“Gaining weight?”
In 2013, I had surgery for 7 blockages from Crohn's disease. I lost 20 pounds and have been unable to gain this weight back. How do I gain weight with my healthy diet?
Male | 84 years old
Complaint duration: since 2013
Medications: Pentasa
Conditions: Crohns Disease
2 Answers
Try meat protein
First, we should know if you are consuming sufficient calories. If you are not eating enough then the solution is simple: eat more.
If you are eating plenty of calories and not able to gain weight, then this means that the calories are being eaten up by a process in the body rather than being stored. In your case, with a history of Crohns, my first thought would be that the Crohns disease is active and this is eating up calories. You should be sure about whether the Crohns is in remission. Your GI doctor needs to prove that the Crohns is controlled. If it is not controlled, then this is why you cannot gain and the Crohns needs to be treated.
If the Crohns is truly in remission, then yet another cause for calorie loss needs to be sought, e.g. you are not absorbing well the food that you eat. You may have malabsorption if you lost a lot of bowel from the prior surgeries. Your GI doctor should also be able to diagnose malabsorption.
If you are eating plenty of calories and not able to gain weight, then this means that the calories are being eaten up by a process in the body rather than being stored. In your case, with a history of Crohns, my first thought would be that the Crohns disease is active and this is eating up calories. You should be sure about whether the Crohns is in remission. Your GI doctor needs to prove that the Crohns is controlled. If it is not controlled, then this is why you cannot gain and the Crohns needs to be treated.
If the Crohns is truly in remission, then yet another cause for calorie loss needs to be sought, e.g. you are not absorbing well the food that you eat. You may have malabsorption if you lost a lot of bowel from the prior surgeries. Your GI doctor should also be able to diagnose malabsorption.
