Struggling to Lose Weight After Surgery, Need Advice

How do so many of you stay so thin? I was thin before my surgery and right after, but now cannot lose a pound. Help if you can.

For me, it's partially because of the surgery that left me with short gut syndrome, and I'm a healthy eater, but I don't eat meat. I should probably be eating more carbs (that will put the weight on). Also, if you are rendered disabled like me, it can make you more sedate and less active, making it easy to put on weight.

Hello looking forward. 

This is an interesting question and I look forward to reading the replies. 

From adolescence up until my surgery I was physically active and mostly a healthy eater. My weight did not change more than a few pounds at any time. After surgery My weight stayed the same but my stomach bulged so much that I looked as though I was pregnant. This was put down to a hernia so I wear a belt to hold it in. Last year I began to put on weight (not much, but significant in my case as my weight had been consistent until then). I tried to do more exercise, then I had my heart attack, so I felt that this method was probably not a good idea at this time. I then decided that I would measure out my food and cut down just a fraction each day on each meal. (not enough to practically notice except that I was measuring accurately so I was aware of the precise quantities). Over a period of a couple of months my weight gradually came back to my 'normal' so I have continued with the measuring techniques ever since and have had no more problems in that regard.

Everyone is so different in terms of their metabolism so what works for one person may well not work for someone else.

I hope this helps.

Best wishes

Bill  

I can't gain weight for the life of me. I can eat junk food all week long and it just doesn't show on the scale.

I'm with withed.......for some (and it's hard to believe I'm saying this) putting on weight is very hard, and for some (like me and withed) it's impossible. Ok, impossible is a misnomer. Us short-gutters could increase our weight a little bit if we got on Gattex, a daily hormonal injection that causes the villi in the bowel to increase in size and absorb more. But other than that.......we can eat whatever and any quantity of it and never gain an ounce. As a side benefit, the bad stuff like cholesterol and fat can't stick to us or doesn't get absorbed.......so we can eat crap all day and it won't kill us. As an example......I drink heavy whipping cream by the quart. When my local Aldi's runs out of whipping cream (I buy a lot) I buy quarts of Half Half and chug that. I eat McDonald's every day, sometimes twice. I just had a lipid panel done and my LDL/HDL/Triglycerides are all right smack in the middle of the normal range. Most docs can't believe it. A normal person would be gaining a few lbs a week and would have had a stroke or two if they ate like me. How's that for a "silver lining" to an otherwise shit-stained brown cloud? If there is a God I'm seriously concerned about his sense of humor.......and we need to talk.

Looking forward..........do yourself a favor and contact a good dietitian that specializes in IBD. There's a lot of work going on in clinical trials right now related to how what we eat directly affects gut flora, and although much of what they are finding out I think we already knew, once the medical community accepts it you're going to see a large-scale push to modify the quality of food supplied and the contents. A smart dietitian already knows all this and can apply this knowledge to your situation. I'm not saying that finding a good one will be easy, but they are out there. Ask your gastro for a recommendation and go from there. If you need help just shout.

Regards,

Bob

My Ostomy Journey: Ryan | Hollister

Since I was diagnosed in October 2009 with Ulcerative Colitis, I ate very little and my weight plummeted from 14 stone to below 10 stone and stayed that way for years.

Had ileostomy 09/2013 and the last couple of years, my weight has gone back to that stage and won't budge yet I still eat next to nothing. Is there any way I can lose weight again? My Gastro Consultant says I now need to live with it, not what I wanted to hear.

Hi guys,

I found this site on the web regarding metabolism, which most seem to think can be increased to make you burn calories faster. I found what they're saying interesting, so I figured I'd share.

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000893.htm

Regards,

Bob

Please love yourself as you are. I find it is better to have some extra weight after going through everything.

Walk, exercise, enjoy. Do your best. Extra stress about weight is not helpful. And it depends how much you are talking about.

If obese, then do your best to lose. If 10-15 lbs, don't worry about it. The extra weight is a cushion if you are ill and have a hard time eating.

Well, looking forward,

I am in the same boat as you, since my surgery I have gained significantly and just last month I decided to give it a fight. I put myself on a low sugar, low sodium, 1500 calories per day diet. I monitor it with an app called "My Fitness Pal" that I fill in religiously every day. It keeps me focused. I have been averaging a 2 lb. loss per week which I think is fantastic. I'm looking to drop 70 lbs :) no quick fix, just a long haul.

I don't know how long this will last but my goal is to make this the new normal and being Italian it isn't easy. I wish you the best for you no matter which street you decide to take but I will say one more thing that I have learned in my 66 years on this planet .... "The mind can achieve incredible wonders if you just stay the course" Ron

I have put on about 28 lbs in 3 years. I have this big bulge around my stoma. It looks like a big boob and I can't hold it in. More annoying than anything, but I had a CT scan to rule out a hernia and at least all my organs are good. However, there are no words for the bulge. I am still scared shitless to have a reversal, so I don't know. I try exercising, aggravate my back, and then have to slow down again. Sorry, I don't have an answer.

I feel this. Before my surgery 10 years ago, I was at my ideal weight and ate healthy and was active.

Now, I'm even more active than I was before (I go to the gym almost every day for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half) and I am the heaviest I have ever been in my life (30 lbs heavier than pre-surgery). And not muscle weight for sure (I'm squishy and my doctor has told me I'm overweight).

I bring this up because I'm wondering if it's a food issue - and whether this is the same for any of you - but before surgery I was eating a lot of raw veggies and nuts and grains and leafy greens and fruits (as well as meats and healthy fats). But now, unless I want to take 4 hours to eat a single salad, any leafy green, raw veggie, nut or seed are instant impaction foods for me. So by default I'm just eating meats, healthy fats, and some carbs (though I try to watch my simple carbohydrates and sugars) which is definitely not the diet I had before surgery.

Anyone else have this issue?

I also know that I'm 10 years older so my metabolism in general can be a little different than it was when I was young. I dunno. It's discouraging for sure, especially when it seems like so many ostomates don't have this issue.

Before cancer, I was a reasonably healthy, reasonably active, very stable 135 pounds, meaning I could have stood to lose about 10-15 pounds, but not a really big deal (I am only 5'2''). With cancer treatments, post-treatment side effects, ostomy, and post-ostomy issues, I bounced around like a yo-yo, down to 114, back up to 135, back down to 120, up to 150 (considerably overweight!), and now slowly losing, currently at 147. I have a honking big peri-stomal hernia and way too much fat in the belly, but I am working back to my goal of 120 pounds. It's really tough! I ride a bike for 30 minutes a day during the week and longer on weekends (I usually end up with 5-6 days a week average, as life gets in the way). I eat healthy whenever I can, lots of salads, fruit, and vegetables (I don't have too much trouble with impaction, although it took probably close to a year to move from a post-surgery low-residue basically unhealthy diet to a healthier one). I think the biggest thing was reducing the sugar in my diet, along with most red meat, and moving to a mostly vegetarian with some chicken/turkey/fish. And it's STILL taking forever to lose weight! I have had doctors say: post-menopause, medications increasing my appetite, not enough exercise (what??!!!), portion control on eating - you name it, at some point they've said it! Which really means, there's no single magic bullet, and it's going to take a long hard slog to finally lose the weight.

So, unfortunately, my best advice has to be hang in there, keep making small changes, and don't get discouraged. It's not going to be easy, but even little changes can add up to another pound gone, and then, eventually, another. Keep going, and know that while some people on this list can eat anything and not put on weight, there are many more of us in your boat with you. I am DETERMINED to finally lose this extra weight; I have faith that you will, too.

I'm down 50 plus pounds since my colon cancer diagnosis, surgery, and eventual recovery. On paper, that sounds wonderful, but I'm 5' 11" and 166 pounds. When I was diagnosed, I was 6' 3/4' and 235!

My problem is that because of the missing colon, I don't absorb nutrients as I should, and my overall appetite is MEH at best. To keep energy levels up, I try to eat a fair bit of protein, stay away from carbs, and anything that can cause spikes in sugar levels.

The good of all this is I can eat pretty much any damn thing I want, I just can't eat much of it......

Although we all have stomas, we are all very individual. Before I was diagnosed with Crohn's and up to when I started losing weight and becoming ill, which led to the diagnosis, I was never fat but I had a healthy weight. I was busy with three small children, never off the go, but I had a good appetite and ate well. I have had 8 operations over the years, getting my stoma in the sixth. I've been thin, sometimes extremely, dangerously thin since my first operation and the only time I can maintain a weight over 100 lbs is when I am on steroids. I have so little gut left that I can't absorb calories or goodness from the food I eat and because of bad adhesions, I cannot eat anything but mashed food in sauce, soups, and yogurts. The only meat I can eat is chicken and fish.

So of course I stay very thin, but you wouldn't want the disability that comes with having no strength or energy. I don't know your circumstances, but you may be on medication that makes it difficult to lose weight or some other medical reason. If it bothers you, talk to your doctor, but personally, I would revel in a few curves unless the weight was making me breathless or holding me back from leading the life I wanted. I wish you well, but remember, we are all different and that's what makes life so interesting.

I'm on the same boat, I have most of my midsection fatter than the rest and with the ileostomy I've developed a round hard bulge slightly above my belly. I feel bloated and deformed. I do walk and play with my dog everyday, a good hour and a half in the morning and the same in the evening that has helped me not get bigger than I am now.

Interesting question indeed and something which has been bothering me for far too long! I am 179cm tall and 90kg heavy. Like Bill said, I feel like I am pregnant with my stomach bulging out. I have tried controlling my food intake but that did not help at all.

Hi guys,

Those last 2 posts caught my attention. I life-coach a friend for whom life has not been very kind to, and he has a problem with his weight. He's not fat overall, he just looks like he swallowed a beach ball.....literally. His belly is hard as a rock and he can cross his arms and rest them on his belly while he's talking to you. Kids call him "Humpty Dumpty" and it fits. So I went with him to see his primary care doctor to find out what the hell was going on with his gut.

Turns out there are 2 kinds of belly fat.....subcutaneous and visceral fat. He has the latter, and it's a serious problem. Check out the link below for more detail, but subcutaneous fat is the normal stuff everyone gets that forms just under the skin. Visceral fat forms under your abdominal wall inside your main body cavity......and that's why it's so problematic......it's forming around your intestines and vital organs and not on the outside of your abdominal wall and under your skin. It's not impossible to get rid of visceral fat, but if you have it you need to know what you're dealing with. Not saying you guys have it, but just throwing this out there for your situational awareness.

https://www.healthline.com/health/visceral-fat

Regards,

Bob

Why is this comment so me!!! Lol but no I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at the age of 19 (now 20) and I bet you not my diet is not healthy at all. I eat almost more junk food than regular food, but yet I won't gain any kind of weight. Instead, I lose weight. But I have also heard that people seem to lose weight when they are on an ileostomy due to not absorbing the foods they eat. But for me, my metabolism is also really fast, so that can also be the thing. But if anyone knows how to gain weight while having an ileostomy, please let me know.

Thank you

Lando/Stomer :)

Hi Lando,

The simple answer on how to gain weight is to talk to a dietitian who specializes in IBD. Depending on whether your disease is active and how much of your bowels are affected is a large part of it. We can talk at length about the details, but I got to get to work now. If you want to chat more just shoot me a PM and I can go through the basics with you later. Trust me..........if I can gain weight with my 50 inches of small bowel and no colon.........so can you.

;0)

Bob

I just hang around people bigger than me. Eating right is about 85% of being in a normal weight range. Add in some exercise and it's even easier.

Any weight loss or weight gain plan has to have rules in my world. My favorite weight loss and healthy weight rules:

1. Don't eat anything that is white or which is made of many white ingredients.
2. Place a chewable portion of food in your mouth, put down your fork, and chew and enjoy that one bite. Don't shove in another bite until you've swallowed the previous one. You'll be amazed at how good this feels. Watch others eat, as they shovel in a new forkful while the previous forkful hasn't even been swallowed yet. It's kinda gross.
3. Don't eat red meat aside from one hamburger each summer. Don't eat any processed meats aside from one really good hot dog each summer.
4. Learn to stir fry your meals. Boneless chicken with the right spices and veggies make an amazing satisfying meal.
5. Eat fish 2 times each week if you can

6. Move around as much as you can each day. For some of us that's laps of the house at the top of each hour. Whatever you can do, do it

I hope these ideas help you

Personal motivators.... watch your older, dearest sibling essentially commit personal suicide by ignoring his diabetes from age 40 to age of death at 71. That's one heck of a motivator.
Get pumped up on prednisone in 2019 and pumped up to nearly 200 lbs at 5' tall.... get diagnosed with prednisone-induced diabetes 8 days after the above-mentioned brother's death. And get real serious right then and there. Then have prednisone destroy your body, necessitating 7 surgeries in 1.5 years amid a pandemic. I lost 80 lbs. Now I can't keep weight on because food turns me off big time. I just don't enjoy it. Can't go out for exotic foods, so I do my stir-frying because I have to eat something.