Since You've Been Crohn

One of the more frustrating aspects of Crohn's is it's ability to cause your weight to fluctuate. Regularly.
I was at my worst (and skinniest) around Aug/Sept of 2010. The photo below was taken when I was a bridesmaid at a friends wedding. I had shrunken down to a skeletal 6stone and the dress had to be taken in 5 or 6 times in the run up to the wedding in order to avoid me flashing my unmentionables to the assembled guests. It was horrible. My bones were almost all visible, I had little to no chest (this is freakish for me) and could see my entire rib cage. Lovely. And oh so attractive in the wedding photos. I looked like a walking coat hanger without the coat.

So if that was about the lightest I've dropped to, I went the other way on steroids. These lovely drugs cause swelling of the face and neck and are designed to help encourage appetite so you are ALWAYS hungry. The desire to eat is often so strong you will eat literally anything you can get your hands on. (R.I.P Fluffy).
When going through a flare up, a Crohnie's weight can change from hour to hour. Often I wake up bloated and by the middle of the day my jeans are struggling to remain on my hips. Not easy trying to dress for Crohn's. I think even Gok Wan would struggle with this one. 'How to look good Diseased' perhaps..?
But what really matters is that we are healthy. And well. Weight changing is annoying and can be depressing and frustrating but it's important to learn to use these changes to your body as signs something is not right. If I start to lose weight rapidly I know I'm on the cusp of a flare-up. Right now if I'm putting weight on I'm happy about it - it's been so long since I approached my 'normal' healthy weight that it's nice to see that wee 3rd chin start to make appearance. If I'm putting weight on it means I am EATING! It means i'm taking in food and keeping it there, until nature takes it course, of course. Being able to eat is good. Cake is good. Chocolate is good. Mash is good. You get the general idea.
Eat when you can and make the most of it. Don't get hung up on your love handles. They are a sign of a happy tummy spreading the love across the rest of your body! That's why they call them 'love handles'! Isn't it..?