I need some help. My RO told me today that when I go two weeks without losing weight they will take out my PEG tube. It is still hard for me to eat a lot of things, but I am eating mroe and more, but still losing weight. What can I eat that will help me stop lsing weight or even gain a few pounds back so I can get this PEG tube out? Any ideas?

There is no magic formula. It is strictly a function of loading calories..... even if it predominantly through your PEG. You are burning 2000 calories a day doing not much. Your brain burns them, your body burns them to move, stay warm, and more. Sitting still you are burning calories. If you eat 2000 calories you stay where you are. If you eat 3000 calories you will add weight, not necessarily lean body mass, but weight. You are gong to have to be aggressive about getting high density calories into yourself every day, and you are going to have to bust the 2000 calorie number regularly. If you have the strength, light exercise will also build back some lean body mass that weigh more than fat. But do NOT over do this, if you burn too much in exercise you are going to defeat the whole formula. Except for the calorie loading, everything else in moderation. If you find that you have to do most of this through your PEG.... be honest with yourself, you are not ready for it to come out. If you can do this without it, the thing is history.

You are still recovering and need alot of calories per day for your body to rebuild itself. Radiation as you know can knock you on your butt for a long time with after effects. Shoot for 3000 calories per day and that should help to sustain you. Are you using the peg tube at all? I eat and still use my peg tube cuz i cant eat enough daily.

Its nice to see you doing so well after everything you went thru.

I am trying not to, because I want it out. I do not mind the weight loss, but after 100 pounds, I need to stop. Don't you think??

Angelia,

I was consuming 3000 cals a day post Tx and wasn't very active until about 9 months post Tx when I resumed biking and I didn't gain a pound my first year. IMHO if you can eat solid foods without choking then demand that thing be removed. I am now close to 4 years out and I don't have the same propensity to gain weight as I did pre Tx. I was never overweight but pre Tx it seemed like I could gain a pound by just looking at a cheeseburger, riding a 100 miles a week or not.

Mike has a hard time getting anything down and has lost about 70#. Had his PEG out way to soon IMHO. Anyhow, to stop his weight loss I concocted a shake to give him calories. It consists of 3 ensure plus, 1 envelope of instant breakfast, 1 cup of Haagen Daz ice cream (highest calorie I could find), peanut butter, half cup of heavy whipping cream, choc syrup (helps the taste a bit) and at least one cup of whole milk - more if he needs it thinned down. I figured one blender to be about 2340 calories. Have also used vanilla ensure and added some strawberry jelly instead of peanut butter. Just a thought.

I didn't have a problem with weight loss and was put on a diet of at least 80 gms of protein a day. The only way I could come close to that was by supplementing my meals with Ensure Plus (use VHC has more calories) and milk fortified with Carnation Instant Breakfast. If you want to get rid of the peg, you have to be taking all these calories orally and not lose any weight for two weeks. You are back to work at school full time, so that is burning calories also. How tall are you and what is your current weight?

Take care,
Eileen

I guess I need to eat it whether it tastes good or not. The only things I crave now are fruits and vegetables. I can eat most of the fruits in those fruit cups. I have also learned that I can now eat shrimp, not the fried kind. I loved it so much. some things I used to love I can not stand now. Just thought of eat ice cream makes me nauseated. I used to want it all the time. Isn't that strange?

I also found cooked ham slices easy to reheat and they usually contain a high amount of moisture. I combined that with mashed potatoes w/ gravy and baby peas.

Pancakes with sunny side eggs and plenty of syrup makes a messy treat for any meal.

Many TV dinners are high in moisture and calories. Sodium is also usually high but I figured I would deal w/ that later.

I always drank a can of VHC mixed half and half with whole milk with every meal which added over 700 calories to whatever I was eating.

I just lost 10 lbs the past 8 days that it took me a year to gain. I have no iidea why and I force feed myself all day long. I am very active but make sure I take the time for food a few times daily, I was up to 175 last week and this morniung, it was 164. Maybe if the food had taste and I didn't hurt and my mouth burn so much, I could do better. Just keep trying Angelia. I still have much faith in you.