So confused.Help

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ppurdin
ppurdin Member Posts: 1,181

I am half way through Chemo now.I have gained a lot of weight.this week I cut back on sweets and snacks.I lost 4 pounds.I was so happy.But my nurse said that's not good.they don't want me to loss.i am my heaviest right now.Does anyone know why they don't want you to loss any even though your over weight?I am thinking should I not diet and eat what I want.Or keep dieting?Any advice is appriatted.thank you.God bless.

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  • ppurdin
    ppurdin Member Posts: 1,181
    edited September 2016 #2
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    Confused please help

    ...

  • NoTimeForCancer
    NoTimeForCancer Member Posts: 3,369 Member
    edited September 2016 #3
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    Hey sweetie!  you said you

    Hey sweetie!  you said you are half way through - how many more chemo's to go??  it doesn't sound like you are at risk for getting too thin.

    I know keeping up your weight means you are getting enough nourishment, but sugar isn't nourishment so if you cut that out - THAT'S GREAT - and I don't think you want to go back on that!!!  

    Try sticking with good nutricious food and try not to worry about it too much.  Also, ask them the next time why it is such a problem. 

  • Jodisgoing180
    Jodisgoing180 Member Posts: 97
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    Weight gain is common

    My doctor didn't like me losing weight either...  Weight gain is good in the cancer world.  Anyway, you tend to gain weight with steroids, so don't sweat a weight gain.

  • Tethys41
    Tethys41 Member Posts: 1,382 Member
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    Diet

    Ppurdin, I'm sorry you are confused.  There are a lot of things to be confused about when it comes to cancer.  Your nurse is concerned about weight loss because many cancer patients develop a condition called cachexia, which is a metabolic wasting disease.  It is caused by the cancer itself highjacking the metabolism of the patient.  There really isn't a lot you can do to reverse it except get rid of the cancer.  That being said, however, it is wise for you to get as much nourishment in you as you can.  You were very smart to cut out sugar.  Cancer cells actually thrive on sugar.  It is the only nutrient they can process for energy.  So cutting out the sugar will stress the cancer cells and may even help with the effectiveness of the chemo.  Depending on how much sugar you were eating, cutting it out could have something to do with your weight loss.  Sugar and carbohydrates are what cause weight gain, not fat.  Keep eating a lot of healthy fats and a moderate amount of protein, lots of veggies, and you will be supplying what your body needs while starving the cancer cells.  If you want to learn more about how diet affects cancer, you can look up information about the ketogenic diet is being used to address cancer.  I believe there is even a current clinical trial being conducted to investigate its effectiveness.

  • beccabtown
    beccabtown Member Posts: 234
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    My radiologist (who was not

    My radiologist (who was not happy that I'd lost about two pounds this week) explained it to me yesterday by saying that when your body thinks it's being deprived, it will burn muscle instead of fat, and divert energy away from what it needs to do to fight the cancer (and repair any damage to good cells being done by the chemo or radiation). I think he was saying something similar to what Tethys is saying. I've had so little appetite that I've been eating whatever does appeal to me, even if it's not particularly wholesome. Realized I need to make more of an effort to eat healthy right now. Maybe don't go out of your way to diet for now?

  • Soup52
    Soup52 Member Posts: 908 Member
    edited October 2016 #7
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    I know my weight varied by a

    I know my weight varied by a couple pounds throughout chemo. It's kind of natural that you might not feel like eating during certain stages of chemo. At least it was for me.

  • margaux
    margaux Member Posts: 12
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    You don't need to worry about

    You don't need to worry about what they say--it seems like they say that to everyone.  If you want to keep your weight the way you want it go ahead because it's easy to gain weight with ice cream and the like should you thin down.