• Welcome to Crohn's Forum, a support group for people with all forms of IBD. While this community is not a substitute for doctor's advice and we cannot treat or diagnose, we find being able to communicate with others who have IBD is invaluable as we navigate our struggles and celebrate our successes. We invite you to join us.

Trying to Gain Weight

Hello all,

I've recently come out of remission with my Crohn's disease and I'm trying to be proactive about packing on the pounds before I start to really lose some weight. Since lack of appetite is one of my more pronounced symptoms, I was thinking that a simple and easy method of ingesting calories would be the best option. That being said, does anyone have any suggestions for a (not totally disgusting) weight gain shake or any other high calorie foods? Please let me know if you've found anything that works for you!

Thanks!
 
My son likes the Boost Plus and Ensure Plus drinks. They have 325-350 calories per bottle and he says they taste like chocolate milk. Othwerwise, there is a product called Benecalorie that you can add to regular foods and drinks that ups the calorie content.
 
I made my own shakes at home - milk, cocoa powder, eggs (yes, they are raw) vanilla and some sugar. Good combo of carbs, protein and a little fat. You can add ice cream to them as well. They helped me keep from losing too much weight when I had issues. They are not very light though, but they are tasty! Pretty quick to make too if you have an immersion blender.
 
I buy a shake called Scandishake (strawberry). It's 430 calories per packet. I add 2 cups of whole milk (320 cal), and also add 1 scoop of Myofusion strawberry protein powder (150 cal) for a 900 calorie shake. It tastes good, not too thick. I'll drink that over an hour or two.

I also buy foods with high fat content. I get yogurt, Liberty Mediterranean, 230 calories per 3/4 cup. A spoon can stand up in it. I also drink Ensure Plus, 355 cal per bottle. I also buy real butter.

It's all about getting your calorie count up. You need 2500 a day with little activity to gain weight. Shamrock's shake above sounds healthy but I am thinking is low on calories. There is only 72 calories in one raw egg. 1 cup of milk, 3 eggs, and some sugar is about 400 calories I am estimating. I also would not recommend raw eggs.
 
Maybe you can try to add more healthy fats: Avocado, linseed oil, olive oil, coconut oil. Has 9kcal per g, so a really good option. Best is to add the oil when the food is ready (apart from coconut oil), and only add it to a meal with protein, otherwise it could be digested too quickly and just pass through your gut. That's probably how my nutritionist would explain it. E.g. when you have an oven baked potato, vegetables, some fish or meat and sour cream just add the oil to the sour cream. That avoids the fat to have a laxative effect.
Let me know if it works.
 
Not sure how many calories your looking for, but I've had a very (impossible) time gaining weight so I drink Optimum Nutrition Pro Gainer (the one in the black/purple container). It actually tastes REALLY good - like a chocolate milkshake (I blend with ice and soy milk, but you can also add chocolate syrup if it's not sweet enough). It has over 600 calories just the powder, but I've gotten it up to 800+ by adding chocolate syrup, ice cream, bananas, etc.

Good luck!
 
Top