@hopeful33250
I think what has helped the most is just eating frequently, 5-6 times/day. I was very aware I needed protein (which everything I read said). I tried to always have nutritious snacks in between meals ready to go - fruit smoothies made with protein powder and Greek yogurt; hard-cooked eggs; cottage cheese (with added fruit). I start each day with a good breakfast, I alternate between 2 fried eggs (or scrambled, with cheese), and toast; steel cut oatmeal made with coconut milk, (added chia, hemp hearts, flaxseed, something I’ve always done); or cold cereal with oatmilk (more fattening than other milks).
It was so hard to even want to eat or eat enough when I was getting chemo (just had no appetite - Folfirinox really knocked me), nothing sounded good, but I just keep trying, and then my last 4 cycles they reduced the dosage of Folfirinox (so I could keep going, and raise my platelet count), and this helped. Have to eat smaller meals so my pancreas can digest food okay, so in-between snacks are important.
And when I first started and was really losing weight my oncologist told me very emphatically that I needed to ‘eat like it’s your job’! Then a friend (who is a radiology oncologist) said ‘food is your medicine, take it like medicine’. Both of these helped me to focus.
Hope this helps!