Can't chew - losing weight so fast - help!

I have severe TMJ problems causing me to be unable to chew, plus Irritable Bowel Syndrome (brought on by extensive antibiotics) with constant nausea, and in three months I lost fifteen pounds, and the weight loss started slow at first but became faster and faster. I am 5'4" and was originally 122 lbs, but dropped to 107 lbs in two and a half months. I started eating shakes with high calorie protein powders but they tasted so disgusting I could barely gag them down. So in the past two weeks I've been having mostly fruit smoothies, avocadoes, and high-fat crackers and in this week alone I've lost another six pounds and am down to 101.

I'm trying to find the densest, highest calorie foods possible to eat. The fact that I can't chew and am constantly nauseated and occasionally vomit my food back up (I don't have an eating disorder and it's not forced vomiting, I think it's a complication of Irritable Bowel Syndrome) makes it hard for me to eat anything at all. I know olive oil, nut butters, and molasses are super high calorie - but is it unhealthy to live on them?

I don't know what to do, I can't seem to ever eat enough calories and I'm losing weight faster and faster. I want to go to the hospital and have IV and enteral feeding but there's so many possible complications that could result and the hospital probably won't admit me until I look like Auschwitz.

Any and all suggestions, advice, etc are welcome - I'm starting to get really scared.

hi,

ok i dont know if i can help.... not qualified and only 18... but i am trying to put on weight... went from a very pretty weight of 8 stone to 5 stone 7pounds... due to not eating properly for a period of time... however.... eat properly now eg not scared to eat... as eg i went to pizza express yesterday and had a 3 course meal... however.... to answer you question about whether too much peanut butter or something like it is unhealthy..... it wont be for you.... that is definate... or even someone like me.... especially if it could be your only way to lose less weight or eventually put some on... and remember peanut butter is very healthy anyway... particularly for your bones... anyway....

try maybe having all your liquidised veggies as well as EXTREMELY high amounts of the what you call 'unhealthier' products....

it will take time i have learnt to notice a difference... if you continue to lose... just keep drinking and drinking and as much as you can take of the high calorie products...

 

hope it helps a little.... even if it means you know someone is thinking and praying for you... x

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers, that's so encouraging for a stranger to be so kind... and yes, you're right, eating high calorie 'unhealthy foods' right now is probably better for me in the short time than losing more weight.

Thanks for your reply.

I don't know what you can and can't eat exactly, but here are a few ideas:

Peanut butter! Try adding some to your smoothies- like peanut butter, banana, and chocolate. Strawberries, banana, and chocolate is a good one too. You can also add silken tofu to your smoothies for extra protein (its pretty much taste-less) or full-fat yogurt.

Small grains- If you can't chew, could you eat small grains like couscous, quinoa, oatmeal, etc.? Maybe combine it with some super-finely diced veggies, tomato sauce, a good dose of olive oil, you get the picture . . .

Other ideas- Fortified soymilk, yogurt, pudding, HUMMUS, refried beans, SOUPS . . .

You definitely need fat, but don't forget about the carbs! Good luck!

Peace out,

Politica

Another suggestion, if you can get it down, is baby food.  It may sound silly but it's basically just pureed food.  Kind of like mashed potatoes.   Also those nutrition shakes might help. (Ensure, etc)  If you have access to a vitamin store, you may be able to get vitamins in liquid form.  IF they're hard to swallow, mix them with juice or baby food (fruit or something)

I also have IBS and apparently I'm lactose intolerant, maybe you should buy some of those Lactaid tablet thingys and eat those with your dairy, see if it helps.  You can crush the chewables between two spoons and mix it with a dollop of pudding or something like that and eat it.

Something else I apparently have been doing without realizing it, but it helps, is to eat a Low Residue Diet (meaning stick to foods that your body can completely absorb, they end up having little to no waste left over so your intestines don't have to work so hard).

But if you're losing weight this fast, my first suggestion is to see a doctor.  There may be something completely unrelated going on. 

Safiyah

Don't worry about fat content right now as long as it's not saturated fat.  Go ahead and add fats to bring up your calorie count, as long as you can keep them down.

safiyah1 had a good suggestion about Ensure or other meal replacement enrichment.  You'll have to find one you can tolerate and keep down though.  I'm assuming you are under medical care?  Ask your doctor to help you with this.

First off, I totally agree with safiyah1 that you need to see a doctor pronto. Even with your health issues, you are losing weight awful fast and it is possible that another health issue is contributing to the problem. And even if it isn't, your doctor might have some good suggestions to help you gain weight or might refer you to a nutritionist.

As for gaining weight, I don't have any specific food suggestions. I would try going to nutritiondata.com and looking for foods that will help you gain weight in a healthy way. See: http://blog.nutritiondata.com/ndblog/2007/09/ need-to-gain--1.html

for a salty fix: soups!  make em like usual and stick it in a blender so it's a «cream of» whatever.  you can add sourcream in it for actual creaminess and added calories (plus calcium).  oatmeal was a good idea already mentionned, as well as adding nut butter to your smoothies.

something else that requires no chewing, is delicious, and will help pack on the pounds: ice cream!!!  come on, nothing better than to HAVE to eat ice cream...

Wow, I'm really sorry you have to go through this, you definitely have my support and I hope you get better soon!

If you can't chew but still need high-calorie foods, here're some of my suggestions:

- oatmeal/hot cereals cooked in whole milk with a tsp of high-quality butter or honey (my family makes this all the time, very delicious!)

- banana-PB smoothie (1-2 bananas, whole milk, 1-2 tbsp peanut butter)

- whole dairy products (unless dairy irritates your bowel): milk, soft cheese, cottage cheese, yogurts, frozen yogurt

- avocados (high-cal, with good oils and lots of vitamins)

- nut butters (peanut, almond)

- diced tomatoes (preferably no skin if you can't chew) with sunflower oil and feta cheese (if possible)

- baked/sauteed fish (if you're not a vegetarian) - salmon, trout, mackarel, sardines, orange roughy, anchovie

 

macadamia nut butter smoothie.the high fat content blended with a banana should go down easily.hemp nut butter also is high in protein in fat and so is pumpkin seed butter.

no it is not unhealthy to live on them right now. your body needs all the fat/protein you can supply it with however you can supply it with

also i highly recommend a juicer.yes, i know thier a bit expensive but its definitly worth it.you will literally fill your body up with an incredible amount of vitamins and nutrients.

my brother once had surgery in his mouth and he couldnt chew anything.he dropped and incredible amount of weight.my mother then bought a juicer and juiced everything!apples,carrots,mangoes,celery,(not all together of course) oranges. and he got his health and weight was gained in small amounts but he didnt fully gain it all back till he could eat solids again.she had him drink 24 fl oz. of raw juice every hour on top of nut shakes (2 cups of nuts blended with bananas),nut milks, soups his intake must have been over 4500.

You've really got to go to your doctor about this straight away.  You're not able to deal with this yourself by the sound of it, and you need some intervention from the professionals quite urgently.  You don't have to be skin and bones to be admitted.  If you're losing weight this rapidly I'm sure they'll act fast.  Don't delay....

Make milk shakes! Not gross protein powder ones, just plain yummy ones made with lots of ice cream, milk, and cream. Or just go to Baskin Robbins and get a large Heath shake. One of those things has over 2.300 calories!