Last night Daniela came home with a whole bunch of organic treats from Greenstar (our local health food store) for me to add to the cupboards. If I'm going to eat "junk food," I still believe organic is the way to go.I have learned so much about the impact food has on the process of healing from cancer and I am clear that organic "junk food" calories are better than no calories at all. Now considering my Gerson Therapy background, one might be a bit stumped (by what I wrote yesterday and what I am writing today) and ask how I can make such a drastic change. So, I will clarify if it's you I am talking to.
Naturally, I will lose weight if I don't eat and weight loss is something I cannot afford. And until you experience the lack of appetite or should I say until you experience the non-existence of appetite that I am experiencing from my treatment, I doubt you would understand. It's the strangest feeling. Absolutely NO desire to eat - really weird. And it can be really dangerous if I don't keep the calories coming.
So, no I have not gone off the deep end and turned my back to my health. However, I am clear I am better off with a few of weeks of a less than perfect - but still organic - diet if it means keeping some meat on my bones!!!
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I will attest to Bert being the Sandwich king! He’ll go with you anywhere, as long as he can make a sandwich FIRST (Used to be a ½ hour ritual @ minimum)
ReplyDeleteBert,
Have you given any consideration to Ensure, or the like? That stuff is loaded with calories, and as long as you’re looking to add, or maintain weight I’d suggest looking into it. Obviously it’s not organic, and it’s kind of sweet, but a small amount packs a punch! Think about it… It may help make a difference!
Love, and Positivity
Jim, Gail, and the girls (Steigerwald)
Ensure? That is freaking nasty. If you are looking for something to help you pack on pounds, I suggest a couple of slices of Angelo's. I think that Angelo's uses only organic ingredients.
ReplyDeletePolish Sausage also can be quite delicous. Do you like polish Sausage, Bert? I can bring you some if you like. Never underestimate the power of a good Polish sausage.
When going through chemo I ate very small meals several times a day. The small meals helped a little. When I say small, I mean three of four bites of a sandwich, a couple crackers, a piece of banana, and things like this. I too lost a lot of weight during the chemo weeks.
ReplyDeleteEat anything that sounds good--no matter what it is. I know this might seem bad, but as I'm sure you're finding, many things won't sound good. Sometimes it might sound good, but then when the food gets within a few feet of you, you may think otherwise. Your body will tell you what sounds good. Whatever it is, try it.
When going through chemo I'd go through lots of food thinking this or that would be good, only to find that I couldn't eat it. I met many people like this. Their spouse would make them a special meal only to find out that they coudn't eat a bite or smell it. These become great opportunities to share food with family and friends :-).
Eventually I learned a few things that were OK for me. For instance, I could nibble on _lightly_ toasted white bread of one specific brand. I realize white bread is not the best choice of food, but when it's all you can eat, it's good enough. I'm not kidding about the one specific brand part either nor the fact that it _had_ to be lightly toasted. There were times when I was that picky of an eater.
The taste in your mouth might be giving you problems too. I tried mixing things up a bit to get over it and relying on "comfort foods". Also, sometimes I'd smell something good like an orange and then take a bite of whatever I could, then take another wiff of something pleasing and then another bite. Sometimes this helped.
I also tried to bulk up inbetween chemo treatments. That's when the food would taste the best. During chemo I could eat little, but then after a little time things would taste a little better so I'd eat the higher calorie foods during these breaks.
Of course, as I'm sure many people have reminded you: keep drinking! Water loss can be significant and might be some of your weight loss. I know it was for me.
From your posts it sounds like you're doing a great job keeping your spirits up. That'll help keep you going. You're approaching the halfway mark, right? And then only a few more weeks. And then graduation!