Safe Diet Recommendations for Ileostomy Patients with Multiple Health Issues

Hello, I am searching for a safe diet that a person with an ileostomy can go on. No matter what I do, I cannot lose the extra weight that I have gathered around my stomach since having my most recent surgery in 2018. It is very difficult to do exercise outside now due to my knee being replaced and the heart condition that was graciously given to me by Covid. All the diets I have seen include raw vegetables that I cannot eat. I am down to one meal a day now. Also, my Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is causing total chaos, causing my Hypothyroidism to go rogue. The doctors are having a very difficult time regulating it, which causes the symptoms to go out of control. It seems that when they put me on a higher dose, I am OK for a short time and then I am getting too much TSH. Then, they lower the dose and I end up not getting enough. There is no in-between with 175mg and 150mg. It has literally been a nightmare!! When I go low, my other two immune disorders attack and I break out with the sores from Prurigo Nodularis and the blisters from Bullous Pemphigoid. On top of that, my hair starts to fall out, the weight packs on, and the fatigue sets in. It's one thing after another and it is so depressing!! I have gone to a dietitian but they really cannot help because regular diets don't work well. I cannot take diet pills as they don't stay in my system long enough to do anything. Things fly through the ileostomy very quickly. I do take gummy vitamins so I am getting some useful nutrients. I am seriously thinking of having liposuction done since all the muscles in my stomach area have been damaged from 2 Cesareans, several abdominal surgeries, and a full hysterectomy. I worry about intimacy with a partner because my body is so beat up and ugly. Please, if any of you have found a diet that works, please tell me what it is. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

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Hope you find something you like.

It sounds like you have a few complicating factors, but I'm not sure why you couldn't just cook your vegetables instead of eating them raw. If you are unable to lose weight just in one area of your body, i.e., your abdomen, it probably isn't diet at all. Perhaps you are starting to get a hernia, or is it just the 'normal' mound that most of us have with a colostomy or ileostomy? My abdomen isn't flat anymore either, but I think it's pretty normal.

Terry

You can't do Carnivore or Keto? There are two things to weight loss if you want to do it naturally: eating the right foods and exercising. If you eat healthy but don't burn any calories, you'll lose a little to begin with and then plateau. Liposuction will do nothing long term except give you really saggy skin. Belly bands may work long term, but you'll deal with excess skin and you still must eat healthy. Swimming is a great exercise and very low impact on your joints.

Freelancer, I'm sorry you have so many complicating factors and trying to find a professional to help can seem overwhelming. When I eat vegetables, I steam them well in water so they're really soft. Sometimes I'll roast them in a little olive oil and then puree them in a blender with vegetable broth. I never eat them raw anymore. I also take Forvia chewable multivitamins. They're designed for people with digestive issues. In terms of intimacy, we can see that you're very pretty! Consider a one-piece lingerie that you can't see through, has support up top, and is not too tight around the middle but enough to hold everything in place. Mine has snaps "down there." It covers all bases regarding our concerns.

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My Ostomy Journey: Ryan | Hollister

One thing that I have heard a lot is to eat small amounts of food throughout the day rather than 3 big meals or even 1 big meal. Doing this keeps your ostomy happy and also keeps your metabolism moving and working. If you are starving yourself by eating only 1 meal a day, you are actually going to gain weight in the long run and lose muscle. When you go back to eating regularly, you will gain back whatever you lost by starving yourself or limiting yourself to 1 meal a day. And without the right nutrients, your overall health is going to suffer. Maybe some of your limiting your eating to one meal a day is contributing to your thyroid issues? I know many diets suggest raw veggies, but those diets are made for people without an ostomy to consider. If you can tolerate cooked veggies, then by all means cook your veggies and eat them that way. You will still be getting nutrition.

Lee

Hey Freelancer, I made some changes last year that made a huge difference. I cut the carbs, walked 4 to 5 times a week, and lost 65 lbs. To get started, I downloaded a carb manager app on my phone. It was a little challenging at first, but after I got in the groove it was pretty easy. I slowed down around the holidays and let myself enjoy the sweet flavors of Christmas treats. I have had to learn how to make a lot of keto-friendly condiments and sweets, as to not get "fleeced" at the grocery store. There are a lot of great ideas online.

I was lucky after rehab to get something called a Nustep off of eBay. It wasn't cheap, but it was much cheaper than what you would pay for a new one. It's a sit-down cross trainer. I have cerebral palsy. I used it in rehab, and that's why I got it off of eBay because I think it's the only thing that helped me get back to myself as close as I could. If you could get to a gym and you could get a sit-down machine like that, like the Nustep, if you can get a used one, it's great. But also, just eating more meat helps. It fits into a low-residue diet. There is somebody on here that follows carnivore. If you put that into the search, you can find what she says. I haven't done that yet, but I want to. I've added a lot more meat. But yeah, if I could walk more independently, I would do that, but again, the machine is really fabulous. It has helped me maintain my weight and my strength.

If you are having physical issues with intimacy, see an oncological gynecologist. Amazingly, there are steps to overcome some of the adhesions, etc. that can occur from the surgeries and also the underlying conditions that led to the surgeries. Been there, took her advice, life is way better now. My husband and I can have fun again. Whee! As for feeling old and ugly - even without the ostomy and all the rest, as we get older, we sag and gain weight, and fight to keep it off. It's all part of life, and it's a darn shame that society has decided that the imperfect, the overweight, the saggy, are somehow less than the beautiful people. In point of fact, a good many of the beautiful people become imperfect, overweight, and saggy when they get old as well. It's life, it's natural. You are not your outer self - you are your beautiful inner self. You need more self-confidence than to "fix" anything - other than your health. My prayers that you finally find the happy medium you need to get a handle on your health issues. Virtual hugs from Kentucky.

Hi. I have an ileostomy too. The small intestine, which is what we are left with, is the part that absorbs all the food and nutrition. With that being said, I didn't think that should have an effect on pills being absorbed. Any medication I take has always been very effective. I went on the Optavia diet, but unfortunately, it was too much fiber for me and landed me in the hospital with a partial blockage. Thank God it cleared on its own without further surgery. I will be seeing a nutritionist that was recommended by my doctor to help me figure this out too. But, I am thinking of trying the Keto diet. I don't know if that would be good for you since you have a heart issue. I also have high BP and cholesterol, so I'm not sure if this is the safest way to go. I am always hungry, and to avoid eating much, I will have a protein shake to stave off the hunger a little and not take in so many calories. My appointment with the nutritionist is in March, so I'll try to see if I can let you know my findings.

Thank you! I look forward to hearing about what they tell you. Pamela

I too have an ileostomy. During my prolonged illness (long story), I lost a total of 62.6 kilograms. I'd always been a bit on the chubby side and wanted to be thin, but I looked too terrible. When I began to recover and regained my appetite, I threw caution to the wind and ate whatever I wanted. Lots of carbs, which have always been a big no-no for me. Needless to say, the weight began creeping back on, although thankfully only 35 of the 62 kilos I'd lost. Now I need to lose some of it as I felt better when I was lighter. I returned to the only aid that has ever worked for me - My Fitness Pal, a free app. My daily kilojoule allowance is set to the recommended minimum, and I log everything I eat and/or drink. Not a hardship as there is an extensive database to work from. In a little over a month, I have lost 5 kilos. Now, of course, it will slow down. Give it a try, take a look, you are your own boss on it, and free to eat whatever you wish, but the total must be within your daily allowance.