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Weight Issues during cancer treatment

One of the most common issues I am asked to help with is weight loss and/or helping lung cancer patients maintain their weight ? Were there any suggestions that you received that were exceptionally helpful to you? I'd love to hear your experiences in this area.

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Permalink Reply by DavidatpMOD on September 1, 2011 at 9:24am

I had a hard time keeping weight on while I was receiving radiation treatment. My nutritionist recommended ensure and boost but they made me feel nausiated. My wife made me lots of chocolate pudding using whole cream milk. I think that was what really helped me to keep it on. In general, I think people have to find something they can and want to eat that will give them lots of calories to keep the weight on.

Easy to say, but not always easy to do. Good luck, God bless and keep the faith...

David

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Permalink Reply by Suzi on September 6, 2011 at 5:05pm

Like David, everyone from nutritionists to friends to oncology nurses had great suggestions but none worked. The best advice I got was to eat anything I could tolreate. Sometimes that was next to nothing & I even had to be hydrated through an IV. On the upside, my chemotherapy & radiation treatments stopped in June & little by little my pain went away & my taste buds tasted normally & I'm already at my pre-treatment weight & can eat anything & everything. I have a CT scheduled for this week. Cross your fingers for me.

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Permalink Reply by AmyLCA on September 7, 2011 at 5:09pm

Fingers crossed!

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Permalink Reply by Suzi on September 7, 2011 at 7:08pm

Thanks, Amy!

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Permalink Reply by Kelly- Nutrition on September 14, 2011 at 8:08pm

HI Suzi. I most certainly will be sending up positive thoughts and prayers for you.

I think you hit the nail on the head. The key to eating during cancer and cancer treatment is indeed to find the things you can eat, whatever they may be. And then adapt them to be more calorie dense if necessary.

Most of the folks I've worked with cannot eat large volumes at one time, so it's been crucial to have the most calorically dense foods they can find/eat if possible.

Substituting whole milk and heavy cream in recipes calling for milk, as David's wife did, is a quick and effective way to add calories. The "Eating during Cancer Treatment" booklet put out by NCI has some great tips on how to add calories without necessary forcing someone to eat a much greater quantity.

I often tell patients if the variety of foods they can eat is very limited, at least eat those foods consistently, as some calories are better than none. We usually can find some kind of supplement that they can tolerate to help make up the rest of the calories.