Low carb for weight gain possible?

[JustSofi]

Hi!

I know it sounds weird but I'm trying to do low carb weight gain as I cannot have a lot of carbs foods due to crohns and celiac disease. Is it possible? Unfortunately I've lost a few pounds due to low carbing because as many know it suppresses the appetite. I'm finding myself struggling to get more than 1300 calories. I went from three meals a day to two. And even that is pushing it. I'm also confused about the calories idea. Some say calories don't count and some say they do but it's the quality. I'm leaning towards the second. Would adding more fats be a good way to gain? Or do I really have no choice but to eat carbs despite the pain. Oh I found out I have low pancreatic enzymes so my doc thinks that may be contributing to my poor digestion of carb rich foods.

[rwwff]

Heavy Cream.
Add to coffee
Win.

[JustSofi]

Lol heavy cream is good.

[Liz53]

Do ALL carb-containing foods affect your crohn's and celiac? Can you eat potatoes for instance? Sweet potatoes? Cooked fruits? It seems like low carb is not necessarily what you want. What you want is to avoid specific foods which trigger your diseases.

[JEY100]

Very few people on this forum have had your issues, and even if we had, everyone is unique and you must figure what calorie and carb level will allow you to gain with your limited food list. You do need to focus on getting the highest calories possible...they very much count for your recovery.

I have already linked two articles by Mark Sisson on how to gain weight on a Primal Diet....and each of them had hundred + comments by other readers as to what worked for them. There were many ideas there. I also directed you to the SCDLifestyle website with their suggestions. I have one friend with colitis who had recent bowel resection..he is regaining by following a Wheat Belly/Primal Blueprint diet. No GRains and No processed foods, but heavy on the whole food tuber carbs, e.g. Sweet Potato, with lots of butter and maple syrup, bananas. So focus on quality plus you need to add fats...lots...coconut butter, coconut oil, olive, butter, etc.

[JustSofi]

Hi Liz53,

As far as grains, I can't have any. Legumes, fruits, or anything with fructose is painful. I've been doing the fodmaps diet along with low carb since I feel better. To be honest I've not tried sweet potatoes and winter squash since Im so fearful of the pain. I guess that's where Im kinda hurting myself. Im just so scared to get bad pain that I restrict too much.

[JustSofi]

Hi Janet,

Oh yes I totally forgot about mark sisson primal weight gain! I will go look at that right now. Thanks for reminding me!

[Liz53]

Hi Liz53,

As far as grains, I can't have any. Legumes, fruits, or anything with fructose is painful. I've been doing the fodmaps diet along with low carb since I feel better. To be honest I've not tried sweet potatoes and winter squash since Im so fearful of the pain. I guess that's where Im kinda hurting myself. Im just so scared to get bad pain that I restrict too much.

I've read several of your posts and understand that there are many foods you can't eat. I don't eat grains either, by choice, not neccessity, and we don't need them. Good for you for dropping them.

What I am asking, though, is not what you CAN'T eat, but what you CAN eat. I don't have crohn's or celiac but I've read enough posts about them to know that many sufferers are able to eat cooked vegetables, but not raw, that lower fiber is better than high fiber.

The other thing I know is that these diseases are very very individual and that you are going to have to try different foods. It sounds as if you've done a good job of eliminating certain foods, but are not adding back in enough food to maintain your weight or gain.

Does your doctor have any guidelines for you?

[Nancy LC]

Have you tried any probiotic therapy? I don't know if I have Celiac, I got tested for gluten sensitivity and tested positive, and I definitely have a strong reaction to gluten, but my gut was a mess even after giving up gluten.

I have tried probiotics in the past and never felt they worked, but then after reading something Dr. Davis wrote, I realized I wasn't taking nearly enough for long enough. So I bought some probiotics from a good source and have been taking LOADS of them and I'm finally getting some relief from my IBS-D.

I'm even experimenting with eating seeds, which I haven't been able to eat for ages.

Anyway, I know our issues might be different but I'd encourage you to try it.

http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2013/01/nutritional-supplements-in-the-wake-of-wheat-elimination/

[JEY100]

SCDLifestyle just posted 5 Weight Gain Shakes!!
Perfect for you...they have more weight gain ideas on this website so look back into their other articles.

http://scdlifestyle.com/2013/04/5-real-food-weight-gain-shakes-paleo-scd/

[JustSofi]

Hi Liz53,

Oops my bad, I thought you were asking what I can't eat. As far as foods I can eat, I can have all fish, butter, butter lettuce, and small amounts of well cooked broccoli. I've tried other meats, dairy products, and vegetables but all to no avail. Your totally right in that its an individual thing. Im just feeling so stuck that perhaps I could see if anyone had ideas.
My doc only recommended the fodmaps diet.

[JustSofi]

Hi Nancy LC,

I've tried probiotics only to get more diarrhea...sorry tmi. I'm not sure if its because the dosage was too much. I probably need to try it again though

[JustSofi]

Hi Janet,

Oh thank you! I'm going to go check that out right now. I looked at mark sisson website about paleo weight gain and Im definitely excited about his approach. Sounds doable! I've bought some more butter to lather up my tuna steak!

[JEY100]

Let us know Mark Sisson's ideas or these shakes work out. There is even an egg free shake, but have you tried eating just the yolks yet? If you could add the yolks to these shakes, it would make them nutritious with more healthy fat.
Be sure you are getting full fat coconut milk..From Asian markets or Trader Joe's calls theirs coconut cream. And as many scoops of extra whey, rice, soy protein powder...whichever you can tolerate, helpful to add to any one of the shakes.
I have heard Cassandra Forsythe interviewed in the past, she has an update about FODmap information on her blog.http://cassandraforsythe.com/blog/FODMAP+Diet+Update
There seems to be much overlap among the SCD, GAPS, and FODmap diets, but you need to compare each one to what you know works for your body.

[rwwff]

1.... you do know that Tuna steak is almost all protein, right? You need fat (or carbs even) to gain weight. Protein is really inefficient for that process, if a lot of your food is very high protein, this might be a key to your trouble up to this point.

Might look into butter/cream based sauces, you can add a lot of delicious calories with things like hollandaise sauce in quantity.

[Sagehill]

rewriting... lol

[Sagehill]

Adding carbs to gain weight is not really the answer for underweight people, who are usually severely nutrient-deficient.

In the book that got me restarted on LC some six years ago, called Life Without Bread by Allen and Lutz, there is a chapter called "Gastrointestinal Disorders: Reduction, Relief and Restoration" which talks about gastric disorders, colon disorders and even malignancy. And in the Weight Control chapter that follows, there are before and after pictures of a severely underweight Austrian man, 5' 9" tall and 100 lbs. He gained 44 lbs in three months on a very high fat diet, and says:

... I now adhered strictly to Dr. Lutz's diet and included fat meat, sausage, and ooked liver (which I consider to be of greater value than other meat); two to three egg yolks occasionally; steamed low-carbohydrate vegetables; about 1/8 liter (1/4 cup) of cream and 150-200 grams of butter daily; cheese; milk; a little uncooked fruit; and a small amount of curds (soft cheese like dry cottage cheese). At my present weight of 60 kg I feel strong and am able to run as before. The changeover to a very high-fat diet was easy and there were no ill effects. Like Lutz, I am convinced that starchy food in large quantities is bad for us, and I would like to offer him my personal thanks for his book.
You can see the pictures if you search inside the book for "before and after changing to a low-carb diet" page 145:
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Without-Bread-Low-Carbohydrate-Diet/dp/0658001701

[JustSofi]

Hi sage hill Jenny,

I'm buying that book! Thanks!

[Sagehill]

Oh good, Sofi! It's a good book... it talks about celiacs, crohn's, diverticulosis, and other gut issues.

Thanks for reminding me to reread it... haven't done so for several years. ;)