How to gain weight with APOE4

[HeatherLst]

So I have an alternative question: how do I help my son GAIN weight while still being healthy?

My son is 17, 5’10” and 95 lbs fully dressed. (His doctor today remarked on how you can see every single rib, front and back.) He has aspergers with sensory issues, so he’s a very very very picky eater. We’ve been through years of therapies, GI screenings, and genetic testing for marfan’s syndrome (negative), amongst others. He’s been labeled Cachexic or failure to thrive a number of times in his life. However, a year ago he had a major surgery, and in that has become willing to listen to how to be a healthier eater, especially when it comes to protecting his brain. I’m well versed in what to do to get healthy and lose weight, or how to maintain it. I can put empty pounds on him—we’ve done it before, with milkshakes and fast food, lots of candy and empty calories. But it’s empty and doesn’t stay, not to mention what it does to his cholesterol and triglycerides. My family is historically tall and thin until about the thirties, then the diabetes and heart disease sets in. And now that we know that I’m APOE4/4, it means that he’s got at least one of those. I want to teach him the proper healthy way to do this, so he can stay healthy long term, and he’s willing to listen.

I’m looking for macros on how to do this—I’ll have to build it with his preferred food list. He won’t do any kind of nutritional shakes or powders—he hates those. But he will take supplements, and he’s willing to try adding some new foods in. Any ideas or suggestions for APoE4’s who need to gain weight?

[his favorite foods include milkshakes, grilled cheese, cheese crackers, cereal/fig bars, all beef hot dogs, cheese pizza, string cheese, cottage cheese, apples, some carrots if he has to, French fries, chicken nuggets and fish sticks. He only drinks milk, lemonade and water—no sodas. We spend a fortune trying to get healthier, less processed versions of these foods!)


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[ru442]

Heather I've not tracked your posts, so my question may be off. Is your son 3/4 or 4/4? My concern is the list of foods he likes are big no-no's for many if not most of us. The grains and dairy would be of particular concern, but as I said not sure what you are aiming for; simply getting more weight on for you son, or keeping e4 status in mind in conjunction with diet and weight gain.

I feel for you as I have had my share of picky kids... it can be difficult to get them to try new things.

[apod]

Excellent question. Does he want to gain weight of feel that he is underweight? It's difficult when someone else is telling you what to eat if you're not on the same page.

I sort of wonder about this myself as an E4, occasionally playing with slowly adding weight. It's easy to over-think the details.

Personally, I would start with a relatively high protein intake. While low-protein or moderate-protein seems pretty awesome for middle aged individuals looking to cut down on growth factors and slow aging, a different strategy might work better if you're young and dealing with cachexia. "Hyper-palatable", clean meals could work well. Fried rice seems to be a good example (unless he hates fried rice.) If you could incorporate some sort of exercise regimen / activity, and some anti-inflammatory supplements, I think you'd be on your way. While a milkshake might not be ideal, you can slowly, leaf by leaf transition that over to a rhonda patrick like power smoothie blend.

"Of all forms of human motivation, the most effective one is progress." Measurable progress that you can visibly share with others in exchange for a bit of praise really seems to help with staying motivated.

[HeatherLst]

Heather I've not tracked your posts, so my question may be off. Is your son 3/4 or 4/4? My concern is the list of foods he likes are big no-no's for many if not most of us. The grains and dairy would be of particular concern, but as I said not sure what you are aiming for; simply getting more weight on for you son, or keeping e4 status in mind in conjunction with diet and weight gain.

I feel for you as I have had my share of picky kids... it can be difficult to get them to try new things.

I don't know his official status, I just know that I'm 4/4 He's been tested for other genetic issues but not his APOE status. I'm going with 3/4 as an assumption until we can get him tested, because there is little to no dementia in my husband's family.

Picky eaters are HARD, aren't they? Just this week, we were at a friend's who had smores over a fire. He was happy to eat the marshmallows, the graham cracker and the chocolate--but all separately. Putting them together was a horrible idea to him, as that's a totally new food. Sigh...

[HeatherLst]

Excellent question. Does he want to gain weight of feel that he is underweight? It's difficult when someone else is telling you what to eat if you're not on the same page.

I sort of wonder about this myself as an E4, occasionally playing with slowly adding weight. It's easy to over-think the details.

Personally, I would start with a relatively high protein intake. While low-protein or moderate-protein seems pretty awesome for middle aged individuals looking to cut down on growth factors and slow aging, a different strategy might work better if you're young and dealing with cachexia. "Hyper-palatable", clean meals could work well. Fried rice seems to be a good example (unless he hates fried rice.) If you could incorporate some sort of exercise regimen / activity, and some anti-inflammatory supplements, I think you'd be on your way. While a milkshake might not be ideal, you can slowly, leaf by leaf transition that over to a rhonda patrick like power smoothie blend.

"Of all forms of human motivation, the most effective one is progress." Measurable progress that you can visibly share with others in exchange for a bit of praise really seems to help with staying motivated.

He does want to gain weight. He's one of those kids who wants to do what he's 'supposed' to do, as long as it's something he doesn't hate. You're definitely correct, hence my question on macros--he's got to decide what he's eating. I can set up guidelines of how much, and make up a plan, but ultimately it's up to him. He's 17, and I can't force him to eat. I can, however, give him the tools for lifelong healthy eating, and help him figure out how this works now, instead of when he's 35 and unhealthy.

Protein...hmmm...we've done that before. I remember making black bean brownies with extra whey and cottage cheese for him as a kid, to get the extra protein in him. He really liked them. I have to really balance the carbs with the protein, because I remember back then we overdid the protein ratio and he went into ketosis. I may have to get the kid his own Crono-meter account.

[HeatherLst]

IMG_5917.JPG

Just so you guys can see, this was him today at the doctor. He’s had some issues with hypotension this year because he’s growing quickly thanks to the surgery, but he doesn’t have enough blood in reserve to accommodate it. So we supplement with lots of minerals to help, and have to get some weight on him.


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[ru442]

So it is probably safe to assume he is 3/4 (he almost definitely got one from you). So as apod said, and uptake in proteins would be good. Depending on what he likes here are some options I think may work:

* Siete makes grain free tortilla chips and torrtilla's, they are made with almond/cassava flour (all proteins) and fried with avocado oil. They are very tasty, maybe try some chips and salsa/guac, and for hot dogs try wrapping in the tortilla's. These are available at many locations, but Wholefoods for sure has them.

* Nuts are also good protein and fat. Could maybe even cheat and do a granola, although the grains may not be desirable.

* Try more animal proteins, grass fed... chicken or pork maybe grilled? If he likes chicken nuggets there are many paleo like recipes to avoid grains and make nuggets (fried in EVOO or avocado oil)

* Eggs... again more protein plus choline...

Just a few suggestions... I'm sure others will chime in!

ETA: I forgot also check out Simple Mills products, they have baked goods I think he would love, and the crackers are fabulous if you continue down the cheese and cracker path. The baked goods do have some sugar, but I think it's safe to say that should be lower on the list of avoidance until he has gained some weight back. Again these are no or minimal grain products, lots of extra protein.

[Jan]

Heather,

Beth Lambert's non-profit site called Epidemic Answers might be a good resource for you.

https://epidemicanswers.org/

They are a "starting point for parents looking to understand why their children are chronically ill and what can be done ..." They provide "parent-oriented educational resources and networking tools that empower individuals to confidently embrace the healing journey for themselves and their families." They have a great deal of information on their site, and are all "moms" who had children with health issues - among them, Asperger's.

They offer a free health coach consultation also, if you're interested.

https://epidemicanswers.org/free-health ... sultation/

Epidemic Answers is professionally affiliated with FMCA, the school I, and the other site interns, attend. (They have a coach training program also, in which I am simultaneously enrolled.) They're very dedicated and caring people.

[HeatherLst]

Heather,

Beth Lambert's non-profit site called Epidemic Answers might be a good resource for you.

https://epidemicanswers.org/

They are a "starting point for parents looking to understand why their children are chronically ill and what can be done ..." They provide "parent-oriented educational resources and networking tools that empower individuals to confidently embrace the healing journey for themselves and their families." They have a great deal of information on their site, and are all "moms" who had children with health issues - among them, Asperger's.

They offer a free health coach consultation also, if you're interested.

https://epidemicanswers.org/free-health ... sultation/

Epidemic Answers is professionally affiliated with FMCA, the school I, and the other site interns, attend. (They have a coach training program also, in which I am simultaneously enrolled.) They're very dedicated and caring people.

Thank you! We've done a LOT of intervention, healing, nutrition and more over the years. As a baby he almost never slept and he screamed. a LOT. He didn't talk. We've gone from much more traditional autism to a very high functioning individual. Other than some quirky behaviors, most people would be hard pressed to know he's on the spectrum. We are very blessed to be near one of the top Children's hospitals in the world. I will look at what this group has to offer.

[HeatherLst]

So it is probably safe to assume he is 3/4 (he almost definitely got one from you). So as apod said, and uptake in proteins would be good. Depending on what he likes here are some options I think may work:

* Siete makes grain free tortilla chips and torrtilla's, they are made with almond/cassava flour (all proteins) and fried with avocado oil. They are very tasty, maybe try some chips and salsa/guac, and for hot dogs try wrapping in the tortilla's. These are available at many locations, but Wholefoods for sure has them.

* Nuts are also good protein and fat. Could maybe even cheat and do a granola, although the grains may not be desirable.

* Try more animal proteins, grass fed... chicken or pork maybe grilled? If he likes chicken nuggets there are many paleo like recipes to avoid grains and make nuggets (fried in EVOO or avocado oil)

* Eggs... again more protein plus choline...

Just a few suggestions... I'm sure others will chime in!

ETA: I forgot also check out Simple Mills products, they have baked goods I think he would love, and the crackers are fabulous if you continue down the cheese and cracker path. The baked goods do have some sugar, but I think it's safe to say that should be lower on the list of avoidance until he has gained some weight back. Again these are no or minimal grain products, lots of extra protein.

These are fantastic! He won't eat nuts and eggs at the moment...but I might be able to introduce him to them. I just need to get creative. He does like granola bars...maybe I can make some healthier versions. I have a low-carb nut granola I make. I wonder if I pulse it in the food processor if I can get it into more of a granola texture. Hmmm....