Hi. I have lost over 30 lbs since having an ileostomy. Is it true that you won't be able to gain weight because things go through you so quickly that the body doesn't have a chance to take any nutrients, etc...? I'll have it reversed in a couple of months, then can I start gaining weight? Peace
The boat
Mar 31, 2025 2:04 am
IGGIE
Mar 31, 2025 2:29 am
G-Day Mate,
There should be no reason that you lose weight. I have had my ileostomy for over 3 years now, and if I don't control my eating, I would put weight on. Are you eating enough and eating the right food? Talk to a dietitian and get some advice.
Regards, IGGIE
This is a remarkable community of 40,826 members.
You will get real advice from fellow ostomates who truly understand you - things you won't find in the books.
And it's not all about ostomy - there is friendship and relationships too.
Privacy is very important - your profile is not visible to the outside world.
ron in mich
I like MAO because i learn new things from others sharing what they use.
warrior
Mar 31, 2025 2:48 am
Ditto to what iggie says.
30 pounds is a lot to lose too soon. What does your diet consist of?
Axl
Mar 31, 2025 4:17 am
I would typically lose 15 kg after each op.
The two or three months after each one, I would eat everything that wasn't nailed down until it all came back. Good times 🤣
ron in mich
Mar 31, 2025 1:11 pm
Hi all, from my first surgery 40 years ago to my last 7 years ago, I've lost 20-25 lbs. and never gained it back, but I've always been an active person.
How to Adjust to Life with an Ostomy with Bruce | Hollister
TerryLT
Mar 31, 2025 8:04 pm
I have an ileostomy, but started with a colostomy. I had a big weight loss after a couple of bad blockages when they weren't feeding me for days at a time, once for nine days! When I got my ileostomy, I was only around 87 lbs, and it took time to start gaining it back, but I did. Now, if I'm not active and careful, I will gain weight. Sadly, the days I could eat as much as I like of anything are gone!
Terry
Justbreathe
Mar 31, 2025 8:54 pm
The Boat
Enjoy those loose-fitting clothes and eating anything you want… In time, you'll probably have to start watching those calories… Wishing you good healing and health. jb
corlsharonl49
Apr 01, 2025 12:53 am
I'm having an ileostomy too and lose weight very easily. It's a struggle to put on weight. I just keep trying to eat more each day. Slow and steady.
Do you have trouble absorbing nutrients? I do and am sure that's part of it. I'm little, and before my ileostomy, I ate all the time but never put extra weight on. Even the B12 shots don't help as much as I'd hoped they would.
Maybe get that checked.
Jo 🇦🇺
Apr 01, 2025 2:36 am
I'm the opposite; I have had my permanent ileostomy for 16 years and have absolutely no trouble keeping the weight on and then some. I can eat anything and everything, and it certainly shows!
I was severely underweight before the surgery due to Crohn's, so my surgeon's advice in the hospital was to "eat everything that isn't nailed down"! - and I did and still do to a certain extent. For me, being a bit of a heifer (not obese, just pleasantly plump😉) is healthier than being a stick insect. Put it this way: I NEVER have to see a doctor (I haven't been for about 8 years, and that was just a checkup, not for anything wrong with me) and feel well and have plenty of energy. "Fat and fit," I believe it's called.
Directly after surgery, it did take about 3 months before I started stacking it on. Go for the full-fat version of everything (it tastes better and is actually better for you in the long run), plenty of meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy. Don't eat too much sugar and enjoy the return of appetite as you "live to eat" (like me)! 😅😋😊
warrior
Apr 02, 2025 4:06 pm
I'm reminded of a song. A very long time ago.
The artist was female. Her name, I think, was Melanie?
I must have been 5 or 7 years old when my cousin played this song, and she cracked me up doing a sing-along.
The title was "Animal Crackers."
A line went something like this:
Once I went on a diet... yadda yadda. But diet ain't right...
Cause you can't eat animal crackers, sooooo I'm gonna stay a fatty the rest of my life. Ha ha haha haa ha!
Anyone else recall it?
warrior
Apr 03, 2025 6:29 am
Not sure... never heard the word "soup" in the song. Your song is different. My version here in the States is funny. She actually laughs, "Ha ha hahaha hahaha ha!" in it. Funny tune.
IGGIE
Apr 03, 2025 6:46 am
Try this one, Warrior.
Oh, eat your animal crackers
'Cause my mother told me so long ago,
"If you eat your animal crackers,
The children in Europe won't star
Jo 🇦🇺
Apr 03, 2025 7:39 am
Thanks for the chuckle, Iggie and Warrior. My first thought was the Shirley Temple song, but this one is much more my cuppa tea! 😅🤭
Justbreathe
Apr 03, 2025 10:35 am
Warrior and IGGIE……oh my ….
I am missing Bills, hopefully a temporary absence, providing poetry so I will “give it a go” (probably a poor choice of words 🤔)
🎶Animal crackers in my soup
Makes me wish that I could poop
Just like the good old days
Not like this present phase
In every bag I see
What is coming out of me
Since it ain't coming from my rear
An animal cracker I would fear🎶
IGGIE
Apr 03, 2025 10:54 am
Just breathe is good and fun,
But wishes it came from her bum.
But as for me, I am happy and glad
That mine is in the bag.
IGGIE
Ival
Apr 05, 2025 10:11 pm
I had lost 50 pounds before my ileostomy surgery 47 years ago and was told by my ostomy visitor that I would one day have a weight problem as in 'too much.' Fast forward 10 years, and I had gained back the 50 pounds and added another 30 for good food. I was on the "see" food diet.
RoanokeVirginiaArmyBrat
Apr 06, 2025 11:59 am
I had my permanent ileostomy 4 years ago. I lost 20 lbs in the weeks that followed. I have not gained any weight back, and now my weight varies around 5 lbs. I do eat smaller portions, but I eat 4 meals instead of 3. Good luck.
warrior
Apr 06, 2025 12:17 pm
It wasn't until I had to have a kenn butt done that I lost a lot of weight. That surgery was in 2023. I was down to 180. Due to the side effects of that surgery, 180 should be my weight more or less. But I was 210 pre-surgery. Kenn butt surgery had migrating factors: loss of taste and mild dehydration.
Eight years after proctolectomy, I never had dehydration or loss of taste issues.
The kenn butt surgery almost did me in afterwards.
Weight now varies from 200 to 207.
And I feel comfortable as is.
rlevineia
Apr 06, 2025 1:50 pm
I dropped to 107, pre-op ileostomy. Nursing home food was meager, and I had to reach 130 to go home. It took 4.5 months. When I catch the flu, I can lose 6-7 lbs a day. The VA dietician put me on Ensure. She made me a giant tiramisu (yum). I started eating 4 times a day and got right up to 155, my goal. Eat many small meals. Remember, you only have 15 ft. of bowel left. Your output is only partly digested.
rlevineia
Apr 06, 2025 2:32 pm
Deja vu, Took me almost a year to reach my weight. As you only have 15 ft. left to your GI tract, there is not enough time to absorb water and food. Your output is partly digested food. Try eating 4 times a day, small meals and chew well! Drink at least 64 oz a day. In sips, no gulping, you will be able to absorb more. It worked and I got a bit too heavy. Cut back on desserts and Ensure liquid. I'm at my perfect weight. Temple Owl, Class of 1972.
Doe1mama
Apr 06, 2025 5:17 pm
My husband had an ileostomy, and trust me, he gained back weight. Too much. LOL
Helenevic
Apr 06, 2025 7:56 pm
I too had an ileostomy 6 years ago and had lost weight (I can't recall how much). A year later, I had the reversal. Be sure to research the side effects of reversal as it is not perfect. Last September, I had another bowel blockage and another emergency surgery. Though I'm an elderly active woman, I have lost a significant amount of weight, currently 82 lbs. I can't seem to gain weight even though I eat the same as I did before the surgeries. My doctor is not happy, neither am I. It is a dilemma! Good luck.