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Flare triggered by weight loss?

Thu, February 25, 2016 3:54 PM

Hi All,

I'm new to the forums.

I was diagnosed with UC 22 years ago. Since then I've had about 8 flares, each lasting 6-12 mo. And each one has been triggered by an attempt to lose weight. My doctor doesn't quite believe that because he's never heard of that happening before. But it's so clearly true for me. I'm now about 15 lbs over weight, and I'd been in remission for 3 years. 4 months ago I started weight watchers and have been losing weight slowly and reasonably. Got about 10 lbs down and boom...sudden and intense flare up. It doesn't seem to matter what weight loss method I choose, it consistently leads to a flare, and my dr. is no help because he doesn't believe it.

Does this happen to anyone else?
Any thoughts about what the connection between weightloss and triggering a flare could be?
Or how I could lose the extra lbs without triggering the UC?

Any thoughts would be so

jillyjo
Joined Feb 25, 2016

Sun, April 03, 2016 6:10 AM

Reply posted for pcojt10.

Wow @pcojt10 that was EXACTLY my experience--my first flare and diagnosis happened as I was losing weight in preparation for my wedding. So I was dieting/losing weight AND under stress. And I wonder if the combination of the two factors has something to do with it. Currently, I'm dieting and things have been stressful. So it would fit that pattern.

I don't eat the weight watchers prepared foods, so that's not a factor. I count WW points, but eat all whole foods--lean protein, fruit, veggies, etc. Sometimes I think maybe I eat more high fiber foods when dieting--maybe that has something to do with it? It FEELS as though have an empty stomach so much more, and having hunger pangs, might be related... I wonder if that's possible...

jillyjo
Joined Feb 25, 2016

Sat, April 02, 2016 7:23 AM

Hi @jillyjo, it looks like you posted this a month or two back so I hope you're feeling better now. I actually had a similar experience - before my wedding I was trying to drop about 10-15 lbs so I cut out sugar, gluten and alcohol from my diet. After a couple weeks, I started to notice blood in my stool, went to the GI and was first diagnosed. Up until that point, I had no stomach issues and was perfectly healthy. I wonder if it's a by-product of our bodies getting used to something and then the changes in diet lead to the body getting confused and thinking that it's "under attack". Also, and I could be wrong here, I was under the impression that those Weight Watchers meals had a lot of preservatives in them to keep the taste but minimize calories. You may want to check on that.

pcojt10
Joined Apr 2, 2016

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