Weight
 

Does anyone have any suggestions for gaining weight other than the obvious: eating more? I was thin to begin with and over the past 2.5 years I have lost 35 pounds and still losing and I am now too thin.

do you like black beans? My wife makes a wicked black bean hummus.

Gaining advice? I am still losing, though I was overweight at 6'2" ~300. I am ~230 now. I bob and weave at this one. When my symptoms are flaring I struggle to eat. I do decent, but not ideal.

I hope to get 220, 215 by mid2016. I want my ideal weight to see if it will make my symptoms abate. But I do wonder how I will hold the weight. I just don't eat like I used to.

I can post that recipe if you want. Our lentil skillets are awesome, too.

Jon

Add cocout oil to vegetables. Whole cocout milk. :hug:

I am 6'1", 140 lbs, down from 175 just three years ago. Since having PN, I get a lot of "you're skinny, you look great" comments but lately it's more "you're too thin" comments.

I used to wonder how I would know if the disease was improving and nerves regenerating, now I think the best way to tell is if I could gain weight.

We need a supplement for that!

Thanks Jon!

Part of my problem is that I eat less but it is only because I have the neuropathy throughout my entire body, (insides too). I can't digest a lot of food so I consume small amounts, not meals. I used to cook three meals per day but lately, dinner has been cheese and crackers or a couple bites of soup.

I need to be on a weight gainer but many of them have a lot of bad stuff in them like sugars and surprise, they trigger flare ups. The sugar free ones have alcohol sugars which are even worse.

two cents
 

Have you tired more small meals a day? When cheese and crackers are enough, a couple of hours later half cup of soup? A smoothie? Are you an am eater? Maybe breaking in more foods during the day..small amounts, nothing overwhelming...

I'd look into why you are not digesting well.

That long term use of Cipro could have really done a number on your Gut flora... Helping to fix that would allow you to eat more varied diet.

If you have gastroparesis that would be something that is not really fixable...you would need to work around it.

The best way to gain would be using good fats liberally. Flax oil in smoothies, olive oil in salads, nuts if you can deal with them (you could process them into butter consistency), coconut oil, etc.
Use the whey protein liberally... to prevent losing heart muscle which once it is consumed for protein, does not grow back.

Well, since the prevailing wisdom that carbs are responsible for weight gain, I'd say start eating more healthy carbs in whatever form you body can tolerate. That's assuming you don't have blood sugar issues of course.

For example, eat a lot of beans, fruit, dairy, and whole grains. Bananas esp. are loaded with carbs. Likewise, sweet potatoes are loaded and are really good for you. Popcorn is a good carb-laden snack with fiber, and put butter on it! Nuts are loaded with calories, healthy fat, and some carbs. Cashews are one of the higher carb nuts.

Here's a good article from the New York Times that summarizes the results of an NIH-sponsored research study on low carb vs. low fat diets for weight loss and heart health. If you believe what the results of the study say, then to gain weight, you want to up your carbs. Of course you would want to try to do healthy carbs instead of junk and sugar-laden foods. Although personally, I would allow for nice high fat ice cream. :)


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/he...diet.html?_r=0

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This is all very useful information, thank you very much. :hug:

It is a real challenge to eat healthy and gain weight simultaneously but based on your great suggestions, I am going to try to incorporate more healthy (and just a few unhealthy) fats, carbs, fruit (esp. bananas), cashew and almond butters, whey protein and to eat more often. The thought of sitting upright at a table and eating a complete meal, I just can't imagine it at this point. It is the PN, no eating disorder or anything like that. Frequent, smaller amounts are going to work better for now.

Mrs D - Digestively (:o), I do not have gastroparesis but rather autonomic issues. My PN started in my hands and worked its way up, arms, feet, legs, central and now internal. It is really not good (then again, is any neuropathy good??) I have accumulated a mid-sized pharmacy of supplements and drugs and cannabis products (I don't smoke though).

Is casein as good as whey? This is what I am taking: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And could creatine help? I had a physical recently and everything tested ok and no kidney problems.

I really appreciate the support on NT. I do not have a supportive family life. They love me but they are self-absorbed and do not seem to understand just how bad my PN is or even what it is. No one has taken the time to educate themselves. I have tried explain it but have given up and now I say "I am doing just fine" as I watch my body deteriorate. Anyway, I don't know what I would do without you all here to exchange ideas, help and hope. I hope one day we can all get better. :grouphug:

Doesn't the cannabis increase your appetite? I'm not sure if it's related to the THC or the CBD aspect of MJ, but they use it for nausea and increasing appetite for chemo patients.

I'm not sure I understand the gastorparesis comment...it IS an autonomic issue. If you have autonomic problems, then you may have some gastroparesis as part of it.