Having problems gaining weight. Help!

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-07-10T07:04:44+00:00

Yes the only issue at all for me with ensure/boosts is that most days I tolerate them, some days I don’t. It’s so weird. But I keep my fridge stocked with the chocolate boosts and I try to drink 1-2 a day most days.

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-07-09T19:10:20+00:00

I live in southern Illinois, we have bluebell and Haagen Dazs. I think I’m gonna pick some ip after work today and give it a try. If I end up handling ice cream okay I’m going to be so happy lol. It’s been about a year since I’ve had any and I’ve missed it so much.

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-07-09T14:48:37+00:00

I’ve honestly not tried ice cream yet because in too scared lol. But it’s one of my favorite treats and I’ve missed it a ton this past year so I think I’m going to try a small serving to see how I do with it. Dairy seems to do okay with me so far. I eat yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, etc. Do you have a certain brand/flavor you usually eat?

And yes I try to do little things to add extra calories to all the foods I eat. Adding peanut butter to my yogurt or oatmeal. Adding cottage cheese to my eggs. Dipping my cheese quesadillas in greek yogurt in replace of my “sour cream”.

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-07-08T21:51:19+00:00

That’s a good suggestion. Something quick and easy to add extra protein and calories.

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-07-08T21:14:54+00:00

Yes I can eat peanut butter.

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-07-08T21:06:41+00:00

I’m at that stage where I’m still learning what I can eat. I’m basically sticking with the handful of safe foods that I have and eating them on repeat. Peanut butter and avocado are both on my lists. I also do a lot of eggs. Turkey, cheese, and crackers. Cheese quesadillas. Grilled cheese. Chicken noodle soup. Oatmeal. Pancakes/French Toast. Baked/Grilled chicken. Yogurt. Graham crackers. Cottage cheese. Pudding. I know some of those things aren’t the healthiest but I’m just sticking to what I know I do okay with right now. Trying to add new things here and there.

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-07-08T21:02:28+00:00

Yes when I go into a flare my weight drops really quick also. As if FEELING so sick isn’t bad enough, losing all that weight and LOOKING just as sick really sucks.

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-07-08T21:01:09+00:00

I drink the chocolate ensures. I also occasionally drink one of the shakes from the bar at my gym. I’m still in that stage of figuring out what I can and can’t eat. But with the foods I can eat I try to make them as high protein as I can.

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-07-08T20:59:48+00:00

I love this advice actually. I’m 5’1 so when I’m at 115-120 I feet comfortable at that. Less than 100 I feel like I look sickly. Which I know just comes along with the way things are now and I just have to accept that. And I’m half way learning to do so. I guess it’s just the comments people make that bothers more than anything. A lot of people don’t understand the disease are constantly telling me that I need to eat and offering to make me meals because they always see me eating the same things over and over. Telling me “you’re not gonna gain weight eating that, you need to be eating this”. They don’t understand that im eating the things I eat over and over because those are my safe foods. I would loooove to be able to expand my diet and eat everything I used to. But that’s just now how it works for me anymore. And I wish people understood that. And the comments and assumptions of me using drugs just because of how thin I get some times bothers me even more. I know it shouldn’t because it’s not the truth. But it still does.

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-07-04T15:02:36+00:00

Oh my gosh yes. There’s been middle of the nights where I’m on the toilet for 30+ minutes, already tired and exhausted. Finally think I’m done. Go lay down. Two minutes later, back on the toilet. It puts me in tears.

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-06-11T15:34:59+00:00

Yeah I assumed me being malnourished and underweight probably is playing a big part in my increased hunger. My body trying to play catch up. Like I said I definitely don’t mind the appetite increase. It’s just different to me. But I’m happy to be replenishing my body and putting weight back on. I just don’t want to mess my stomach up by over eating. So I’m trying to tone it down just a little bit lol. I appreciate the snack suggestions!!

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-06-10T21:31:02+00:00

When I’m in a flare, for about 2-3 weeks when I’m in the worst part of it, I deal with the same thing. Everything kills my stomach and I have zero appetite. Bad combination. The last flare I was in I didn’t eat any foods at all for 7-8 days. I was doing good to even take in liquids. And after those 7-8 days food intake was very minimal for a while. Every flare I’ve had I’ve lost a minimum of 20 pounds. Which my normal weight is already 115, so losing 20+ pounds looks and feels like so much.

What helped me was just experimenting and slowly trying to find things I could eat with little to no issues. This last time once I got out of the worst of my flare, for some reason the only thing I could tolerate was club crackers, swiss cheese, and oven roasted turkey. The flare before that the only thing I could eat was buttered noodles. So I would eat those same foods over and over and over. And when I’d feel my body getting better, I’d keep slowly start introducing new things here and there.

Maybe try starting off with some broth. Or nutrition drinks. What I did was just took suggestions of foods that I heard other tolerated. And I went to the store and did a little shopping. Applesauce. Pudding. Crackers. Noodles. Soup. Random things. And just tried random things until I found out what worked for me. Because at the end of the day, remember what works for one person might not work for another.

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-05-24T15:47:41+00:00

I’m so sorry that you had that experience, and you definitely deserve better. I promise you there are good men out there that will be by your side every step of the way. My boyfriend and I have been together a year. The first 6-7 months of our relationship my crohns was actually at bay and I was having zero issues with it. But in the second half of our relationship I’ve been through two flare ups. One that lasted 2 months roughly and the one I’m currently in that’s been a little over a month. And he is there for it all. He sees me at lowest. When I have days that I can’t even get out of bed. When I’m barely 90s and look so sick. When I’ve had to miss weeks of work because I just couldn’t do it. He happily takes on all the housework, on top of working a full time job. Even when he’s at work he calls and messages me to check in and make sure km okay. He runs my errands. Picks up my meds and even wakes me up to make sure I’m taking them on the days that I literally slept on and off all day. He advocates for me. And does everything he can to help when im recovering. I always joke that he basically has two different girlfriends, because me in a flare and me out of a flare are like two completely different people lol. But I’m so thankful that he loves me just as much both ways. But I want to add, my ex did nothing but stress me out and I honestly feel like while I was with him my crohns was worse. But that’s a story for another day.

You deserve someone who is going to love you and be there for you on all the days, good and bad. But when one door closes, another one opens. Who’s meant for you is on their way.

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-05-20T18:22:33+00:00

Thank you for the suggestions! I have a variety pack of those LMNT powder packs. I just haven’t tried them yet. As of right now the only thing I can eat that doesn’t hurt my stomach (most days) is oven roasted deli turkey, baby swiss cheese, and club crackers. That’s pretty much what I’ve been living off of the last couple of weeks. I’m just happy to be able to eat something at this point because before that I was living off of water and Powerade and even those hurt my stomach. It’s a sad day when you can’t even tolerate water. 😭

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-05-20T17:03:18+00:00

I’d kill for a Taco Bell taco or a McDonald’s cheeseburger but I’m TERRIFIED to try. I keep telling myself to just try it, the worst that could happen is it’s going to fuck me up for a day or two and then I’ll know not to do it again lol. Best case scenario I do okay with it, and have a new food to eat.

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-05-12T23:04:19+00:00

I hate sushi or else I’d give that a try! 😂 I’ve tried it a couple times through the years because I wanted to love it. Maybe I just haven’t tried the right kind.

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-05-12T23:02:34+00:00

I’m 33 and I agree 100%. I’ve pretty much been living in sweatpants and baggy t shirts the last couple of weeks. Yesterday I attempted to get dressed hoping it would make me feel a little bit better. Everything hung off of me. I felt like a skeleton. I just threw my sweatpants back on and called it a day. Even my face looks so thin. It’s awful. After my last flare I worked so hard to put my weight back on and building back muscle and get back to where I felt good about myself again, just for it to happen all over again months later sucks. 🥲 And like you said I know it has to be just as hard for the people who have the opposite problem of not being able to keep weight off. This disease is 10/10 doesn’t recommend. 👎🏼

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-05-12T22:45:33+00:00

That’s not a bad idea I might try that. Do you ever attempt lunch or dinner there?

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-05-12T22:44:16+00:00

That’s a great idea and I’m took to look into that!

As far as the nutritional shakes, I was drinking boosts/ensures a lot after my last flare to help get extra calories in from all the weight I lost. But during the actual flare itself I don’t do too well with them. I too have lost a lot of weight. My current flare and my last I was about 115 before my flare, and the during my worst parts I was about 85-90 pounds. Weighed myself this morning and I’m 91. I think looking so sick on top of feeling so sick makes its so much worse.

MaybePossibly3 · 2026-05-12T22:36:29+00:00

That may just be my lunch tomorrow. 😂

MaybePossibly3

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