The best way to gain weight with colitis is to eat a balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins and fats and to consume more calories than you have been eating. Also, you need to get your colitis under control. If your disease comes under control, there will be less fear of eating, and you should be able to put the weight back on. Ensure is a good, balanced nutritional supplement but if you find that you don’t like it, you could try Boost or Glucerna, which are also very good. Q2. I’ve recently lost a lot of weight and started back to running 5K distances after a 15-year layoff. In that 15 years’ time, I have developed ulcerative colitis. My symptoms are pretty well controlled — all except for recently, when I run. Is there anything specific I can do to ease symptoms during running or other forms of intense exercise? — Keith, Minnesota Fortunately, exercise has never been shown to worsen symptoms of ulcerative colitis; many patients with colitis exercise vigorously or are even competitive athletes. However, if you do have more frequent bowel movements or diarrhea while running, you may be at greater risk for dehydration than other patients and should drink lots of water or other liquids either before your run or even during your run, particularly in hot weather. If you experience cramping while running, some patients benefit from taking an antispasmodic drug, which helps control muscle spasms in the colon and reduce stomach pain. Examples of antispasmodics are hyoscyamine (Levsin) and dicyclomine (Bentyl). Q3. I have ulcerative colitis. I also suffer lower back and neck strain due to a car accident. I have always worked out, but in my condition I have switched to yoga and running a couple of miles a day. Do you think my exercise routine will help my health or harm it? I was prescribed nine Asacol pills a day but have cut back, since I am in remission. I would like to stop taking the meds altogether and do only natural things like exercise and healthy eating. Is that possible? — Karen, Florida It is. Some patients with ulcerative colitis do go into prolonged remission and can safely be taken off all medications after having no symptoms for a considerable period, usually years. However, many studies have shown that the class of medications that includes Asacol (the ASA compounds) maintains remission without any clear long-lasting side effects. So, while no one wants to be on medications for a long time or a lifetime, the benefit/risk ratio for these compounds favor staying on them, at least until no symptoms have occurred for a very long time. That said, if you have no symptoms, your dose may be a bit high, as two tablets twice a day have been shown to be sufficient for maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis. In terms of exercise, there are no restrictions for patients with ulcerative colitis unless disabling arthritis is also present. In fact, exercise may be beneficial, as physical activity is known to cool inflammation, which is certainly a component of your disease. Aerobic activity can improve muscle weakness and wasting and prevent calcium and protein loss from your bones. Yoga, with its mind-body benefits, may be particularly helpful in mitigating colitis, which also has a known mind-body connection. The reduction of stress, in addition to the physical benefits, may greatly improve your symptoms. While I’m happy to hear you are in remission, I urge you to keep in mind that when it comes to exercise, people who suffer from ulcerative colitis are particularly vulnerable to fluid loss and nutritional replacement issues. Here are some steps you can take to protect yourself:
Don’t eat solid foods within three hours of starting aerobic exercise.Do drink plenty of low-carb fluids before, during, and after you work out.Take a vitamin supplement in general and potassium in particular to help replenish nutrients.
In summary, you might want to speak with your doctor about the possibility of lowering your dose of Asacol, and by all means, keep up your physical activity. Learn more in the Everyday Health Ulcerative Colitis Center.
