trying to be patient but either one of my doctors seemed to really care about my weight.  They just kept telling me to be patient.  I'm leaving my 20's and as I enter into my 30's I can't be patient if I can't lose weight. 

I picked up the book "G-free diet" and I'm beginning to wonder if my crohn's is actually a symptom of Celiac's disease.  I did have a food allergy test a few years back because of a skin rash I have been experiencing (all connected to crohn's disease) and it was conclusive that I have an allergy to milk and wheat.  I may try to do the gluten-free diet for a while and see if any good will come out of it.  I do feel that surgery may be my best option right now but my doctor says that's his last resort.  I think if he was in my shoes he would think differently.  He is only thinking from a scientific standpoint.  I'm thinking from a quality of life standpoint.  I just want to be pain free and be able to eat salads and veggitables like our bodies were meant to do. 

 Reply posted for TheBaz.

Sorry the font on the last half was so big, I don't know what happened.

 Reply posted for creedj.

Corn is bad!! You shouldn't be eating raw vegetables, with maybe the exception of lettuce, depending on your medications. Like someone mentioned before, you might want to try another GI doctor before you do anything drastic. I have heard that the majority of people with some form of IBD goes through surgery, so it could be beneficial for you.

I just got this book called "The New Eating Right for a Bad Gut" by James Scala. He gives you advice on what you foods you should eat and what you shouldn't, and gives you explanations as to why. I just started on it, but it's got a lot of good reviews. Also, I have heard that people like "Listen to Your Gut" (did someone already tell you this?). I hope everything goes well for you in the future! Don't worry too much about weight, you just need to get this irritating condition under control first. Stay optimistic, everything will be alright!

 Reply posted for patman75.

Can you find another doctor?

 Reply posted for creedj.

If I would of stayed on that crappy diet my GI gave me I would of never gotten better.

Dont be afraid of veggies.  make sure they are cooked good until you start feeling better.

SCD is a great start.

"Listen to your gut" by jini patel thompson is a great resource.

I had great sucess on the Candida diet.  It is similar to SCD.

http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/

 Reply posted for creedj.

http://www.webmd.com/ibd-crohns-disease/crohns-disease/creating-a-crohns-disease-diet-plan

Corn is a no no, raw veggies.

Look into the SCD diet and ICDIET.com for further information.  I follow the ic diet due to other ailments and I was told by the specialist it aids the whole digestive tract.