(I'm putting this in here as it's a health issue, since it's specifically relates to gastrectomy)

In short, my father has been in hospital for many months now. He had stomach cancer, for which he underwent chemotherapy and then a full gastrectomy. He lost a lot of weight due to his inability to eat and thus was having to be fed an entirely liquid diet through a tube. Once he was able to eat solids again, he started to gain weight. But as he has been going through physiotherapy to regain his ability to walk, the weight has come right off and then some. The nurses are threatening the feeding tube on him, which he seriously doesn't want.

He's at 108lbs right now. It's not looking good. The food he's getting at hospital doesn't seem to be helping much. He basically doesn't have a stomach so his capacity for storing food is somewhat dminished (i.e. there's only so much he can eat until he's full, much less than what you or I could manage). He really ought to be getting 6 meals per day rather than the standard 3 square meals but, looking at his food charts, I see clearly that isn't happening, even though the hospital fkn know what's up. But I'll try to refrain from ranting here.

What foods will enable him to gain weight? He's already been drinking high-cal shakes for this purpose but it just isn't doing the job. He needs some good food, but it also needs to be stuff that he can chew and swallow without too much difficulty. And stuff that he can eat over the course of the day, rather than stuff that will go cold/nasty if he doesn't finish it all in one sitting.

Any suggestions?

Jared Leto ate bucket loads of ice-cream covered with olive oil when he had to get fat quick to play Mark Chapman... although im not sure how healthy that choice would be... but ice-cream would be good - it would be easy for him to eat, and enjoyable!

Oh and mash potatoes with butter or cream.

cant really answer your questions but im sorry to hear about your father

hmmmmmm.

peanut butter!
I'm pretty sure nuts are the highest calorie food out there, coming in at a ridiculous +600 cals per 100g and in smooth form it wouldn't need to be broken down.

the problem I can see is, whilst sugary foods get a bad rep for people putting on weight, the reason is to do with blood sugar levels that trigger your desire to eat more than you need, you only gain weight because you're constantly stuffing yourself full. I'd say he needs to go for fat not carbs. oily fishes (mackrels, salmon and the like) cheese, cream, nuts (especially macademia 700 cals), ice cream. oh yeah, but he better stick some tatties and bread in with that or else he'll be on the atkins.

obviously though, I am no expert and this might be all crap, but I might mention this to a good friend of mine who is actually a qualified nutritionist in a glasgow hospital and see what she says.

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love is from hell

Eating really uhhealthy junk foods just to try to gain weight is just plain stupid because it will not give him the nutrients he needs. He should be eating foods that are dense in calories. I don't have specific foods in mind because it totally depends on what kinds of foods he can tolerate. Anything will do, the only thing that really matters is that he gets some calories in his system.

Obviously he can't take a lot of food at once, so just like you said, he should be eating many small meals throughout the day. He should try to constantly eat little portions, basically snacking all day.