Re:Re: Too skinny--not gaining weight

[Guest guest]

Annie

SCD works miracles, but it takes time. When you've been ill for a long time, as you have, then you can expect it to take several years, at least, for your gut ecology to be restored. But of course you'll feel improvements steadily, with the occasional flare-up as part of the healing process. And as you improve over the months you usually start gaining weight once your body can digest the food you're giving it. In other words, you have a ways to go yet before you'll start gaining weight. But you know you're on the right track if several of your symptoms vanished in the first few days to a month. That is a very good sign.

For now, I'd just concentrate on eating those foods your digestion and body handle the best. Eat as much high-calorie or high-fat items your body will tolerate in order to try to maintain weight and not lose any more. Eat small meals frequently. Smaller meals are tolerated better by the digestive system, and it will help you maintain energy levels.

I deal with chronic nausea as one of my symptoms -- I have functional digestive disorders of my upper GI. As a result I rarely feel hungry. But I have to eat in order to maintain energy, so I just eat a small meal every 2 to 3 hours from 8 am until 7 pm. It works for me, and I stabilized my chronic symptoms and restored my gut ecology. I lost a lot of weight initially, which was OK as I had a lot to lose. After year 3 on SCD I stopped losing weight and now have to watch what I eat so I don't gain...

I know it is difficult to persist on SCD when everyone around you is urging you to do something else. There's something about food and digestive issues that make people very opinionated in their advice. I stuck to SCD in those early months when everyone around me was telling me how "bad" the diet was, simply because my pain levels were dropping -- and that meant I was on the right track. And in the end I was proved right. Of course none of my friends and family who argued with me have ever said that I made the right decision [wry smile]. But that doesn't matter. How I feel is what counts. And thanks to SCD I feel so much better, and my doctors are astonished at how well I'm doing.

So you are on the right path. Just keep going.

Kim M.

SCD 6 years

>>>>>>>>

Is there a magical point in this diet at which us skinny people can look forward to gaining weight? I am getting frustrated because my clothes aren't fitting and some of my co-workers are starting to think I am out of my mind for sticking with this diet even though I have explained that it is for improved digestive health and not weight loss.I know the diet is working because after the first three days I started all of the bloating, cramping and gas went away like magic! After about a month on the diet my joint pain disappeared.I am trying to eat more but it is harder since my appetite is gone. I am a little hungry in the morning but not much later in the day. Has anyone else experienced this? Thanks,Annie