How to gain weight with gastritis: simple rules and tips

A disease such as gastritis affects the gastric mucosa and disrupts the functions of the stomach. The organ does not process food well, the process occurs very slowly, thereby the body does not receive the necessary energy.

Gastritis is distinguished between acute and chronic. Acute manifests itself for a short time, often due to the ingestion of chemicals, irritants, contaminated or poor-quality food, and certain medications into the stomach. The acute form can become chronic; in addition to problems with appetite, it is accompanied by pain in the stomach. This affects the amount of food consumed, reduces appetite and leads to weight loss and loss.

In order to identify this disease, it is necessary to determine the symptoms of the disease:

heaviness in the stomach;
periodic stomach pain;
nausea;
diarrhea;
constipation;
bloating.

If at least one factor is detected, it is necessary to exclude prohibited foods (fatty, heavy foods) and change the diet. You should go to the hospital, get tested, undergo the necessary examinations and, to accurately identify the diagnosis, get an appointment with a gastroenterologist, he will prescribe the necessary medications, prescribe a diet containing the required amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

When a doctor prescribes a diet, weight loss occurs. However, weight gain may stop due to complete or partial refusal of food.

Characteristics of the disease

Gastritis is a disease of the stomach consisting of inflammation of its mucous membrane. For various reasons, irritation of the mucous membrane occurs, which sometimes leads to unbearable pain in the solar plexus area. Ignoring such signals from the body ends with the cells of the gastric epithelium atrophying, and digestion of incoming food is difficult.

In medical practice, there are two main types of gastritis - acute and chronic. An acute type of gastritis can be caused by eating food that has expired, the entry of an irritating element (acids, metals) into the stomach, as well as infection with intestinal infections. In fact, the phenomenon of acute gastritis occurs once and suddenly against the background of a negative effect on the gastric mucosa.

Chronic gastritis is divided into 3 types: autoimmune, bacterial and reflux gastritis. In 9 out of 10 cases, bacterial gastritis occurs, caused by Helicobacter pylori infection. However, the question of how to gain weight with gastritis and GERD is relevant in the case of reflux gastritis. The reason for its occurrence is the periodic release of bile from the stomach into the esophagus, which should not happen in a healthy person, because a closed sphincter usually protects the esophagus from the contents of the stomach.

What are the dangers of weight loss with gastritis?

Some patients who begin to lose weight rejoice at this phenomenon. This is especially true for overweight women. However, weight loss with gastritis may indicate the development of a malignant tumor, so it is urgent to undergo a full examination. With anorexia, a person loses weight so rapidly that his strength leaves him. The patient becomes weak, his hair falls out, his skin loses its elasticity and natural shade. If treatment for anorexia does not bring positive results and weight loss continues, the person will eventually die. The mortality rate from anorexia is 15%.

Atrophic gastritis is a chronic form of the disease, the course of which is accompanied by thinning of the gastric mucosa, resulting in a decrease in the number of working cells. The volume of production of hydrochloric acid and pepsinogen, without which normal digestion is impossible, decreases. The question is how to recover from atrophic gastritis

, is paramount for the patient.

Symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases

The most important symptom of almost all diseases associated with the digestive system is acute or aching pain in the abdominal cavity, specifically in the stomach area, under the right and left hypochondrium, in the intestinal area. The pain may be accompanied by heartburn, a feeling of nausea after eating, loss of appetite, and rapid heartbeat. External manifestations include a white coating on the tongue and a sour smell from the mouth.

Gastritis, especially chronic gastritis, is characterized by loose stools, periodically followed by constipation. Patients may complain of weakness, increased fatigue, frequent headaches, discomfort and bloating. When the acute form develops, vomiting after eating and severe stomach pain may occur.

Why do people lose weight with gastritis?

Gastritis is a disease that is accompanied by inflammation of the gastric mucosa; during its exacerbation, a person is constantly tormented by belching and nausea, stool upset and bad breath. The patient feels weak and does not want to do anything, including eat, he only has one thought associated with the unpleasant sensations after eating, so very often he refuses it.

Inflammation can only affect certain areas of the stomach, and its healthy cells, not susceptible to disease, begin to secrete hydrochloric acid as compensation, which is why gastritis occurs with increased acidity.

During the progression of gastritis, the inflammatory process can cover the entire inner part of the stomach and move into the intestines, impaired motility of other internal organs is felt, as well as malfunctions of the sphincter, which helps push food into the intestines and duodenum.

A deficiency of nutrients in the body leads to weight loss, a person looks tired and sick, but this not only provokes a decrease in body weight, but also causes:

Diarrhea;
Nausea, often accompanied by vomiting;
Decreased appetite or complete refusal to eat;
Dehydration of the body.

In severe cases, vomiting and diarrhea appear in a person more than 20 times per day.

Sometimes weight is lost due to dieting, which is required along with drug therapy. In some cases, such dietary nutrition requires a reduction in the diet; you must try not to overeat.

Why does weight loss happen?

Before answering the question: “How to gain weight with gastritis?”, it is necessary not only to understand the reasons why weight loss occurs, but also to get rid of them. The main reason, of course, lies in the presence of a disease of the digestive system, or more precisely, in the presence of an inflammatory process in the gastrointestinal tract.

With gastritis, the inflamed walls of the stomach are unable to fully digest and absorb food. A large proportion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates are not broken down and absorbed. Also, quite often, patients with a sick stomach complain of loss of appetite, which ultimately leads to rapid weight loss.

Many gastrointestinal diseases, especially during exacerbations, are characterized by loose and even watery stools and diarrhea. Nausea and vomiting may also occur after eating. The combination of such symptoms leads to dehydration of the body. He is forced to use reserves in the form of fat deposits, since he is not able to provide himself with enough calories. This ultimately leads to dramatic weight loss.

Forward to a cure

Lead a healthy, active lifestyle, give up bad habits, avoid stress, regularly visit the hospital to monitor your body. Prevention is better than cure. Consumption of vitamins and minerals in food, eat often, but in small portions, do not overeat, do not eat large pieces, it is better to finely chop or puree foods.

Steamed or baked fish, soups, choose meat that is easy for the stomach to digest (veal, beef, rabbit, chicken). No one has canceled the benefits of porridges; they can be not only healthy, but also tasty by adding fruits, nuts, and honey. Healthy food can also be varied and tasty.

We recommend: What herbs can you drink for gastritis?

Preparing for weight gain

Starting to gain weight without getting rid of the reasons for its decline is a futile exercise. First, you need to cure gastrointestinal diseases in which complete absorption of nutrients is impossible. Or, at least, put chronic diseases into remission. Only after this can you think about how to gain weight with gastritis and esophagitis.

Treatment of gastrointestinal diseases is carried out under the supervision of a gastroenterologist. Depending on the severity of the problem, the course of treatment can be carried out either at home or on an outpatient or inpatient basis. First, anamnesis is collected: the patient talks about what worries him and talks about the course of the disease. Next, a collection of tests is carried out, including a general and biochemical blood test, urine and stool analysis. Examinations such as ultrasound and gastroscopy are required.

What are the dangers of weight loss with gastritis?

A person starting to lose weight becomes more susceptible to various diseases, as his immunity weakens. In the autumn and spring periods, chronic diseases worsen.

Other health problems that arise from gastritis include:

In men - impotence;
The muscles begin to atrophy;
In women, there are hormonal imbalances: problems with pregnancy, menstruation;
Displacement of internal organs, which threatens problems with their functionality.

If you do not try to restore weight, the patient will suffer from anorexia, which is fatal in 15 percent of those suffering from it.

Treatment of gastrointestinal diseases

After the doctor has diagnosed one or more diseases associated with the gastrointestinal tract, the course of treatment begins. In any case, it will include a specialized diet - table No. 5, aimed at minimizing the risk of new exacerbations. A proper diet is an important help in answering the question of how to gain weight with gastritis. Meals should be divided, in small portions, from 4 to 7 times a day.

However, diet alone will not be enough. Only the attending physician can cure gastritis, pancreatitis, esophagitis, or at least achieve remission of such gastrointestinal diseases. He will draw up an individual program for taking medications, without which it is quite problematic to cure erosion and inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract. Gaining weight with atrophic gastritis is possible only if the course of treatment is successful.

Usually, for gastritis, drugs are prescribed that reduce the acidity of gastric juice (Maalox, Gastal) and suppress the production of gastric enzymes (Nolpaza, De-Nol). Additional food enzymes (Mezim, Pancreatin) and antibacterial drugs may also be prescribed if a Helicobacter pylori infection is detected (Amoxicillin, Clarithromycin).

Sports in treatment

In clinical recommendations for the treatment of chronic gastritis, sports are prohibited at the time of exacerbation. Heavy and moderate-intensity loads negatively affect the regeneration processes of the mucous membrane and worsen gastric motility.

It is not forbidden to do swimming, yoga, light gymnastics, or do morning exercises. During the period of complete remission, you can return to strength training aimed at “building up” muscle mass.

Basic Tips for Weight Loss

In order to return your weight to normal, you need to:

remove all factors that provoke exacerbation (stress, overeating, etc.);
get rid of bad habits;
diversify your diet with protein foods, create a small calorie surplus (no more than 5-15% of the daily value);
find your hobby, limit yourself from stressful situations;
during the period of complete clinical and laboratory remission, modify your lifestyle with the help of sports.

Principles of proper nutrition

During the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, it is mandatory to follow a special diet, table No. 5 mentioned above. You should also increase the number of meals per day to 6, with an interval of 2-3 hours. The volume of each serving should be reduced to 200-250 grams. Food must be chewed thoroughly.

For gastritis, pancreatitis, esophagitis, fresh baked goods, mushrooms, fried meat, smoked meats, cakes and pastries, chocolate, fast food, soda and alcohol should be excluded from the diet. From the menu you need to remove everything that is difficult to digest: cooked in oil, solid foods with coarse fibers. The diet menu cannot boast of high calorie content. Therefore, losing weight due to dieting is the norm. Then how to gain weight with gastritis? Later, after relieving inflammation and negative symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders, the diet can be diluted with more high-calorie foods rich in fats, amino acids and protein. This includes baked fish, boiled turkey, rabbit and beef, and durum pasta.

How to gain weight with gastritis. What to eat?

This question is often heard in the office of a gastroenterologist. To gain weight, it is initially necessary to treat the underlying disease and stop the inflammatory process. Otherwise there will be no positive dynamics.

The patient's diet should contain the following products:

low-fat fish;
poultry (chicken, turkey), veal, rabbit;
milk and fermented milk products;
low-fat cheese;
porridge;
steamed vegetables.

Food is prepared by steam, in the oven or in a slow cooker. Fried, spicy and smoked foods should be excluded from the diet. The amount of spices should also be reduced. Counting the calories consumed per day will help you gain weight. To maintain a stable weight, a healthy person with an active lifestyle should consume 2 thousand calories per day; 1.2 thousand calories are needed for a person leading a passive life. If you want to gain weight, you need to consume 500 calories above normal.

Sample menu for the day

When creating a menu, you should proceed from the following ratio of nutrients: 50% carbohydrates, 35% fats and 15% proteins.

First and second breakfast. For the first breakfast after waking up, porridges are ideal - rolled oatmeal, semolina, cooked in milk. You can eat cottage cheese mixed with honey or jam, or a casserole. For the second tomorrow, porridge is also suitable, but you can cook baked fruits, make a fruit salad or milk soufflé.

Dinner. Answering the question: “How to gain weight after gastritis?”, one cannot fail to mention the importance of a proper lunch. Chicken noodle soup, meatball soup, pea or pumpkin puree soup are a must-have first course. For the second course, you can make mashed potatoes or cook pasta as a side dish, not forgetting the meat (it’s best to eat chicken or turkey).

Afternoon snack. During the afternoon snack, you can drink weak, sweet black tea. Eat fruit, yogurt or a small portion of cottage cheese.

Dinner. It should always consist of meat dishes: cutlets, zrazy, meatballs. Eating meat should be accompanied by vegetables, or better yet, a fresh salad of cucumbers or tomatoes. For a side dish you can prepare rice, buckwheat, pasta or mashed potatoes.

Before bedtime. An hour and a half before going to bed, you can drink a glass of kefir or fermented baked milk, eat a couple of crackers, bagels or bread.

Diet for gastritis with low acidity

In addition to acute and chronic gastritis, gastritis with low and high acidity is also distinguished in medicine. The classification is based on the principle of separating the amount of gastric juice produced. If there is not enough of it, then it is gastritis with low acidity. If there is a lot, then with an increased one.

How to gain weight with gastritis with low acidity? Adhere to a diet and special food rules:

Food needs to be chewed long and thoroughly. The meal itself should be measured and take a long time, about 15-30 minutes.
10 minutes before meals you should drink a glass of mineral water to stimulate the production of gastric juice.
You can and even should eat vegetables during meals. After meals, you can eat sour fruits, but you should avoid sweet ones.

The diet itself should be rich in proteins. Boiled turkey, chicken, rabbit, and beef are perfect. Among the vegetables recommended for consumption are carrots, broccoli, and cabbage. You also need to add fermented milk products to your diet.

Folk remedies

To effectively combat weight loss, it is necessary to eliminate the cause of the pathology. There are a lot of folk remedies for gastritis that relieve the symptoms of the disease and improve the patient’s condition.

With the help of ancient knowledge, it is possible to stimulate appetite and prevent exhaustion of the body. To avoid complications associated with side effects, home therapy should be discussed with your doctor.

Relieving stomach inflammation

An infusion made with calamus roots will help with this. To improve the taste, honey is added to it, and it is drunk 30 minutes before meals. Providing antispasmodic and antibacterial effects, calamus is able to stimulate appetite.

Increased appetite

Take an equal amount of watch leaves, cumin, calamus roots, and wormwood and brew with boiling water. Consume 1 tbsp before meals. l., sweeten with honey if desired.

Weight gain

To gain weight quickly and beneficially for the body, just 2-3 green apples, grated, mixed with chopped lard and melted in the oven for about four hours. Then beat the whites of 12 eggs with 1 tbsp. sugar and mix with the resulting mass. After adding 100g of bitter melted chocolate, the mixture is consumed three times throughout the day, served on bread and washed down with warm milk.

Diet for gastritis with high acidity

With gastritis with high acidity, the activity of gastric juice is very high, so it is necessary to reduce not only its activity, but also the volume.

How to gain weight with gastritis with high acidity? The following rules must be observed:

Foods with hard fibers and coarse fiber (bran bread, muesli) should be excluded from the diet.
Some foods stimulate the production of gastric juice and should be avoided. These are soda, fatty broths, cabbage, sour fruits, coffee and alcohol. Fermented milk products and fresh baked goods should also be excluded from the menu.
The food should be warm. Excessively hot or cold food negatively affects the walls of the esophagus and stomach.

For gastritis with high acidity, you can eat boiled meat and lean fish, various seafood, and cereals. The diet should be diluted with vegetables and fresh herbs, grated berries and fruits.

What should you not eat if you have gastritis?

Let us remind you once again that the specific list of foods prohibited for gastritis always varies from patient to patient, depending on the nature of the disease, its essence and the severity of the symptoms. Below are just examples of products that are most often not recommended for consumption if a person has gastritis.

List of foods prohibited for gastritis:

Any “acidic” vegetables and fruits. The stomach can be irritated not only when eating onions and garlic, but also when eating citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, grapefruits), apples, bell peppers, radishes, and even fresh tomatoes. All these foods are prohibited for gastritis, as they stimulate excessive acid secretion.
Bread, pastries and sweets. Firstly, sugar itself increases the acidity of gastric juice and provokes gas formation. Secondly, any industrial sweets (cookies, waffles, etc.) contain quite aggressive soda, yeast and preservatives. Thirdly, chocolate (and coffee) in any form irritate the stomach. Not to mention the gluten in wheat.
Canned food, sausages and semi-finished products. The problem with “half-cooked” food is primarily the preservatives that prolong the shelf life and prevent bacteria from multiplying. Many of them are of an aggressively sour nature - gastritis means giving up not only sausages and sausages, but also mayonnaise and ketchup.
Excessively fatty foods. Nutrition for gastritis involves excluding from the diet any foods deep-fried or in hot oil (fried potatoes, cutlets, pork chops). If possible, try to use lean meat and do not fry it aggressively, but rather stew it in a small amount of vegetable oil.

Useful folk recipe

Our ancestors also encountered various gastrointestinal disorders. To cope with them, they used medicinal herbs and plants, whatever was at hand. This knowledge, embodied in the form of folk recipes, is still relevant and useful as an aid in answering the question: “How to gain weight with pancreatitis and gastritis?”

For example, a decoction of calamus rhizome perfectly stimulates digestion and improves appetite. You should drink it half an hour before each meal, half a glass. To prepare the decoction, grind the calamus roots. 3 teaspoons of crushed roots should be poured into two glasses of water (400 ml), after which the resulting mixture should be boiled over low heat for 15 minutes.

Traditional methods of increasing appetite for gastritis

Folk remedies will help improve appetite during gastritis and gain weight. Despite the herbal component of these recipes, they can only be used after consulting a doctor. Each organism is individual, and the presence of concomitant pathologies during treatment with folk remedies can lead to a negative effect.

Take the herbs cumin, calamus, and trefoil in equal proportions. Pour boiling water over the mixture and leave covered for 30 minutes. The finished drug is consumed 1 tablespoon half an hour before meals.
To stimulate appetite and improve digestion, use mint infusion. You need to drink it 3 times a day, half an hour before meals. To prepare, you need to take 30 grams of fresh plant per 1 liter of boiling water. The liquid should be infused for 2 hours.
Bee honey (1 dessert spoon) is mixed with the same amount of calamus root. The mixture is poured with ½ liter of boiling water. The prepared decoction is consumed for 10-14 days, 3 times a day, half an hour before meals.

By following doctors' recommendations and leading a healthy lifestyle, the patient can easily regain normal weight, healthy skin color and improve overall well-being.

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Sport is the best way to gain weight

No matter how strange it may be, it is physical activity in combination with a proper and balanced diet that gives the greatest results in terms of weight gain. How can a man gain weight with gastritis? A gym would be an ideal option. An hour or an hour and a half sessions in the gym 3-5 times a week will not only improve your external appearance, but will also help you gain muscle mass. Muscle mass itself is heavier than fat mass, so you can gain weight by converting one mass into another.

In order to exercise for the benefit and not for the detriment, it is first recommended to take several lessons with a professional trainer. He will show you how to do the exercises correctly and create a training program, taking into account medical indications and current physical fitness. The trainer can also advise on proper nutrition during strength training and regarding protein intake. Protein is an extremely effective way to quickly gain muscle mass. Moreover, it can also be used for gastritis, since it is easily absorbed by the walls of the stomach. However, the protein must be pure, without flavoring additives.

Drug treatment

During an exacerbation of inflammation in the stomach, the patient, as prescribed by the doctor, begins to take a complex of medications, which often consists of antibiotics, antacids, antisecretory medications and probiotics. Long-term drug treatment does not contribute to weight gain, and sometimes has a detrimental effect on the patient’s appetite (side effect).

Taking medications

The pharmacological market provides a wide variety of medications that can improve a person’s appetite and help them gain the desired weight.

These include:

Dietary supplements (dietary supplements that contain stimulants, essential amino acids);
vitamin-mineral and plant complexes;
synthetic drugs that have a direct effect on the hunger and satiety center in the brain.

Despite the abundance of positive reviews, the prescription of the above-described remedies is a last resort, especially during the treatment of the acute phase of gastritis or gastroduodenitis. Any dietary supplements or vitamin complexes are prescribed only by the attending physician, who carries out dynamic monitoring of the patient’s health status.

General conclusion

With most diseases associated with the gastrointestinal tract: gastritis, pancreatitis, esophagitis, GERD, weight loss occurs. The inflamed mucous membrane of the digestive organs is not able to properly digest food, which leads to incomplete absorption of nutrients. Possible loss of appetite, diarrhea and vomiting greatly deplete the body.

It is possible to gain weight due to gastrointestinal disorders; however, you must first cure or put into remission all diseases associated with the digestive process. Both during the course of the disease and after, it is necessary to follow a special diet - table No. 5. It may vary slightly depending on the type of problem, as, for example, in the case of gastritis with high and low acidity. It is also necessary to follow special rules for eating so as not to irritate the digestive organs.

When it comes to weight gain, training in the gym is extremely effective. Exercising, eating right and eating protein will help you gain muscle mass quickly. However, you should first consult with your doctor and then with a personal trainer.

Medical advice: how to gain weight with acute and chronic gastritis

For some reason, it is believed that the main problem of people is obesity, calls from everywhere are full of calls on how to lose weight, and where to look for advice for those who suffer from weight loss, which often provokes a disease such as gastritis. In this case, gaining the required body weight is much more difficult than losing it. A person in such a situation suffers from lack of appetite and diseases associated with gastritis. How to get out of the situation and regain lost kilograms is described below.