I wrote a few months back saying I had rapidly gained weight since coming out of hospital, I spoke to my consultant in October and he said it shouldn't be the urso but my diet and exercise even though I'm eating alot better than before I went to hospital and I'm exercising and working two/three full days a week in work ( I'm a nursery nurse)
My consultant said if I put more weight on by next appointment then I'll be appointed a dietician and I don't mind just worried they will want me to buy all this expensive foods but I can't afford it as I only work part time and my partner is trying to start his own business
Is there anything anyone can suggest about losing weight or diet change?
Sorry for the long post.
Hope everyone is doing well and taking care of themselves xx
Written by
Lilbear89
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Whi, I too have put on a lot of weight but I have just stopped my HRT. My consultant told me some people do put on weight whilst taking URSO so it may just be a double whammy. I am going to cut out fat and sugary things for a couple of weeks and start walking more. This did the trick the last time I put on weight so fingers crossed it will work again. I don't think they will put you on one of those expensive diets more they will give you a sheet with things to avoid and the amount you are eating. They may even ask you to keep a diary of what you are eating/drinking. Hope this helps a little. 😀
I've just spent a year going to a dietitian not for my weight but for digestive issues.
However having also put on a lot of weight I did ask her about loosing weight she looked at my food diary (which they asked for at the start) and she just said portion size would be sufficient. What I eat is a a fairly balanced diet certainly no fancy expensive foods.
I too have put on weight since taking URSO. I put it down to improved digestion or rather uptake of nutrients. Before URSO I often had an "upset tummy". Loosing weight is incredibly difficult!!!!! For me the best way is to cut out bread all together. Swap potatoes sometimes for couscous, whole grain rice or quinoa. All of these are cheap, cheaper than bread or potatoes per portion. Also of course, reducing portion size, which for me I have to do slowly or I feel cheated!!
I managed to lose 10 kilos last year, still more to lose. I put weight on when I looked after my mother, I spent a lot of time sitting with her and not properly looking after myself. My husband also needed to lose weight after cancer treatment so we put our heads together and supported each other.
We had a good diet previously but reduced our portion sizes, cut out red meat. I used to like a bit of chocolate but have not had any for a year with the exception of a treat at Christmas. I have started making my own soups for lunch using stock cubes rather than boiling down a chicken carcass. Thick vegetable soups are cheap and warming. Stirring through some yoghurt at the end adds some protein. I try to make sure there is some protein in any vegetarian meal that we eat as it is protein that helps to fill you up. I maybe have bread once a week the rest of the loaf goes in the freezer. Pasta, rice and potatoes are kept to a minimum but to replace that there are lots of pulses and lentils in the diet. Only one portion of fruit a day to avoid natural sugars. Salads are a mainstay in summer with tinned sardines or tuna (only once a week) or lean meats such as chicken or turkey. If you like liver that is supposed to be a good meat and is lean. Porridge (quite cheap) or muesli for breakfast with either banana or blue berries. Soup or salads for lunch. Vegetarian evening meals mostly googled as I had little previous experience. Our food bill is a lot cheaper at the end of the week now.
Oddly it was not until I turned kilos into good old fashioned stones and pounds that I realized just how much weight I had put on.
This is one of my favourite soups but I rarely use the bread
I put on half a stone when I started URSO and have read this can happen. Then I stopped smoking a few years ago and put on another half a stone!! I am now consciously watching what I eat and avoiding bread and reducing potatoes. I have never had sugar or biscuits. so hopefully over time it will go down. Live in hope anyway.
I am sure if you Google you will find loads of advice without having to see a dietitian. Good luck.
Hi Has he checked your thyroid as mine has been sent underactive by a screw up they did giving me too much thyroid med and iput on 26Lbs in about the same time period you have, I have also been diagnosed with coeliac desiese and thats not helping either, i agree with you about the dietician, she told me to go online and buy my gluten free food in bulk, it didn't seem to register with her that I don't have bulk money.
Hello Lilbear89.
My philosophy re diet is to eat quality over quantity. I was a couple stones overweight after I started puberty as a teen and by the time I had my children and was in my mid-20s I've been classed as ideal (I used calories after my 2nd and final child). I've not gained any weight since being diagnosed with PBC December 2010 but I know that in the few years prior to starting to itch early 2010 I did lose around a stone over time which I put down to being in manual jobs where I was on the go all the time.
I think if you were to switch certain foods then you will keep the calories down. I buy turkey mince as opposed to beef mince to use in meals as it is lower in fat. I also have started buying turkey thigh mince as opposed to turkey breast mince as apparently it is supposed to be better (according to a UK programme on tv couple years ago). I only brown it with a teaspoon of rapeseed oil. I buy roast joints that haven't been processed ready to cook and choose ones that look less with fat and then cut off the fat after roasting.
I think with having PBC it is important to try to keep a diet with foods that are rich in nutrients.
Personally I'd go for a calorie-controlled diet as opposed to all the diets that are out there. I say this because I don't think when one has something like PBC it is a good idea as the system has to get used to a change in diet that is more than likely not to be on-going for a longer period of time. With calorie counting we would tend to eat the same foods only maybe less quantity.
I'd not go out and buy special foods as I really do not think there is a need. I also think that switching off eating after a certain time in the evening (say between 6 and 7p.m) is a good thing as unless you are active at night no energy is being used. I doubt I'll gain any weight now unless I have some medication that might do this as I itch late at night and I have broken sleep so I then get up, pop to the loo and then do a lot of fidgeting so I must use a lot of energy during the night. I eat 'like a king' at breakfast, lunch 'like a queen' and then come evening meal I only manage a small portion as I never feel very hungry by then.
I've never been to a gym, I prefer to do a lot of walking. But I do other things in day-to-day living that will more than likely use muscles (ie walking with shopping bags).
I've been diagnosed for about 3 years now but had PBC probably for some time before that. During that time I've lost 4st with Slimming World which uses a health eating plan and no expensive foods. It concentrates on low fat, filling meals and you can eat quite a lot on it, even 'fussy' eaters are catered for! I also have an underactive thyroid which I take meds for, if I didn't my weight would quite possibly go up despite watching what I eat! In my experience dietitians don't recommend expensive foods but advocate a diet that includes all the main food groups and avoid all the 'naughty' foods and give advice about quantities to consume. I find that drinking lots of water (with sugar free squash if needed) helps the digestive system and helps with my weight loss. I 'watch the pennies' and I save money by buying in bulk or reduced price goods in the supermarket, cook large batches and freeze to eat on days when I'm too tired or can't be bothered to cook!
I'm on urso and currently on 1250g a day because of my weight. I've not given up but o have had alot of stress lately my brother's partner has left him so it's given me and my partner a week to move or his youngest brother wouldn't of had a home. I'm happy doing this but it is taking its toll. Also I seem to have had the worst luck the last 2 months as I was let go from my dream job and am now having to go through a unfair dismissal tribunal and although I have found myself not eating half as much as I used to I am still gaining weight. The new house I'm moving to does have some exercise equipment like a rowing machine which I'm excited to use and my best friend is getting a gym membership that allows her to take a friend too so I'm hoping all this. I have a appointment at Queen Elizabeth hospital on the 27th of this month for a check up and a fasting ultrasound.
Does anyone else feel that you hurt lots when they are scanning you and also for a few weeks after as after my last one I felt bruised and it hurt for weeks after.
I don't think it's the urso. Unfortunately when it comes to autoimmune diseases it's extremely hard to lose weight. Your body is fighting against you, which causes you to be very tired. I have gained 60 lbs in the last 2 years. It's brutal! Good luck
I Feel your pain! And am so glad you brought up this topic! I really feel awful about myself for both gaining and not losing weight when I know my health would benefit. I did go to a dietician, kept a food diary, followed an exercise plan, consumed no more than 1200 calories a day, limited my sodium to 1000 mg/day, etc....but to little avail. Returning to the dietician, she questioned whether i "cheated", which really made me feel less than human, and she recommended I try drinking protien shakes as a meal replacement, but honestly, that frightens me. I have been only eating natural unprocessed foods with limited animal protein, replacing those proteins with plant proteins, primarily legumes. Powder anything seems questionable to me, will it hurt my stage 4 fragile liver? Could the weight be the result of water retention from the disease? Whew! Thank you for letting me vent!
Vent all you like my dear, this page gives you the opportunity to let off steam with others who have gone or are going through it too. I would question the qualifications of a dietician who advocated replacing meals with protein shakes! As long as your 1200 calories come from all the 'good' food groups and you are drinking at least 2 litres of water a day you are doing OK. Perhaps your GP or consultant should look more closely at your weight problem and see if there is another underlying cause apart from the PBC. Good luck X
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