Steroid/Chemo Weight

Cydz

Am I doing something wrong or is the 10-15 pounds I put on from chemo just difficult to lose?? I am losing my mind trying to lose some weight, seems like it just won't budge!

tougherthanithought

Hi!  I know exactly what you mean.  Although I blame Tamoxifen for my almost 15 pound weight gain since diagnosis (I see we were both diagnosed around the same time)

It pisses me off, because I was at the top of my game, physically, pre-diagnosis and never had trouble dropping a few pounds if I needed to.  Now I feel thick in the middle...so much so that I had to buy jeans/pants in a size larger.  Not the end of the world, I know, but annoying, nonetheless. 

Are you taking Tamoxifen?

Cydz

No, being a triple negative, we don't get tamoxifen. I am blaming it on the steroids for nausea. Also I have been thrown into a chemo induced menopause for a year, that may be part of it. However, my period returned this week, as heavy as ever. So I am hoping that if my "menopause" is over, for the time being , I will start to see a shift in the weight. You are right it is not the end of the world, just insult to injury!

squidwitch42

I hear ya...I put on a total of 35 pounds from diagnosis until end of chemo.  My co-workers have been generous to point out my weight gain, along with a lot of patients (from other cultures where I guess? it's o.k. to mention this to me.)  Some have been a complement, but it's been so hard to deal with this on top of everything else.  I got 18 off....but the last 17 or so are stubborn and not budging.  I'm truly bummed but trying.

But we can support each other...

and I swear...the first person I saw at work grabbed my arm, pinched it, laughed and said you're fat! 

just last week...an Ethiopian gentleman said you got big! are you eating too much? I glared.

why do people think it's o.k. to point this out to me?  like I am not aware?????  at least a few others have jumped in and been nice.

I tell anyone who says these things to me...yes, it's been very hard because it's due to the chemo and steroids.  then I walk away...happy to share my discomfort right back.  I have also recently started to be blunt and say please don't talk about my weight.

grrrrrrrrrr.

tougherthanithought

 Oh, right...no tamoxifen in your case.  But ya know, our bodies have been through a lot.  For me, my nails, skin, and hair are different than what they were before chemo, so I guess it's not surprising that I have a little more belly fat now

While the weight gain irritates me, I try not to beat myself up too much about it.   

Shari51

Hi there,

I finished chemo at the end of Dec 09.  During the chemo they had to really up the steroids as I was having a lot of pain from the neulastin shots.  I managed to gain about 20 lbs,  and a lot of it seemed to come on after chemo ended!  From Jan - June 2010 I worked like crazy to try to lose the weight with absolutely no luck.  Not a pound.  I'm also on tamoxifen.    I recently got into a serious weight-bearing program at the gym along with regular cardio, and have suddenly lost 4-5 lbs.   That is a huge amount for me, considering I was only continuing to gain or stay the same up until that point.  I am finallly a little bit encouraged.  If I can lose 4-5 lbs then I can lose a bit more, and then a bit more.  I had convinced myself I would not be able to lose any weight, ever.  But now I think there's some hope!!   and one thing everyone kept saying was "don't be so hard on yourself".   hard not to do....   I am finally, finally starting to feel better, and think I look better.  I actually am beginning to recognize myself when I look in the mirror.  

wondering7

Hi

There definitely is a steroid in the chemo as I gained weight also but what seems to keep my weight up is staying on arrimedex. I finally bought looser tops to try to hide my belly budge and I cannot run on this stuff as my lower legs are heavy. I was at a wedding last week and was very careful not to twist out my knees while dancing with my feet in one place. I try to go swimming and biking and walking but I move around like an elderly person sometimes. I have given up dieting, just going to try to be normal and eat healthy, not overeat. I have 3 more years on this. I hope it works. I think it might be steroidal, the arrimedex but no one is talking. Very hard to find out the truth. I don't want to spend money on diet plans that might be frustrating if there is no success. I would be interested to hear if anyone knows. Stay positive ladies.

wondering7

Cydz

I am wondering about how long it took anyone to shed some of these pounds? I finally feel like maybe, just maybe my pants aren't as tight. I have been doing heavy duty aerobics for about a month. Also trying to count calories.

NatureGrrl

I put on quite a bit of weight during treatment -- steroids, of course, for nausea, plus I wasn't eating healthy, plus I was so tired I gave up all exercise and was very inactive.  Once treatment ended, I was put on arimidex (which is not, by the way, a steroid).  I was unhappy about the possible weight gain side of that and my dr. gently told me that the drug doesn't cause weight gain -- the most it will do is increase appetite. That actually was good news to me because it meant I was in control (but I'm not 100% convinced it doesn't directly cause weight gain for a few women, although since most women don't experience this problem at all, it's hard to know what causes this SE). I wasn't losing weight for awhile but took a serious look at what I was eating, changed my eating habits, and started exercising more. I have to get out there 5-6 days a week to see progress so that's what I do now -- 3-4 times a week just wasn't doing enough for me. I'm by no means an athlete (mostly I just walk), nor am I alway super-good about my diet, but I've lost over 10 pounds since last spring. (Treatment ended for me in Feb.). It does seem like it's harder to lose weight post-treatment than it was before but for me, I attribute that to 10 months of h-e-double-toothpicks and getting so out of shape.  Working to correct all that.  If you're doing everything right and still gaining weight, I'd talk to my dr. 

Cydz

I can see that I can't lose on 3-4 times a week either. I am not gaining, just hovering around the same number. I am not taking any follow up meds. I am sure weight gain is from the steroids as it put weight on me in places I had never gained before. Nature Grrl, you are right, about being persistent and watching what we eat. I'm sure I could improve my diet in some regards. I did switch to a 90% vegan diet in Oct. right after my chemo ended, but have only recently ramped up the exercise. I know I am being a bit impatient as well, and need to just keep plugging along.

MsConduct19

i've worked out with a trainer for the past two years and since all my surgeries etc, i have not done much in regards to working out with chemo just beginning. but if there is one thing i've learned from my trainer, it's not the number on the scale that matters, it's how your clothes fit. if you work out with weights, do cardio and other core muscle exercises you should be able to tone your muscle mass, which in turn burns more calories. if a trainer is available to you through your health club, make an appointment with the trainer. tell them what you want to accomplish and they will be able to devise a plan of action for you. all you would have to do, is show up at the health club and do the workout on a consistent basis. and lastly, you didn't put the weight on over night, it's not going to come off over night. one day at a time. good luck everyone, i'm right there with you!

Foxy

MsConduct, I was a strength athlete prior to my first diagnosis and have been in treatment for three years now.  I have gained 20 pounds of fluff.  I gained most of that weight while on Chemo. 18 pounds of it while going to the bathroom 10 - 15 times a day with severe diahreah. 

Before my first diagnosis I could gain or lose five to fifteen pounds depending on my competition cycle as I wished.  But this weight is not fat or muscle.  It is not tied to diet and exercise.  Somehow it is chemical induced and fluid related.  The shape of my face changed the first week of steroids.  How can I possibly gain fat on my face in one week while eating normally?  I am all about diet and exercise, but I am suspecting that time is the real solution.  I'm not suggesting anyone stop eating healthy or exercising.  I believe my body is still in there somewhere, I need to nourish it and grow it.  But I believe the fluffy soft mush that is my body now will only go away with time. 

There is a stigma associated with weight gain during cancer treatments that make us feel like we are not trying hard enough, not dieting hard enough, or not exercising enough.  Unfortunately, it is strongest in the fitness community.  I challenge that stigma.  I hate my new disfigured and soft body -  post surgeries and post chemo and post radiation.  I grieve for my athletic self that was sacrificed for a few more years of life (if I'm lucky).  So I struggle to cherish my body as it is today, to feed it well, to exercise it well, and honor it.,,and to allow it time to recover from the trauma.  For that reason I buy clothes large enough to look good on my new larger temporary self and I hit the gym and hike the trails.  I hope for a day months from now...

gatsbydog

I thought that Arimidex was anabolic to some degree (tissue building).  If you google it, you find that a lot of male bodybuilders want to be on it illegally.  I don't know a lot about it, though I take it every day.  

Foxy

Well, it's me again.  It has been years since I made that post.  I have no detectable cancer still and am very grateful.  But I have had a difficult time with complications to surgeries and immune disorders.  Painful joints and frequent hospitalizations for infections are my lot in life now.  So far, every attempt I have made at being physically active again has landed me in the hospital.  I've gained even more weight and my hope for an active future is stretched very thin.  While I am doing well regarding the other parts of my life, my athletic self has been crushed and beaten into submission.  I still hope for a more active future, not because I think it will really happen.  I'm just too weak emotionally to accept a future devoid of physical strength.