WHAT? You have Crohns and you're Overweight?

[wwstreet]

Is anyone dealing with a double whammy? Being overweight and Crohns Disease is no fun. How are you tackling weight problems?

[Chatybaby]

Being able to keep weight on with crohn's is good and bad. When first diagnosed I was loosing a lot of weight. I had to have urgent surgery to remove part of my large and smaller intestine. Because of that scar tissue built up and I cant eat vegetables or most fruits. My diet is carbs and meat basically. Im glad I can keep weight on but it is also hard being slightly over weight now

[Megadodger]

With the Crohn's alone you're not losing weight?

I used to be pretty big. I was about 260lbs at 12 when I first got sick. Within four months I lost about 120lbs (that's when we realized something was seriously wrong).

If you have problems losing weight with Crohn's I think you should think of it as a good thing! That means you're getting the nutrients you need. A lot of us aren't that lucky. I spent about 2 years being slightly under weight until I was placed on Prednisone. I gained a good 70lbs and now I'm working it off.

I think being active is the best thing we can do. If it doesn't get rid of fat, then it builds muscle which burns fat. I used to do a lot of stairs, but the Prednisone ruined my knees and now it hurts too much since I'm too heavy.

I think the diet is set differently for everyone with Crohn's. Some doctors say that fibre is a good thing! You need it. Well, not me. Fibre is NOT my best friend; in fact, it actually causes me more pain. This does make it harder to diet..

I've lost 20lbs in the past month because I have support and someone doing it with me. I don't eat any gluten, red meat, fatty foods, fried foods, or anything with lots of packaging.
I eat a lot of veggies, fruits, chicken, fish, and rice.

Portioning *****.. Because I think about how much I actually get to keep.. But I think if you set yourself up and don't be afraid to give into a little temptation you should do great.

And remember, you don't want to be tiny. People with IBS and IBD's should have some reserve. We have flair ups, and sometimes we get really sick, if you allow yourself to be stick skinny, you'll end up being hospitalized a lot sooner than you think is necessary.

Good luck!

[Sechmeth]

Have you looked into the special carbohydrate diet? It was developed for crohns, is yummy and since it is very low on carbs, it might help you not only to get your symptoms in line, but also to loose weight.
It sure helped my GI symptoms.
Good luck!