Interstitial Cystitis Advice

Hi Steph,

I hope that I was able to help answer your question about water in my reply to your other question from a few days ago on the subject. It really is hard to say that one brand of water is the "absolute best" for ICers, as we all vary so much in what upsets our bladders. Overall, many times, I've read and heard ICers speak highly of Evian. It certainly doesn't bother my bladder, but it is costly, even if you buy the larger bottles by the case. However if you're no longer drinking things like soda and fruit juice, spending more on bottled water may still be able to fit into your budget. Try buying a few different brands of bottled water (health food store and upscale food shops often carry brands which supermarkets don't, if you aren't having much luck with what your local grocery stores are carrying) and try them one at a time over a period of several days (just try one brand ever 24-72 hours to see how your bladder reacts).

I understand what you mean 100% about weight loss and IC, and I think that weight gain (and in some cases even very considerable weight gain) after the development of IC is something which the medical community has not really paid much attention to. Numerous medications which ICers are sometimes prescribed (anti-depressants, some types of power painkillers, antihistamines, etc) often carry weight gain as one of their potential side affects. Add to that the fact that for many of us our ability to exercise and work out as we used to (both in terms of what we can do and for how long we're able to do it) is often hindered or greatly reduced, and that we're balancing eating for IC into the mix, and it's no wonder that some ICers report gaining unwanted pounds (and let's not forget the possibility that our hormones and stress levels may be affected by IC, or IC by our hormones and stress, which again, could contribute to weight gain for some).

Definitely once you've determined what your key trigger foods are and have established a list of those foods which you're bladder is fine (or nearly fine) with, it's easier to get down to the task of eating not just in a way that will keep bladder flares at bay, but also help you halt and/or eliminate unwanted weight gain. Obviously having to juggle such a delicate balance can be very hard at times, and you may find it exceptionally helpful to enlist the help of a dietitian, nutritionist and/or your doctor(s), because while you want to keep your bladder happy and your weight in check, you also want to ensure that you're not depriving yourself of any major food groups or necessary vitamins and minerals (and fiber).

Other may fight me tooth and nail on this, but I don't personally put much stock into commercial diets or weight loss plans. I think that the single greatest weight loss tool you have (assuming of course that you do not have a medical condition such as a thyroid problem, PCOS, etc which can greatly affect one's ability to lose, maintain and gain weight) is common sense.

First off you'll want to determine what you weigh now and then find out the level of calories that your body would need to eat to maintain your current weight (numerous websites have calorie calculators which can help you with this, here's one for example: Weight Maintenance Calculator for Women). Many gyms, dietitians, and doctors are also able to help you find out this number. (Keep in mind that respective to this number, you'll also have daily recommended limits and minimums for things such as fat, saturated fat, carbs, sugar, sodium, protein, vitamins and minerals.)

It is a well established fact that one pound of weight is caused by the consumption of 3,500 (excess or required, as in the case of a growing child or a person who is underweight) calories, and so if a person wants to lose weight they will need to burn 3,500 calories for every pond that that they want to shed (this is accomplished through eating less and/or increasing your exercise level). So let's say (for the sake of example) that based on a person's information (age, sex, height, activity level and current weight) their current caloric maintenance level is 2,000 calories per day. If they want to lose weight they need to consume (and/or burn off) less calories than their 2,000 calorie a day limit (eating more than 2,000 calories a day and not making up for the excess calories by burning them off, would, over time, likely lead to weight gain).

It is often suggested that a good number to reduce your daily caloric intake by is 500 calories (this is of course a very individual number and each person who wants to lose weight will need to find a calorie reduction level that they're comfortable with) if you want to lose weight. Therefore if the person in our example went from eating 2,000 a day (or more, remember again, that is just the number that's been determined to be their maintenance level, it may not actually reflect how many calories they really are eating a day) to eating 1,500 calories a day, they'd be reducing their caloric intake by 500 calories. Multiple 500 calories over seven days in a week and (assuming that the person really did eat 1,500 calories a day, not more) they would eat 3,500 less calories than their current maintenance calories in one week. 3,500 calories equals one pound, so, in theory if you ate 3,500 calories less (per week, in this case) you would lose one pound, because your body no longer received the 2,000 calories it needed to keep your weight at the same level each day, but instead consumed 1,500 calories.

If you kept this up for a month, you could potentially lose 4 pounds (1 pound per week x 4 weeks). Meaning that 10-15 excess pounds could be lost in 2.5-4 months (keep in mind though that as you lose weight, your daily maintenance calorie level will also slowly decrease so after you've lost some weight, or if your activity level has changed considerably, you'll want to reassess what your caloric maintenance level is and in turn adjust the number of calories that you eat/burn accordingly). Naturally there are variables which can affect a person's overall ability to lose weight, these numbers may not always pan out as smoothly or ideally in real life as they do on paper.

Often people who are trying to lose weight will both reduce their calories and increase their exercise, especially if their daily calorie level isn't particularly high to begin with. By increasing your activity level you can take some of the "burden" (so to speak) off of your diet. You could for example, choice to reduce your calories by 250 per day and burn another 250 through exercise (anything that gets you moving will burn calories, and walking certainly counts there). The sad reality though is that for many ICers our ability to exercise at the same level as a "healthy" person is hampered. That said it's good to carefully see what activities your body (and bladder) is able to handle (on those days when you feel well enough to exercise). While things like endurance running, playing hockey and cycling may be out for many of us, lower impact activities such as mild yoga, light (gentle) aerobics, walking, swimming and light weight training may be possible. Remember that not just sports burn burn calories, activities such as taking the stairs, doing housework, playing with your kids at the park, walking through the mall and even making love all burn more calories than if you were just sitting on the sofa. When trying to lose weight every little bit that you can do certainly helps. A person does not need to survive on protein alone and pump iron for three hours a day to lose weight (in fact doing that would most likely cause you to gain new-found muscle weight). Nor does losing weight need to be a matter of entirely depriving yourself and feeling hungry all the time, not at all. If weight gain is likely to succeed in the long run for you, you need to make lifestyle choices that you're able to keep up not just for a few months, but indefinitely.

It's hardly a secret that everyone should eat breakfast, but this is more than just something that moms say to their kids before school, it's a proven fact that eating breakfast helps to jump start your metabolism for the day (and the better your metabolism is working, the greater your ability to burn calories). Beyond breakfast the choice is your's when it comes to how you want to divvy up your daily calories (and fat, remember that calories aren't the only factor in weight maintenance, fat, carbs, proteins and fiber all have their own roles to play, too). Some people (I'd count myself in this camp) like to eat three meals (breakfast, lunch and supper) a day, others prefer eating 4-6 smaller meals, again the choice is your's, the really important thing is that when the day draws to a close, you've stayed at or (a little) below your calorie goal (while at the same time keeping things like your fat intake level in check as well).

The method that I've just described above is the foundation for a tremendous number of commercial diets on the market, though their creators and promoters may not come right and say it. Weight Watchers for example assigns point levels to different foods, and a person is told that they have "x" points per day which they're able to eat based on their current weight (and that if they do not exceed their points level each day they'll not gain any further weight and likely lose some or all of their excess weight). But the reality is that these point levels are based on calories and ultimately the term "points" is just another way of saying that someone has a certain level of calories that they can eat each day (and just as with Weight Watchers, a reduced calorie diet, in theory still allows you to eat whatever you want, the kicker is that while something like a chocolate bar may only have 250 calories, it can also have 30 grams or more of fat! A piece of lean meat such as a large skinless chicken breast or some very lean pork can also weigh in at 250 calories, but it's natural fat level will be lower, and it's likely to pack way more protein, healthy fats (unsaturated fats as opposed to things like high levels of saturated fats and even trans fats) and nutrients than a sugar and artifical ingredient laden candy bar).

Just as every bit of daily activity adds up, so to does every calorie and gram of fat, which means that you need to watch (some people like to track what they eat each day, this can be done in paper, online or as a running total in your head) what you eat carefully if you want to lose excess pounds or maintain a healthy weight level. Since developing IC (and actually IBS before that) I've not been able to drink many beverages. While my taste buds might now always be too pleased about this, in the long run I really do not mind because cutting down on (or eliminating) certain types of drinks can be a great way to cut some calories from your daily routine or assign them to your meals instead, where they'll likely help to make you feel much fuller than a glass of sugary soda or a whip cream topped coffee would. Honestly, the very vast majority of the time, the only things I drink are water and peppermint tea (with no milk or sugar, thus allowing the tea to be virtually calorie and entirely fat free), and I'm happy to do so because, again, I'd much rather let my calories go to my meals. This isn't of course to say that you can't have some tasty beverages from time to time, I just mention this because curbing your caloric beverage intake can be a great place to start shaving off excess daily calories. (Bypassing dessert, or opting for healthier items like fruit, angel food cake and lower calorie muffins is another way to trim unneeded calories. Save things like cheesecake and pie for once in a blue moon.)

While not every (bladder friendly) food on the IC diet is low in fat and or/calories, many of them are healthy in multiple ways (low cal, good source of vitamins, high in fiber, etc). Some of my very favourite healthy (and low calorie) IC friendly foods, which I eat very frequently, are:

-Carrots

-Parsnips (I love them mashed up and used as a base for slices of meat)

-Squash and pumpkin

-Potatoes (skip the butter/margarine/cheese and use things such as sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, garlic, chives and other herbs to add flavour. Fat free chicken or vegetable broth can be used to make wonderfully tasty mashed potatoes)

-Peas

-Beans (fresh, frozen and canned)

-Lettuce

-Greens (spinach, chard, bok choy, etc)

-Zucchini

-Cuccumber

-Mushrooms

-Broccoli

-Cauliflower

-Beets

-Corn

-Bell peppers

-Sweet potatoes

-Garlic

-Fresh herbs

-Skinless, lean chicken and turkey meat (including ground meat)

-Homemade low fat, low cal soups made with homemade stocks

-Egg whites

-Apples (Not all ICers are able to eat apples; in general those with low levels of acid - like fuji - have been tolerated the best)

-Pears

-Blueberries (and dried, sulfur-free blueberries)

-Small portions of raisins (not all ICers can eat raisins, look for preservative and sulfur-free brands)

-Oatmeal (homemade)

-Low fat, healthy breakfast cereals (try to find ones with as few preservatives, artificial dyes and flavors as possible)

-Quinoa

-Rice (there are so many incredible varieties out there to experiment with)

-Rice noddles

-Plain rice cakes

-Baked (not fried!) corn chips (and for a treat, plain baked potato chips)

-Lentils

-Preservative and bladder irritant free, low fat breads, bagels, flat breads, wraps and pitas

-Low fat cream cheese

-Low fat milk (1% or skim)

-Low(er) fat bladder friendly cheeses (feta, mozzarella, ricotta, cottage cheese, etc)

-Small portions of IC friendly nuts and seeds (almonds, cashews, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc)

-Bladder friendly herbs and spices

There are certainly other healthy IC friendly foods (again, those are just some of the ones that I personally eat on a regular basis) out there too! As I have a gastrointestinal condition called IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), I am not able to safely eat much in the way or red meat, high fat dairy, oil/butter/lard/etc, or fried foods (amongst others), but when I do use cooking fats I opt for things like oil olive (and other mono-unsaturated fats), generally saving butter for treats like baked goods. To the above list you might also want to add such foods as whole eggs (one large egg has 70 calories), lean and extra lean meats, almond milk, oat milk, grains (millet, spelt, etc), fish and seafood, bran, small portions of pasta (generally 40-100 grams per person if you're watching what you eat), melon (ICers differ in their ability to eat various types of melon; I've had the best luck with honeydew and small portions of watermelon), and numerous IC friendly vegetables.

Always keep in mind that each of us is different in what we can and cannot eat, just because something is generally classified as being unfriendly to our bladders, it doesn't automatically mean that you'll have an issue with it (and vice versa, a generally "safe" food might trigger a flare for you). I can, for example, eat a small portion of fresh pineapple (without even needing to take Prelief!), yet many other fruits with lower levels of acid do upset my bladder (obviously acid isn't always the reason why something bugs our bladders, other factors ranging from preservatives to potassium, tyramine to tannins have the potential upset our symptoms).

All of the above information is just a very brief overview of both dieting and eating healthily with interstitial cystitis. They're starting points and helpful tips which maybe able to aid you in your goal of keeping both your bladder and your waistline happy. Please, by all means feel free to ask more questions and share your views.

Here are some related web links which you may find very useful:

The US food pyramid (The US food pyramid guide)

Canadian Food Guide (The Canadian Food Guide, which is similar to that the US food pyramid)

The Calorie Counter (A great site which houses a tome of caloric (and nutritional) information on thousands of foods)

Fast Food Calories (Gives the calories and nutritional data for foods from a wide range of fast food restaurants)

Calorie King (Another great site for when you want to know the calories in a given food, also includes articles, resources and forum)

Spark People (A weight loss and healthy living geared community based site which includes a ton of tools and tips to help you track, achieve and maintain your goals.)

Traineo (Similar in some respects to Spark People, this is another community based site with plenty of tools to help you track your progress)

(Regarding bloating and weight gain, I know what you mean there! My body has a knack for retaining water, especially during my period. In fact during my menses, I've seen as much as an 8lb increase in my weight, which all went away when that time of the month finished. In general I find that I get my lowest and most accurate weight measurement when I weigh myself first thing in the morning, after using the washroom and before I've eaten anything. Many peoples' weight fluctuates during the day based on things such as how activity you've gotten, how much you've eaten (foods and beverages), hormones, and whether you're retaining water or not (ongoing water retention can be a sign of that various medical problems and should be checked out by a doctor). If you find that your retain water weight easily, cutting down on your sodium intake my help with this pesky problem. I think it's entirely probable that both bloating/"IC belly" and flaring could cause a person to see a temporary spike in their weight.)

I truly do hope that I've been able to shed some light on your questions, Steph. Feel free to ask lots more and to share your thoughts on what I've said.

Fingers crossed that your flare vanishes really soon!!

Jessica

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Jessica Cangiano: ICadvice.com creator and administrator

I have IC, but IC doesn't have me!