Still feeling horribly.....

[jlbattin]

This is my breakfast every single morning! I buy it in a 3 pound roll at Costco and cut it, bake it, and then freeze 2 of them in freezer bags. It travels with me too.

https://www.jimmydean.com/products/fres ... rk-sausage

[tex]

Tex, I wanted to ask you - would you say that corn tortillas would be okay in place of the bread? Yes I can eat pork and I am going to try the lamb - that is one of my safe foods as well.

Yes, if corn is safe for you, corn tortillas are a great choice. That's what I eat anytime I want a wraparound. My regular breakfast is two tortilla wraparounds, each containing two crisp, thick slices of bacon on an egg. These days it's a good idea to make sure the tortillas are marked gluten-free, but most corn tortillas are. I cook breakfast on a griddle and I let the bacon fry about 10 minutes so as to accumulate some grease. Then I turn the bacon, and add the eggs and the tortillas.

I only leave the tortillas on for about a minute (I've never timed it — turn them just as they begin to show a few small brown spots. If you leave them on too long they will get too dry and tough in a hurry. Then I flip them and the eggs, and take the tortillas off after about 10 seconds of cooking on their second side. I turn the bacon again and leave the eggs just long enough that the yolks are cooked (I hate runny yolks). By then, the bacon should also be just right, so I stack the eggs and bacon on the tortillas, and roll them and eat them as if they were burritos.

Of course, this could be eaten any time you want, for that matter. It doesn't have to be just for breakfast.

For a while I used Jari's suggestion (Jimmy Dean Sausage) until I found a local supplier for good, safe, tasty, pure pork sausage. I eat sausage for my main meal every day. Of course, you may want to substitute pork sausage for the bacon for breakfast, or you can use it as an alternate, to add some variety.

Tex

[skp]

I, too, think the gluten free bread may be one of your culprits. I didn't eat any bread for well over a year and then only a purely gluten free bread made by a woman here who has a completely gluten free bread kitchen. Even now, I only eat a piece of that bread, toasted, now and then. Once you have not eaten bread for awhile, you will become quite used to it.

Many of us lost weight in the beginning but eventually gain it back. It's scary at first to lose so much weight.

Breakfast for me for many, many months and even now, is a piece of ham or other protein with well cooked vegetables, applesauce and cashew milk. Cashew butter also works for me on corn or rice crackers, but you may not want to go that route quite yet.

Best of luck! You are in my thoughts.

Susan

[Rosie]

One suggestion for gaining weight (or at least not losing) that I haven't seen mentioned yet is the crucial importance of keeping track of how many calories you are consuming per day. I was having trouble gaining weight and puzzled as to why. But when I added up the calories of all that I was eating, I was shocked to learn that I wasn't eating enough, so no wonder I wasn't gaining. There are a number of available internet sites to find out how many calories you need to maintain weight, depending on age, sex, current weight and activity level. For me that is around 1750 calories per day. Of course one of our problems is that we often don't absorb all the calories because of our MC. So it would be prudent to consume more than what is recommended for the healthy person in order to maintain our weight. The rule of thumb is to consume an extra 500 calories per day in order to gain 1 lb per week. That is a pretty fast weight gain, so fewer extra calories might work better depending on your goals. And since I have a fairly limited variety of foods I eat, it didn't take long to assemble a list of common foods and their calories to keep track of my intake.

Key for me was adding extra snacks with higher calories, like a banana smeared with almond butter, or my home-made Morning Glory Muffins. One of the problems with a limited diet is that is gets boring and requires effort to make yourself eat more. And some of us deal with nausea and lack of appetite. So more frequent meals and snacks helps with that. And by keeping track of the calories, I am motivated to make sure that I eat enough.

Good luck with gaining some weight back, barbieAnn.

[barbieAnn]

I want to thank you all, so so much for your advice. It means alot to me.

I do try to eat extra calories, but it seems that the more I eat, the more I poop! I will work on eliminating the bread and sugar and try to eat more snacks. I am going to try another doc - (just for fun?!) and let you know what he/she says. In the meantime, I think I will try the Pepto and Immodium to see if that would help alleviate my symptoms a bit.
a
Thanks again!

[carolm]

Hi BarbieAnn,
I also had lots of severe nausea when my LC was active. I know we’ve talked before about how effective acupuncture was for me. For milder bouts of nausea I still use meclizine sold over the counter as Bonine. My doc also prescribed Zofran which was helpful but be aware it’s a little sedating. I only took it if I knew I was going to be home. Regarding acupuncture: be sure you get an acupuncturist who takes time to listen and learn about your symptoms. My first acupuncturist was terrific. My current one- it’s a sideline for him (he’s my chiropractor) and he did no real exam at all; just kinda rushed in and put the needles in my knees and wrists. I won’t use him again for acupuncture.

As far as breakfast goes just eat whatever you feel you can tolerate. I ate turkey and potatoes for a long time. Then my next meal would likely be rice, ground beef and over cooked green beans or carrrots. Oddly, I found I could tolerate red potatoes but did not feel as well after eating russet potatoes. As grains go I had to avoid processed corn when reacting. Even tortillas felt like too much fiber. You will have to ‘challenge’ them to know for sure. I can tolerate them now. Like Tex said, I also turned to fats to get more calories- I cooked with coconut and olive oils and found I could tolerate Earth Balance Soy free butter. At the time I was also able to eat almond butter (until my favorite brand was no longer made soy free) so I got calories that way too. I know others here like sun-butter from sunflower seeds. Just be sure it’s not made on the same equipment as products with wheat or any of your other allergens.

I am also a fan of Morning Glory Muffins in our Recipes or Dees kitchen section.

I’m sorry your flare is continuing and hope you find relief soon. I re-gained weight fairly quickly after about 18-24 months but again, that was after inflammation was reduced.

Best wishes,
Carol

[dolson]

You and I are similar. I have my good days and I have my bad days. Sometimes I don't know what brings on this crazy disease. It seems to have a mind of it's own. That's why we need Tex's forum for support. We need to talk with people just like us.

My good days make me feel light as a feather, happy and life is worth living. I don't have to worry about the bathroom. My bad days are murder. I feel tired, angry, irritable and brain fog sets in quickly. I can't think straight and cognitive function declines. I lose things, can't find things, and I get crazy. The bathroom has to be near.

The only thing that really helps is Dr. Fine's probiotic. To be honest, I really didn't understand the function of probitiotics, but Dr. Fine explained it's like a wall that prevents escape. The leaky gut syndrome. Made sense to me and it helps. Bathroom rush is decreased and my hair grows back. I'm getting nutrients. Sugar, and artificial sweetener/coloring is a NO NO. If I don't know ingredients on food items, I move on to manufacturers who only use words I know. It's the KISS method. Keep It Simple Stupid!!!!!!

Barbie, we need each other for support. This forum is worth it's weight in gold. If you need to ask me anything, please do! Dorothy

[Greengoddess]

I've actually been drinking decaffeinated tea = if that makes a difference.

Tex, I wanted to ask you - would you say that corn tortillas would be okay in place of the bread? Yes I can eat pork and I am going to try the lamb - that is one of my safe foods as well.

I'm just at a loss as to what to eat for breakfast - I always have to eat something in the morning and it's usually 2 slices of toast, sometimes I have a hard or soft boiled egg, as eggs are also a safe food for me. Then mid-morning, raisin toast - lol - I know, you can see I like my bread. I just don't know what to substitute it with that would make me feel full.

Thank you all!

Sometimes I eat rice for breakfast with a bit of my food from the night before! I cook the rice in advance

[Rosie]

Instead of bread with its long list of ingredients and potential problems, try substituting a big bowl of cereal with sliced banana and safe milk, like almond milk, rice milk, etc. You can find organic, limited ingredients, rice or corn based cereals at places like whole foods or the organic sections of major grocery stores. Along with eggs, it makes for a good breakfast. You can even have another bowl of cereal for a mid-morning snack. It is very filling.

Rosie

[dolson]

Thanks for the comment on Jimmy Dean sausage. I find eating breakfast limited and boring. This gives me an option instead of eggs, smoothies, and GF Rice Chex cereal I'm not suppose to eat. What do you eat with your Jimmy Dean sausage? Fruit? Will eat JD sparingly since I'm a diabetic. Thanks, Dorothy

[jlbattin]

Dorothy,

I just eat two pieces of Jimmy Dean sausage now and that's all the protein I need. I used to eat it with a banana, but now I just eat the two pieces and nothing else.

[dolson]

Jari, I do believe Jimmy Dean is processed meat. Don't we have to be careful with anything processed? What are in the ingredients? I am scared of many foods. You've had no ill effects from the meat? Thanks, Dorothy

[jlbattin]

This one isn't.......it's the natural one....................

https://www.jimmydean.com/products/fres ... rk-sausage

[dolson]

Thank you Jari for showing me Jimmy Dean's natural sausage. I will try it.

[dhouts]

There's also Diestel Turkey sausage https://diestelturkey.com
That's my go-to breakfast