Diverticulitis and losing weight

onwarddownward

For any others who suffer with this condition, how do you manage it when trying to lose weight? I had my first occurrence about a month ago and have been knocked off my stride completely for a full four weeks.

I have a follow-up to my hospital stay with the GI doctor in early October and a colonoscopy scheduled for late October (which panics me) but I am trying to nail down what hurts to eat and what doesn't.

What I am finding is that most of the stuff that is ok is highly caloric. Certainly it's not my usual fare.

I have the combined problem of sensitivity to soy, dairy and due to losing my gallbladder, fatty foods such as fried foods.

Has anyone had success in losing weight and keeping flareups at bay? How did you do it?

tlou5

My Dad suffers from this and what works best for him is limiting the processed stuff and carbs and focusing on cooked (not raw) fruits and veggies. Stir fries, soups, baked apples etc.

Good luck!

miumiumoo

onwarddownwar, I ran into the same problem--I had lost about 35 lbs over the course of 7 months but then I ended up in the hospital with severe stomach pain. Turns out I had diverticulitis with a minor perforation (scary stuff--can lead to septic shock and death), so they had me in the hospital for a week on antibiotics. Luckily enough, no surgery was needed, and I was able to go home, but I had to completely change my diet to low residue (white breads and pastas, no fruits or veggies) for about a month to give my digestive system a rest. I didn't focus on dieting/counting calories at this point because really, I was just concerned with getting better and not ending up back in the hospital.

About a month later, I had my colonoscopy and was given the go ahead to have a high-fiber diet! YAY. Now I'm back on track with high fiber fruits and veggies but I still need to avoid nuts and seeds (and especially popcorn! regular corn is okay.) I'm hoping by now, you've got the okay from your GI to eat high fiber stuff, which is the best way to avoid flareups. Avoiding nuts and seeds is hard, especially when dieting, but trust me, going through that is way better than the $20,000+ hospital bill I ended up with! :P

If you're still on a low residue diet based on doctor's orders, you can always eat canned fruits and vegetables like canned green beans, canned or cooked carrots, canned pears, peaches, etc. anything soft and without the skin! Getting the kind without additional sweeteners or syrup should help your dieting goals. i think soft green veggies like spinach that you cooked the crap out of is also okay, but it needs to be super smushy. Not usually people's favorite. haha

Good luck, and if you have any questions about next steps, just ask! It was hard for me to find the info I was looking for, so if I can save you some trouble, I'd be happy to.

BamaFan129

Just got out of hospital with Diverticulitis. What foods can I eat not to gain back the eat I have lost. Have already bought dress for my son's wedding and can't gain weight.