Not gaining weight

Hello All,

I have colitis since 2006 and it is in remission since then. I’m taking colozal all these years. My concern is inability to put on some weight. I just wanted to add 10 pounds and not sure what foods can help me get there without disturbing my gut. Appreciate if you can suggest some foods based on your experience. I will follow that without any fail.

Thanks in advance

Eat 5-6 times per day to get calorie intake up instead of 3 times. You can have 5-6 smaller meals or 3 meals and 2 solid snacks. Balsalaside (generic colazal) makes me gain weight (only a minor amt) so we have opposite experiences.

What is your diet like now? I make yogurt from whole goat milk as my probiotic and that is pretty high calorie. Other suggestions: dark meat chicken, fatty fish, add an extra spoon of olive oil to every meal since it's an anti-inflammatory food as well (you can put olive oil on anything including shakes and oatmeal).

if your goal is to gain weight, then just eat more of the foods your gut tolerates - the only safe foods are the ones safe for you -

TT

Can you please advise on the brand names for whole milk and whole yogurt ? Is it plain or flavored? Do we need to pick lactose free?

Ditto listen to your body. I'm fine with gluten and dairy, so not limitations for me, personally. However, I know some of us cannot do gluten and/or dairy.

I just got the biggest tubs of store brand yogurts, unflavored, and added my own toppings (raisins, strawberries or whatever sounded yummy). Why? Generally, flavored yogurts have a lot of sugar in them. You can certainly compare labels and see. Milks, store brand gallons. Didn't do anything special though as that's what I always buy.

All,

I started taking Premier Protein 30gm to shake 2 a day as per advice from my GA. It's been a week. How long typically takes to see weight gain? Did anyone try taking these kinds of shakes? Appreciate your thoughts on this or any other recommended shakes.

Thanks

All,

I took Premier Protein 30gm shake 2 a day on an average for a month and still not able to gain weight. At least 1 pound. What else can I try to gain weight. I wanted to put on at least 6 pounds and I'm not sure why I was not able to. IS there a possibility of swollen gut not absorbing food and not making me gain weight? I'm having regular 2 bowel movements every day in the morning and it empties out and make me feel good. Otherwise no signs of blood or mucous. I'm taking Colozal 3/3 times a day. Any probiotics that can help me gain weight? Appreciate your help and insights on my condition.

@FlowersGal : I'm looking very skinny and wanted to add some meat. I'm currently weighing just 145 pounds for a height of 5'9". Not able to gain at least 2 pounds is concerning me a bit.

You have to take into account your current food sensitivities and your level of physical activity. Unless you have another underlying health problem, like malabsorption, enzyme deficiency, etc., then the main method of gaining weight is to consume highly absorbable foods in a high calorie format, plus exercise. Light weight bearing exercise will lead to more productive weight growth.

I puree everything I eat when I'm regaining weight post-flare. Pureed food is much more rapidly absorbed.

Here are examples of what I do:

Pureed soup of:
Carrot
Squash
Celery
Peas
Shiitake mushrooms
Parsley
Tofu (or meat)
Italian seasoning (or whatever else)

I don't use onion or garlic because sulfur tends to feed my bad gut bacteria. I will keep the whole soup in the fridge and heat it up and puree it as I need it. I might add an organic egg yolk to it when it's blended, but not every day. I might also add a piece of avocado to it, or have avocado on gluten free bread with the soup. You can switch it up.

The fruit smoothie version:
Blueberries
Raspberries
Home made milk kefir (if you can tolerate dairy)
Coconut cream (if you can tolerate saturated fat)
Half an avocado
Protein powder of some kind (I usually avoid whey)

I don't use tropical fruits like banana because they have too much sugar and tend to feed overgrowths You can add green apple for the pectin (pectin is great for the bowel wall), pear, peaches, whatever really.

I also eat wild salmon once or twice a week for the healthy fats. Don't eat farmed salmon, it is full of toxic chemicals. If you can only get farmed salmon where you are, then consider another kind of oily fish.

These are pretty much all I eat initially, and I gain weight pretty quickly.

I don't advise to consume too much animal based fat because it feeds proteobacteria that leads to flares. However, if you have tolerance for animal products and they don't cause ANY symptoms, then you should definitely add beef liver to your regimen. It is so incredibly nutritious and the body recovers fast when eating liver regularly. If it grosses you out, then you can just buy desiccated beef liver capsules online. The high level of retinol (active vitamin A) is amazing for the immune system. I find that once I get to the point that I can tolerate beef liver, and start taking it regularly, my recovery accelerates a lot. However, some UC patients can't tolerate red meat without flaring because it feeds their bad bacteria, so approach with caution. I would also add collagen powder to your hot soups, organic grassfed butter to your toast, and olive oil to your cooking. The bowel wall requires a lot of collagen for repair.

Post Edited (VanJordan) : 4/19/2021 12:06:02 PM (GMT-6)

^ I forgot to add honey to my recipes above. Yes! Raw honey, especially with bee pollen in it, is amazing. I add a spoon to my fruit smoothies.