Chemo weight gain
Sulky rant alert... I'm now half way through chemo, yay, with 3 down 3 to go. Although the nasty side effects have been getting much better each cycle the energy, both physical and mental, are taking ...
Forum Discussion
I'm hearing you!
i gained 8kg during chemo which put me well into the overweight category. 2 kg fell off straight away (probably fluid retention from the steroids) but my rad oncologist was adamant that I not TRY to lose weight during my radiation treatment.
Her concern was that the scans they do at the beginning of rads locate the area to be treated within 1mm and losing weight would change that. She insisted that I maintain a healthy diet and concentrate on staying as active as possible. She said she didn't want to be damaging healthy tissue and missing the target zone!
I had read horror stories on weight gain on Tamoxifen so the minute I finished radiation I really focused on my weight. I was able to lose the extra quite easily and was back at my pre diagnosis weight within 2 months.
I was able to maintain that during the 18 months I was on Tamoxifen but when I switched to Arimidex the joint pain brought my exercise to a stop and I gained weight again. I started working with an exercise physiologist and a personal trainer which has been great and I'm now slowly getting back to where I want to be. I'm finding it much harder and slower to lose weight while on Arimidex.
i really hate the weight gain. Losing hair was almost a badge of honour - my eyelashes and eyebrows not so much. The mouth ulcers and skin rashes were annoying. Feeling crap for so long was horrible but the weight gain was just the last straw. Especially when everything I heard and read said how important maintaining a healthy weight was!!!
Anyway my long rambling story was mainly to give you some encouragement. Most of us put on weight during treatment but it is possible to lose it. Eat as well as you can and try to exercise during your treatment. When the active treatment is finished then concentrate on getting your weight back to where you want it.
Good luck.
i gained 8kg during chemo which put me well into the overweight category. 2 kg fell off straight away (probably fluid retention from the steroids) but my rad oncologist was adamant that I not TRY to lose weight during my radiation treatment.
Her concern was that the scans they do at the beginning of rads locate the area to be treated within 1mm and losing weight would change that. She insisted that I maintain a healthy diet and concentrate on staying as active as possible. She said she didn't want to be damaging healthy tissue and missing the target zone!
I had read horror stories on weight gain on Tamoxifen so the minute I finished radiation I really focused on my weight. I was able to lose the extra quite easily and was back at my pre diagnosis weight within 2 months.
I was able to maintain that during the 18 months I was on Tamoxifen but when I switched to Arimidex the joint pain brought my exercise to a stop and I gained weight again. I started working with an exercise physiologist and a personal trainer which has been great and I'm now slowly getting back to where I want to be. I'm finding it much harder and slower to lose weight while on Arimidex.
i really hate the weight gain. Losing hair was almost a badge of honour - my eyelashes and eyebrows not so much. The mouth ulcers and skin rashes were annoying. Feeling crap for so long was horrible but the weight gain was just the last straw. Especially when everything I heard and read said how important maintaining a healthy weight was!!!
Anyway my long rambling story was mainly to give you some encouragement. Most of us put on weight during treatment but it is possible to lose it. Eat as well as you can and try to exercise during your treatment. When the active treatment is finished then concentrate on getting your weight back to where you want it.
Good luck.