How do you gain weight without sugar

jtebo1955
jtebo1955 Member Posts: 46
in Esophageal Cancer #1
Hello..it's me again. This time I want to know how you gain weight. I started at 185, very overweight. I didn't lose any lbs during chemo and radiation. But since the surgery in April 2011, I've lost. I feel pretty good. I'll loved shopping for all the new clothes shopping at first, so nice things fit. But I'm getting tired of having to buy new sizes very 3 months.I just don't feel hungry ( very new experience for me..lol) if I eat just a little to much I feel yucky for about 30 min. I can not tolerate sugar at all it seem. So nuts, berries, fruit that's what I nibble on all day. I do have a small meal in the afternoon. And here's the weird part..popcorn I eat it almost every night. A whole bag! Never a problem. Anyway, also, supplements do not agree either. Milk is the other problem I seem to have developed since surgery. Any helpful suggestions?

Comments

  • Amjosmom
    Amjosmom Member Posts: 212
    #2
    No experience here...
    My dad is Stage IV, so surgery wasn't an option, but he does have a FABULOUS nutritionist. Almond milk unsweetened is a good replacement for milk. I switched to it when my dad did so when he comes over, he has something to drink. It's good, I like it. Mostly the things I have read about is to not eat when you're hungry, but eat by the clock. Others will have more info... just thought I'd share about the Almond Milk.

    Best wishes,
    Jayme
  • paul61
    paul61 Member Posts: 1,392 Member
    #3
    Need to eat by the clock
    Judy,

    After my surgery and chemotherapy I also had difficulty regaining the weight I had lost. I also had issues with sugar and dairy products. I found that I had to eat small amounts much more frequently than I was used to. I now eat approximately 7 times a day. My typical daily menu is:

    8 AM --- 1/2 bagel with cream cheese and two scrambled eggs
    12 PM --- 1/2 sandwich -turkey and cheese
    2 PM ----- Sweet and Salty Granola bar
    3 PM ----- Banana Strawberry Smoothie
    6 PM ----- 4 oz Meat 1/2 cup Vegetable Roll
    8 PM ----- Peeled apple cut into sections
    9 PM ----- 1 cup of frozen yogurt

    I have now gained back some of the weight I lost. I am almost three years post surgery. It does take time and I am never hungry. Sometimes food appeals to me because I like the taste but I don't think I have ever experienced hunger since my surgery.

    So I think of food as fuel my body needs and I have to use the clock and my reminder to eat.

    You will note I eat more later in the day than in the morning. I do this because I found that I was much more likely to have "dumping issues" in the morning. Not sure why and it may just be me. But I have found that since I made the change to eat less in the morning I almost never have dumping issues anymore.


    Best Regards,

    Paul Adams
    Grand Blanc, Michigan

    DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 Stage IIB
    12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
    2/8 through 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
    Two year survivor

    Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!
  • lenlee65
    lenlee65 Member Posts: 40
    #4
    Thats a tough one to answer
    My guess is that each of us will have different experiences with eating after treatment and surgery. I only had a small part of my Esophagus and about 1/6 of my stomach removed so I can eat more than most at a meal. But we all have issues with sugar and dairy products. But there again there will be differences. I can't drink very much milk or have much milk with cereal but I can sit down and eat a bowl of ice cream with no problem. I can eat small chocolate based candy bars like Milky Way Minis and the like but only 1 or 2 at a time. Still I eat smaller meals but don't keep a strict schedule about when I eat. I tend to eat a decent breakfast and then keep busy most of the morning, have lunch about 12 and then will start snacking every 2 hours or so until a couple of hours before I plan to go to sleep. I haven't gained any weight doing this but I also haven't lost any either. There is a diet published by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center that might be a good place for you to maybe start with an eating plan. Take care, hang tough and Never Ever Give Up
  • jtebo1955
    jtebo1955 Member Posts: 46
    #5
    paul61 said:

    Need to eat by the clock
    Judy,

    After my surgery and chemotherapy I also had difficulty regaining the weight I had lost. I also had issues with sugar and dairy products. I found that I had to eat small amounts much more frequently than I was used to. I now eat approximately 7 times a day. My typical daily menu is:

    8 AM --- 1/2 bagel with cream cheese and two scrambled eggs
    12 PM --- 1/2 sandwich -turkey and cheese
    2 PM ----- Sweet and Salty Granola bar
    3 PM ----- Banana Strawberry Smoothie
    6 PM ----- 4 oz Meat 1/2 cup Vegetable Roll
    8 PM ----- Peeled apple cut into sections
    9 PM ----- 1 cup of frozen yogurt

    I have now gained back some of the weight I lost. I am almost three years post surgery. It does take time and I am never hungry. Sometimes food appeals to me because I like the taste but I don't think I have ever experienced hunger since my surgery.

    So I think of food as fuel my body needs and I have to use the clock and my reminder to eat.

    You will note I eat more later in the day than in the morning. I do this because I found that I was much more likely to have "dumping issues" in the morning. Not sure why and it may just be me. But I have found that since I made the change to eat less in the morning I almost never have dumping issues anymore.


    Best Regards,

    Paul Adams
    Grand Blanc, Michigan

    DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 Stage IIB
    12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
    2/8 through 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
    Two year survivor

    Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!

    Not hungry
    This sounds very much like something I might b able to do. Isn't funny never getting hungry. I was always wanting to dine out..now I can never think of anything that sounds good and if I do it's mostly from memory, I usually back out because it's such a waste of money. Maybe I'll try tha almond milk someone suggested. I was maintaining pretty well until the last couple months, I've lost 7 Lbs since April. Hope it doesn't turn out to be the stupid cancer again. I have a scan the 18th so that should tell the story. Well I'm off to the kitchen! Lol

    Judy
    Flint MI
    2010 Dec dx
  • captdave
    captdave Member Posts: 153
    #6
    for me it was two things,
    for me it was two things, eat lots of protein (or drink it a couple times a day) and eat lots of good fatty foods like avocados and fatty fish like salmon. Then like Paul said eat frequently and on a schedule. I use soy milk for my cereal and to make my fruit smoothies with rather then dairy. No digestive issues and it has more protein then dairy milk. I started out weighing about 210 and am now at a comfortable 180 and plan to maintain that weight.

    Dave
  • jtebo1955
    jtebo1955 Member Posts: 46
    #7
    captdave said:

    for me it was two things,
    for me it was two things, eat lots of protein (or drink it a couple times a day) and eat lots of good fatty foods like avocados and fatty fish like salmon. Then like Paul said eat frequently and on a schedule. I use soy milk for my cereal and to make my fruit smoothies with rather then dairy. No digestive issues and it has more protein then dairy milk. I started out weighing about 210 and am now at a comfortable 180 and plan to maintain that weight.

    Dave

    Two things
    Thanks for taking the time to reply to my questions. I'm starting today! All good ideas. The soy or almond milk will be a plus. I'm going to try my best to stay where I'm at now. Started at 185 , which was overweight for me. I'm now at 133. It's a good weight for me but I don't want to go down to much more. So I will take all the advise given and hope for the best.

    I'll let you all know how my scan goes in a couple weeks

    Thanks
    Judy
    Flint, Mi

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