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Please help me to put on weight

(35 Posts)
kittylester Mon 14-Nov-22 14:38:07

Not something I ever thought I would have to ask.

Since I was 'proper poorly' in hospital about 8 weeks ago I have lost almost 3 stone!

I have recovered from the problem and am starting to regain a little weight. But we are aiming to go away for Christmas and I need to regain my appetite and my strength before we go.

I have a fortified drink every day.

Added complication are that I am gluten intolerant and not keen on milky things..

Any one have any brilliant ideas? I had a chip butty last night - it was lovely - because I really, really fancied one. I'm fairly sure I'm not pregnant.grin

Esspee Mon 14-Nov-22 14:49:01

I would think gradually rebuilding your muscle mass is more important than weight kitty.
Can you manage exercise? A healthy varied diet combined with exercise should allow you to very gradually get back to normal. Your GP might be able to refer you to a nutritionist.

GrannyGravy13 Mon 14-Nov-22 14:50:36

Oh kitty just eat whatever you fancy little and often. Hopefully this will stimulate your appetite.

There are some good gluten free cakes nowadays, one of my favourite comfort foods is cheesy mash.

Good luck, I do hope you get your mojo and appetite back soon.

DaisyAlice Mon 14-Nov-22 14:52:11

Doctors advise to my slim friend was bananas, avocado and unsalted nuts.

Auntieflo Mon 14-Nov-22 14:53:16

GG13, you have just written exactly the same as I was going to put.
Kitty, great that you had a chip butty. Just keep fancying something and eat it.
I wish I had a magic formula, but send my love and best wishes

Kate1949 Mon 14-Nov-22 14:55:50

kitty I have no advice really but there is good advice here. When you fancy something, like the chip butty, have it. Good luck.

Forlornhope Mon 14-Nov-22 14:57:05

Try the ‘McDonald’s diet’. It’s doing wonders for a recovering friend who needs to put on weight following a cancer op and coleostomy. The high protein, high fat content are apparently just what’s needed. I’m told McDonald’s only uses ten ingredients so it’s easy to work out which bits you can and can’t eat. Who would have thought it!

kittylester Mon 14-Nov-22 15:03:07

Thank you all.

GF mince pie with brandy butter has just gone down really well - though dh is rather parsimonious with the brandy butter!

Riverwalk Mon 14-Nov-22 15:03:12

Gosh Kitty I'm sorry to hear you've been proper poorly - that's a lot of weight to lose in such a short time. I hope you're now feeling well.

Are you now severely underweight and really need to gain weight?

I ask because I once lost nearly 2 stone when I had undiagnosed helicobacter pylori - but once this had been treated the weight soon returned, with a vengeance and without any deliberate help!

Cherylg Mon 14-Nov-22 15:07:06

What fortified drinks are you taking
Ensure juice plus is very easy to drink in loads of nice flavours.
Home made chicken soup made with cream easy to manage with crusty baguette
Add cream/butter/ cheese to mash to add calories.
Hot chocolate with milk a good night drink

kittylester Mon 14-Nov-22 15:21:38

Riverwalk, sadly it would take more than 3 stone to make severely underweight. grin I am weighing myself every Sunday and it is going in the right direction.

It brought it home to me though when a friend bumped into DS2 and asked how I was. His reply was, 'she looks very frail'.

I don't do frail!!!!

mumofmadboys Mon 14-Nov-22 15:23:33

I will happily donate half a stone to you!

Riverwalk Mon 14-Nov-22 15:27:43

In that case Kitty unless your doctor has told you to gain weight I'd leave well alone - embrace the new sylph status!

Frail indeed, the cheek! grin

Baggs Mon 14-Nov-22 15:51:11

It sounds as if you need to carry on doing what you are doing, kitty. It's good to hear you've recovered (but for the weight!). All the best flowers

kittylester Mon 14-Nov-22 16:05:15

I'd need a whole new wardrobe though Riverwalk. Which would soon become obsolete!

I also have little appetite - not like me at all!

Redhead56 Mon 14-Nov-22 18:22:34

Eat what your body craves and enjoy whether savoury or sweet. This approach may encourage your appetite back.

Harris27 Mon 14-Nov-22 18:27:27

It does happen after an operation I was overweight ( still am) but after a op I lost loads of weight and thought I’d keep it off. No chance kept it off for about six months then slowly it came back on. Wishing you well though X

VioletSky Mon 14-Nov-22 18:30:35

Smaller meals more often

When we eat, our bodies release insulin which helps us store fat, so the more often you eat, the more tike your body is releasing insulin and the more fat storimg time

Good luck

kittylester Mon 14-Nov-22 20:47:45

Thank you lovely grans.

Couldn't manage cold roast pork, fried potatoes and pickles (usually a favourite) but ate a flake and a very small glass of wine.

vegansrock Mon 14-Nov-22 20:54:50

You could ask your GP to refer you to a dietician. They can prescribe protein powders. One way of building up when you don’t fancy eating is through drinks - smoothies made with almond or hazelnut milk and banana, unsalted peanuts as a snack, mashed up avocado and toast. It’s not just a case of eating cake and chocolate, it should be healthy.

M0nica Mon 14-Nov-22 21:00:29

If you lost so much so fast, a lot of it is probably muscle wastage, so seeing a personal trainer and getting an exercise pattern to suit you will also help you to gain weight.

dustyangel Mon 14-Nov-22 21:07:20

When I cracked my pelvis in February this year, I completely lost my appetite and couldn’t be bothered with food at all. DD1 told me to just to eat anything I fancied without worrying if it was healthy or not. I have various intolerances and try to eat healthily generally. It worked in that I regained the weight I’d lost and am back to normal. Not more than a 1/2 stone overweight but not skinny either.
It’s a shame, I quite liked skinny but lack the willpower to stick to a strict diet.

It sounds as if you are on the right track Kitty and I hope that you carry on recovering well and are back to normal soon. flowers

JenniferEccles Mon 14-Nov-22 22:45:10

If you are not underweight do you really need to replace the lost three stone?
I agree that maybe trying to build up muscle tone is the way to go.

If you really do want to put on a bit of weight, I think protein with every meal is often recommended.
How would you get on with something like an egg for breakfast, a salad for lunch with chicken or tuna, and fish and whatever vegetables you fancy for dinner ?

Even if you want to put some weight back on, maybe not the whole three stone?

It’s always much healthier to be slim.

MawtheMerrier Mon 14-Nov-22 23:28:26

I'm trying so hard to be sympathetic - but it sounds like a silver lining to the buggeration of being so ill.
As to gaining weight- I usually find starting a diet then falling off the bandwagon guarantees a gain sad
Failing that, chocolate in front of the TV, butter on everything, lots of snacks between meals and enjoy the jealous sideways glances from yourfatter friends.

Ginny42 Mon 14-Nov-22 23:34:47

Sorry to hear about your weight loss problem, which is something I've been struggling with too after jaundice. Never thought I'd hear a Dr say, 'I need you to put some weight on now.' I had lots of my clothes taken in as I looked as though I was wearing someone else's.

At first, I just couldn't consume large meals, so I stuck to healthy snacks, little and often. If I don't do that my energy level just drops and I have to eat and wait for it to come back up. I've had Ensure for months. My diet is gluten free also and dairy free, although I've recently reintroduced Greek yogurt.

I keep lots of homemade soups in the freezer, so I have nourishing snacks handy. Great with chunks of baguette or garlic bread.

I hope you're feeling better each day. Christmas treats are not far off now and will surely tempt your appetite.