do you put on weight with chemo ?

[schmooley]

I was diagnosed in January 2009. I was told by my surgeon and Onc that I would definitely put on weight which was a bit of a bummer as I have always struggled with my weight.

I had E-CMF regime, I put on a few pounds with the Epi but felt so sick on the CMF part that I lost it again. I tried not to worry about it too much over the year as I felt I had enough to be dealing with without stressing about food. When I weighed myself in January 2010 I weighed exactly the same as Jan 2009! I did work through my treatment though and also had a small baby to deal with so didn't get much time to sofa surf unfortunately.

Last year I managed to lose 19lbs following ww (loosely)whilst being on tamoxifen. I have put on half a stone over the winter but am just starting to address that.

Everyone is different, you just have to get through it the best you can

xxx

[Guest user]

hi girls as you can see by my name i to suffer from weight troubles,i stayed the same weight throught chemo and rads but as soon as they finished i started to pile on the weight,think its because im not as active as i used to be.im now back at weight watchers following their new pro points system and at last im eating properly again,i lost 2lbs this week.so i would say allow yourselfs a treat now and then and try to keep moving when you can,and eat lots of fruit and veg.best wishes Lynne

[ChoccieMuffin]

Those fig rolls were obviously purely medicinal, seeing as constipation can be a side-effect, so you are being sensible in eating them, not greedy. (Apply similar halo polish liberally whenever you need to, I'm sure with a little creative thinking you'll find a way of justifying pretty much anything!)

[Lisa_x]

Nigella, the fig rolls were a bargain, therefore they do not count and you can eat as many as you like!

[GingerLaces]

Oh my goodness! Need to stop being a pig and blaming the nausea. Scales didn't lie this morning. Worried now as weight is going up all the time, at this rate I will have put on nearly a stone. And I have only just finished FEC. What will I be like when start Taxols in two weeks? Help! Adi x

[Guest user]

Ha Lisa!! Wait until you eat 2 bars of Galaxy in 1 day.....!! x

[Lisa_x]

Think I may have to eat my words!

I cannot stop eating. Doughnuts and a can of coke for breakfast!

I will not eat like a big fat pig today! (after breakfast)

[Guest user]

I don't think the 6 fig rolls I had with a cuppa last night will have helped! No willpower! They were buy 2 packets for £1 in Morrisons......... Just been reading the thread about wind - so funny. Are you suffering? I am!! x

[Guest user]

me too,, shhhhh i wont tell if you dont

xx

[Guest user]

trouble is - i always have what i fancy tut tut

Maria x

[Guest user]

i know i have put weight on,,, i can tell with my clothes, i too finish chemo in may then it will be time to loose those extra pounds,, i try to eat heathly but sometimes you have to have a little of what you fancy

take care all

Donna
xx

[Guest user]

Hi. I started chemo in February and 2 weeks ago the hospital weighed me and I've put 5lbs on. I'm trying on my "good week" to eat well but I feel like I'm ballooning. I feel very bloated. I'm normally quite an active person but haven't felt like doing much so as soon as my chemo finishes in May I'm on a mission to lose the weight! x

[Guest user]

i aint even got there yet and i really dont want to put on weight i want to lose it have been trying to for the past yr (hasnt worked )

[pina_c]

Hi,
When I was on chemo I lost a stone in weight. It happened during the Tax, food tasted so awful and my mouth and throat were sore so I just didn't want to eat much.
Am now on tamoxifen and have only put on two pounds so am hoping that I will stay at my current weight!!
Gill

[TSR]

I lost weight, after my diagnosis, and whilst on FEC, but gained some during Tax ( you tend to have more steroids on Tax, so that doesn't help). So, I am probably about the same as when I started, maybe a few pounds heavier, but not much. Considering how little exercise I have done over the six months, I am quite pleased. I know it sounds a bit shallow, but bald and mono- breasted, I can do without being overweight as well. I am very glad we have the potentially life-saving treatments out there, but they do attack almost every aspect of your femininity and self-esteem.

[millykins01]

I have gained about 10 lbs. I lost on FEC as I was very sick but have gained on TAX despite the fact that everyhting tastes bad. The steroids do affect appetite & I get a compulsion to eat. I am now trying to slow down the gain as I realise some was down to comfort eating as well & I have been craving things like cream & butter & cheese - YEs dairy!!!!!
I am now having things like salad with sun dried tomatoes & lots of fruit- tasty but low fat.
Most medics all agree that trying to diet during chemo is not good - just listen to your body & worry about all that after treatment is finished - we have enough to be dealing with right now without worrying about weight as well.

[Guest user]

I'm glad to read I'm not the only one who put on weight with chemo. I put on about a stone and a half. Now I am on aromasin which can also causes weight gain so I have given up on losing it. Having said that, I do a lot of comfort eating and could probably improve my diet a lot.

[Lemongrove]

I lost 10 lbs in the three weeks between the first treatment and second treatment, which sent the medics into a bit of a spin. But I have regained 5lbs since finishing.

[horace]

Hi all-Rhian I used Weight Wathers online backed up by a monthly meeting-it worked for me 🙂

[elinda45]

I lost a lot of weight during treatment, 3 stone. I lost 2 stone while I had 4 x FEC and then another stone by the time I'd finished all the treatment. Mainly this was because I couldn't eat much at any point during my treatment as I felt so unwell. When I could eat I made sure it was all really healthy stuff and cut out all sweets, crisps, chocolate, fatty foods etc.

I was overweight to start with though. Since finishing all the treatment and starting on tamoxifen my weight is shooting up in spite of the fact I'm eating the healthiest diet I ever have. A bit depressing really.....

[GingerLaces]

Hi all weight problems seem to follow us around. I admire you ladies who have managed to stay slim and those of you who have lost lots and lots. I have put on 10lb since starting FEC in February and had last one on Wed, doc says its steroids and water retention. But I also know that the only thing to keep the nausea away is eating bread and carbs. Had to go with it as would rather gain a bit of weight than start the sickness, as apparently once you start being sick it is difficult to stop. My concern is when I start Tax on 13th April, as lots of people say they put on weight. I have twelve weekly ones of these. I am determined though not to go clothes shopping for a bigger size, going to make do and squeeze myself into the limited number of items I have. You have gussed - even before DX I had clothes that were too small, clothes too big and a small amount that I was able to wear at the time. In the grand schme of things what is a bit of weight when we are battling this demon!!! Adi x

[moorcow]

HI there, I blame the steroids as finty said - I put on a stone of real weight over the year of my treatment- I was heavier but as I got further away from end of Tax the fluid gradually disappeared so I lost the fluid weight - so this past fortnight I've been digging the allotment like crazy and walking and swimming - and eating much less, drinking less, ....weighed myself this morning .EXACTLY the same weight as I was a fortnight ago...guess this is going to be a long old haul. Nicola

[dancing_girl]

Hi On FEC I had no appetite for a week , would lose half a stone, then put most back on over next couple of weeks. On Tax my appetite has been less affected, but mouth is so horrible, most things taste either not too good or absolutely foul and drinking makes me feel a bit sick - longing to enjoy a cup of tea or even water. Again I lose a bit and then put most back on. By the end, I'll probably be 3/4 pounds less than when I started.
Seems we are all different. Try to eat as healthily as you can, but it can be difficult with the taste thing and also if you are a comfort eater - it's certainly a time for something to comfort you.
Quite a few people get fluid retention on Tax, but that should go when treatment is over.
Good luck.

[topsymo]

I lost over a stone specifically whilst I was having chemo - which I know was solely down to eating less. Tax in particular just took away my appetite for at least a week each cycle. I never felt the urge to 'comfort eat' during chemo - even though I never felt sick, i just didn't 'fancy' any of my favourite foods- everything tasted so weird. Losing a bit of weight was the ONLY positive thing about having BC.

[ChoccieMuffin]

I lost half a stone from diagnosis to first FEC. When I was in hospital on IV fluids I supposedly put on about half a stone in a couple of days. I know I did puff up a bit as my fingers were like sausages, but I reckon a lot of the difference is being weighed on different scales. I'm now the same weight as I was at FEC1 so don't seem to have put on or lost, but it's very early days for me too.

Good question though, I was also interested in everyone's answers.

[Guest user]

Wow Horace 3 stone in a year well done go girl!!! how did you do it? i am doing slimming world, but hate the group thing

rhian x

[Guest user]

Hi

I lost weight between dx and start of chemo then stayed steady until my 5th session when i started putting it on, think it was a mix of eating lots of carbs (bread was all I could managed especially the sticky bun variety) and having little excersise and then maybe the steriods. i think if I had realised or even cared at teh time I might have managed to keep weight gain to a stone but have put on 2 stone, I am two years past finishing chemo and ma starting to lose it now.

rx

[horace]

I was told not to lose weight as dosage was calculated on body weight so it would be thrown out if I lost/gained .I gained about a stone and a half eventually-steroids and inertia!I then broke my leg a year post chemo so gained a bit more!I have now lost 3 stones over a year and feel much better for it 🙂

[Lisa_x]

Hi, I haven't put on any weight yet. I lost about 1 stone after diagnosis, suffered with anxiety and no appetite. I haven't put any of the lost weight back on yet but I only had my second chemo yesterday. Have had the munchies due to steroids but have been eating dried fruits/seeds/liqourice instead of cakes, sweets and biscuits.
My chemo nurse said that it's best to maintain weight if you can rather than lose/gain. Supposedly, it is hard to lose any gained weight during herceptin treatment.

Lisa

[Guest user]

I had my last of 6 FECs two weeks ago and have lost about 5 kilos.
This is because I've had virtually no appetite and felt no desire to eat.
I haven't had any nausea but have had indigestion.
Since FEC5 eveything tastes like cardboard and nearly all drinks have a mettalic taste.
Goes to show that no-ne can know how chemo will effet them!

[Minimunchkins]

I haven't gained anything so far - FEC 3 due 5th April. I'd heard a lot of people did gain & with recently having lost 2st (pre dx) I didn't want to put it back.
Basically, I've just kept to my healthy eating (Slimming world) an making sure I eat free foods if the munchy monster comes a knocking! I only have the day of treatment + 1 day rest before going back to work, so am also keeping reasonably active too.

Chris

[pattymi]

I've put on weight ,gone up a dress size to my digust. Partly through water retention and partly as not active due to breathlessnes and aches and pains ( not to mention it is bloody cold without hair in winter so going out not attractive) don't think I've eaten much more as taste buds naff.
Pat

[PollyPocket]

Hi
People seem to say that you put on weight with chemo. I put on weight after diagnosis with comfort eating before the chemo started. I think I put on a little bit / stayed the same with the Fec chemo but have lost half a stone after 2 sessions of docetaxyl. This is because I can't taste anything and have no appetite for a couple of weeks afterwards. I think everyones different this is just my experience.
Polly x

[saffronseed]

Hi
I actually lost weight whilst on chemo. I lost around 2 stone overall from diagnosis until treatment end. Like everyone else i was on steriods and felt like eating a lot but I had such a nasty taste in my mouth all the time i completely went off food as I couldnt taste anything! I lived bannanas and custard as I could taste them and I drank coke - I could not stomach any dairy at all, including milk and as for alcholol well yuk yuk, just the smell of it made me sick! We are all different. x

[lazycat]

Same with me... I've put on more than a stone 😞
Like Finty it was a mixture of steroids and water retention, plus I was not very active. I have now returned to work so hopefully I'll be able to shed some of that weight off. Sorry!!

[finty]

I put on at least a stone - the steroids make you hungry and I also had a lot of fluid retention with Tax. I think most people do gain weight, unless they are unfortunate and have nausea and can't manage to eat much.

Sorry - that probably wasn't the answer you were looking for. x

[Guest user]

I put on 2 stone with chemo, I think it was because I was less active and eating comfort food which was less healthy, not sure if the drugs make you put on the weight though although the steroids you are given probably don't help.
Tigs x

[Guest user]

I am sorry if this seems a daft question but as a rule do people put on weight with chemo? If so is i because of the actual drugs or do the drugs actually increase your appetite ? Melx