No weight gain here but I can't seem to drop any no matter what and I always have what looks like a pouch belly ESP in pictures which makes me look heavier than I am.

I have been trying to loose weight and nothing seems to work. Is there any restrictions on diet pills? My doctor tells me one thing and then a few months later tells me something different. He is the only colon surgeon in my area so I don't have much of a choice

I've done nothing but gain weight since my colectomy. I thought that this surgery would have the silver lining of no more weight worries. Nope, my small intestine has been as efficient as ever. I even wound up enrolling in a medical weight management course in order to lose some weight. The small intestine is where the nutrients are absorbed, not the colon.

The secret? There is none. Healthy choices and small portions. A real eye opener to find out how small your portions should be to maintain a healthy weight. Keep the activity level up. Exercise alone will not get you to lose weight, but it keeps your metabolism from dropping when you reduce the calories. Eating sweet, salty, and fatty foods just tells your brain you want/need more. You need a 3500 calorie deficit to lose one pound.

Bottom line, you cannot eat the same at age 40 as at age 20.

Jan

Hi Jan,
I have been reading your insightful posts for years without commenting or replying. I have learned a lot about my condition from this site since going from UC before surgery to Crohns after the J-Pouch surgery (in 1990). My problem is the opposite of most on this board. I lost about 25 pounds in the last 10 years and can not gain it back. I am underweight by that 25 pounds. I am milk intolerant and can not tolerate onions or oregeno. Dr. Shen prescribed Creon enzyme and thought that might help, but it does not. Do you or anyone on this board have any suggestions?
Thanks for all the years of helpful reading.

Gee, it might be nice if we shared a bit of each other's problems! I suppose that a lot of my issues are related to picking the wrong ancestors! LOL, there is not much to do to change your basic set point, but it seems that somehow you have.

I wish I could help you, but I have no idea. The one thing that comes to mind is a paleo type diet or perhaps FODMAP (especially since you mentioned the onion connection).

I know how to gain weight for myself; just eat more! Apparently, that does not work for you.

Jan

I've gained 70 pounds since my surgery 15 years ago, granted I needed to gain about 40 pounds since I was so under weight but geez, it can stop anytime...

After my initial surgery it took some time, but, eventually I put on quite a few pounds. I was up to 230#........then when I had my Modified Duodenectomy I lost alot again, I've managed to put a few pounds back on, but, it's a bit of a struggle to put on major weight.

The key is food portion and what your eating, at least that's what worked me putting weight on and in turn when I tried to take it off......exercise helps too.

Boy have I gained weight.  The only way I lose weight is to up protein, decrease carbs. The diet plan that is most enjoyable for doing this  is the Ducan diet.  I lost  20 pounds on this.  I kinda fell off the wagon though and I really need to get back to it.

And increase movement.  It can be little things.  Go to Walmart?  Park out in the boondocks and walk.  Got a chance to choose between elevator or stair?  Choose stairs.  I am not diabetic but seem to be really sensitive to carbs.

Got my j-pouch in 2002 at the age of 29.  I was thin before my j-pouch surgery and stayed thin after my j-pouch surgery.  It was not until I got pregnant that I gained weight.  I did gain 42# during my pregnancy.  I did not worry about the weight coming off.  All 42# eventually fell off after a little less than 2 years.  I am now back to my pre-pregnancy weight.  I am currently 127#.

hey, I here.

i'm used some program low carb, or say no sugar... still loss weight

Maybe I don't have enough time to excise everday

 

I am a true believer in behaviour modification...one tiny little thing at a time. I do not believe that we can maintain huge, drastic changes in our lifestyle over long periods of time...so I do everything with moderation and over time.

First I switched out all 'whites' for darks...White flour became whole grain, bran or other similar types (I no longer enjoy white bread of any kind any more), then I limited it to only certain days of the week...I give myself 1 bread/carb day/week...so there is no frustration...White sugar became dark or none at all (I avoid the artificial sweetners most of the time and only drink occasional diet sodas), plain 2% yoghurt instead of sugary stuff (no sweetner please, it fools the pancreas but can hurt you in the long run)...learned to eat salads with just lemon and olive oil + spices instead of gobs of dressing and only grill, broil or barbque most meats.

I am very active physically (don't own a car, walk everywhere or take public transportation which mean stairs and long corridors), carry my groceries miles and generally act as if I live in 1950...I exercise too but my activity level is probably higher than most people's exercise level so I can enjoy my exercise without stress.

Not buying a lot of junk helps too...if I don't have it I can't eat it. 

For me it is a a case of balance...As my surgeon says, Life is all about intake and output...less intake (calories) and more output (exercise, sports...) and you lose weight, more intake and less output and you gain (metabolism is the only variable)...your body will plateau at some point and you will have to up your game to kick the metabolism up and make it burn more...

I've finally cut out the caramel corn, nuts and ice cream...so I am seeing results without much effort...sometimes you just have to choose a food and remove it from your diet as if you were alergic to it (alcohol, chips, pizza...) and find a replacement for it...you will see a gradual difference but that is the best kind.

Sharon

Make sure you get your Thyroid checked. There is a connection of Thyroid disorders and FAP. An underachieve Thyroid can cause weight gain. If you're tired, always cold... Those are some of the signs of Hypothyroidism.

Been there.