Diverticulitis

MsDaisy22

Is there anyone trying to lose weight who also has diverticulitis? I am finding it very difficult to not only eat, but what to eat and still maintain a sense of balance between healthy eating and losing weight. No red meats, No Nuts, Seeds or popcorn. No Whole grains, spicy foods, cruciferous vegetables especially raw...

Has anyone found a good diet with all these exceptions and still lose weight and have interesting food choices?

Any Info greatly appreciated!

BecomingMoreAwesome

I had a bout of diverticulitis about 5 years ago. It was agonizing! Are you still experiencing symptoms? I ask because your list of foods to avoid is generally considered out of date now. But! Please don’t take my word for it. Check with your doctor or registered dietitian first.

My doctor had me on a no-to-low fiber diet for the first few weeks until I felt completely better, but after that she had me increase my fiber up to normal levels with no food restrictions. I eat lots of whole grains, cruciferous veggies, popcorn, nuts, and red meat without any problems.

psuLemon

BecomingMoreAwesome wrote: »

I had a bout of diverticulitis about 5 years ago. It was agonizing! Are you still experiencing symptoms? I ask because your list of foods to avoid is generally considered out of date now. But! Please don’t take my word for it. Check with your doctor or registered dietitian first.

My doctor had me on a no-to-low fiber diet for the first few weeks until I felt completely better, but after that she had me increase my fiber up to normal levels with no food restrictions. I eat lots of whole grains, cruciferous veggies, popcorn, nuts, and red meat without any problems.

I believe its out of date as well. My wife, before her colon recession, was only told to limit seeds/nuts and maintain a low fiber diet when she had flare ups. But when she didn't have flare ups, she was told to eat a higher fiber diet.

Gisel2015

I also have diverticulitis and my last bout was few years back (not fun and very painful).

With the exception of nuts, popcorn and seeds (not a big problem for me), I don't have any other limitation. Red meat doesn't bother me at all and I eat all kind of meats, fruits and vegetables. I prefer cooked vegetables thou, with the exception of salads.

I am very sensitive to fiber and is the only thing that I need to watch. Too much fiber is worse for me than less fiber, so I keep my mine between 21 and 25 grams/day, and I don't worry if I go below. Diverticulitis never affected my weight.

@MsDaisy22: don't let diverticulitis affect or control your plans and goal. Talk to your doctor and do research on line to learn about the latest food recommendation.

OldAssDude

MsDaisy22 wrote: »

Is there anyone trying to lose weight who also has diverticulitis? I am finding it very difficult to not only eat, but what to eat and still maintain a sense of balance between healthy eating and losing weight. No red meats, No Nuts, Seeds or popcorn. No Whole grains, spicy foods, cruciferous vegetables especially raw...

Has anyone found a good diet with all these exceptions and still lose weight and have interesting food choices?

Any Info greatly appreciated!

about 4 years ago i had to have surgery to remove about 8 inches of my colon from diverticulitis. I tried to control it with diet for over a year and was hospitalized several times with an abscessed colon, and was sepsis a couple times.

Doctors can't seem to agree on the whole nuts and seeds thing. Some say it's ok and others say to avoid those things.

One thing i can recommend is to get a good blender that will blend nuts and seeds. You can make smoothies and add nuts and seeds to it. Some of the better blenders you can make soups with, and they will liquefy any veggies that you add.

Check with your doctor to find out what he/she recommends.

I also walk a lot (and i mean every day like a mad man). The doctors all told my that walking helps with digestion. I've taken up running over the past year and that is even better.

I have not had any issues since the surgery. On me i think it was only the one spot that they removed because that is where it kept getting infected.

My last colonoscopy showed no issues and that was about 6 months ago.

MsDaisy22

Thank you All for your responses. Painful YES! I guess first I need to get it under control. I have just been Diagnosed about 2 months ago and I am having difficulties trying to figure out what I can eat... But this also put my eating on a wacky up and down roller coaster and trying to lose any weight is becoming difficult because of my eating habits or should I say..don't know what to eat, eating habits... I have been suffering from this for quite some time and to finally figure out what it is, is such a relief. So now to figure out how to control it and feed it.

Ahh Doctors. I am sooo confused. Nobody knows..trial and error they say. Take everything away and then add it to see if it effects you. Argghh

Walking..I love to walk, so I will increase my dog walking time to the benefits of both me and my dogs!

Again, I appreciated all and hopefully I will be able to help someone else in the future with my experience.

SMKing75

I have diverticulitis also, however, I eat normal 100% of the time. My only real avoidance is strawberry, raspberry and blackberry seeds. Otherwise, I am good. My two attacks were from eating seeds. Popcorn and nuts are fine. My understanding is that you only have problems when things get stuck in the "pouches" and they get inflamed. Maybe you have IBD or IBS which is causing your other symptoms.

tomofnz

Raises hand! I just spent last week in the hospital with a diagnosis of diverticulitis. So I feel all your guys pain and so glad it's eased now, but I'm on antibiotics for two weeks. I've been exercising and it's really helping I think in making me feel a bit more normal. Like you MsDaisy I've been worried about what to eat, even in this thread there's conflicting information out there. My hospital Doctors told me to google it! That diet might not even be a cause, who knows. I think in the middle of a flare up diets are going to have to be pretty restrictive but as you recover hopfully you can add more and more regular food. I think MFP is going to useful for tracking exactly what I'm eating and how it makes me feel and see if any foods cause issues. Please add me if you want.

MsDaisy22

Thank you tomofnz. This too is what I am finding. Tracking what I eat helps to see where the triggers are. The unfortunate part about this diagnosis is that when you find something you can eat and it doesn't put you in pain you tend to eat a lot of it! Sometimes not the healthiest choices. I am going to get this figured out damn it.. and get my self back on track! I Appreciated all the responses !

4carys

Me, too! Gained 15 pounds while running 10 miles a week and gym on other days over the last 2 years. Came back to MFP for help with tracking all my eating. My flares come from overeating highly processed white flour. Go figure. I just think we all have different triggers. For me, I need high fiber to keep it all moving. Metamucil and prunes every day. Cooked vegetables are better. Lean beef, chicken and fish are fine. Still enjoy nuts most days. I’ve given up corn, popcorn, and never iceberg lettuce. It really is just trial and error and prayers to stay well. Attacks are no fun at all!

Scarlettriestorun

I get flare ups with fizzy drinks, I now avoid them . Also exercise helps tonnes x

MsDaisy22

Thank you 4carys and Scarlettriestorun. Obviously, I have not been on here for a while. Back on and time to get back on track. Trying low carbs and low Sugar.. We will see