Dieting with an Ileostomy - Need Weight Loss Tips for Food Limitations!

I am trying to find some sort of diet regimen that will result in weight loss that will work in harmony with my food limitations with my ileostomy. Most standard weight loss diets require a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. I have discovered (over the past 30 years when I had my ostomy surgery) that I am extremely limited in what I can eat in the fruits and vegetables department. Too much roughage causes blockages at the ileostomy site and results in leakage from around the wafer. Please help!

This is a great topic. Diet is a real tough one to deal with. I have been in the hospital 4 times for surgery and asked for help from the staff dietitian. And they were way off on their recommendations. I would love to also learn from others on safe foods. Here is what I have found out after 15 years with an ileostomy.

Fruit - no oranges.. this for sure causes blockage. Apples OK, skin off. Causes output a little watery. Pineapple OK in small amounts. Melons OK. Watermelon will go right through you. But OK. Stay away from anything with seeds. Strawberries OK. Bananas OK. Grapes OK but watch for the skins not to be digested. Red berries OK.. be careful with the little seeds. Think about staying clear from peanuts.

Veggies - tomatoes OK but cause gas.. Tomato sauce for sure will make your bag blow up. Steam anything you can to make it more soft. Lettuce - can make output really watery. Be careful. Carrots may not digest much but OK. Potatoes - mashed fine, baked - fine, fried - good for not for your weight loss. Green peppers and red peppers may not digest all the way. Sweetcorn - avoid.. does not digest.. can cause blockage. Popcorn can make your stoma sore. Pretty hard on the digestive track. Onions - can be gassy. Can be tough on the stoma.

Any others???? I would like to see a real good comprehensive food directory for us to reference.

Looking forward to replies.

Kruzer

If I can add fresh spinach and even cooked spinach as a no-no. The stringy veins do not digest at all, and you will be plucking the strings out of your stoma. Gross!! And they wrap around other matter and make lumps that can be hard to pass.

Sometimes it is also a matter of chewing your food small enough - with really good chewing, you can get away with some foods you couldn't otherwise, and without sufficient chewing no foods are completely safe.

Beware of changes in medication. I had been on a heavy-duty antibiotic for 2 1/2 months which had been suppressing my appetite more than I realized. When I got off, I picked up 7 pounds in only a couple of weeks.

Try oatmeal (5-minute, not 1-minute or instant) to help get sufficient bulk and fiber. It will help you feel fuller so you don't overeat and gain (or regain) weight. Beware of over the counter fiber supplements - they can give you crippling gas.

As far as fruits go, cherries and blueberries are some of the best fresh fruits that won't interfere with your digestion, and known to be a natural reducer of inflammation in your body. (Doctor of the future: "Take 15 cherries and call me in the morning ...")

Try to include at least a small salad daily, but beware of dressings. The dressing can contain 10 times the calories of the salad itself. Avocados are an excellent source of the good fats in your diet, but don't overdo, because ... good fats are still fats and higher in calories.

It is tough to balance the low residue, high glycemic index diet that is easiest on the digestion and the stoma with the negative health consequences (high triglycerides and weight gain) that it causes.

Great point... great input.. thanks.

Kruzer

We are all different when it comes to digestion and our ostomies. I have had an ileostomy for almost 36 years and I am fortunate in that I can eat practically anything in moderation, provided I do a couple of things. I learned from the experience of a few major blockages caused by either peanuts, raw carrots, or raw apples that being properly hydrated before eating any of those products. I reviewed my blockages after the fact and recognized that I was moderately dehydrated in each case. Now I ensure I am hydrated and chew sufficiently to begin the digestive process in the mouth. I was on a low-fat vegetarian diet for over a year because of heart issues and did not incur any blockages. Now I am mostly vegetarian with fish and some chicken added, but still relatively low fat, and that has helped me maintain weight.

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

I eat almost everything, except nuts and raw root vegetables or fresh fruit. Apples - I use a juicer. Any fresh fruit I blend with yogurt, 750ml yogurt 1lb fresh or frozen strawberries, mango, raspberries and 1 banana, and honey. Corn I put in the blender with a bit of milk or cream. I love spinach, which I cook and mix with mashed potatoes. If I'm not sure I will use a blender or juicer. I have had an ileostomy since April 2012 and have not had a blockage. My only problem has been adding the weight I lost just after the operation and trying to keep the weight down.
My output is unfortunately continuous, but I don't worry about that except when I am changing my appliance.

Note: I drink a lot of water (with zero-calorie ice tea crystals) or cranberry diet juice.

I too eat anything, I've had mine 13 years. My output is liquid and continuous, and I can see what I've eaten 20 minutes after I've eaten it. Which really makes me wonder why I'm overweight, lol. Why do you guys avoid seeds? And sometimes when my skin burns I'm starting to think it's processed things like bacon and ham, do you guys have this?

I don't have an ileostomy, but I'm wondering if you juiced all your fruits (except bananas or berries) would work. If you throw the contents of what you juiced into a blender with the bananas, yogurt, and berries and have a great snack or meal that way.

My ileostomy is 29 years old. I developed diabetes about 20 years ago. My problem is a diet for diabetes that does not cause digestive problems. I have a BCIR. Many foods thicken my output and it won't pass through the catheter. Fruit and veggies that most of you can tolerate, I cannot. I eat more soft carbs, which is bad for diabetes. I can eat rice cereals, raw peeled tomatoes, tomato soup, and canned ravioli. No peas, beans, leafy vegetables, bananas, apples, oranges, or grapes. I eat a lot of crackers, tuna, fresh salmon, and chicken breast. No potatoes (baked, mashed, or fried). Recently, I discovered I can tolerate some canned fruit. My doctor does not want me to lose weight. I will ask my doctor for a referral to a Nutritional Therapist on my next visit. Please forgive this long post - just frustrated and venting.

I've had my ileostomy for 40 years - I was a kid when I had the surgery. My kryptonite is peanuts, raw carrots, pineapple, coconut, seeds, corn, popcorn. Issues anymore with roughage period. Spinach, broccoli, Chinese food all give me problems. It seems like what gives me problems has just been getting worse the last few years. I do love popcorn and will cheat with a few bites if I'm at the movie theater. I just can't resist the smell of that movie theater popcorn! I try to drink a few cups of hot tea when I get home. It seems to help. I've had quite a few blockages over the years. My dad was in the medical field and he was able to catheter quite a few and save me a trip to the ER. He's gone now so I have to behave!

Hi, I've had my ileostomy for 52 years (15 years old at the time of surgery). I avoid some of the same things Percy avoids - raw carrots, pineapple, coconut, and popcorn. I've learned to avoid small seeds (sesame) and hard seeds (almonds, sunflower seeds). I do fine with cashews and macadamia nuts as long as I chew very well. Foods high in roughage (celery, carrots, broccoli, onion) I tend to cook a bit or eat raw in small amounts. I'm OK with spicy foods (I'm from the southwest) as long as I have bland food such as rice, potatoes, or beans alongside. One lack in my diet is fruit -- any fruit gives me diarrhea, so I tend to avoid it except in small amounts. Blending it in a smoothie doesn't help. For breakfast, I tend to have Honey Bunches of Oats (nothing artificial and no high fructose corn syrup) and low-fat yogurt we make at home. I love to cook, so we mostly prepare our own food. This allows me to monitor high amounts of oil, sugar, and salt which cause me to gain weight. As long as I walk or bike a lot and garden, I maintain the weight I desire. I haven't had a blockage in 50 years, but do get some leakage around the wafer -- have forever. In fact, I joined this site to find out how folks prevent/deal with leakage when I saw this forum thread. May the force be with all of you!

Hi everyone,

I had ileostomy, basically I am an Indian. Due to the type of food we eat, I had severe problems in the rectum as I suffered from gastroenteritis. My doctor suggested ileostomy could be useful. In the sense, he had something like ileostomy done to my small intestines, but I followed a strict diet avoiding hot and spicy foods. Astonishingly, I could see that my weight had decreased a lot, up to 5 kg. Now I am living happily.

Frustrated.... Diet and Weight Loss ileostomy for 20 months, aged 63 male, weight 11 days ago 264 lbs, today 262 lbs, but some days will go back up.

After being 226 lbs just before surgery and now 20 months later 264/266 lbs; I have steadily put on weight. I do drink red wine (I love it) and eat a very sensible diet - 3 meals a day and an odd snack - and I was fine, apart from steady weight gain.

An Example

Breakfast most days is 2 poached eggs, 2 slices of toast, pat of butter, mug of tea, no sugar. About 455 calories.

Lunch - sandwich or an omelette normally with fresh veg in it. 350 calories.

Dinner - often Chinese/Thai style foods that I cook, not buy. The odd steak, fish, and all home-cooked and as healthy as I can. I am not a big fried food eater, but a stir fry, yes. So dinner is normally about 800 calories.

Then I round up all my calories:

500

500

1000 - to make sure I have not made a mistake.

I drink about 2.5 liters of water a day. I don't drink lemonades and I don't snack. I do drink red wine - a bottle a day! Every day...

So, the diet started. I removed red wine and for dinner smaller and got it down to 1600 calories per day.

I also exercise every day with a 3-mile dog walk and am busy. I am aged 63 and describe myself as very active.

Diet now is day 11 and nothing! No weight loss, nothing! I am 1000 calories a day less and nothing. No change, some days my weight even goes up and down a couple of lbs.

I have even added swimming to my weekly list - once or twice a week.

I can't go down from 1600 calories a day. I use MyFitnessPal, and yes, I am a chef and qualified dietitian. This is day 11, disappointed!

I was expecting 4 lbs a week to fall off! I take no drugs, I have not had chemo, and high blood pressure is my only other problem. I am not even taking tablets for it at the moment. This is a waiting game so far... Yes, no alcohol in 11 days. Just doing that was great and feel very pleased with me being a long-term wine drinker.

I tend to stick with a diet of protein and light working out. I go to the gym daily. I keep it light, treadmill 30 mins and light weights 15 mins. I mostly eat baked chicken, turkey meat, some beef and occasionally carbs. I can't do fruits or veggies. I've lost weight and gained some muscle. I also eat low sodium peanut butter just for occasional snacks in between. Just 2 or 3 bites tends to fill me up. Also, hummus with crackers.

Oh, I am so with you on that one. Let me know if something helps you. I need it too.

Fruits and vegetables are not required. If you want to correct your metabolism, heal your body and lose weight (once your body is healed), keep carbs as close to zero as possible.

Look up the carnivore diet (also called "zero carb"). I have been eating this way for 3.5 years and my digestion is always quiet and comfortable, and I have no deficiencies. I did not need to lose weight, but I have not gained anything but better body composition and a happy gut. I could list many other benefits. Animal products are extremely nutrient dense and highly digestible, and they provide all the nutrients we need. I know people will think I'm crazy, but start researching the carnivore diet and read for yourself. Here's a tidbit to get you started down the rabbit hole, if you are so inclined. https://www.diagnosisdiet.com/food/vegetables/

And this story is one we can relate more closely to: http://roarofwolverine.com/archives/412

Hi, I have the same problem as the rest of you. It has not been quite a year, but I found that chewing is the real key to it all. I probably have to exercise more, but am shy about my bag.

I am with you. Same happened to me. Why?

Plantains. Peel carefully and remove the fibrous ends. Slice into 1/2 inch sections like you would a banana. Toss them lightly with a little olive oil, salt, cinnamon and a dash of honey or maple syrup. Roast or bake at 395 degrees for about 12-15 minutes until soft. Really healthful and will be low glycemic if you don't go crazy with the sweetener. Good luck. Dieting sucks on top of the rest of the limitations. Best, Ninja