Overcoming lack of appetite

[Housetreehouse]

I've just come to the end of successful treatment for breast cancer. I've mentally crashed in last 6 weeks during which time I'm increasingly struggling to eat and sleep and have lost half a stone. I started citalopram yesterday - 10mg. I'm desperate to recover my appetite - I'm frightened by the weight loss and it's becoming a vicious cycle. I guess it could get worse before it gets better while the citalopram kicks in. Any tips?

Hey there,
If you are struggling to eat, focus on nutrinet dense foods. Meat, full fat dairy and non starchy vegetables. But, if you are struggling to eat, try tapping into your childhood comfort meals. What did mum, or granny use to make for you in winter? Octail soup? Spag bol? MInce and tatties?
If the appetite is not there, try picking something reasonable filling that you know you love, and even if you are not sure you can eat it, make it. The process of chopping, cooking might get you going. And ven if you don't fancy it at the end, you can save it for another day.
One thing that I would recommend is that for your recovery you avoid refined carbohydrates and sugars. There is starting to be some evidence, hedge I am not a doctor, that high blood sugar can feed cancer cells, and that a low carb diet can help post operatively.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34458297/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33806775/