Version July 2025
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What can cause me to lose weight or have no appetite? —
You can lose weight or have no appetite because of your:
●Cancer – Even if you eat a lot, your cancer might keep your body from taking in all the nutrients it needs.
●Treatments – Treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation have side effects that can make it hard to eat. For example, these treatments can cause nausea, vomiting, mouth sores, tiredness, dry mouth, or changes in taste and smell.
●Pain – Having pain from either the cancer or treatment (especially surgery) can cause you to lose your appetite.
●Mood – Feeling sad or worried can make you lose your appetite.
Why do I need to eat enough? —
It's important to eat enough so you stay as healthy and strong as possible, especially during your cancer treatment. Eating enough and getting enough fluids also gives you more energy and helps you feel better in general.
What foods can help keep my weight up? —
Eating foods with a lot of calories and protein can help keep your weight up. Some examples are:
●Thick soups
●Milk, milkshakes, cheese, pudding, and smoothies
●Nutritional supplement drinks (sample brand names: Ensure, Boost, Carnation Instant Breakfast)
●Eggs, chicken, lean red meat, and fish
●Yogurt, frozen yogurt, and ice cream
●Peanut butter, nuts, dried fruit, and granola bars
What can I do on my own to eat enough? —
To eat enough and make sure your body gets the nutrients it needs, you can do the following:
●Eat 5 to 6 small meals a day, instead of 3 large meals.
●Eat healthy snacks in between meals whenever you feel hungry.
●Add butter, oil, nuts, gravy, powdered milk, protein powder, or cream to your foods to give them extra calories and protein.
●Drink fluids between meals instead of with your meals, so you don't fill up on fluids.
●Eat foods that smell good, or add spices or condiments to your food.
●Eat with family or friends.
●Buy pre-cooked foods, or cook food ahead of time and freeze it.
●Ask someone to cook or shop for you, if you need help.
●Take a short walk about an hour before you eat to help you work up an appetite.
●Ask your doctor if you should take vitamins or work with a nutrition expert.
●If you have side effects from your treatments that are keeping you from eating, these tips might help:
•If you have a dry mouth, drink lots of fluids and avoid foods that are hard or dry (like toast or crackers). Eat moist foods, or suck on ice chips or sugar-free hard candy.
•If you have mouth sores, eat soft foods you can chew and swallow easily. You can also cut up your food into small pieces or mash it in a blender. Avoid spicy and salty foods.
•If you have nausea, eat foods that are bland and dry, like crackers, rice, and toast. Avoid spicy and greasy foods.
•If you have trouble having a bowel movement, try to drink more fluids. You can also eat foods with a lot of fiber, like vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, oatmeal, and some breads and cereals (figure 1).
•If you have diarrhea, try to drink a lot of fluids so your body doesn't lose too much water. Avoid milk, greasy foods, and foods with a lot of fiber.
When should I call my doctor or nurse? —
Call for advice if you:
●Cannot keep any food or drink down
●Have severe belly pain
●Are dizzy or weak
●Have a fever
Are there medicines that can increase my appetite? —
Yes. Doctors can prescribe different medicines to help increase your appetite. They include:
●Olanzapine (brand name: Zyprexa)
●Hormone medicines
●Steroids – Doctors usually recommend people take these medicines for only a few weeks at most. Even though these medicines can help, they can also cause problems of their own.
Some people wonder about trying marijuana (or other forms of cannabis, like CBD oil) to help increase appetite. But studies have not shown this works in people with advanced cancer, so doctors do not recommend it.
Are there other treatments that can help if I have no appetite or lose weight? —
Yes. Sometimes, doctors use other treatments if people cannot eat or if their body doesn't take in nutrients from the food they do eat:
●People who can't eat on their own but whose bodies can digest food might get "tube feedings." This means they get their food and nutrients through a tube that goes into their stomach or small intestine (figure 2).
●People whose bodies cannot digest food might get their nutrition through a thin tube that goes into the vein. But doctors don't usually need to use this for people with cancer.
Patient education: Managing pain when you have cancer (The Basics)
Patient education: When your cancer treatment makes you tired (The Basics)
Patient education: Chemotherapy (The Basics)
Patient education: External beam radiation therapy (The Basics)
Patient education: Malnutrition (The Basics)
Patient education: Nausea and vomiting in adults (The Basics)
Patient education: Mouth sores from cancer treatment (The Basics)
Patient education: Dry mouth (The Basics)
Patient education: Constipation in adults (The Basics)
Patient education: Diarrhea in teens and adults (The Basics)
Patient education: Managing poor appetite from your medicines (The Basics)
Patient education: Constipation in adults (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Acute diarrhea in adults (Beyond the Basics)
