Gaining Muscle and Anemia

1FitMom326
1FitMom326 Posts: 228
in Health and Weight Loss
So after my chemo and radiation, I have become very anemic I have been eating nutritiously trying to up my protein and increasing iron consumption but I haven't been able to eat enough and keep losing weight. I have been told by the Dr not to lose any more weight because it is causing muscle loss which adds to the fatigue and the loss of appetite and this endless cycle I have been on.

My heart rate is also high so I have not been able to run because it becomes to elevated. Dr wants me to exercise trying to keep a heart rate of 120 which most days I am at 107 not doing anything.

Has anyone else had anemia? Any suggestions? Also ideas for calories dense nutritious foods are welcome as I find it very hard to eat 1600 calories. (And I understand most don't like to hear this and 2 years ago I would have thought someone was crazy for saying it)

Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Has your Dr not given you an iron supplement? That would make the most sense to me.
  • 1FitMom326
    1FitMom326 Posts: 228
    I take a iron supplement twice a day. Vitamin B as well as a Chinese Root blood builder called marrow plus.
  • littlebudgie
    littlebudgie Posts: 279 Member
    First off, cut down on the amount of calcium you consume, or at least avoid having it with iron-rich foods. Calcium can seriously inhibit iron absorption. Second, I suggest tracking iron rather than fiber, just since it's really important for you right now.

    Non-heme iron (which you get from plants, eggs, and dairy) is less well-absorbed by the human body than heme (meat, poultry and fish) iron. You can increase how much non-heme iron your body absorbs by increasing the amount of vitamin C you consume along with it. So, oatmeal with orange juice, chickpea salad with red peppers, spinach salad with almonds and tangerines, etc. You'll also want to up your intake of vitamin B12 and folates, although I'm not as familiar with sources for those.

    As for calorie-dense foods, that tends to mean foods with fat, so don't choose fat-free or lite/light options. Don't snack on cucumber, or at least mix up your veggies to include ones like snow peas (incidentally a good source of iron), red peppers, broccoli, and other iron or vitamin C-rich foods, and have them with guacamole, baba ganoush or hummus (more iron!). I would suggest staying away from that tofu dip you seem fond of, just because a lot of tofu is fortified with calcium and you don't want that right now.

    Nuts are your friends! Have them for a snack, put nut butters on crackers, or even mix a spoonful of peanut butter into your morning drink (I really like peanut butter and banana as a smoothie combo). One tablespoon of peanut butter will add 90 calories to your day, so it's an easy boost.

    Finally, one tip I often see for people who are trying to lose weight is to keep snacks in one place/room, so that you don't sit at the computer/tv/etc. and mindlessly nibble on chips or something. You might want to try the opposite - always keep a bag of some snack around you to nibble on. I applied the same logic when I was trying to drink more, and it worked for me.

    Good luck. It can be hard enough training yourself to eat more even when you're physically healthy; I can't imagine how much harder it would be in your case.
  • bowbeforethoraxis
    bowbeforethoraxis Posts: 138 Member
    I have hereditary anemia, so I'm on an iron supplement also.

    Do you take your iron with any dairy or other supplements? Calcium can block the absorption of iron, which ends up making the iron pills kind of useless. My doctor told me that iron is best taken on an empty stomach, and if it causes any stomach pain to take it with a small amount of saltines or orange juice. Vitamin C can help your body absorb the iron. Also, my doctor has said that it takes about 2 months to see the change from taking iron supplements, and it can take as long as a year before everything in your body is back to normal.

    Also, here's a link to iron rich foods: http://www.redcrossblood.org/learn-about-blood/health-and-wellness/iron-rich-foods

    Have you tried changing your macro views so you can see how much iron you're eating every day?
  • mspoopoo
    mspoopoo Posts: 500 Member
    Are you taking a prescription iron supplement? The over the counter ones won't work for anemia.

    The one the doctor gives me is something like 325mg a tablet.

    It does take awhile for it to go back up. If it gets too low they can give you an iron infusion.

    Try eating more fats; eggs, beef, fatty fish, coconut oil. That will get your calories up.
  • RichardFL
    RichardFL Posts: 44
    For high calorie density foods, peanut butter, nuts, olive oil, avocado, dark chocolate (in moderation). Granola and oatmeal are reasonably dense on the calories too.
  • 1FitMom326
    1FitMom326 Posts: 228
    I did start tracking my iron in my macros and was shocked how little iron I was getting. I have very little calcium intake with the exception of almond milk. Thank you all for your support and great ideas.

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