a UC diet for effective muscle and weight gain please!

hi,

i posted the thread 'a question for body builders' recently and had an amazing response. despite being in the middle of a UC flare-up, i've managed to continue my weight training and my flare-up is slowly calming down, which is great news.

although i've managed to gain some weight during this period, i'm seemingly stuck at 71.4 kilos, and i don't know if it's the UC making it difficult for me to put weight on, or if i'm not eating enough, or both.

i got some great advice from people in the last thread, but i'm wondering why i'm still not gaining weight (clearly i'm not following it properly!). when i've eaten more my belly just seems to bloat a bit before dying down again after a few days.

so what would be the perfect diet? what kind of meals contain enough protein and carbs and fat and when should i eat them? how many protein shakes should i be drinking? is too much bad/ineffective?

all my hard work at the gym isn't paying off and just adds to the sinking feeling this frustrating disease sometimes gives me - i hope someone out there knows what i mean!

Hi...you do have to take in enough carbs to be burning during workouts.

How much do you eat during the day and what does your diet basically consist of?

quincy

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generally,
a big bowl of porridge for breakfast
lunch is sandwich based, salads....
dinner is maybe pasta, stir fry, chilli

in between yogurts, protein shakes, weight gainers (esp after workouts)
not sure i eat enough meat as that's a good source of protein i think.

I would think you should have an egg at least for breakfast and a complex carb toast plus the porridge...or the porridge and fruit for a mid morning snack.

What kind of sandwich? What kind of bread?

Dinner sounds good....

Yes, meats are good protein and iron

I have a protein with every meal. I hear it's better to eat calories rather than drink them...maybe add a protein drink with a meal rather than in between?

The gas and bloating could be from the yogurts and protein shakes, etc...because they contain milk products for the protein. They kill my gut with cramps..ugh. As well, some do contain artificial sweeteners that disagree with me..something for you to consider as well.

Definitely do the homework and make sure you have enough calories throughout the day to increase weight.

What's the goal weight you're wanting to be? I believe there's a "formula" for the calorie intake.

The trainer (forget his name) from Extreme Make-over focuses on the body type (ectomorph, endomorph, mesomorph and the combinations) and what each one needs regarding diet to increase weight or decrease, as well as what exercises to do for whatever goal achieved. maybe research him and see what you get. I like his way of training.

If you're trying to gain weight, I would think too much cardio wouldn't be as good as strength training since the cardio burns more calories.

No, I'm not "into" fitness...but this is what I've picked up with working with a fitness competitor and her suggestions for my own fitness since I can lose weight fairly quickly by increasing my activity level and decreasing the higher calorie foods...

quincy

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I'm afraid to suggest this but...is a sandwich based lunch enough? I would think rice/spagetti would be better, but too much might cause a problem for your colon.

NBT

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Diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis January 2007

Here's the website I've used for dietary recommendations:

http://www.building-muscle101.com/

It's not targeted at UC patients nor is the guy a medical professional, but it worked for him and it worked for me. I didn't use it while flaring, though. For me personally, it's tough to maintain weight during a flare, much less gain weight. Hopefully you'll have better luck.

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James

21 yrs old, diagnosed severe ulcerative pancolitis 2 Mar 2007
Hospitalized 27 Apr-5 May 2007; 16 Jun-22 Jun 2008
Asacol (mesalamine) 400 mg x 12 daily
Remicade <--first infusion on 3 May 2007
Imuran (azathioprine) 50 mg x 4 daily
Iron, Vit C, Vit D, Zinc, and seemingly always on Flagyl
Eating fruits and vegetables like there is no tomorrow...

I have had the same problem as you. It feels like I am always eating but still not gaining weight. One thing that has helped me, although I sure its not the most healthy way to gain weight, is chocolate milk. Three or Four times a week I'll pick up a liter of regular chocolate milk, not the reduced fat kind. One bottle has nearly 1000 Calories and 36 grams of protein. Often I find that its harder on my stomach to eat lots of solid food, but if I'm able to drink a lot of my calories it doesn't hurt my stomach as much. Again, this is probably not a real healthy way to gain weight, especially in the long term, but since I started drinking it I have consistently put on a pound or two a week.

I am in the same boat as some of you guys. I can eat tons and actually lose weight. Strange phenomenon huh.lol. I am going to start eating more fats and butter. I usually eat lean meat and steam veggetables without seasoning so I am going to get meats with more visible fats and skins and put lots of butter on my veggies and see how this makes my digestive tract act.

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Same here, my bench and dumbbell strength is growing, but I a keep losing weight, especially during my recent flare up. I just started adding a Lactose Free Protein shake (Muscle Milk or RTD 50) for after my workout. I just started it, but will keep you posted.

thanks for the responses. a lactose-free protein shake sounds good, plus the chocolate shakes too. people tell me that eating food is better to put weight on, but my little belly just seems to bloat! really annoying.
i've taken in all the advice here and will report back

thanks again

I get enough protein, but there's no way I could eat enough food to get the amount of healthy fat my body needs. So, I bought some good quality extra virgin olive oil and fill a shot glass half full and down it, 2x/day with meals. I also eat peanut butter (creamy) straight from the jar. I eat about 6-7 times a day, but I still haven't gained back what I lost. I have started strength training again for the past month, and regardless of my weight, I sure feel alot better.

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