I have been able to maintain and gain weight by having 2 ensures 3 times a day. I also use ensure as a base for smoothies. My smoothies include:
vanilla ensure, Healthforce Vitamineral Greens, Healthforce Earth, fruit juice, Flax seed meal, a coop of vanilla ice cream or yogurt and a piece of fruit. add stuff you like) I smoothitize it all with a braun hand blender. I have these smoothies with whatever else I can eat like sausage gravy, wonton soup, egg drop soup.
Admittedy the healthforce (dehydrated veggies, roots and barks, aren't the tastiest, but I mix 'em up to find recipes that I can bare ande sometimes really enjoy.
So I was 187 having lost 103 lbs aftet first surgery and got to 210 lbs in a few months.
After second surgery I went down to 180 and now am waffling between 185 and 195.
Also, others have said, do not over due exercise. I find myself too tired to take care of myself well and too sore which leads to me losing weight.

I found that ensure plus got me on tract. It is about 300 cal per bottle. I too had lost much weight, a bit more than 22%. Docs were not happy and said I had to stop the weight loss before the peg came out, I drank 3 ensures a day plus eating food, eggs, iceream every night, meat, ect. I did stop the loss and still use Ensure. Just recently I have gained a few pounds. I guess I am seven months out now....wow, has it been that long???
You can get Ensure Plus at Costco for 32 bucks a case. Expensive but worth it!

Go to Sam's Club and get Members Mark. It's ensure but the label has Sam's Club Logo. Only $19 this way.

Kroger's house brand is also similar to Ensure and is a lot cheaper, as well.

I wanted add that I seem to be over coming a lot fatigue by pushing thru tasks like working in a garden, mowing lawn etc.

hisbnibs, that is what I have done for years it seems sonce the 1st surgery and still do. My house is sold and al they have to do is tend the garden I dug and planted . Even rebushed the front yard for them.

Angelia -

You might try supplementing with Carnation Instant Breakfast VHC (Very High Calorie) -- thin it first with milk, though, it's very thick and rich! You can get it from amazon.com by the case.

I was 215 pre-Dx. Now 165. I've dropped 15 pounds since the PEG came out. I went through 6 sessions to stretch my throat after RT. Also had a colonoscopy during the last session. Lost weight fasting for the colonoscopy. Had an emergency appendectomy last week. Lost more weight during that two day process... my Oncologist is going to be mad. I was trying to maintain 180... I HATE Ensure Plus but still drink one every day...

I have started to track my intake. I use an iPhone app called My Fitness Pal. Tracks calories, weight, and exercise daily.

Mike,

Try Carnation Instant Breakdfast VHC. It has 560 cals in the same size can so more bang for the buck. Post Tx I mixed the can with an equal amount of whole milk and drank one with each meal to "boost" my caloric intake. I still didn't gain any weight my first year of recovery so I can only imagine how much more i would have lost if I didn't do that.

Were you ever tested for HPV?

If I was tested for HPV, my Oncologist never mentioned it. I had barely heard of HPV until I attended a SPOHNC meeting after my treatment was complete. The bizarre part of that was my Oncologist was the speaker at that meeting (I didn't know that in advance).

Thanks for the Carnation idea - I'll give that a try. I drink at least one glass of whole milk with dinner most evenings, sometimes for lunch too. But I'll try the Carnation and milk too.

Did I say I was happy to find this place?