Diet and UC, newbie here
brandydelight
Posts: 16 Member
hey all, I have had UC for 22 years now, I keep it in remission by diet and I watch my stress levels ( or try too ) and it really works for me. A few flare ups over yrs, mostly after some emotionally trying time in my life. here is my question..I have been tryin to lose weight for last 2 years, but every time I mess with my diet, I get a minor flare or I get sick. Anyone else experience this? Any suggestions? My doctors have no answers except be glad i am healthy, all things considered...oh, and was reading prior posts, darn the bloat! I sometimes too look preggers I get so bloated!
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For a long time I was trying to control my UC by doing nothing. Trying to lose weight, I would try to eat healthy, fruits, veggies, I tried WW and every time it would throw me into a flare. I hated losing the weight that way. 20 lbs in 15 days, not the way to do it. ha
Now I am on meds and still have to watch what I eat. I try to stick with the stuff that I know won't cause the blotting, gas, pain, etc. It is hard. I have come to the conclusion that I am going to have to just cut my calories to what I should be eating to lose the weight and I have to walk everyday. The walking helps in other ways also. No one can really give you the answer for your UC because it is so different is each one of us.
Like you stress and diet can cause problems. Although I have meds that may be keeping me from losing the weight. I need to talk to my doc about that. Or it could be a combination of UC, Meds, and starting to go through menopause. But I am working real hard just to stay the same weight.0 -
My doctor gave me no information about diet and UC except avoid seeds (raspberries, sesame, etc). That's it. I've noticed that pasta tends to aggravate my symptoms like nothing else; weird because I can eat other starchy things. I'm avoiding bread, white potatoes, and things like that for weight loss, though.0
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I've found that it just comes down to your diet and what your body can handle. It's just finding out what foods bother you. I've been able to lose weight while dealing with this, but its a constant learning process. I can't eat most vegies, soy beans, peanut butter or nuts, also too much whole wheat gives me issues. That's a whole lot of healthy foods I have to cut out, but I just adjust, and do what I can.0
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I was officially diagnosed with UC at the age of 16. I had the symptoms long before, it just took a while to figure out. Unfortunately with UC you get the crappy end of two ends. You gain weight from steroids, or you lose weight from the mal-nutrition. When I was 24 (I am 26 now). Like you had problems when I changed my diet, but it was mainly because the diet caused me a lot of stress. I felt like nothing ever worked, the steroids made me swell so it just wasn't worth it. It's really all about finding the right foods for you.
Another thing is that EVERYONE is going to be suggesting you "you shouldn't eat this, you shouldn't eat that you should do this ect ect." But the majority of people don't understand that UC isn't going to let you have a normal diet. Leafy greens, nuts, a lot of things are actually harder for you to manage than others. I found out quickly that dairy products did me in. Flare ups are the worst, especially dealing with them as a teenager.
When I was 24 I had my colon removed because of the advanced stages. I can not say its been an easy journey, and its even more difficult to find the right foods...However, I'm still thankful that my life is going the right way. Ups and downs right? I hope that everything works out alright. Good luck. Figure your diet out for yourself slowly, and never listen to people who don't understand UC. Normally, your doctor is probably the best to give you a good nutrional start off if you ask him or her.
I've been living with UC for 10+ years and will be happy to help you if you have any other questions. 0 -
i have UC, and I have learned the best way for me to lose weight is to move more. Diet is not the way to go, because any food can set me off for no reason whatsoever. Yes, I have foods I know to avoid that I learned from keeping a food diary and watching what happened. I have a dietician at my weight loss class who has helped me by letting me know which parts of the lectures I have to ignore (i.e. eat more fibre) - she does this for all those with medical conditions: diabetics, high cholesterol, arthritis, etc. I am ever so grateful to her because I have now found some vegetables I can eat, provided I cook them properly.
I know if I keep my steps above 10,000 a day, and watch my portions, I lose weight. Today, I am experiencing a flare, so the only walking I am doing is from the bedroom to the bathroom, but once it's over, I will be back to walking regularly. A blip here and there means a slower weight loss than others might achieve, but I am heading in the right direction and that is all that counts. I don't do too much rigorous exericise as I recently had a lung infection, so anything aerobic is out for the moment. We all experience setbacks, whether we have chronic conditions, or not, but I am not letting it stop me. I walk indoors with regularity to be near my bathroom, but I still manage to do what I need to in order to burn off more than I consume.
The best thing for me has been to make lots of friends on sites like MFP and Fitbit who encourage me to keep going, even through the low times. It's amazing how support from people you may never meet in real life can help. Sometimes the internet is a force for good, and when you have something like UC and (sometimes) feel housebound, it's a lifeline.0 -
The best that has worked for me so far is keeping a high protein diet, avoiding foods that might irritate (the biggest offenders are anything with really high amounts of fiber - I used to like Kashi cereals but those are a big no for me now), and staying moving. I have had great success with keeping my diet around 40% or more calories from protein, and this has slowed food transit as well, which has helped immensely with keeping things in check.0
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I think the stress of a diet will throw you in a flare. Happened to me twice. Just lose it slowly and like the other members said, move more and take in more protein which gets digested slower. Makes great sense.0
