Losing weight while doing hormonal therapy

ElaineTherese

This thread is for those of us who have gained weight while on Tamoxifen and the aromatase inhibitors (Aromasin, Femara, and Arimdex). Anyone trying to lose that weight? How's it going? What has worked for you? What hasn't? Is it just me, or is it hard to lose weight while on these meds?

After three years+ on Aromasin, I weigh 20 pounds more than I did when I started treatment. I have no idea how I gained all that weight because I didn't really change my eating behavior at all. I'm at the point now when I'm serious about getting this weight off. I am currently swimming every day for an hour and eating lots of salads and veggies.

SpecialK

ET - the only thing that worked for me is the Virgin Diet. I gained during chemo, and after starting Femara. I tried walking 5 miles daily at speed and the South Beach Diet, which is basically a Mediterranean type, and lost absolutely nothing - and this had always worked for me previously. I then tried the Virgin Diet, and even though I couldn’t exercise at all due to several surgeries in a short period, I lost 22 lbs. This is a hard way to eat initially because it is an elimination diet, but now it’s second nature and not a problem for me. In the initial phase I only did one shake a day - frozen strawberries, almond milk, and vegan protein powder. Here is a good rundown:

http://www.chewfo.com/diets/the-virgin-diet-by-jj-virgin-2012-what-to-eat-and-foods-to-avoid-food-list/

exercise_guru

I am working on this too. I would love a check in thread in the wellness area for gals on AI and tamoxifen.

I am seeing a dietician and currently trying something similar to whole30. It is kind of paleo but mostly the carbs are tough to deal with on tamoxifen.

Meow13

It seems to be very slow. My face is better but still puffy looking.

ElaineTherese

Wow, Special K! Twenty-two pounds. I don't know if I could do that diet; I cook for the other members of the family, too.

exercise guru -- why are the carbs tough to deal with on tamoxifen?

Meow, I have been doing my swim/salad/veggies thing since Memorial Day. I have lost 3-4 pounds. That's not too shabby, but every time I cheat a little (slice of cheese or something), my weight seems to go up. Losing weight seems so incremental; I worry about what happens when I can no longer adhere to my current pattern. For example, I'll be visiting my parents for a week; I fear that I'll regain those 3-4 pounds pretty quickly.

ksusan

I'm in. After holding just above my target BMI for around a year after starting Tamoxifen, I suddenly gained 25#. Hard on the knees! I was able to take some off with a modified Eat for Life diet (I need olive oil or my blood sugar goes too high), but it wasn't sustainable if I ate anything away from home. I'm adding light weights and pushups back to my normal walking, Zumba, and gardening routines, but having a hard time getting a rhythm. Thank goodness for summer and plenty of fresh organic produce!

nonomimi5

Hello Ladies - I will start hormonal therapy in July. Just finished rads this Wed and going out of town next week. I didn't want to start on any new meds b/c I may have side effects. I am trying to lose weight now in anticipation of gaining weight when I start meds. Is there any scientific reason why we gain weight taking TAM or AI?

buttonsmachine

It's the lack of estrogen that causes weight gain - our hormones are just wacky on these meds. As my MO put it, we aren't really meant to be deprived estrogen, and it's a very unnatural state to be in, but if we have HR+ cancer it's one of our best weapons.

I've gained almost 10lbs since treatment started. I downloaded the My Plate app by Livestrong, and it helps me. You can set calorie and weight goals, and keep track of what you're eating so you don't overeat. It also helps keep a healthy balance of protein, carbs, fats, etc. I've lost a couple pounds with this app.

ElaineTherese

I'm thinking about my goal for the summer: 155 lbs.? I hope that's realistic....

Weight when diagnosed (July 2014): 150 lbs.

Weight after chemo: 145 lbs.

Weight after surgery: 150 lbs.

Weight in May 2018 after a crazy semester: 170 lbs.!!!!

Weight today: 165 lbs.

I am definitely not looking forward to staying with my parents for 10 days. They have a very rigid meal structure (protein, starch, vegetable), and they feel insulted if you don't eat what they have to offer. I swear, my Mom pushes food at me incessantly. (Are you sure you've had enough to eat? There's more potatoes!) OY.

nonomimi5

Elainethere - I will join you to lose weight this summer. I lost a few pounds since the Dx, and I'll try to lose 6 more pounds this summer. I am 146 today, and would like to be 140 by end of summer. I need to lose more, but being realistic since I will start AI.

SpecialK

I also like my www.myfitnesspal.com for tracking both food and exercise. It will also give you a general nutritional breakdown of what you have eaten and their database is huge and includes brand names of packaged food, restaurant food, as well as things like an apple or an egg, and gives quantity control so you can enter by piece or cup or tablespoon.

Runrcrb

I’m in. I put on 10 pounds during chemo and never gpt rid of those. Put on 5 more last December during my period of inactivity after surgery. Or it could have been the cookies. Anyhow. It’s much harder to get rid of now. I have committed to reducing carbs ( breads pasta etc) as I’m not interested in holistic elimination of food groups. I exercise regularly with running or swimming. I strength train twice a week. I’m trying pilates.

I agree that a pound down doesn’t always stay done - weighing myself once a week is less stressful.

ElaineTherese

Special K -- my daughter uses that!

nonomimi5 -- a very realistic goal! Maybe, you'll be lucky and AI won't have much of an impact on your weight. I don't usually get a lot of side effects from meds, but the weight gain on Aromasin has just piled on.

PhoenixCruiser

I just finished my first DietBet. You pay the join fee and submit weigh-ins, the goal is to lose 4% in 4 weeks. The bet was $35 and we had 61 players and you split the pot (after admin fees) with everyone who made the 4% goal. I won $64.

Starting a new one once we get back from our Vegas trip.

Jennie93

It’s not ‘hard’, it’s impossible. I gained 40 lbs on tamoxifen and this continued at a steady rate even when I was eating far fewer calories than a body needs in a day. After switching to anastrozole, have been able to maintain, not gain, but impossible to lose any, no matter how much diet and exercise. It’s just ridiculous and seemingly metabolically impossible! But there it is. Now that the 5 years are up, I’m hoping to be able to lose those extra pounds. BTW, I never had any weight problem before starting on these drugs.

ElaineTherese

Congrats on making it through Tamoxifen/Anstrazole! I'm at my parents' house now and have stopped my weight loss quest for the time being....

Snickersmom

And here I thought I was the only one having trouble with the weight thing!! I actually have only gained 3 pounds but everything is now "centrally" located in my stomach, hips, and butt. So I'm back on Weight Watchers, which has always worked well for me and my husband, doing Zumba and a couple of Total Fitness Workout classes, and going to the gym 3 times a week. We are traveling this month and that makes it really hard to even think about losing anything. So I've stopped beating myself up over it and will go back to my good routine and eating habits as soon as we get home. My husband needs to lose about 40 pounds, so at least I don't have to try to lose it by myself.

SpecialK - your plan sure did work for you! You are a string bean!

Vargadoll

I'm jumping on board with this thread! I will post more later but I gained 18+ pounds!

Runrcrb

I was just talking to my medical oncologist today about weight. I explained my hypothesis that since the ovaries stop producing estrogen the body holds on to fat in order to get the androgen necessary to create more estrogen. She told me I was right. We agree that limiting carbs is one of the best avenues (along with exercise). Since reducing (not eliminating) carbs I have dropped 3 pounds- honestly the only weight loss I had in two years

Tresjoli2

I gained 40lbs. I've stopped my foward momentum, but cant lose. I was allergic to taxol, so had three months of heavy steroids which made crave...then tamoxifen. All in my stomach. I feel gross...

nonomimi5

I lost 5 lbs since my Dx in March. I started Tamo yesterday. Hopefully, I will not gain weight. The only way to starve the cancer cells is to lose weight ladies. Don't give up! Like Runrcrb said, you need to limit carbs and exercise....everyday!

CindyNY

Hello ladies! I use My Fitness Pal (1,400 calories a day), work out 5x a week most weeks, my eating habbits are not great, but yes...I've gained about 6 pounds since diagnosis.

At first I lost 4 pounds after DX, guessing stress related. But by now, with 3+ months of Anestrozole, I put that back on plus 6 pounds!

I seem to recall a comedian saying to sum up menopause - you go to bed with an hourglass figure, and wake up a shot glass. Sadly that feels true! Whose belly is this?

I'll do my best not to gain more weight, but I think I have to face facts that at 59 my body has changed.

exercise_guru

I have found that even cutting carbs I am not really trimming up as I did in the past. With my dietician I have also been working to rebuild my health from the base up. Substituting bread for squash and better more filling carbs. Eating more fiber, working to increase B Vitamins because I still have neuropathy. I joined a livestrong program to try to get my knees to let me get cardio in again. I hope to get to where I can exercise consistently. In the fall I might take some adult swim lessons to get the laps in as there are a lot of exercises I struggle to do now. I haven't dropped pound doing all this but in a few weeks I will start tracking calories but I had to figure out what I even like to eat now after all this treatment. My dietician likes Healthwatch360 more than myfitness pal as it covers nutrients. I have tried both , there are pluses and minuses to them. Myfitnesspal has more recipes and a robust database and integrates fitbit. Healtwatch360 tells you which nutrients you are low in but isn't as robust.

A note about weight watchers. I joined the 3 month plan before I met my dietician. The new method just involves eating lean chicken, fish and beans along with a ton of vegetables. All of this is free no point food. Then you use your points for the extras. Its pretty easy to track and pretty easy to eat. you can make a ton of recipes for very low points. I have a friend who is on tamoxifen who lost 30 pounds in 18-24 months using this version of weight watchers. Its pretty livable. She also built a routine of getting on the treadmill 3 times a week. She looks great.