Weight gain difficulty

Purplemountain

Please feel free to chime in or add your experiences in regard to gaining weight after treatment for NPC or any forms of head and neck cancer.

I am about a little over 6 months out of treatment with 3 Chemos and 33 Radiations.  Able to eat but struggle (manageable) with swallowing.  Have been eating burritos, hamburgers, sphagetti, rice...with the help of water...lots of water. 

I am 5'8" with the weight of 160 lbs (before cancer).  Now I fluctuate between 114 lbs and 117 lbs.  But over all, my endurance and strength improve on a daily basis.  Dry mouth is at minimal...no longer have to wake up to drink to moisten the mouth.  The lowest weight for me during treatment was 102 lbs which was after the last (third) chemo.  But now I am stuck at 115 lbs..can't budge.

 

Before cancer, I had a hard time of gaining weight as well.  Had high metabolism.  The only way for me to gain weight back then was to exercise.  Right now, it is a dilemma to exercise or not.  I feel my body needs all the resources to rebuild and if exercise, it will deplete the resource for energy.  But exercise might be the only way to gain weight in buidling mass. 

Any suggestions? or information from personal experiences / journey?

 

Thank you.

PM

FRONT AND CENTER

Adding mass

Hi PM!

I know exactly how you feel because I lost a lot of weight (nearly 20 pounds of muscle) during treatment.  I'm three months out of treatment and still struggle with eating and know I don't get enough calories from food.  I had the same concerns as you about exercising and depleting the resources.

However my team of docs at UCDavis encouraged exercise and to do it in moderation.  I walked everyday during treatment and did body weight exercises (squats, deadlifts, push-ups, step-ups) three times a week.  The numbers varied but I did them.  I stayed away from lifting weights during treatment.

Now I'm 3-months finished treatment (NED, YAY!) and I've been going to the gym as body allows.  Gentle stretching is fabulous for connective tissues, flexibility and stress relief.  Body weight exercises like planks, bridges, squats and push-ups build your foundation.  Doing them, as tolerated, will build your endurance.  

I'm slowly adding weights to these exercises as I feel stronger, which I am.  I'm not sore like I was when I first started and I"m actually building muscle.  I was able to do some cardio the other day and it felt great to sweat.  I only did 15 minutes because I don't want to diminish the resources.  

I immediately have a protein shake afterward and then small meals.  So far, so good!  But I need lots of rest.  My doc said if I'm wiped out for a day (or two) after a workout, I did too much.  LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.

I'm not a doctor but I am a personal fitness trainer.  Having gone through surgery, chemo and radiation, I understand your concerns.  I'm right there with you.

My suggestion?  Start stretching and walking.  Walk for movement, not speed.  Only go for 10-15 minutes and slowly build up.  And eat!  Good luck...Kelly 

Guzzle

FRONT AND CENTER said:

Adding mass

Hi PM!

I know exactly how you feel because I lost a lot of weight (nearly 20 pounds of muscle) during treatment.  I'm three months out of treatment and still struggle with eating and know I don't get enough calories from food.  I had the same concerns as you about exercising and depleting the resources.

However my team of docs at UCDavis encouraged exercise and to do it in moderation.  I walked everyday during treatment and did body weight exercises (squats, deadlifts, push-ups, step-ups) three times a week.  The numbers varied but I did them.  I stayed away from lifting weights during treatment.

Now I'm 3-months finished treatment (NED, YAY!) and I've been going to the gym as body allows.  Gentle stretching is fabulous for connective tissues, flexibility and stress relief.  Body weight exercises like planks, bridges, squats and push-ups build your foundation.  Doing them, as tolerated, will build your endurance.  

I'm slowly adding weights to these exercises as I feel stronger, which I am.  I'm not sore like I was when I first started and I"m actually building muscle.  I was able to do some cardio the other day and it felt great to sweat.  I only did 15 minutes because I don't want to diminish the resources.  

I immediately have a protein shake afterward and then small meals.  So far, so good!  But I need lots of rest.  My doc said if I'm wiped out for a day (or two) after a workout, I did too much.  LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.

I'm not a doctor but I am a personal fitness trainer.  Having gone through surgery, chemo and radiation, I understand your concerns.  I'm right there with you.

My suggestion?  Start stretching and walking.  Walk for movement, not speed.  Only go for 10-15 minutes and slowly build up.  And eat!  Good luck...Kelly 

excetcise

Hi, Im on my last week of 33 rads three chemo. Still eating and used gentle excercise. I.e. Jog 2 or 3 miles / cycle 10 or 15. Its helped me an I have not lost much weight. Also have co ordinated food with pain meds . Treated it as a mission. Excercise, food/drink, sleep. I suspect I will need an exit strategy from eating high cal/high fat food when treatment finished. Good Luck, G.

TracyLynn72

weight

I easily dropped 20lbs during surgery/treatment  and was actually looking a little bit sickly.  I wanted to keep that weight off but build back up some muscle.  Unfortunately after food tasting SO bad for SO long, it's pretty good again, and those lbs found their way back.  I'm almost a year out of treatment and am finally able to start walking/light weights again.  I hope to keep a few lbs on me but to tone it all up.

hwt

TracyLynn72 said:

weight

I easily dropped 20lbs during surgery/treatment  and was actually looking a little bit sickly.  I wanted to keep that weight off but build back up some muscle.  Unfortunately after food tasting SO bad for SO long, it's pretty good again, and those lbs found their way back.  I'm almost a year out of treatment and am finally able to start walking/light weights again.  I hope to keep a few lbs on me but to tone it all up.

weight

I lost 65 pounds but had it to lose. Am comfortable where I am and have kept it off 2 years+. My meals are much smaller and I make a concious effort to add foods high in calories. I continue with an Ensure each morning. I walk daily but not too far. My cancer center provides a nutritionist but I declined the offer. 

KB56

Weight gain

PM, I had issues with weight gain post treatment as well.  My last radiation was 6/11/13 and I had lost a little over 30 pounds and didn't really have it to spare.   I'm now back at my pretreatment weight and exercising 3-4 times a week.   i'm 6'2' and was 195 lbs pretreatment and got down to ~160 at my lowest point.  Now I'm back to about 190.

My throat hurt like hell with every bite until ~5 months post treatment so that made eating really difficult and i dreaded every bite/meal.  My doctor told me to focus on protein vs simply calories so I ate as much softer type foods as I could (eggs, cheese, greek yogurt, protein drinks mixed with whole milk (not the low fat kind), baked potatoes, etc).   One protein drink that my daughter told me to try was one called EAS Myoplex.  I ordered them a box at a time off of Amazon and they came in chocolate and vanilla.  I blended them with whole milk in the blender and they were ~700 calories and ~70 grams of protein (including the milk) and was the easiest thing I could find to consume (least amount of pain because really cold (like milk shakes) hurt and this was cool enough where it didn't.

As far as the exercise, I think you have to push yourself a little here.  It will be really tough at first as your stamina and energy are low, not to mention your strength.   If you can walk 1/2 mile today, bump it up to 3/4 of a mile at a slightly faster pace and keep bumping it up as you can handle it.   Light weights will help you gain weight as well as it helps with the appetite and your body is consuming more calories since you're exercising and doing more.    I'm 57, was 56 when I went through all the crap, so no spring chicken but once i started working out (walking and weights) i started feeling better and it was so good to get some tone back.  I felt better about myself and the skin was no longer just hanging off my body which is a huge psychological boost.  I was the same as you and always had trouble adding weight unless I was working out so it was important to get back to exercising as soon as I could do it.

I know it's tough but whatever you can do today (walking or weights)bump it up just a tad.  If you can do any weight then start there (keep track of the sets and weights) and slowly add to that amount.     I think that you'll find in several weeks you can see tone, add some weight back and will find yourself able to do a bit more each week.  It's a huge mental boost as well, maybe more so than anything else I've done.   Your energy level and stamina will also return as get moving more and more.

I know it's tough but a piece of cake compared to what you have been through. 

Keith

 

Guzzle

KB56 said:

Weight gain

PM, I had issues with weight gain post treatment as well.  My last radiation was 6/11/13 and I had lost a little over 30 pounds and didn't really have it to spare.   I'm now back at my pretreatment weight and exercising 3-4 times a week.   i'm 6'2' and was 195 lbs pretreatment and got down to ~160 at my lowest point.  Now I'm back to about 190.

My throat hurt like hell with every bite until ~5 months post treatment so that made eating really difficult and i dreaded every bite/meal.  My doctor told me to focus on protein vs simply calories so I ate as much softer type foods as I could (eggs, cheese, greek yogurt, protein drinks mixed with whole milk (not the low fat kind), baked potatoes, etc).   One protein drink that my daughter told me to try was one called EAS Myoplex.  I ordered them a box at a time off of Amazon and they came in chocolate and vanilla.  I blended them with whole milk in the blender and they were ~700 calories and ~70 grams of protein (including the milk) and was the easiest thing I could find to consume (least amount of pain because really cold (like milk shakes) hurt and this was cool enough where it didn't.

As far as the exercise, I think you have to push yourself a little here.  It will be really tough at first as your stamina and energy are low, not to mention your strength.   If you can walk 1/2 mile today, bump it up to 3/4 of a mile at a slightly faster pace and keep bumping it up as you can handle it.   Light weights will help you gain weight as well as it helps with the appetite and your body is consuming more calories since you're exercising and doing more.    I'm 57, was 56 when I went through all the crap, so no spring chicken but once i started working out (walking and weights) i started feeling better and it was so good to get some tone back.  I felt better about myself and the skin was no longer just hanging off my body which is a huge psychological boost.  I was the same as you and always had trouble adding weight unless I was working out so it was important to get back to exercising as soon as I could do it.

I know it's tough but whatever you can do today (walking or weights)bump it up just a tad.  If you can do any weight then start there (keep track of the sets and weights) and slowly add to that amount.     I think that you'll find in several weeks you can see tone, add some weight back and will find yourself able to do a bit more each week.  It's a huge mental boost as well, maybe more so than anything else I've done.   Your energy level and stamina will also return as get moving more and more.

I know it's tough but a piece of cake compared to what you have been through. 

Keith

 

Excellent Advice

From keith/f and c/ et al. Cant add much other than if you have a bicycle get it serviced and alternate with load bearing excercise. You also cover more ground and can stop for lunch/picnic. Some people here have got back to amazing fitness levels post treatment. There are many but Patricke and Ratface are just two examples. F and C is a pro in this field. I also like keiths comments about incremental improvement. I will be keeping a log. This time last year I cycled the Ring of Kerry and directly prior to diagnosis was training for the rock n roll marathon. IM going to take it easy but will want to improve. Just remember any good training program involves rest! Let us all know how you go on. Are you able to reward yourself with a beer etc yet? G.

ratface

Guzzle said:

Excellent Advice

From keith/f and c/ et al. Cant add much other than if you have a bicycle get it serviced and alternate with load bearing excercise. You also cover more ground and can stop for lunch/picnic. Some people here have got back to amazing fitness levels post treatment. There are many but Patricke and Ratface are just two examples. F and C is a pro in this field. I also like keiths comments about incremental improvement. I will be keeping a log. This time last year I cycled the Ring of Kerry and directly prior to diagnosis was training for the rock n roll marathon. IM going to take it easy but will want to improve. Just remember any good training program involves rest! Let us all know how you go on. Are you able to reward yourself with a beer etc yet? G.

You are right where you should be

I was 51 at diagnosis and 55 today. I was 238lbs and got to 170 at your current stage.  Losing 60-70 lbs is quite normal. I was overweight and today am still heavy at 190 but I do work out a lot. You were not obese and I was. I would try a supplement for a few months. Either an ensure type  OTC or prescription supplement would be fine but I'm thinking just some whey powder and a smoothie would do you just fine. Walmart sells the same stuff as GNC for peanuts. Cheap and effective weight gain. You are just not eating enough. You will never eat the way you used to. Just think of how slow you eat now. You need to drink a supplement.  Weight gain will come slowly.

 

You should start exercising for all the reasons stated. It just makes you feel good and we need it more than anyone. I ran during my first round of chemo and the treatment still destroyed me. Measure recovery by the fitness level before cancer. Don't rush it. I wasted a bunch of time and money visiting orthopedic doctors and foot doctors for rushing it. Start with some yoga. Real men do yoga (yoga pants optional). Incoporate some weight resistance trainning and eventually some cardio. Walking is fine. I'm leaving for a short run shortly.  You can surpass your previous fitness level post treatment.

 

 

donfoo

simple formula - more calories

You need to consume more calories to gain weight, palin and simple. Just as the struggle is during treatment, do the same sorts of things. High density caloric intake - protein powder shakes, any fat has twice the calories as protein and carbs. Any nut butter is great, eat lots of trail mix. These are very dense as they have basically no water content. Use whole milk. Cook with plenty of olive oil. Eat flat breads as they are much more dense.

While I agree exercise is great in general it is not going to net weight gain unless accompanied by increased caloric intake. One can argue that there is increaed residual  metabolism after exercising but that may be great for circulation but that also consumes more than if you were sedentary. If the exercising increases your appetite and you consume more calories than that is great but if you don't increase your intake enough you can find yourself slowly decreasing weight, the opposite of what you want. Good luck, Don

phrannie51

I walked all through

treatment....and have never stopped.  I know a number of the men here started working out as soon as they were able.  Always ask you Dr. first about anything new, but I'll bet yours will give you the go ahead.

I started out at 97 lbs....got down to 80, and have never really been able to break over 90 since treatment.  Don't know if it speeded up my metabolism or what.....I'm almost 2 years out.

p

CivilMatt

food, taste, weight

PM,

I lost 45 pounds on the H&N diet, but have managed to find 20 pounds.

If you don’t mind two slow eaters, I will take you out to a calorie laden cheese burger.

You know, when I lived on smoothies, I would doctor them up with nuts and oil.

Good luck on the weight gain.

Matt

Hondo

Hi PM

Give it time it took me right at a year to gain back only half of what I lost. I am 6’1” and was 230lbs before my NPC. After first treatment I went down to 145lbs then back up to 182lbs. A lot of it has to do with your thyroid just how damage it got during treatment and how it is working now. This is something your doctors will not tell you about but something you need to get your family doctor checking you for.

Hope you start to gain something soon

Tim Hondo

Purplemountain

Thank you everyone for your

Thank you everyone for your inputs and informations.  Yes, eating is an issue since it takes longer to eat and needed rest in between before can finish a hamburger.  Eating is no longer a pleasure but a "job" or a "challenge."  I've been drinking shakes with avocado mix with nuts and whey protein which is "whey" too expensive but I will give Walmart a try. 

I've been washing cars at home every morning at 7AM for exercise and to beat the sun before it gets hot.  Took me about 1/2 hour for a small car and an hour for a minivan.  Riding bicycle with my little boy kangarooing in front of me.  I can feel the muscles building back but not enough to cover up the bones and ribs while my face looks like latex skin covering the skull which is discouraging each time I shower and had to look at my body.  I guess just need to be patience and give time an opportunity to do it job.  I feel and know the body is heading in the right direction but just wanting it to run in that direction instead of walking and enjoying the flowers along the way. 

Still 115 lbs today but trying to eat more throughout the day.  No napping though and I get sleepy and tire by 2PM daily. 

PM

debbiejeanne

PM, my original dx of larynx

PM, my original dx of larynx cancer was 8/09 and i weighed 240 lbs (way over weight).  had 35 rad tx sept and oct. 09.  clean until 2/12.  then recurrence and had neck dissection and laryngectomy.  last July i weighed 120.  today i can eat anything altho it takes me a while.  unfortunately, i've gained 40 lbs back.  i hope it stops there b/c i really can't afford to gain any more  :0(    anyway, my point is maybe it will just take a little longer to get some back on, especially since you had trouble with that before cancer.  just don't give up and don't stop trying.  as for exercise, many do it after tx and feel better afterwards so you have to just make that call on that.  do what makes you feel good.  hopefully, the wt gain will come soon.

Good luck, PM.

dj

Purplemountain

debbiejeanne said:

PM, my original dx of larynx

PM, my original dx of larynx cancer was 8/09 and i weighed 240 lbs (way over weight).  had 35 rad tx sept and oct. 09.  clean until 2/12.  then recurrence and had neck dissection and laryngectomy.  last July i weighed 120.  today i can eat anything altho it takes me a while.  unfortunately, i've gained 40 lbs back.  i hope it stops there b/c i really can't afford to gain any more  :0(    anyway, my point is maybe it will just take a little longer to get some back on, especially since you had trouble with that before cancer.  just don't give up and don't stop trying.  as for exercise, many do it after tx and feel better afterwards so you have to just make that call on that.  do what makes you feel good.  hopefully, the wt gain will come soon.

Good luck, PM.

dj

Thank you DJ.  Wow, your

Thank you DJ.  Wow, your cancer came back in 3 years.  Hope you are beating it again second time around.

Wish you well.

PM