I want to start off by apologizing. It has been over a month since I have posted and for anyone looking for a new posts to come here and find none I am sorry. Life has been very busy and sadly I haven’t had the time to get online to write a post.
Now that the summer is winding down and autumn is on the horizon, things will start to slow down a little. Work has been very very busy but after September all will quiet down there. At home, I am still doing board of director stuff and again, in October that might slow down also.
One thing I want to talk about while I have the chance is diet. As many of you know, weight has been an issue with me. I have talked about my journey with weight loss and doing a diet through Weight Watchers. This past year had me so busy that I stopped going to meetings and eventually stopped the program. I had hoped that I would finally be ok and keep the weight off. Sadly, I am now back in the boat of weight gain. It is slowly coming back and like Crohn’s…it is annoying the F out of me.
Like IBD which can flare up at any time, weight gain comes when it wants. So I am back with my demons trying to figure out what to do. I am still Gluten Free and that makes my diet issues even worse. I feel so loss on what to eat and what to do. As anyone knows, when you feel loss you feel stress. Stress then causes me to eat and the vicious cycle starts. Stress also makes IBD worse and causes flares.
Overall, I am still doing well with my CD. I see my GI in just over a week and I know it will be an uneventful meeting. He will probably won’t have me return for 6 months (I hope) which means my next visit after this could be the colonoscopy time. Ugh!! I am still on LDN though so I am curious how it is affecting my insides and if it has helped in the healing processes any. I feel great so I hope there is some significant healing.
But back to the diet. I went into a very big IBD chat group on Facebook to find out what other overweight IBDers have done as far as diets. Sadly, I didn’t get the answers I was hoping for. I did get some good advice, but overall it wasn’t what I was really looking for. A big advice was to cut back on carbs, which I will try. It isn’t easy as I have realized that I have an addiction to carbs. The other big advice was to increase protein. It was recommended that for breakfast, instead of cereal to eat leftover dinner protein. Um….no. That may be fine for some people and for some foods I can maybe do that…but overall, no. When I eat breakfast, I am still half asleep and so are my taste buds. They don’t need a shock of BBQ sauce or Teriyaki in the morning.
What I am curious, and I hope some people will feel ok to open up, what do some of you with IBD do to lose weight. I know most automatically lose weight, but for those of you that are like me and still have weight issues, what do you do. What works and what doesn’t. Feel free to leave a comment or even email me. I would love help from everyone and I really could use some direction.
A Guy With Crohn's 
It can be so tough! I put on a ton of weight due to steroids when first diagnosed. I was on 80 mgs of Prednisone for 2 years. As soon as they tried to ween me, I would become symptomatic. Once we found Remicade to work, a bunch of weight fell off on it’s own. Before CD, I was always active and slim…I never dieted and I didn’t even know how! To this day, I’ve kept on a lot of the weight…it’s been 10 years. Also, when I’m flaring or symptomatic, all I can eat is carbs! I could not even begin to lead a life without them. They say diet and exercise is the way to go, but for some of us it’s just not that easy. I don’t have any tips or tricks and I’m sorry about that; however, I have a suggestion. See if your GI has a dietitian they could recommend you to. If the person if familiar with IBD, they could be super helpful. Or even a trainer at a gym. If they are familiar with IBD, they may be able to help you come up with a diet and exercise routine that works for you. I know bot cost money, but hopefully you wouldn’t have to see either forever…just long enough to get you started. Good luck! You know we are all here to cheer you on!! **hugs**
I am in the very same boat. It’s comforting in a way to hear that I’m not alone. Its only now, in this
moment, that I’m starting to realize that I’ve been feeling sorry for myself, angry and unwilling to trust
my body again. Basically blaming weight gain on CD… But the fact is I haven’t been consistent with exercise (I used to be) and when I feel alone or anxious or stressed, angry,
misunderstood, or lost in self pity, i eat junk (donuts, ice cream, mindless eating and oversized portions). Being honest and accountable where I have to start. For me, being honest about intake and being consistent with exercise are going to be my goals for September. This means becoming aware of emotional eating and determined to knock that shiz off ;)If you want a committed weight loss buddy, let me know.
I have to admit..I haven’t been committed either. I would love the help and motivation and I will help you also as much as I can.
That sounds great! It’s so hard because there IS an additional challenge of figuring out what’s best to eat while keeping the digestive system happy… But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Do you enjoy exercise? Are you interested in doing a daily check in for accountability / encouragement ?? Let me know what you think! – Melissa 🙂
If you don’t mind, email me and let’s take this offline..aguywithcrohns@gmail.com
Gotcha 🙂
Jeff, I know how difficult weight struggles are and they are compounded by emotional stress and the fact that we can’t necessarily eat the same as other people. I have struggled with weight since I was diagnosed and it is one of the things that wrecks havoc on my life. I also tend to lose focus and determination to exercise when things seem to be spiraling out of control either in my life or in my mind. Even when I am not going through anything medically, it is a constant struggle for me. I am not sleeping at all now and therefore, I think eating more (carbs of course!) is the answer. I used to do weight watchers too and really liked the diet. I am sort of toying with the idea of doing an abbreviated version of it (or maybe just counting calories, not sure yet) also since I am not in a good place with that now either. (I binge a lot and it’s hard to take control). I am always here for you if you want someone to check in with also. I do get how difficult it is. Thank you for sharing and being so open and honest about an extremely difficult (and sometimes embarrassing) topic. xoxo
Thanks for the help. I would never have guessed you had weight issues also. You know I would love any support and if I can help you in any way, let me know.
Hey…
Like many others I put on a great deal of weight due to Prednisone. I weighed 120lbs before & 220lbs after. It took me literally a good solid 15 years to finally motivate and get into a proper mindset to lose the weight. I was diagnosed with UC in 1994 and had two surgeries including jpouch and temporary stoma ileostomy. Then in 2012 I was diagnosed with Crohns and thats when I decided diet needed to change. I had been on 16 different pharmacuticles trying to treat my UC prior to my surgeries and they never helped so when my Crohns diagnosis came along I decided to skip more pharmacuticles and try to eat a proper diet instead and start working out regularly.
Yes I understand stress eating. And yes donuts are yummy…well at least they used to be to me. The brightside to the willpower & the, “but it tastes so delicious,” is that if you can eliminate these shitty processed foods long enough you won’t miss them, yes even cereals are loaded with HFCS, GMOs, gluten…all of these inflammatory things we Crohnies just do not need. Everyone always asks me how do I live without fast food…well because I HAVE TO. I can eat fast food and end up in the hospital and not able to work or support myself or rather instead I can eat real whole foods like nuts, fruits, veggies and protien like a bolied egg for breakfast. Thats the best breakfast and it can even be made the night before. I purchased a large quantity of food storage containers & an ice chest and I make EVERY MEALI eat. I never go out anymore. Breakfast for me is normally 2 glasses of water on an empty stomach sometimes with lemon squeezed in. Then depending on my mood I either have 1/4 cup of cashews and some grapes or 2 boiled eggs (pre-shelled & sliced night before ready to go) and some cheese or a fruit smoothie which consists of whatever frozen fruits I can find, a scoosh of milk and a tablespoon of peanut butter. Breakfast is very important and honestly I know it sounds crazy but cereal is just a bad choice in my opinion. You can’t go wrong with fresh fruit.
As far as motivating to exercise well my parents both have type 2 diabetis. Being that I was obese upon my diagnosis with Crohns last year I decided I rather not add type 2 diabetis to my list of illnesses I have to deal with especially seeing is that its another illness where diet restrictions will also be an issue and I already have enough restrictions going with Crohns.
For the most part if I cannot pronounce the ingredients on the label or if it lists say more than, 10 ingrefients I pass on it. Anything processed I pass on. Fast food, PASS! Soda, HFCS, GMOs, BIG FAT PASSS! Anything labeled as “natural”, pass.
I only do organic foods now. Even my meat I rather they be fed organically. Milk products too and eggs they need to come from organic farms. This is my opinion but for me personally as soon as I stopped eating fake, processed foods and ate REAL food the weight just fell off to a point where I literally worried I couldn’t STOP shedding lbs. once your body detoxes all that fake food you will feel a billion times better. Pharmacuticles may become as in my supposed, “severe case of Crohns,” not necessary. I lost 70lbs in less than a year. You can do it. You say you don’t have the time well you MUST MAKE THE TIME. Afterall this is your health. Sure you can grab fast food when you’re busy even maybe trying to go with something from a fast food healthier menu but let me tell you there is no healthier menu at fast food. Its all just fake processed junk. And at what expense? Your health. Yes it takes a lot of time and planning to make every meal I eat at home. I don’t have a dishwasher either if you can imagine. But meals don’t need to be complex. I make salmon grilled in olive oil, with a bit of crushed up fresh garlic and frozen organic green beans, maybe with a glass of milk and handfull of grapes. Thats clean eating.
Google anti-inflammitory foods. I really incorperated a lot of those into my diet and removed all of those which were causing my inflammation like Nightshade veggies (google it) and the list above of all of my pass on it foods. I think once your body isn’t all inflamned from foods it can concentate on losing weight with you.
As far as exercising, find something you love to do so you’ll be more likely to stick with it. Post about it on Twitter if you need motivation or accountability. We’re all here to cheer you on! You will feel so much better once you start to see results. Just remember to keep at it even if you slip up just start again the next day don’t just give up. It won’t happen overnight.
All I have to say is WOW. If that doesn’t motivate me I don’t know what will :). Erin, I hear what you are saying about ingredients. I don’t eat any of the HFCS and things I can’t pronounce. As you may know I am GF and most of the products have very little ingredients. Of those, a lot are organic or natural. I do eat a lot of fruit. Most of all, I don’t touch fast food. Haven’t in many years. I cook my dinners and for lunch I usually have a sandwich.
I am going to try..no sorry…I am going to be better and eat healthier. I really need to detox the body and it will start now.
You’re not alone! Since my diagnosis and a couple rounds of prednisone. I gained near 20 lbs. That may not be much but when you’re 5’4″ it makes a huge difference. It’s not that I ate unhealthy before my biggest flare but I ate way too much, too quickly.
I started juicing in June of this year. Once you start there’s no going back. It changes everything energy, skin/hair, attitude, and weight.
I start off my day with warm water and lemon and a smoothie for breakfast. That usually consists of one banana, one cup of frozen berries, any other delicious fruit I have on hand, a splash of coconut milk, and a splash or organic cherry juice. I also drink 3oz of aloe juice everyday.
I prepair my juice for the day if I have to work while drinking smoothie. I juice 2-3 apples, 2 stalks of celery, 1 orange, 4 carrots, 1/2 inch of ginger, a sprinkle of turmeric powder, 1 cucumber, and sometimes freash herbs. For dinner I do a good protein like salmon and cooked veggies for sides. So far, I’ve lost 8lbs! It’s small but it’s a start. I usually take evening walks with my dog. I need to start excersising more to tone. Considering yoga. My joints are still cracky and sore sometimes. This may help that.
You know you’re body and have to do what’s right for you. That tip on seeing a dietician is a good one. They can look further into your levels and see what needs to me supplemented more. Good luck in this journey to good health! We won’t be cured but we may feel a lot better.
I just did a search for IBD and Weight Watchers and this post was the top link. I became a lifetime member in 2009, but got a ulcerative colitius diagnosis last year. I am still trying to figure out how to make Weight Watchers work. I can’t eat anything brown. It never works out well for me. I also can’t eat the amount of fruit they want me to. And I am a volume eater. If you found some answers, I would love to know. My doctor did refer me to a dietetican, so I hope that helps.
I wish I had good news to give you. Sadly, I just couldn’t deal with WW this last time around. Being gluten free and on WW just doesn’t mix well.
As far as fruit goes, I can tolerate most fruits so for me it isn’t a problem. I think you will be on the right tract by seeing a dietecian. The only real advise I can give, and the dietecian might do this, is to do an elimination diet to see what your body can tolerate. Then it is a matter of just watching the calories.
I am like you and can eat volumes of food. I have been overweight all my life. My CD has not slowed me down sadly. I wish I knew how to stop. I try so many times and then just go back to my old habits. I wish you good luck Lynda and I hope you have great luck.
Thanks for your feedback! I have been having luck with fruits somewhat. I don’t have the cramps or bloating after eating them, but I know if I eat too much I don’t feel so great (i.e. in the bathroom for a while). Even last night, I was hungry, and got feedback from my body that I needed something more carby. I will have to see how it goes until I see the dietician.
for me eating soups, small frequent meals and taking long walks.