Cancer Patient- need to gain

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ProjectPlump
ProjectPlump Posts: 6 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi everybody! I'm using MFP to track my mother's calorie intake in hopes of helping her gain weight. Sadly she is down to 80lbs and suffers from extreme nausea. I know this site is primarily used for weight loss( I myself have a profile for that purpose) but I thought I'd try it for her regardless. I'd be happy to hear any tips anyone has for bulking up or sneaking in calories. She can't tolerate Ensure but maybe the weight lifters on here have some good ideas. Thanks in advance- Jess

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  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
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    I took care of my step mom when she was diagnosed with cancer. We tried juicing (an excellent way to get in a lot of nutrients) and adding olive oil to many things. There were certain vegetables she could just not tolerate, so there is a bit of a learning curve when first starting. She does a lot of cottage cheese blended with flax seed and flax oil (look up Budwig diet). She also tolerated eggs, she likes them poached with olive oil. Just make sure everything is a full-calorie version of itself, not anything lite/low-fat. Ginger and ginger tea can help with nausea. She also did well with avocado (like avocado and cheese sandwiches) and nut-butter(added to smoothies or spread on apple/banana.) Keep nuts on hand for snacks.
  • mxmakm
    mxmakm Posts: 1,166 Member
    edited May 2015
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    I went through the same thing with my grandmother. Basically my advice was do the opposite of what you would do if you were trying to lose weight. Make meals with whole milk instead of a lower calorie milk, use real butter, adding peanut butter is great. I also suggested adding protein powder to my grandmother's food but she didn't like it, but it might be something to try. Look for foods with a bunch of calories but not in huge portions because I know my grandmother didn't want to eat more food to get more calories. Find foods she likes and can tolerate and bulk them up as much as you can.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    It changes greatly depending on the type of cancer. What is your Mum fighting op?
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    Instant mashed potatoes with non-flavored protein powder does the trick for many, especially with nausea. Very bland and easy to digest. Peanut butter is another great option. Jello-juice (don't let it solidify) is another mainstay and very easy on the stomach.

    Best wishes to your mom.
  • ProjectPlump
    ProjectPlump Posts: 6 Member
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    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »
    It changes greatly depending on the type of cancer. What is your Mum fighting op?

    Neuro endochrin carcinoma- she has a tumor in the pancreas that has metastasized to her liver. It's a very slow moving cancer and the Chemo targeted half of her liver. It was 100% successful in killing the cancer lesions but the treatment had complications and caused congestive heart failure. She is no longer a candidate to treat the other side of the liver.
  • ProjectPlump
    ProjectPlump Posts: 6 Member
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    Non flavored protein powder is a great idea... I'll look for some tmrw. It's funny you mention jell-o as its the only thing she tolerates really well everyday.

  • ProjectPlump
    ProjectPlump Posts: 6 Member
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    DancingMoosie wrote: »
    I took care of my step mom when she was diagnosed with cancer. We tried juicing (an excellent way to get in a lot of nutrients) and adding olive oil to many things. There were certain vegetables she could just not tolerate, so there is a bit of a learning curve when first starting. She does a lot of cottage cheese blended with flax seed and flax oil (look up Budwig diet). She also tolerated eggs, she likes them poached with olive oil. Just make sure everything is a full-calorie version of itself, not anything lite/low-fat. Ginger and ginger tea can help with nausea. She also did well with avocado (like avocado and cheese sandwiches) and nut-butter(added to smoothies or spread on apple/banana.) Keep nuts on hand for snacks.

    I'll research the Budwig diet, thanks!
  • Keiko385
    Keiko385 Posts: 514 Member
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    Best wishes to your mother. When my husband was going through chemo it was a lot trail and error thanks to the nausea. Getting him to eat was a challenge. Lots of full fat dairy, olive oils, pudding, cold pasta salads, meatloaf and ham where the basics. Softer foods that didnt require a lot chewing went over fairly well. We also did the juicing for a while and that helped get him the nutrients he needed. Ensure is nasty, didnt matter how cold or what was added to it to he couldnt tolerate it.
  • ProjectPlump
    ProjectPlump Posts: 6 Member
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    Keiko385 wrote: »
    Best wishes to your mother. When my husband was going through chemo it was a lot trail and error thanks to the nausea. Getting him to eat was a challenge. Lots of full fat dairy, olive oils, pudding, cold pasta salads, meatloaf and ham where the basics. Softer foods that didnt require a lot chewing went over fairly well. We also did the juicing for a while and that helped get him the nutrients he needed. Ensure is nasty, didnt matter how cold or what was added to it to he couldnt tolerate it.

    Thanks, Keiko, I bought some ingredients today for pasta dishes. I'll give them ago. Good idea about the meatloaf- I actually make a really good one that's loaded with calories. I found a protein drink out out by Naked- going to try it out tmrw.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    ProjectPlump wrote: »
    DancingMoosie wrote: »
    I took care of my step mom when she was diagnosed with cancer. We tried juicing (an excellent way to get in a lot of nutrients) and adding olive oil to many things. There were certain vegetables she could just not tolerate, so there is a bit of a learning curve when first starting. She does a lot of cottage cheese blended with flax seed and flax oil (look up Budwig diet). She also tolerated eggs, she likes them poached with olive oil. Just make sure everything is a full-calorie version of itself, not anything lite/low-fat. Ginger and ginger tea can help with nausea. She also did well with avocado (like avocado and cheese sandwiches) and nut-butter(added to smoothies or spread on apple/banana.) Keep nuts on hand for snacks.

    I'll research the Budwig diet, thanks!
    ProjectPlump wrote: »
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »
    It changes greatly depending on the type of cancer. What is your Mum fighting op?

    Neuro endochrin carcinoma- she has a tumor in the pancreas that has metastasized to her liver. It's a very slow moving cancer and the Chemo targeted half of her liver. It was 100% successful in killing the cancer lesions but the treatment had complications and caused congestive heart failure. She is no longer a candidate to treat the other side of the liver.

    I'm sorry to hear that, I would search the Joanna Budwig diet as that is a good one. The Barleans flaxseed oil costs a fortune but you can get flaxseed oil from other places now much cheaper. Cancer feeds on sugar and carbohydrates so you need to reduce those. Have a read up on the diet, I have seen it have great results with people, it isn't a cure but you can stop it growing as fast. Sending you and your Mum a hug, msg me if you like x
  • ProjectPlump
    ProjectPlump Posts: 6 Member
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    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »
    ProjectPlump wrote: »
    DancingMoosie wrote: »
    I took care of my step mom when she was diagnosed with cancer. We tried juicing (an excellent way to get in a lot of nutrients) and adding olive oil to many things. There were certain vegetables she could just not tolerate, so there is a bit of a learning curve when first starting. She does a lot of cottage cheese blended with flax seed and flax oil (look up Budwig diet). She also tolerated eggs, she likes them poached with olive oil. Just make sure everything is a full-calorie version of itself, not anything lite/low-fat. Ginger and ginger tea can help with nausea. She also did well with avocado (like avocado and cheese sandwiches) and nut-butter(added to smoothies or spread on apple/banana.) Keep nuts on hand for snacks.

    I'll research the Budwig diet, thanks!
    ProjectPlump wrote: »
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »
    It changes greatly depending on the type of cancer. What is your Mum fighting op?

    Neuro endochrin carcinoma- she has a tumor in the pancreas that has metastasized to her liver. It's a very slow moving cancer and the Chemo targeted half of her liver. It was 100% successful in killing the cancer lesions but the treatment had complications and caused congestive heart failure. She is no longer a candidate to treat the other side of the liver.

    I'm sorry to hear that, I would search the Joanna Budwig diet as that is a good one. The Barleans flaxseed oil costs a fortune but you can get flaxseed oil from other places now much cheaper. Cancer feeds on sugar and carbohydrates so you need to reduce those. Have a read up on the diet, I have seen it have great results with people, it isn't a cure but you can stop it growing as fast. Sending you and your Mum a hug, msg me if you like x

    Thanks a bunch- really appreciate the advise. I'll most certainly try it out.

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