Enchiladas are evil! Actually, any vegetable is evil!
Let me explain.
After pretty major surgery in 2002 due to a case of Crohns Disease and my own mismanagement of my medication I'm left with the distinct inability to process fibrous (non-soluble fibre) vegetables.
So why bring it up? Well...over the past few months I've been working hard at the gym. 3 nights a week lifting weights and slowly working up to being able to bench almost twice my own weight, as well as being able to squat the same. Yesterday whilst out with the guys - after a few too many beers - we needed food and I saw that enchiladas were on the menu. I am a massive fan of spicy yet uncomplicated foods like enchiladas, chilli etc. So I decided on them. I didnt count on all the vegetables, fresh herbs and rich tomato sauce with their skins still on.
Its quite quickly undone all the good of my training with me having lost 3kg (about 6.5lbs) in one day. Now, I know that the weight loss is mainly dehydration and I will not have lost muscle mass that quickly. However, dehydration doesn't go away when your guts settle down, it takes days (up to a week) to overcome the full effects of dehydration and maybe even longer till you are back to normality.
The most important thing you can do is drink. Drink regularly. Your body will be trying to flush out something that it doesn't agree with, its best to let it.
Now, when you drink try to use electrolytic drinks (dyoralite works much better) and will help you more than just water. When you do eat, add a little extra salt to your food, the salt will help with water retention, normally a bad thing but when it feels like you are trying to expel your spine each time you go to the toilet, it can help you recover a little more quickly.
So whats the point in this post? Simple, when you are training, make sure you understand what eating certain foods can do to you, and if you are in any doubt, stick with the tried and tested foods.
Feel free to leave a comment!
Showing posts with label crohns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crohns. Show all posts
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Monday, July 14, 2008
Generally speaking...(weak stomach advisory)
Ok, I hate talking about this but it always comes up so I may as well get it over and done with. I suffer from Crohns Disease. I've had one major operation in which I had to have most of my colon; the terminal ileum and various sections of my small bowel removed.
Whats all that mean? Well, Crohns is an auto immune disorder where your body effectively rejects parts of your Gastric System. It affects everyone differently. Some people just from the colon down, others from the teeth down. How does it affect you? Well, you've all had those dodgy prawn salads before? or that bad curry? how about that bad pint?
I live with Nausea every day. I live with the other associated effects - The Scoots, Deli-belly, The runs, the green apple splatters. Whatever you wanna call them. Every day. Imagine yourself back when you had food poisoning. Imagine it for a week. Now...Imagine it for the rest of your life.
I also live with the problems caused by having so little bowel. I eat like a carnivorous horse! Yep, I strap a bag to my face and munch away on horse sandwiches all day. And if you believe that, I'm actually a world famous scientist only pretending to be into cycling. I eat to try and cope with the poor absorption I have which puts me at a disadvantage when training as my body struggles on most days to absorb what I need to get by, never mind to actually cope with the massive energy expenditure on long cycles. So how do I do it?
By balancing liquid intake with the right minerals, electrolytes and amino acids I am able to reduce the amount of liquid I put into myself. Which makes it easier for my body to absorb the nutrients as they aren't being flushed out.
In terms of food, I use a low residue diet but take it to extremes. I eat no or little insoluble fibre (soluble fibre like bananas and pears are actually a good thing for me) and massive amounts of what most people would call bad foods. Highly refined white flours, processed meats, american orange plastic squares of cheese (I know its a travesty) and chocolate. I know it sounds unhealthy but I don't fry any foods. I don't use oil (apart from Olive Oil) in my cooking and I dont eat cream or butter.
All in - on a rest day I eat around 4000 calories. On a training day I eat around 5000 to 6000 calories. Thats probably enough to keep most people going for 3 days. So where do I put it? Well I've always had a fast metabolism and this exercise makes me burn calories just sitting still.
If I have so many issues just getting myself to maintain my weight why am I still cycling? Cycling and any other long term endurance sport reduces your immune system. Thats exactly what my doctors need my body to do, so really it's just a complementary therapy to my medication. Although the more cycling I do the more efficient the leg muscles get at burning energy and mean I need to offset less and less energy. For example four weeks ago I used to need 2 sandwiches, 4 mars bars and 2 litres of still lucozade to do 20 miles. Yesterday I cycled 58 miles on 2 mars bars and 1.5 litres of water.
Oh and you get to meet loads of people while you are out cycling that you would never meet if you were at home drinking beer.
Whats all that mean? Well, Crohns is an auto immune disorder where your body effectively rejects parts of your Gastric System. It affects everyone differently. Some people just from the colon down, others from the teeth down. How does it affect you? Well, you've all had those dodgy prawn salads before? or that bad curry? how about that bad pint?
I live with Nausea every day. I live with the other associated effects - The Scoots, Deli-belly, The runs, the green apple splatters. Whatever you wanna call them. Every day. Imagine yourself back when you had food poisoning. Imagine it for a week. Now...Imagine it for the rest of your life.
I also live with the problems caused by having so little bowel. I eat like a carnivorous horse! Yep, I strap a bag to my face and munch away on horse sandwiches all day. And if you believe that, I'm actually a world famous scientist only pretending to be into cycling. I eat to try and cope with the poor absorption I have which puts me at a disadvantage when training as my body struggles on most days to absorb what I need to get by, never mind to actually cope with the massive energy expenditure on long cycles. So how do I do it?
By balancing liquid intake with the right minerals, electrolytes and amino acids I am able to reduce the amount of liquid I put into myself. Which makes it easier for my body to absorb the nutrients as they aren't being flushed out.
In terms of food, I use a low residue diet but take it to extremes. I eat no or little insoluble fibre (soluble fibre like bananas and pears are actually a good thing for me) and massive amounts of what most people would call bad foods. Highly refined white flours, processed meats, american orange plastic squares of cheese (I know its a travesty) and chocolate. I know it sounds unhealthy but I don't fry any foods. I don't use oil (apart from Olive Oil) in my cooking and I dont eat cream or butter.
All in - on a rest day I eat around 4000 calories. On a training day I eat around 5000 to 6000 calories. Thats probably enough to keep most people going for 3 days. So where do I put it? Well I've always had a fast metabolism and this exercise makes me burn calories just sitting still.
If I have so many issues just getting myself to maintain my weight why am I still cycling? Cycling and any other long term endurance sport reduces your immune system. Thats exactly what my doctors need my body to do, so really it's just a complementary therapy to my medication. Although the more cycling I do the more efficient the leg muscles get at burning energy and mean I need to offset less and less energy. For example four weeks ago I used to need 2 sandwiches, 4 mars bars and 2 litres of still lucozade to do 20 miles. Yesterday I cycled 58 miles on 2 mars bars and 1.5 litres of water.
Oh and you get to meet loads of people while you are out cycling that you would never meet if you were at home drinking beer.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
You gotta fight...for your right...to paaaaaaaar-teeee!
I've been thinking about posting about why I am doing the cycle for a while now. Yeah, I'm doing it for charity for a friend at my old work and a kid that deserved a whole load more than they got in life. But thats not the only reason. Before you think I am going to get preachy, I'm not. It's just so you understand my way of thinking and reasoning behind why I do things.
In August 1996 I became sick, I lost a lot of weight in a very short time. I was vomiting, running to the toilet every five minutes, being dizzy and losing hair quickly. It took two years to diagnose the fact I had Crohns Disease (ps that link is pretty gruesome so don't click if you are squeamish)- at first the docs thought I had food poisoning but after 6 months we figured either my mum was a TERRIBLE cook or I had something else. Since no one else at home was sick it couldn't be food poisoning.
Anyway, those two years totally changed me, I had to re-think my future, re-evaluate "friendships", and re-plan my idea of who I was. Some of it was easy. The career change came naturally to me. Twelve years and one major operation later and I've sorted my future (as far as anyone can really), made some excellent friends at college, work, and across the world. The only thing that still plagues my daily life is Crohns. It's never going to go.
To say Crohns plagues my daily life isn't actually correct. I am far too stubborn to let it. It does control certain aspects of my life. I can't, for example, eat if I am going to be on the bike for more than 2 hours. I can't eat just anything either. I need to control the fibre, sugar and fat I eat so my reduced intestines can cope with it.
And thats one of the drivers for me doing so much training and actually saying yes to doing 240 miles on a bike. I WILL NOT give in. EVER. Every day I take Immuno-Suppressants to try and stop my body rejecting parts of itself (similar to those of a transplant patient). Every day I take a whole load of Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS) to reduce the inflammation in the gut. Endurance Training helps me out by reducing my immune system further.
You'd think that would leave me wide open to getting sick, but to be honest I am too stubborn to let even a small cold get in my way. Hell even when I have full blown fevers which result in me looking like I've stepped out the shower I still get myself up out of bed and carry on.
Life isn't easy for anyone, some of us have physical issues to over come, others mental or emotional. What counts is how we deal with the challenges thrown at us in life. I'm not going to let that challenge beat me. Most of us won't be fortunate enough to have the things we want in life handed to us. We'll have to strive to get them.
So do as the Beastie Boys say and "Fight, for your right...to PAAAAAAAAARTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Just remember to enjoy it along the way.
In August 1996 I became sick, I lost a lot of weight in a very short time. I was vomiting, running to the toilet every five minutes, being dizzy and losing hair quickly. It took two years to diagnose the fact I had Crohns Disease (ps that link is pretty gruesome so don't click if you are squeamish)- at first the docs thought I had food poisoning but after 6 months we figured either my mum was a TERRIBLE cook or I had something else. Since no one else at home was sick it couldn't be food poisoning.
Anyway, those two years totally changed me, I had to re-think my future, re-evaluate "friendships", and re-plan my idea of who I was. Some of it was easy. The career change came naturally to me. Twelve years and one major operation later and I've sorted my future (as far as anyone can really), made some excellent friends at college, work, and across the world. The only thing that still plagues my daily life is Crohns. It's never going to go.
To say Crohns plagues my daily life isn't actually correct. I am far too stubborn to let it. It does control certain aspects of my life. I can't, for example, eat if I am going to be on the bike for more than 2 hours. I can't eat just anything either. I need to control the fibre, sugar and fat I eat so my reduced intestines can cope with it.
And thats one of the drivers for me doing so much training and actually saying yes to doing 240 miles on a bike. I WILL NOT give in. EVER. Every day I take Immuno-Suppressants to try and stop my body rejecting parts of itself (similar to those of a transplant patient). Every day I take a whole load of Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS) to reduce the inflammation in the gut. Endurance Training helps me out by reducing my immune system further.
You'd think that would leave me wide open to getting sick, but to be honest I am too stubborn to let even a small cold get in my way. Hell even when I have full blown fevers which result in me looking like I've stepped out the shower I still get myself up out of bed and carry on.
Life isn't easy for anyone, some of us have physical issues to over come, others mental or emotional. What counts is how we deal with the challenges thrown at us in life. I'm not going to let that challenge beat me. Most of us won't be fortunate enough to have the things we want in life handed to us. We'll have to strive to get them.
So do as the Beastie Boys say and "Fight, for your right...to PAAAAAAAAARTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Just remember to enjoy it along the way.
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