New to gaining weight and My Fitness Pal

alw22beachbody

I'm was the opposite until I found out I had oral cancer. I lost 40lbs in the last year, 20 in just the last 3 months from treatment. Just getting over a feeding tube and trying to readjust to eating. I'm very skinny and very little muscles. Looking for support as I begin a new lifestyle.

kshatriyo

I was my father in law's health advocate in India while he underwent treatment for stage IV oral cancer (carcinoma tongue) in 2007. He is a 7 year survivor. He had erbitux and radiation.

No nutritional support was given, so I was in charge of diet. Your diet should focus on liquids with added fats. Healthy fats DO include saturated fats and dairy if you are lactose tolerant. You want to focus on basic fats, not antioxidants (those are not good for somebody with cancer). Get a pressure cooker; it helps soften foods that might be hard to eat. But your focus is on ways to get enough fat in to your diet without gagging. You might need digestive enzymes to help you with that, and have small meals throughout the day. Have you joined OCF support forums?

ETA: I looked into ketogenic diets for cancer patients myself and it's a bunch of quackery so I deleted my advice to look into it. The last thing you want when trying to gain weight is ketosis. (I am on a ketogenic diet myself).

alw22beachbody

I'm glad you were there for your father-n-law. Everyone needs help. It's hard to figure out what I need at every meal. Everything I read says something different and contradicts the other. I have not joined any OCF forums yet. I will see what I can find. Thank you for your comment.

kshatriyo

Also, my mom also died this year from cancer, but it was from lung. I fed her. We focused on her favorites, which were bacon and Reese's, and LOTS of reminders to eat, since her appetite was poor. We would talk about things and build her up to motivate her eating. Then it would change to something else, like chicken salad and monte cristo. Oh, PIM's raspberry chocolate tea buiscuts were a huge hit, as was Mexican Flan (Luisa's brand) for it being easy to swallow. Be patient with yourself, let me know if you need any advice.

kshatriyo

alw22beachbody wrote: »

I'm glad you were there for your father-n-law. Everyone needs help. It's hard to figure out what I need at every meal. Everything I read says something different and contradicts the other. I have not joined any OCF forums yet. I will see what I can find. Thank you for your comment.

I am not sure what you mean by contradicts the other. I'd be happy to refute anything you have a question about with hard scientific evidence. You need a meal plan for weight gain. Just focus on the most nutrient dense foods that you personally are able to prepare, eat, and digest. It got to a point where my FIL was just having starchy soup with a TON of oil added, and it got him through. My mom was near death from malnutrition and diahrrea when I go her and took her to live with me and she made it another 8 months because I carefully monitored her weight and calories intake. Ask your family and friends for help!!!