What causes weight gain?

Cheesequake

I've seen a number of drugs list weight gain as a side effect, and people talk of gaining even though they're doing everything right, food-wise. Is it not a matter of calories in, calories out? If you eat too much, you will gain weight, right? What about these drugs causes weight gain?

windgirl

hi Cheesequake,

A lot of people gain weight during chemo due to water retention, and eating way too much comfort food combined with sedentary life style. I gained close to 10 pounds. You lose that within the next 4-5 months as you start eating better, moving around or your body release the water.

I read a lot of women complain about weight gain on hormonals. They say they eat well and do cardio multiple times a week regularly yet they keep gaining. I tried to eat well and lose a couple pounds before starting tamoxifen but the scale did not move. Same after a month on tamoxifen and including workouts in my routine. It wasn't until I started logging my food that I realized how much I underestimated the calories I ate. I've been logging for a month now and have lost 2 pounds which was my monthly weight loss goal as I don't want to overdo it and lose muscle. I use the myfitnesspal app but I am sure there are others. Long story short you are right it is calories in and calories out, and people just don't realize they are eating too many calories for their current metabolism.

Another issue is that people tend to do cardio instead of weight training. Only with weight training can you increase muscle mass and therefore allow your body to take in more calories without gaining weight. Only cardio should be walking in my opinion, otherwise one gets stuck in this vicious circle of having to do cardio 4 days a week only to maintain weight and not even being able to eat reasonable calories. With weight training even reverse dieting is possible. I hope to start that once i reach my goal weight and muscle mass

DSW1976

Steroids cause weight gain going through chemo.  My Dr. told me before I started chemo most women on breast cancer treatment gain weight.  He said its not like o. T.v. .It sucks...

Italychick

I am bike riding, burning about 4,000-4,500 extra calories a week, haven't changed my eating too much, and I have an extra 12 pounds on my body right now after 5 rounds of chemo, so 12 pounds in 15 weeks. I go up 6 pounds in the two days after a chemo infusion. About the time I am ready for the next one, my weight gain is back down to around 8-9 pounds.

There has to be an inflammatory process at work here. Like right now, 5 days post infusion, my gut area is flabby, gooshy, and quite uncomfortable when sitting. Feels like somebody stuck a watermelon in there. It starts to normalize about the time the next round is due, but I'm pretty sure I am going to be stuck with excess weight after this process is over.

Totally sucks.

windgirl

italychick that is pretty much all water retention from chemo and steroid bloat, as it is impossible for you to accumulate that much fat with that much bike riding. I went through the same thing would go up and down a lot of pounds within a cycle, and I was sedentary. Towards the end it just stayed on. I also thought it would not go away but some experienced ladies here assured it falls off and sure enough it did. It took about 4 months for me to get back to pre chemo weight.

Italychick

I hope so. I worked like crazy to lose 50 pounds, and the thought of doing it again is so disheartening.

I am riding over 100 miles a week, except the week of chemo when I can only manage about 60 miles. I shudder to think what I would weigh if I wasn't doing what I am.

Moderators

Hi Cheesequake,

In addition to all of these great posts by your fellow members, you may be interested in reading the main Breastcancer.org site's page on Eating to Lose Weight After Breast Cancer, particularly the paragraph under the heading "Why do some people with breast cancer gain weight?"

We hope this helps!

--The Mods