Some of you know how I'm trying to regain the weight I lost during my 2 months in the hospital in order to get reactivated on the transplant list. It's as hard to gain weight as to lose it. Today I weighed 88.5 pounds which puts my BMI in the "normal" range! That would get me in the list again.
Yesterday it was 86 and the day before 85. It fluctuates a lot so I can't get all happy yet. Plus I may have to fight the nurse trying to take off too much as "water weight". If it stays higher then I can get my neph to adjust my dry weight. He and all the staff are well aware I'm trying to gain weight.
My guess is I'll need to keep track and hopefully in the new year it'll stabilize where I can get back active. It helps I'm always hungry.
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horsie63
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Hey, progress is progress. So do you have the same phosphorus issues on HD that most of us have on PD? If not, it seems holiday goodies would be a great way to add some heft. But not the healthiest way. Adding muscle mass would be better, but I doubt that your team would want you to do much body building right now with that cath in. What has your dietician suggested you do so far? I had lost down to 135 before starting PD, knowing I would gain some from eating all the protein and from the PD solution. I'm up to 150 now, hoping to maintain around that going forward, we'll see how it goes. I also don't get enough exercise other than the stuff I do taking care of my dad, and some yard work at my house and his.
Both my potassium and phosphorus have been in range. Right now the only things low are my protein (3.4) and my PTH (132) but that has gone up from 50 due to walking. Potassium is 4.0 (range 3.5-5.5) and phosphorus is 4.3 (same range as potassium). I don't take any binders. I've been told to add some bananas and I now can eat tomatoes. Oh and my hemoglobin remains low. I now get Micera and iron. It's so hard to balance everything. I was worried about my cholesterol from all the eggs I was eating but turns out that was the best it's ever been, tri's are great too.
Not sure about anyone else's dietician but mine is worthless, gives me printouts that have the same info as I can find on line. Not individual to me based on my labs. I get told "eat more protein" I worry about my heart as my kidneys are shot but I don't want to put my heart in any danger.
There's a weight limit when it comes to lifting things...no more that 20 lbs I think. I can't lift that much right now anyway...lol. After my graft/fistula surger next week I won't be lifting anything until it heals, so walking will be it for awhile.
Well if you're phosphorus is fine without binders, you might consider a twinkie addiction or something That would probably require a binder or two though.
And it seems lifting weights to gain muscle weight is out, obviously. The walking is actually helping you lose weight more than gain.
So your dietician can't suggest anything that would help you gain weight? That is worthless. Surely they can help suggest something for you (other than twinkies or Duncan Donuts which would be my first recommendation). I've heard that there are actual medications that help stimulate a person's appetite, so that might be something to check with your regular doc about. I've found not to depend on my neph for that kind of stuff. They simply don't want to be bothered by it, so I bug my general doc about it. He's been very helpful so far. Hopefully others on here will provide other options to twinkies and donuts
So fistula/graft next week, cool. do post some info about that process as you go through it. Hope it goes very smooth. Another reason to take it easy over the holiday. I plan to be pretty darn worthless next week and then the next.
Not sure about Twinkies but I've been having one Ding Dong every day for weeks as "dessert" No binders needed. I don't have any problem with appetite..I'm hungry all the time but yes there is a pill for increasing appetite that I had to take on PD as I had none.
There's a really good donut shop in town but it's the opposite way from dialysis. I have to go to the dentist on Wed who is in town so maybe I'll stop in and pick up some 😀. Luckily I'm not diabetic. I don't really get sugar cravings and the Ding Dongs seem to help with the one I do get.
Since my walking is only 10 minutes and I haven't been even doing that this month I doubt it's affecting my weight. It did seem to help increase my PTH so that's a good thing.
The only thing she suggested was to eat more meat, i.e., more protein and since my potassium was fine to eat some bananas. They worry about protein, potassium and phosphorus and that's about it. I've only noticed one of the elderly ladies is small like me but most others seem to be pushing their weight. I'll bet without asking at least half are diabetic.
Diabetes and kidney disease seem to be siblings. Lots of people with both. You are lucky in that regard. Me too. I feel for those who struggle with both.
Ding Dong Diet. Now that sounds like something you could market But just one, come on, eat the whole dern box girl, quit messing around
Yeah, they push meat on me too. Only so much you can do of that stuff though, specially since I basically did without for 3 years before starting PD. But I'm trying. As you mentioned though, don't want to eat red meat and kill my heart in the process. There's one so many ways you can dress a piece of chicken so it doesn't look and taste like chicken...
OMG the chicken they had in the hospital was the WORST. It was dry and since no salt it was tasteless. I haven't been able to eat it at home yet. I can't stand to touch it so I have my husband make it. I may try making some chicken fried rice with my leftover rice if he'll cook some up.
Yeah after the "low protein" I'm struggling to eat meat. And of course when I got out of the hospital I was so weak I couldn't cook for myself. Once the weather gets better I'll start grilling again.
Some food ideas: increase your portions by half, a good piece of bread with butter or jam, macadamia nuts as a snack, pizza, creamy soups like cheddar and broccoli, oatmeal with blueberries and lots of walnuts, lasagna, banana nut muffins, spaghetti Alfredo, ham and cheese sandwich, Good luck and bon appetite.
Yeah for you for getting there. I know it has been a battle. I had the opposite issue when I went on dialysis at first and I gained 8 pounds. And no, it was not water. But I have lost it. Scared me because it was close to knocking me off the transplant list.
I wish you could come stay with me for a month. I would fatten you up so easily. Here are some suggestions to help. Add more fat to your diet. Use butter and olive oil like crazy. NO margarine or other icky products. Since they want you to eat more potassium go for a potato and load it up with cheese, butter and sour creme. OMG, heaven. Sweets do add calories, but sugar is useless for healthy weight gain. Better to up protein and fats. So for a snack, have cheese more often, as long as the phosphorous is good. Add spreads to crackers, and nibble on them all day. Peanut or other nut butters, huge in calories and a good fat. Eat it on everything or just with a spoon. Chicken is my favorite, but I love turkey as well. Add more meat to things like pasta and omelets for more protein.
Want a huge calorie yummy? Alfredo sauce.... so simple. Melt a stick of butter slowly, not to burn it. Add 1 cup of whole cream not half and half.... whole cream. Wait until it gets almost to bubble and add 1 cup or more freshly shredded parmesan cheese and stir until that melts. Add your pasta and stir so everything gets covered. Let it sit for a minute. Add chicken and broccoli.... super dinner.
Thankfully it’s the holidays—eat lots of goodies (within your renal diet requirements). Lots of sauces on veggies and meats during the holidays. And scalloped potatoes if you can handle the potassium and phosphorous…
Wish I could send you some of my post transplant weight gain!
good luck horsie are you able to do those protein drink or do they have something else in them that you have to watch . I know when I lost weight they had me drink some of those ..
Thank you all for your suggestions....there are some I hadn't thought of, some I already do, and of course my picky eating habit won't allow me to eat some. I did pick up some good bread and raspberry jam and have that as a snack now. I have organic walnuts but forgot about them. I have some Lance PB crackers I take to dialysis and snack on them there. (I get really hungry). I have some Boost Very High Calorie drinks. And I've been cooking my pasta and eggs in the Irish No Salt butter for months now. Funny thing is my cholesterol has been the best it's ever been at 130.
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That would probably require a binder or two though. 
Had surgery, getting ready to train for PD Dialysis. 
Weight Struggle
5 months on dialysis
