Weight loss during chemo?

TraciInLA said:

Laurissa,
I'm overweight, and, a month before my diagnosis, had started an aggressive exercise and healthy eating program at the urging of my primary care physician, so was also hoping that I might at least get some weight loss out of chemo.

That hasn't happened. But, I'm lucky that the steroids haven't caused any weight gain for me, either, though my oncologist warned me they could. I'm also taking Dexamethasone, as you are, for 2 days before each chemo.

I'm doing Cytoxan/Taxotere, and I do lose my appetite for a couple of days after each chemo, then I'm so wiped out for the next several days that I don't eat much. So I lose about 5-6 pounds in that first week after each chemo, but I gain it right back the next week.

What I found was the key to my not gaining back *more* than I lose is to resist the urge to let myself eat whatever I want once I get my appetite back. The first round, I felt really sorry for myself, and said, hey, I'm on chemo -- if I want chocolate cake, I should eat chocolate cake!

Since then, once I get my appetite back, I try to just get back to healthy eating and exercise -- my oncologist has pounded into my head that I have to keep up moderate exercise (he suggested walking) *throughout* chemo to help fight fatigue. And, of course, that helps me with maintaining my weight, too.

JGrim is totally right that everyone reacts differently. But I would say to try to focus on eating healthy (which will also help your body recover better from the chemo) and exercise.

Traci

One more suggestion...
The ACS has a great booklet called "Nutrition for the Person with Cancer During Treatment." You can get a free copy sent to you if you call the ACS, or read it on their website. I've found it really helpful throughout my treatment.

Traci

Hi Laurissa
Steroids do increase the appetite unfortunately. For me though, I stayed pretty stable. I was on adriamycin/cytoxin for the first 4 sessions which were done every 2 wks. My appetite was awful for about the first week then it came back for week 2 then we started over again. A/C is not fun. But generally my weight is what it is. I made sure I walked, did yoga, and I was back at work so that seemed to help.

Hang in there
Linda T

LAURISSA
Don't worry about your weight. Just make sure you are eating healthy and often which helps nausia. I'm taking steriods with my Taxol/Hereceptin treatment and I had A/C before that and my weight has stayed the same . Some weeks I'll gain a couple of pounds then the next I'll lose them. Just wait and see how you will feel with the treatment plan you will have. Most of my problem is everything taste awful to me. I have to try and figure out what I feel like eating! Some days it's hard. I make myself eat,so I can beat this the best I know how!! Hugs, Diane

Appetite
Hi Laurissa,
I lost weight - I tend to go the other way - when I'm worried, upset, nervous I quit eating. I also had dense-dose A/C (chemo every two weeks) and was really nauseated. My second drug was taxol and I wasn't as nauseated but had no appetite - nothing sounded, looked, smelled good at all. I did force myself to eat and drank those shakes that help you put weight on. I only lost about 10 pounds and it's been almost 6 weeks since my last chemo and I've put it all back on almost. Like you've read, we are all different and thankfully it won't last forever! You'll be ok - maybe it's good you've been eating a little extra if you lose some during chemo. Just try to eat healthy and get some exercise every day if you can - that helps with the feeling so tired! Take care!
-Jenny

e_hope said:

I was told by the diet. that
I was told by the diet. that most women gain between 10 -20 pounds while going through chemo and breast cancer treatment. plus the wonderful steroids they give you to prevent a reaction to the chemo make you ravenous... So for now.. just focus on treatment.. worry about your weight when your through this bolder in the road.. put if you can try to make sensible food choices.. While I was getting chemo the only things that tasted good where sweet and salty foods.. now that I am finished with chemo and have my regular appetite back I have been making better food choices and some of those chemo pounds are coming off...

Good luck on monday

You know, not only do
You know, not only do steroids make you ravenous, but frequently steroids will actually change the way your body processes food. Lots of women think that if they merely watch what they eat they can avoid gaining weight on steroids and while that's true for some women and some steroids it's definitely not true for others. I would focus on healthy eating and if you gain or lose while in treatment then that's what happens. Hopefully you'll develop good eating habits that will allow you to reach a healthy weight after treatment is finished.

Cat64 said:

Good Luck
tomorrow! It brings you one step closer! Think positive! It's good that you are preparing for it. There's been alot of good suggestions on the foods to stock up on. Let us know how you're doing.
Hugz,
Cathy

Hope you bought lots of
Hope you bought lots of water too. I liked to eat applesauce with cinnamon, cold sandwiches, yogurt, scrambled eggs were awesome. I think you will be suprised that chemo is not as bad as you may think. I was tired, oh yeah, i don't know if you saw some of the other posts but constipation is a problem. I took stool softener, ask your oncologist about this, because that can be a major problem. Well good luck at chemo, there will be other women there going through the same thing.

Laurissa,
I know that they do not want you worried about your weight during chemo! I lost weight because chemo did a number on my taste buds and I couldn't taste anything-and what I could taste tasted horrible except for a few things! But my onc told me that most of the time women gained weight from the chemo drugs I had.

ruthielaine said:

Weight gain/loss
I have heard different stories - my friend lost weight even with the steroids but thats because she totally changed her eating habits. I just bought a book called "The Cancer Lifeline Cookbook" by Kimberly Mathai - There's also another good one called "Beating Cancer with Nutrition by Dr. Patrick Quillan. I recommend them both not just to keep your weight in check but more importantly to fight the cancer with healthy food. The Lifeline Cookbook also gives alot of recipes. Coupled with a walking program I feel I'm going to fight the battle of the bulge as best I can plus help my body fight the cancer. don't stress yourself out too much about it though - just try to stay healthy and stay away from the sugar - sugar feeds cancer cells. Love and Prayers to you through your journey.

Ruthies

It could also be that your
It could also be that your friend reacts differently to steroids. I know of two people that gained while on steroids and one was seeing a nutritionist and training for a marathon (she was running thirty miles a week minimum) and the other was barely managing to eat sugar-free popsicles. I'm not saying that people shouldn't try to eat healthier - they totally should and this will help them to maintain a healthy weight after they're done with treatment. I just don't want people to get the idea that when they gain weight on steroids it's just because of what they eat, because some steroids in some people do change the way that you process food enough to cause weight gain no matter what. Because society tells us that our weight gain is our fault no matter what these women are knocking themselves out to lose weight at a time when they really need to be focused on getting enough nutrition and being happy, you know?

When someone loses their hair to chemo, everyone acknowledges it, says it sucks, and reinforces the knowledge that it's a temporary evil on the path to recovery. Nobody says "you're not bald" and there are even organizations devoted to providing people with wigs and hats to get through this phase of treatment. It is just as inevitable (with some drugs) that women will gain weight, but they don't admit it, their friends don't acknowledge it ("You're not fat! You can't have gained weight!"), and nobody helps you buy new pants to get through until yours fit again. Society has trained us for so long that our weight is something that we can absolutely control that we're afraid to admit to gaining any even though it's just an unpleasant, temporary side effect the same as hair loss. That's why I'm working on that guide on my site on how to make new clothes for free or cheap and that journal piece on weight gain... I want people to realize they can get through this the same way they get through being bald. It sucks, but it's not forever.