Desperately in need of help gaining weight!!

dannielewis10
dannielewis10 Posts: 3 Member
Hey! I'm Danielle. I have Crohn's Disease and I am currently frale, 4'11, and 87 lbs. I know you're going to say I should eat more but due to my health issue it's VERY hard to do. There are a lot of foods that I cannot eat. I'm not really sure where to start, I really don't know what to do for that matter. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Replies

  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Gotta eat more.
  • dannielewis10
    dannielewis10 Posts: 3 Member
    edited March 2016
    Yeah I do. I guess I need help with the meal planning.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Since you have a particular medical condition, I recommend talking to the doctor that is helping you treat it. He/she can refer you to a dietician with expertise/experience in dealing with your type of issues.
  • dannielewis10
    dannielewis10 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks, I currently have a dietician and all she gives me is print outs lol
  • Scamd83
    Scamd83 Posts: 808 Member
    I haven't got a flippin clue what that is or how to get round whatever it is it does. But my usual advice with anyone who asks how to eat more food is peanut butter with everything.
  • lkpducky
    lkpducky Posts: 17,767 Member
    @singingflutelady ???? she has the same condition, would like to hear her say.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    edited March 2016
    Hey, I have Crohn's.

    Have you tried meal replacement shakes such as ensure, boost etc? I drank them in addition to my meals not as a replacement. When I was underweight my dietician gave me some called "vital" ( made by ensure but for those with malabsorption). Vital is super expensive so I only drink it when I have free samples.

    I don't have an appetite at the moment so I make my meals more calorie dense like using peanut butter.


    I am at normal weight now (20.3 bmi) but I wasn't for a long time until my Remicade started working. I was 110 at 5'8 for quite a long time.

    I still have the millions of food restrictions and eating hurts :(

    Friend me if you need support!
  • rviola30
    rviola30 Posts: 2 Member
    I'm 4"11 85lbs and I just got prescribed Megace. Hopefully it helps! Inbox me and I can let u know how it goes
  • ughbrit
    ughbrit Posts: 51 Member
    edited March 2016
    I'm so sorry to hear about your medical condition. I think that including more calorie-dense foods such as peanut butter, avocado, nuts/seeds (& other healthy fats). Google "healthy calorie dense foods" for more suggestions :) Mostly you want the most caloric bang for your buck. If you can't eat much, you want what you can eat to be dense in calories. Also, I would explain to your dietitian that you need more than print outs and need real suggestions.
  • miss2skinny
    miss2skinny Posts: 8 Member
    I have crohn's. I'm 5'2" and 88 pounds. It sucks. I just got a personal trainer today and start on Thursday. No advice yet but know you're not alone.
  • NikkiV38
    NikkiV38 Posts: 5 Member
    I can kinda relate as I have had some struggles with digestive issues to the point I was losing weight and always sick. I basically cut out dairy, most sugars, most processed foods and spicy foods. Pretty much eat fresh, organic when I can, low gluten, lil seasoning, lean meats. I found through researching alot of healthy fresh food has the healthy fats we need, I just need to increase how much I eat. I went from 91 to 102lb so far and I'm 5'3. I still get sick sometimes but not as bad as before. Do you keep a food diary?
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
    I agree with eating nuts and more good fatty foods and incorporate more oils in your foods maybe. I'm sorry about the Chron's disease. :( I don't have experience with that but have a couple of friends who have it.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    I would recommend not eating nuts lol nuts are really hard on Crohn's GI systems. Same as seeds. I would avoid those like the plague but smooth peanut butter is fine.
  • I have Crohn's as well, although I've somehow managed to stay overweight or obese most of my life.
    (My father is a more typical case---he's generally been very thin his whole life.)

    As you know, it's imperative to pay attention to your body. Some foods will work and others will make you feel awful. Some foods will work in certain quantities, but cause a lot of trouble if you eat too much of it. You just have to figure out what you can do. We're all different.

    Ugh...I'm trying to come up with some advice for you and I feel useless. My body operates so differently from yours I really have nothing to offer.

    Have you tried drugs? My GI has me on Humira but it's too soon to notice anything.
  • ivanaallen92
    ivanaallen92 Posts: 3 Member
    Yeah I do. I guess I need help with the meal planning.

    Apetamin.Google it
  • kadyharris
    kadyharris Posts: 1 Member
    Can you handle dairy okay? One of the biggest things that has helped me is by replacing milk with heavy cream or even half and half. I use it in all the same ways but it adds significantly more calories. When I was flaring up I couldn't eat anything at all without pain, so I had to make sure every sip or bite was as calorie dense as possible.
    Like several other people, smooth peanut butter was also my friend. I made a lot of smoothies and puréed soups because even though the pain wasn't lessened by avoiding solid foods, I seemed to have slightly more of an appetite when I could drink my meals instead.
  • carcarxx94
    carcarxx94 Posts: 38 Member
    Not the same but being severly underweight with anorexia nervosa for years has seriously damaged by organs and I find it a celebratory day if I have a day where I am not sick or in pain by eating , also having an endoscopy to check at the end of the month to see if it is an ibd or something similar . What has helped me in gaining with these issues is a lot of peanut butter ( i know it's been said sorry !!) - 100g has around 645 calories ( and i do eat nearly this amount a day as well as raw nuts but only peanuts and cashews - others are bad for me ). Avocados are dense and you can made desserts by mixing with unsweetened cocoa powder ( no irritating sugars etc ) and some veg or banana ( whatever you can tolerate ). Dark chocolate without the added artifical stuff or sugars / oils are ok for me in small amounts and dense ! I use a lot of butter too and dont eat anything with yeast as i cannot tolerate it but yeast free rye bread is great if you are the same. Do you have supplement drinks ? I get prescribed malnutrition drinks with 300 cal in 125ml of drink that I have depended on the last 3 year or you can make your own shakes such as your milk of choice ( full fat is best ) - however amount of peanut butter, cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Or add oats if you can tolerate them. Make your own granola bars / truffles / brownies ( such as chickpea brownies - google them! No flour or sugars etc like normal ones and onviously no irritants like store bought ). Greek yoghurt is great and can add to shakes ( full fat = more calories). Oat bars are your friends ! Google a recipe that suits your needs with what does and doesnt irritate your stomach. ( i make some with 450 calories + each bar ! ). Dried fruit are great if you can handle them . Add oils and butters to vegetable soups. Mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes with milk or cream and butter are my friends. Stir fry vegetables in lots of oil. Make oats with milk, peanut butter and full fat milk or cream. Eggs if you can tolerate are great on crackers or toast ( butter these too !). Cheese can be added to anything. Soft cheese spread is so dense and easy to swallow and easy on the stomach if you are ok with dairy. Popcorn is great and light. When I am very bad I heat cereal ( ones without sugar ) with full fat milk until very hot and mushy - goes down easily. Or heat and mash a couple of bananas until piping hot.
    It really depends on what irritates you.. hope this gives a little inspiration and sending much strength your way !!! X
  • capaul42
    capaul42 Posts: 1,390 Member
    OP- gaining with crohns can be very hard for some. My partner has this issue too. Do you know your trigger foods? I've seen a lot of suggestions that make sense but my partner can't have because they trigger flare ups.
    Oddly enough, since everyone recommends it for crohn's, yogurt can cause flareups for him. And almost anything corn related, including popcorn.
  • sonayvborum
    sonayvborum Posts: 2 Member
    Maybe u can try Apetamin look it up it slows down your metabolism and speed up your appetite
  • Balaru
    Balaru Posts: 203 Member
    Check out Forks Over Knives on Netflix - might help....
  • gcaracciolo2
    gcaracciolo2 Posts: 130 Member
    Maybe u can try Apetamin look it up it slows down your metabolism and speed up your appetite

    Stop spamming please
  • HamsterManV2
    HamsterManV2 Posts: 449 Member
    First off, you need to know your TDEE - that is the amount of calories you need to maintain weight. Eating at a +500 daily surplus results in 1lb gain per week . As a small person however that may be too challenging, so I recommend 10% to 20% surplus of your TDEE for slow and sure weight gain.

    Look for high caloric foods that you can eat. I don't know what causes you issues, but I can give you easily-to-consume foods that are loaded with calories.

    -Avocado
    -Olive Oil (1tbsp = 120 calories!)
    -Nuts (unsalted raw almonds are like 7 calories apiece - keep a bag nearby and snack on them). A cup of almonds = over 500 calories
    -Spreadables - almond/peanut butter, nutella, etc. (your local supplement store should have some others, like chocolate penut butter, white chocolate, etc.) Couple of hundred calories right there
    -Whole fat milk

    You can also make a shake once you determine what works for you and what doesn't - Mine used to be whole fat milk, protein powder, banana, almond butter, and olive oil to add extra calories. You have to experiment and find what works for you.
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