Colitis - Trying to lose weight!!

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SiaB12
SiaB12 Posts: 9 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hello,

I'm 25 years old & was diagnosed with colitis when I was 23. I was placed on a low fiber/low residue diet, which contained mostly carbohydrates. Later, I was placed on prednisone. I felt so bad that I couldn't get out of bed most days, let alone exercise. I gained 50lbs.

Now I'm feeling a lot better, getting a new treatment & ready to get back in shape! I'm looking for MFP friends who are also dealing with colitis, Crohn's, or IBS. It would be great to share recipes since we are often so limited with our choices.

Thanks & good luck!!

Replies

  • lexykassan
    lexykassan Posts: 19 Member
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    Hi there.

    I was diagnosed with UC about 2 years ago at age 31. They put me on a lot of different meds, thankfully not Prednisone, to get the inflammation down. As with you, I was also on the low fiber/low residue diet. Weirdest thing in the world was hearing my doctor tell me to not eat fruits or veggies, no beans, and to stay away from whole grains as much as possible.

    Once the inflammation subsided, I gradually started adding things back into my diet. Little by little, I also cut down on the meds I was on (9 pills a day of Colozal). What I found in this process was that it was artificial sweeteners that caused me to flare. I used to use Splenda in most of my baking and coffee and such. With that out of my diet, I was able to completely eliminate the need for the UC meds. I'm not saying this is something that I recommend for everyone, but it was definitely a huge game-changer for me.

    Unfortunately, this all leaves me taking in more sugar than I used to. So weight has crept back on and stayed there. Now I'm trying to do Weight Watchers, which severely penalizes eating sugar and recommends swapping with artificial sweeteners. I'm not about to make myself sick from those just to lose a few pounds.

    I'm also looking for new friends and new recipes. I've been more interested in both cooking and baking lately and have some recipes I can recommend. I tend to make a lot of soups (like a mushroom barley soup that should fit pretty well with low res).

    Hope your tracking is going well and that you're feeling good!

    Lexy
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    Hi! I have severe fistulizing Crohn's and have many food restrictions. I luckily never gained on Prednisone but when my Remicade (a life saver) started working I gained 20 lbs in a month (I was underweight at the time). The IBD diet is so opposite of what most people eat! Add me.
  • CelticHippo
    CelticHippo Posts: 117 Member
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    Hi,

    I have Crohn's and am trying to lose the weight I have gained (on top of being overweight before I fell ill). I am also looking for others for support but know IBDs as well.
  • rosey35
    rosey35 Posts: 150 Member
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    Good luck on your journey there is a great app call gi monitor for people with chrohn's and colitis and other gi problems

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