# How many calories are you guys getting?



## TheHobbes (Dec 25, 2009)

I have IBS-D and possibly some form of IBD also. I've been eating 3,000-4,000 calories a day for about 8 months. I work out four days a week (weightlifting) and have a very physical job. I eat very healthy: high protein, high carbs, low fat, low sugar, no alcohol, and I don't smoke or drink coffee. I basically live on chicken breast, tuna, protein shakes, rice, veggies, etc, and about the most interesting thing I ever have is Subway, plain as can be: low fat with only meat, cheese, bread. I'm sure I need more calories than average just because I am very active, but can't tell if I'm able to absorb all my nutrients propperly and if I ate a normal diet of 2,000 calories would I not be able to maintain my weight? I really don't understand how I am not losing extreme amounts of weight (which I DO NOT want to do) by running to the bathroom up to 10 times a day at my worst! It's on average like 5-6 times/day. And I try to drink a fair amount of plain water to replenish what I'm losing.So how many calories is everybody out there getting? I know some people lose weight because they are not able to eat, but can absorb nutrients. And how much protein are IBS-D people getting? I'm getting 200+ grams of protein a day for lifting, I'm addicted to the gym and it's really the only thing I enjoy doing and don't feel sick when doing it. By the way I'm 5'7" 175lbs, female, and it is very important to me that I maintain my weight. It took me a long time to reach that goal so I don't want to backtrack on my progress.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

You should not be losing weight from the diarrhea of IBS. IT should be a colon only thing and by that point you have absorbed all your calories.The colon does not absorb nutrients, it processes the left overs for you to get rid of. People who have their colon removed still maintain weight.How many calories a day should you need for your weight and exercise level? Have you done a calculator.I'm not that active but even when I have diarrhea if I eat over 2,000 calories a day I will gain weight quite effectively and Usually have to stay under 1500 a day to lose and sometimes even maintain my weight even with exercise.(I put your info into a calculator online and at that height and weight and at a high activity level you do need 3000 calories a day so you may be just meeting your needs). I can't tell if you want to gain more weight or lose more weight.So if 3-4000 maintains your weight 2500 should let you lose some weight. If 4000 a day and you still drop weight quickly (and if very active you might need to do a more nuanced calculator than I used that lets you add in all your activity as some athletes can burn 5000 or more calories a day) you probably need to have your small intestine checked for things like celiac or crohns. The small intestine gets the calories out of your food and if it can't then you may have trouble maintaining weight.Also if your nutritional status is OK (not anemic, no other vitamin issues) your GI tract is probably absorbing everything just fine.


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