Hi this is my first post here, but I’ve been reading the forums on here for years. I’ve had a lot of health issues in the past. I’ve recovered from thyroid cancer, but now have gastrointestinal issues that I’m in the long process of having diagnosed.
It looks like it is either Crohn’s or irritable bowel syndrome. I workout consistently and try to eat a lot, but it is really hard to gain weight because the food just goes right through me, so to speak. I’ve found that I can’t eat any dairy without bad stomach pain and diariea and beans seem to be problematic also. I wanted to see if anyone has any advice or resources that might help?
It is very frustrating now being able to gain weight despite spending time training and eating and getting a lot of sleep.
Thanks for any help
Some background info:
Weight: 175 lbs
Height: 5’11’’
Squat: 290
Bench: 185 (haven’t maxed out in a while, should be able to do more by now)
Deadlift: 405
Welcome to TNation mate!
You describe two serious conditions and I would be mindful of taking any advice from someone who hasn’t been there. For what it’s worth, I exhibited the symptoms of IBS following a brief period of excess back in May. The doctor was of little help so I adopted the FODMAP diet approach following some online research.
This meant supplementation was stripped back to the bone (no whey powders, etc). I tried a few things to improve bowel health (including colonic hydrotherapy, which I don’t think did anything other than clear me out temporarily after many days constipated). I swung from loose bowel to constipation, and at times had painful bloating 24/7.Keeping to the FODMAPs diet helped immensely. I also supplemented with fibre, glutamine, digestive enzymes and probiotics. It is only recently that my gut has resembled anything like normal and I have been able to phase back in quality low lactose whey products, as well as some foods like almonds, avocado, sweet potato, and broccoli. I still avoid gluten (which is no bad thing) as well as meaningful quantities of cruciferous veg (which I do miss, as I ate loads).
The good news is, if you do FODMAPs, there are plenty of good choices for active people. Most protein goes, as do eggs, green veg can come from spinach, kale and green beans, and carbs from white rice and white potato. All you need really.
Thanks! That gives me a lot to look into. It will definitely be easier after I get a concrete diagnoses, but this is very helpful in the meantime.