How to lose weight when veggies are mostly off limits?

December 22, 2009 10:13 PM

Looking for dieting help given several dietary restrictions. I have Crohn's disease and cannot comfortably eat most veggies and fruits. Also, does dieting automatically mean I need to be hungry all the time?

I'm 25, female and approximately 75-100 pounds overweight. My weight gain happened over the course of about eight years, due in combination to antidepressant medication, a love of pepsi, low motivation to work out, extreme fatigue due to my illness and difficulty tolerating "healthy foods." Following a recent surgery I've lost about 20 pounds and feel much better, to the point that I have the energy to start working out again. So that's one tactic to get to weight loss. I'm also almost 100% soda and caffeine free, and drink way more than my 8 glasses of water a day. I've considered Meridia for weight loss but I'd like to do it without a pill and the accompanying risk of serotonin syndrome.

I'd also like to implement some diet changes, but I'm affected by residual digestive problems. I love tomatoes and broccoli but lots of veggies are hard to digest, even cooked. I'm not too excited about fruit, so I couldn't really say how well those fair with my gut. Safe bets are simple starches and carbs like pasta but that's not particularly healthy.

I'd love some recommendations for easily digestible healthy food, or perhaps foods that are good for you but not traditionally "diet" foods and perhaps I haven't considered them. I'm sure there are people out there with similar problems that might have some tips.

Also, am I naive to think that dieting has to mean being hungry all the time? I don't mind restricting myself from extra calories so long as I'm not constantly on the verge of starvation. I want to lose this weight responsibly, and in a sustainable manner. Bonus points for foods that are relatively easy to make, but I do enjoy cooking when I have the time.

posted by gilsonal to Health & Fitness (18 answers total)

Protein.
posted by dfriedman at 10:17 PM on December 22, 2009

Response by poster: Like you said, kathrineg, I suppose I'm not looking to go on a diet so much as change my diet to be healthy and sustainable.
posted by gilsonal at 10:35 PM on December 22, 2009

Congratulations on the progress you've made!

Dieting shouldn't make you feel hungry all the time. To elaborate on dfriedman's point, protein is your friend when it comes to dieting and trying to stay full. I lost weight by doing the South Beach diet. SB doesn't seem like the right fit for you, but what might be of use is its method of eating small meals throughout the day, interspersed with protein-heavy snacks. So for me, a day might look like: eggs for breakfast, string cheese and a handful of almonds for a snack, a salad with chicken or tuna salad with veggies for lunch, an apple with peanut butter for a snack, some kind of meat and veggies for dinner, and a hard-boiled egg for a late-night snack. I kept containers with nuts with me at all times, as well as hard-boiled eggs if I could get away with it.

If you tell us which veggies and fruits you can digest easily, we can probably come up with more specific recipe recommendations.
posted by runningwithscissors at 10:50 PM on December 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

Two firsts.

First answer, best answer.

First person with Crohn's I have met who actually wants to lose weight. Consider yourself lucky. Often patients are facing life threatening weight loss. You must be doing something right. Keep doing it.
posted by caddis at 11:07 PM on December 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

does dieting automatically mean I need to be hungry all the time?

Depends on how fast your want to lose weight.

If you just want to lose one pound of body weight (most of which will be fat), then that's just 500 calories a day of sweating out more than you ingest through your mouth. No major starvation required for that.

Also, IME after a couple of weeks of non-binge, economical eating habits, your digestive system gets used to the lower caloric intake and actually starts to like it -- less work for it to do.

I don't have any dietary advice, other than almonds are an awesome protein source and I hope they will work for you. 20 almonds have about 150-200 calories, and can keep your stomach happy for around two hours, enough to get you between major meals.
posted by tad at 11:15 PM on December 22, 2009

^ one pound per week is 500 calories a day
posted by tad at 11:17 PM on December 22, 2009

You should probably talk to your gastroenterologist about whether or not additional fiber intake is recommended-- and what type, soluble or insoluble-- in your case. You can always make one of your extra glasses of water a glass of Metamucil or similar if your GI thinks it's a good idea-- it will add bulk and help you feel fuller.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 11:33 PM on December 22, 2009

Response by poster: caddis: yeah, my brother has Crohn's as well and can't gain weight, if only I could share my extra pounds with him. I have an unusual presentation, according to my doc. That plus the grad school lifestyle of spending my day reading or on the computer has left me burning few calories.

runningwithscissors: potatoes are easy, tomatoes usually are but have been troublesome lately. lettuce is a definite no. cucumbers have been okay if they are seedless and skinless. I was eating a ton of snow peas until my doc said it could be contributing to my migraines. Broccoli is hit-or-miss. Basically the more roughage/fiber the more trouble I seem to have. I haven't experimented with legumes since I've never liked beans, but now with lentils and more diverse kinds of beans in the store I really think I should give them a try. I'm not a fan of grainy textures, which is what dissuaded me initially, but its been a while so I may give some a try in good faith.
posted by gilsonal at 11:40 PM on December 22, 2009

Colitis sufferer here, so I literally feel your pain. Vis lentils - for me - I have found great variance in my ability to deal with them (which is a pain, because indian cuisine is my speciality).

Try Masoor dal (also know as red lentils), they mush right up when you cook them. Urad dal is also okay for me. Matki or Mot dal also mainly okay.

I have had bad luck with moong dal and chana/channa dal particularly. These varieties take longer to cook, don't mush as much, and tend to stay crunchier.

Good luck, I feel for you; our diets are so freaking limited as it is.
posted by smoke at 11:55 PM on December 22, 2009

First of all - Ditch the cola if you haven't already done that. Drink lots of water - it makes you feel full. Try to stop eating snacks - chips, chocolates, anything fried etc or atleast reduce intake.

For a few days, note down what you eat and in what proportion and note down the calories. An average adult human requires about 2000-2500 calories per day. You need to cut it short by about 500 calories per day to lose one pound in a week.

Try doing some exercise. If you don't do any right now, try going for a walk for about 10 mins few times during the day. If you do that much already, increase that. Post meal walks are good for you.


We constantly eat more than what we need. For a few days try eating 3/4th of your normal diet. Just try reducing the proportions and see if you can live on that. You might just be able to.
posted by bbyboi at 11:58 PM on December 22, 2009

I came in here to recommend replacing white pasta & bread with whole grains. They're more filling, and much more nutritious. So, seconding katherineg - I think she gave a lot of good advice.

Nuts of all kinds are also filling and very good for you in several ways. A bag of mixed nuts makes for a great snack if you're feeling hungry between meals (although be careful with them - they tend to be a bit constipating).

I also find oats are very filling, and tend to make me feel full longer than I'd expect. You can do oatmeal, or just raw rolled oats mixed with some soy milk and some berries (a dash of maple syrup doesn't hurt). It's surprisingly good even without cooking, and easy to make.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 12:31 AM on December 23, 2009

Hmm - just noticed that whole grains and nuts are both common triggers for CD in some people. So...maybe try changing just one thing at a time about your diet, so you can be sure which new thing is a trigger, if your new diet doesn't agree with you.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 12:35 AM on December 23, 2009

My basic diet. I'm a small dude, but cutting to get rid of some cosmetic fat.

Breakfast - Oatmeal 220 cal

Throughout the day water and tea. Nothing else.

Lunch - 1 or 2 Turkey/Chicken Sandwichs on a low cal sandwich bun. Almonds. 470 cal

Dinner - Turkey Burger, Beans and Vegetables. You can switch that side of veges to something that works for you. 500 cal

That gives me 300 cals for fresh snacks through out the day/evening. fruit, almonds, cottage cheese.

1500 calories a day.

Mine is pretty veggie light and i've seen great results. I also run 3-6 miles a day as well.
posted by mattsweaters at 1:23 AM on December 23, 2009

You asked for foods which are easy to make, so here's a high protein suggestion to see if you want to/ can add lentils to your diet.

It's a liquidy recipe for Pakistani style masoor daal (red lentils) It's quick, easy, high in protein, and mushy enough for a soup, though I like it with rice. This is enough for 2-3 meals for me.

1/2 cup red lentils, soaked about 15 minutes (you might want it longer in case that increases irritation)

Then add to 2 1/2 cups water, with 1/4 tsp powdered turmeric 1/4 tsp ground red chillies, 1/4 tsp salt (adjust these as you wish.) The turmeric is optional, but in South Asia it's believed to sooth irritable bowels.

Bring to boil, then let simmer. Forget about it for about 20-30 minutes.

This daal has the magical property that when it's done it suddenly looks and tastes done: homogenised and flavourful. Before this it has a raw edge, a layer of yellow water on top and the spices don't really come together. At this stage if you want to keep some in the fridge, take it out. It's practically impossible to overcook it, as far as I know.

Tarka step: Before serving, take a little olive oil, add a spot of butter if you wish. When it's hot, add sliced garlic and turn the heat down slightly to let it cook gently. I like to start this about 5-10 minutes early because I like slow cooked garlic. Use as much garlic as you like - at least one clove, I use 2-3. When the garlic is soft and turning golden, ladle a spoonful of the cooked daal into the frying pan. It's sizzle. Stir quickly and pour it back into the daal, to incorporate the garlicky flavour throughout. (I sometimes fry dried chillies and a pinch of black cumin with the garlic, but that might not suit you)

As I said, I like it with plain basmati rice, but have been known to just eat it like a soup. It might also be nice with wild rice. It also reheats well, on low heat with plenty of water, especially if you do the tarka step after reheating.
posted by tavegyl at 3:59 AM on December 23, 2009

(Sorry, wasn't very clear: refrigerate after the daal is fully cooked but before the tarka, not when it's still uncooked)
posted by tavegyl at 4:01 AM on December 23, 2009

Root vegetables - they fill you up all at the same time thus reducing your reliance on grains.

There are grains and there are grains - some types have a much higher protein content than others - read up on this and choose wisely. The protein rich ones will probably keep you going longer.
posted by koahiatamadl at 4:13 AM on December 23, 2009

Couple thoughts that weren't mentioned by others -

- If you are still taking anti-depressants, consider Wellbutrin. It tends to suppress your appetite.

- nthing protein. To alleviate hunger pains, I eat a protein snack at 10 AM (usually one ounce of cheese), and at 3 PM (usually a hard boiled egg or deli meat). These snacks have made a HUGE difference in my hunger levels throughout the day, especially the one in the afternoon. I start wanting a snack about 2 PM and if I can hold off on having it until 3 PM, then I am good to go until dinnertime.

Otherwise, my diet is very similar to mattsweaters and I am losing a pound a week.
posted by eleslie at 4:30 AM on December 23, 2009

Whatever diet you follow, try spreading your food out throughout the day. If it's feasible, eat 4-5x a day instead of 3 or something (but eat the same amount of food as your diet recommends). That may stop you from getting hungry during the day. Also, this thread has some good suggestions of cookbooks for lentils and legumes and the like. Maybe, if you had some tasty recipes, you would like them better? There are some grains that have a lot of protein including quinoa. And eating whole, unprocessed grains are generally healthier than processed ones (like pasta), but I'm not sure you will be able to digest them. If your doctor says it's ok, oats, brown rice, barley, and whole wheat granola may be options.

Good luck, and don't get discouraged. Crohn's can be a really tricky thing to figure out in terms of diet.
posted by bluefly at 5:48 AM on December 23, 2009