How can my mum put on weight - losing it fast at the moment was 10 stone and down to 8st 12

[yogabird]

any ideas about healthy ways to put on a few pounds would be much appreciated

[BecauseImWorthIt]

If she's losing weight that quickly, I would be taking her to see her GP.

[TheArmadillo]

the most common way I have heard is to use build up drinks (e.g. complan) on top of her meals but if she is losing it fast she does need to see a gp

[WipsGlitter]

Agree, she should see a GP first and take it from there.

[CheeseandPickledOnion]

Anything like losing weight that quickly with no easy explanation (diet + exercise) should be worrying and she should she a GP ASAP.

[Catsdontcare]

That's alot of weight to lose in a short space of time. If she'd not been ill recently or excercising then she definately needs to go to the doctors asap

[yogabird]

GP is investigating, but I thought that in the meantime she needed to get as well nourished as possible. Colonoscopy next week. Blood tests done last week and all clear. She says she has no appetite. Has switched to full fat milk and having puddings but doesn't feel much like eating. She is stressed at the moment and she broke her arm badly at May Half Term which is taking some time to heal and bones are still sliding over one another which is painful.

[seasidesister]

Full fat cheese, cream, eggs on wholemeal bread.
Milkshakes, someones already suggested complan..
Dense food with concentrated energy like flapjacks, nuts, pork pie, chocolate.
hth

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

Glad her GP is investigating. Weight gain requires as much planning and application as weight-loss. If her appetite is jaded she has to choose tasty, calorie and nutrition-dense foods in small amounts but eaten very reqularly.... literally something every hour or two whether she feels like it or not. Fats are ideal... so things like nuts, seeds, avocados, cream cheese, peanut butter, tapenade, banana or nutella on crackers/biscuits. Protein-rich foods combined with light exercise could help restore lost muscle... eggs, meat, fish, beans, nuts, tofu etc. Fruit juices and milky drinks as suggested early

Things to avoid would be the opposite of the above i.e. bulky, low-calorie or low-nutrition foods... so not filling up on too many high-fibre foods, vegetables, salads or water.

And, until the doctors can work out what's wrong, a good quality multivitamin with iron wouldn't go amiss. Hope she's OK.

[yogabird]

Some great suggestions here thanks. Please do chip in anyone else if you have ideas to add. I am quite worried about her.

[GloriaVanderbilt]

Ok sorry to contradict (or am I? not sure) but when I was anorexic, I was told to eat fatty foods and all they did was fill me up really quickly as they take so long to digest...so they kind of sit there.

When I switched to things that were very bland like rice, bread and pasta I put on weight steadily - and this is from having no appetite for four years. (not classic anorexia - was very stressed, felt sick all the time).

Also drinking plenty as dehydration was also making me really unhungry. I still find now that if I can make myself drink (or let myself - I tend to stop when I'm stressed, like I 'freeze' all my own needs iyswim) then I can also eat more.

I hope this helps.

[GloriaVanderbilt]

What I mean is, I'd eat stuff like mars bars or pastry things and just be full so quickly. so I'd stop eating again for a few hours.

With rice, I could just keep eating it, mouthful after mouthful, taken at my own pace (not forcing it) and it could go on for quite a while before I'd actually think, ok, I'm full now. It seems to digest much more easily.

drinking is really important even if she can't manage much to eat. When I was pg I lived on ice cold milkshakes when I felt too ill to eat.

[AppleHEAD]

Mascapone and fruit. I mix it with banana then freeze it it makes a good ice-cream. Milky drinks, fish pie, nice quiche? Things that are tasty and have a lot of calories in a small amount.

[Smash09]

I agree with Gloria unless she actually is able to tolerate frequent, high fat snacks/meals. Carbohydrates, especially of the simple type, stimulate appetite and are easily processed so are often even better weight gain foods as the fatty, proteiny stuff.
White toast with butter and marmite (b vitamins and salt stimulate appetite), milk with nesquik powder or build up shakes, grapes and raisins are good high sugar snacks, any type of sweet (although they are nutritionally rubbish), nuts can be good if she can eat a fair portion, bacon (tasty and light in the stomach) rice cakes with jam, stir fried rice... so work on tasty and starchy basically! x

[yogabird]

thanks so much going to email her a list of suggestions now. Keep the ideas coming if anyone has more, please.