Tamoxifen & putting on weight

I too gained
I gained about 25 lbs..but I was on steriods for Ulercitve colotis at the same time as going through BC surgery and radiation. So not sure which or both made me gain the weight. The dr said slow going off..i thought she meant months...but almost 3 yrs now and i lost 10...I dont' eat any more or less...and now at this weight with no change in long time.

I have always been thin (not junk food eater and only eat when hungry) so after 50 yrs odd....i am not overweight but heavy compared to my long time NORM>..

Jean 0609 said:

Hey Mar!
You are doing the right things, eating right & exercising. Unfortunately, it doesn't come off as fast as it went on. Just be patient.

I am finally back on track with my wait loss. I put 20 lbs. on too. It is coming off. Just hang in there.

I too gained 20
I am 5 months out of chemo and I;ve only lost 4 lbs. I am struggling struggling struggling. but I was told the same thing. Hang in there - it will eventually come off.
Oh and I exercise 5 days aweek and burn between 600-700 cal a day (I have a heart rate monitor)

Lynn Smith said:

Weight close
Since taking tamoxifin I've only gained 3-4 lbs.I am OK with that. I want to gain a few more but after that STOP. I am just eating more.

You are probably eating more since you quit smoking.I never smoked but the people I know who did gained weight when they stopped. Very Stressful to quit which causes people to want to eat.

I've heard tamoxifin does cause weight gain.

Lynn Smith

Welcome back, Marlene!
So nice to see you here, Marlene!

I was overweight before I was diagnosed, and still am (I only lost a little weight during chemo and radiation). I've been on Tamoxifen for 16 months, and have steadily increased my exercise since completing treatment to 7-8 hours per week of walking, dance classes, and weight training.

But the number on the scale isn't budging. My oncologist agrees that Tamoxifen can make it difficult to lose weight, so Tamoxifen may be at least part of my problem.

Unfortunately for me, my blood pressure is now creeping up -- most likely because of my weight -- and my oncologist and PCP are now discussing putting me on blood pressure medication. Which just pi**es me off...I fought my way through cancer treatment and recovery, and am busting my a** to get fit, and have nothing to show for it! Grrr...

What I keep repeating to myself -- say it with me, Marlene -- is that exercise has so many other proven benefits besides weight loss: Reducing stress, better sleep, better mood, strengthening our bones, etc. So keep at it, Marlene, and I will, too!

Traci

cahjah75 said:

Marlene
I went through natural menopause 12 years ago and had quit a 38 yr smoking habit while in peri menopause. I went from 118 lbs to 198 lbs and I was only 5' tall! Needless to say because of my weight I now had osteoarthritis, high bp, high cholesterol, etc. I tried going back to WW and even went to naturopathic dr with strict eating. Because of lumbar stenosis and artificial shoulder I now can't go for 2 mi walks or use anything more than a 2# weight. In the fall of 2009 I got down to 153 lbs but after being dx with bc and going through chemo and rads I lost focus and put all the weight back on. I met with my gyn last week about my horrendous hot flashes and he is going to start me on a weight loss plan next month. I will check in with him monthly. I also bought the book 17 Day Diet written by a family physician. For exercise I now ride a recumbent bike. I also do pt exercises for my knees and shoulders. Although I'm taking Arimidex and not Tamoxifen I was told by the onc reg dietician that it is difficult to lose weight while on these meds. FYI I'm no longer 5' but a mere 4' 9"! Even at 153 lbs I was obese. I know my health would be greatly improved and that's why I'm going to follow whatever my gyn suggests. I have a lot of living left to do and I'm tired of being in pain! So, hang in there and hopefully the weight will come off - eventually.....
{{hugs}} Char

I'm feeling really discouraged with weight gain
The year before my dx, I lost 25 pounds through healthy diet and exercise and felt great. After being dx'd, starting chemo and on steriods have gained back almost all of it in just three months! Why is it so easy to gain and so hard to lose/keep off? I know I am doing a lot of "comfort eating" and of course the steriods don;t help, but I feel really mad at myself! Being fat and hairless is not doing much for my self esteem right now. Feeling very down on myself. I've been walking but compared to the amount I have been eating, the exercise is not nearly enough to keep the weight stable. It is just so hard to deal with weight in addition to everything else cancer related. I was feeling like I was getting a welcome break from tracking my food, journaling it all, counting the calories..but I really didn;t think that I would gain this much, this quickly.

Laura

This worries me too
I just finished chemo 2/1/2011. I had surgery 3/2/2011. And I will be starting tamoxifen in a week and rads in about 2 weeks. I'm worried about this too. I lost about 90 lbs over the past 3 years. After starting chemo I lost another 20 lbs, then on the Taxol I gained the 20 lbs back. I have a very hard time losing weight to begin with. When I lost the 90 lbs I was execising 50-60 minutes per day on the elliptical and doing 3 days of strength training and I lost about 1 lb per week! That's why it took a long time. When the onc told me that tamoxifen would make it hard to lose weight I figured I'm done for! But I'm still going to try!

I've started an exercise routine of 30 minutes per day on the treadmill and some light strength training exercises, lunges, squats and leg lifts. I'm starting slow because 1. I don't have much strength after the chemo! and 2. I don't want to scare myself off from doing it. Getting into the routine of exercising every day is the most important thing to getting started. It's also important to get your heart rate up to the point where you are sweating some. If you don't push yourself a little you won't lose weight. The strength training is important because building muscle mass helps your metabolism to work. So again do some light strength training exercises and build from there. This is my advice from my experience of losing the 90 lbs. I don't know if it's going to work yet with the tamoxifen because I'm just starting. But I will be sure to let you know! Good luck with you efforts!

Double Whammy said:

Weight/health
Even if the weight doesn't come off, the health benefits of eating healthy (and not too much) and exercise can only be beneficial to us. I want to be healthier, stronger, in case I ever have to battle this beast again or have another health issue. They sent our bodies to hell and back while on chemo, not to mention the physical toll of surgery and radiation.

So, I'm doing what I can. Was walking throughout treatments and a month ago reactivated my gym membership. I'm pretty much following the anti-cancer diet (except when I don't) and I feel really really good. I lost 25 lbs. over the course of this nightmare and have not gained it back. Started Armidex in December and I figure weight loss may be difficult and slow, but I will do my best to at least keep that 25 lbs. off and hopefully lose another 15-20. Then I will be a 63-year-old babe!

Marlene, I've heard that one of the reasons people gain weight after they quit smoking is because the nicotene actually increases your metabolism, so when you stop, you not only eat more, but you metabolize those calories more slowly. Your body will eventually adjust. Right now you've got more going on than just the Tamoxifen. Hopefully it will all balance out soon for you, even if it's a slow process. I keep telling myself that the lifestyle changes far outweigh the extra pounds in terms of health benefits and imagine what we'd weigh if we didn't incorporate those routines into our lives. Keep on keeping on! What you're doing are good things.

Suzanne

Menopause
And another thing: B4 diagnoses, I whined to my gynecologist about weight gain. She said "of course, you're menopausal". Yes, she has considerably more knowledge and experience than I do, but I'm not so sure that gaining as much weight as I did (45 lbs) wasn't also attributed to how much and what I put in my mouth and how little I moved. My weight has always responded to those factors and it still does, just much less efficiently - plus I have a heck of a lot more to take off. Difficult is different than impossible. I had both endometrial and breast cancers, and one of the common risk factors for both is being overweight (and it's also a crap shoot).

S