Severe loss of weight

The traditional way to gain weight is to eat sugary high carbohydrate food but that is also an unhealthy diet and probably very unhealthy for someone with cancer.

My only suggestion is to find nutritious versions of food he does like and make it available to him.

But when you have no appetite and feel full it is really impossible to eat. Trying to force food down won't work even if you could do it..

Steve.

I think tamales are nutritious so if he likes to eat those let him. And if you make hamburgers from scratch and use very low fat sirloin that should be ok too. I know you're concerned and want him to eat healthy but at this point with his low weight as long as he eats, that's the main thing.

I lost about 65# a couple years back. Can't gain a pound. Only time I eat well is when I'm on steroids. I was pretty rugged. Now I'm like the stick figures on a soccer mom's minivan rear window.

At this point any calories help. Indulge.

I can't claim to know what your father is going through , since I have no idea what medications (if any) he is on , but I do understand how worried and upset you must feel watching someone you've loved and looked up to for most of your life , slowly deteriorate and dwindle into this husk of a human being you barely recognise , because I saw first hand how my deterioration effected my family. From the moment I was diagnosed with stage 4 RCC I was put on the drug ''Sutent'' and it wasn't long before the side-effects began to take effect , the most obvious of which impacted upon my appetite by distorting my sense of taste and smell ,as well as lowering my tolerance for spicy foods. Add to that the almost constant nausea I felt and the fact that at least half of what I ate would inevitably be vomitted back up within a short time after eating , you'd understand why putting on or maintaining weight would be difficult at best. 

  The regimen they had me on was 2 weeks on, then 1 week off, meaning that for 2 1/2 weeks I felt like crap and eating was difficult , then for 3 or 4 days things would almost be back to normal and my appetite would improve enough to enjoy a few decent meals , but over time as the drug built up in my system ,the toxic side-effects increased to the point that it seriously impacted my quality of life. After approx 1 year I even asked my oncologist to be be taken off the drug , but he insisted I carry on until tests showed it had lost it's effectiveness , however the nausea got worse and keeping down any food at all became difficult ,and on top of that I got mouth ulcers which made eating painful .The end result was that I deteriorated to the point where I was a bedridden bag of bones on the point of complete organ failure , and when I presented to my oncologist for my next consult , he took one look at me and had me admitted immediately to the cancer ward , where I spent 2 weeks re-building myself enough to be released. Needless to say I was taken off the ''Sutent'' and life improved significantly.

   The most important lesson I learnt while recuperating was from the dieticians looking after me, who basically said ''theres no such thing as a bad food''. As long as you can eat something to give your body somethiing to work with , it won't turn against itself and start breaking down the muscle's or organ functions to maintain operation. I would suggest that you have your father take a good multivitamin and magnesium tablets daily to help maintain regular body functions , but there may be other deficiencies he may need help with. Speaking with his oncologist and understanding his blood test results would help you help him , but as long as he's eating something each day I'd encourage him as much as you can and worry less about what he's eating.

    I hope this has helped a little in understanding your fathers needs and how you may assist him in his struggle against RCC , but mostly I send my best wishes and prayers for you and all your family. Stay positive and don't let the negatives overwhelm you ,there is always a silver lining behind the dark clouds.

     Best wishes