Weight loss from Stage 4 lung cancer.

Good Morning. Are uou eating lots of extra calorie? GOOD calories? Protiens? Have you tried Weight gainers and breakfast drinks like Carnation amd Ensure Max with your meals and in between? Has your doctor recommended you see a dietician? I hope you find something that works.

Thanks for your reply, yes, I am going tuesday to see a nutritionist. I try to eat good protein but Twinkies are my downfall.

@mikee2all, I’m glad you are consulting with a nutritionist. They should have some helpful suggestions. When I was at my worst, all I could eat was grilled cheese sandwich’s and vanilla shakes, and even then I only wanted a few bites before I felt full. It’s such an odd feeling, as I usually have a major sweet tooth and love to eat, but I just didn’t crave or want anything.
The protein shakes may be helpful if you can get them down. Hugs!

There are times in the treatment cycle where calories are far more important than a balanced diet.

Make cream soups with heavy cream or whipping cream. Add protein to milkshakes and smoothies. Shake made with Boost or Ensure. Eat 5-7 small meals through the course of the day. My favorite treat was hot fudge sundaes with bananas and whipped cream. Potatoes mashed with heavy cream, add butter, rice with butter. White bread, cookies, puddings. Pancakes or waffles with butter and syrup or bagels with cream cheese or other spreadable cheeses. Basically, anything food plans recommend you skip.

If you do not have much appetite, there are appetite stimulants that can be prescribed.

Sending hope your meeting is productive.

Hi!
I'm so sorry you are going through this! Weight loss is not fun. I have an incontinence problem which includes a weight loss problem also. I found that eating good quality protein such as good red meat really helped me gain weight and feel great! I eat Allen Brothers steaks and burgers. They are top quality and natural. I have gained 20 pounds by eating them since I started having weight loss problems. I also eat a lot of mashed potatoes and gravy made from scratch and good quality fresh vegetables and fruit. Stay away from any foods with preservatives in them such as frozen dinners and hot dogs. They have no real food value in them. Your body is fighting for it's life now. It needs a lot of help with good quality food! Prayer helps too! I'll say a prayer for you.
PML

Thank you for the info!
It was very interesting and help!

Follow all the advice from the other commenters. It is all good advice. There is a High Calorie Boost drink that you can get at WalMart. It is nutritional but has lots of calories that your body needs right now. Take care.

I have struggled with weight loss ever since my lung cancer was diagnosed 5 years ago and I was put on Rozlytrek. I'm a good cook and have tried to follow a healthy diet with lots of fruit, veg, lean meat and whole grain carbs. I still lost weight. The weight loss was coupled with lack of desire to eat. My oncologist recommended a smoothie with fruit, some avocado, protein powder, nut butter and milk. It's easy to make and I was finally able to stabilize my weight loss at 125 lbs., which is very low. There's lots of solutions out there if you are able to eat them, like the nutrition drinks. Find what works for you. Good luck.

@lycisca
I, too, have a loss of appetite, but I have found that eating small meals / nibbling on healthy foods has been helpful. Every morning I have a breakfast smoothie made of 1 ripe banana, 1 cup of other fruit (such as frozen blueberries or frozen mango or frozen strawberries), 1 cup of low fat plain yogurt, 1 cup of pineapple juice and 1 cup of coconut water, about 1-2 tablespoons of fresh lime or lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of ground organic flaxseeds. I occasionally add a scoop of protein powder, but because a Consumer Reports article about the high amount of lead in protein powder, I use it sparingly. I snack of dried or fresh fruit, have a small bowl of Cheerios (plain) next to my computer at work and eat 'em dry.

I have another similar recipe that I love - 1 ripe banana, 1 cup of low fat plain organic yogurt, about 1/3 of a small bag of raw organic spinach, half a ripe avocado, 1-2 Tbls. of lime or lemon juice, 1 cup of pineapple juice, 1 cup of coconut water, and 2 Tbls. of ground organic flaxseeds. Yum!

Give 'em a try. See what you like and make whatever adjustments you need. Even though I have lost some weight, I've needed to lose a few pounds to help with my blood pressure, but I'm trying to keep nibbling so I don't lose too much too quickly.

@kedim Your breakfast smoothie sounds delicious. Unfortunately, I'm also on a low potassium diet, so I have to limit bananas severely. I do add strawberries, or peaches or mangos to my smoothie. Like you, I try to have many small meals, say five, throughout the day.
I also saw the articles on lead in protein powder but still use it in my smoothies. I saw there was a brand that seems only to be available online with much lower lead content than the others.