loosing weight

I have MAC and Bron. No appetite, lost 7 lbs and went as low as 88 lbs. I knew how important it was to put on weight in order to make progress, tolerate the antibiotics, fight fatigue. I started eating more high calorie foods, made myself eat more and added 2 or more Boost nutritional drinks a day. I use the drinks especially when I feel too full and need to add calories. I have gained 5 lbs. I am not as overwhelmingly fatigued so I have faith the weight gain is helping. You're not alone - best to you.

My oncologist prescribed Megace for me. It's a cancer drug, but one of the side effects
is it greatly increases your appetite. It does work, but I don't take it continuously. My
pulmonolgist said another side effect is it causes blood clots in your legs which can
break loose and travel to your lungs. Talk to your pulmo.
Harry

I have been fighting my way back from a 14 lb. weight loss. I think fighting is a good word to use because you have to be intentional and determined. The weight will not come back by itself. For me, it has been many small decisions each day to recognize my opportunities to add calories to my diet, and to try to make those calories good fuel for my body. I eat nut butters out of the jar. Protein drink or smoothie made with protein powder, banana, plain greek yogurt, nut butter, milk. Random bits of cheese, almonds, peanuts. Avocado toast for breakfast and avocado on my sandwiches at lunch. Whole wheat toast with nut butter, banana and honey. I am a big fan of plain Coffeemate. It has 20 calories per Tbsp, no saturated fats or cholesterol. I add it to the milk I put on my cereal and to my protein smoothies and sometimes to my coffee or tea. I have gained 4 lbs. in the past 2-3 months. I have more energy and feel less frail. It is a fight, but it's worth it. And I feel empowered, because this is an area where I can have some little sense of control. Good luck to you in this battle. If you or other members of the group have found other ways to sneak calories into their lives, I would love to hear them!

Last May I was 5'4" and 89-90 lbs and became aware that I just may be headed in the wrong direction especially with a BMI of 14+. I decided I needed a nutritionist/dietician to help me and although it has taken seven months of very hard work, I am close to 97 lbs now. Since I was not a patient at one of the larger national hospitals that deal with MAC/BE, I sought a nutritionist at one of those hospitals who does consulting on the side. This has made all of the difference for me. I later became a patient at that hospital but I virtually consulted with the dietician up to that point.

I have been on a plant-based diet for about 20 years but the problem was not the nutritional value of my diet but the amount of calorie intake. My dietician wants me to have at least 2200 calories daily. I was a competitive runner for years so I trained my metabolism well -- it is still running and I am not.

So, using the best app out there and with the guidance of my dietician, I am able to see the meal to meal calorie intake and where I need to be. The app is called MyNetDiary. There is a free level but I chose the higher level because I could communicate with my dietician through it and also it gave me wonderful meal planning ideas. I needed variety but also, against anything I had eaten the previous several years, my diet needed to change and I have given in to the changes. I didn't eat red meat, and still don't, nor did I eat other meats, eggs, etc. I would occasionally eat some chicken and fish when invited out, but it was a rarity. My diet was more Mediterranean but even more plant-based.

It comes down to whether a person wants to be healthy and whether or not the person is willing to make the changes. I would never have considered nutritional drinks as a way to meet my calorie intake, but there is no way I could get a 2200 calorie intake without help. Like you, I don't have an appetite. At the recommendation of the dietician, I now drink Boost Very High Calorie/Ensure EnLive daily. Both of these can only be ordered online, the latter is very hard to get. An alternative would be Ensure Plus or Complete.

So I upped my calories and am slowly gaining the weight. I probably would gain faster, but I don't really like meal replacement drinks -- I love real food. But I am also a realist and 1-2 cartons of the higher calorie drinks is the only way I could achieve weight gain. Wishing you the best!

Hi Lillianna.
I lost about 20 pounds initially. I have gained back 10 pounds. I started eating more protein, more carbs. I am maintaining that right now. I am holding my own now, with the wait and watch regime. I am not on any meds, no coughing, etc. I have MAC and Bronch.

You hang in there, and start drinking some protein drinks, and eat more carbs. God Bless you!

Gaining weight has always been an issue for me even without this disease. Now its more complicated but drinking Boost Very High Calorie shakes (available at https://www.nestlenutritionstore.com/shop-by-brands/boost.html) and Boost Plus (available at grocery stores) has helped me tremendously. They taste good too. Full of a ton of calories, nutrients and vitamins. Photos below.

Boost Plus

Thanks for the advice, I’m in the same situation I’m between bmi of 17-18. I finally found out that nutrition is very important fighting against MAC. My problem is I m lactose intolerance and suffering from GERD. I’m dayli trying drink ensure the veggie based and almond butter beside my regular eating of eggs, chicken and red meat. But still I don’t get the proper total amount needed in calories. I have to continue trying other things and I just started with a nutritionist. Hopefully we’ll get there.
Virtual hug 🤗

That plant-based Ensure was my favorite before being diagnosed with MAC. You don't have a lot of choices when you are lactose intolerant and have GERD. I'm so glad you are seeing a nutritionist. Trying it on your own doesn't work, lactose intolerant or not, I found out. The nutritionist is your best bet to feeling better! I wish you well!

Another good app for logging your food is cronometer.
The free version is good. For $50/year, you do more fancy stuff
such as reading barcodes on packages and entering your own recipes
and reading recipes out of a magazine.
Harry