Tamoxifen and weight

That's total BS Annette. I don't know of a single person on tamoxifen who has lost weight. My ONC gave me the same song and dance that one of her patients lost 40 lbs but that is definitely not the norm. Several people I know exercise a lot and eat all the right things and still gain weight. I stepped up my exercise too and I have never had belly fat either but do now. Unfortunately, I think weight gain is a SE of Tamoxifen. It is frustrating but Oncologists will tell you the benefit definitely outweighs(no pun intended) the negatives. diane

Good for you farmerlucy...I use the treadmill too. Its so cold here I don't feel like walking but when the weather warms up my friend and I are walking the track at the Community Center. Another friend goes to jazzercise which I really like so I am going to do that as well as soon as the flooring is replaced. The pipes burst at the facility and now all the flooring has to be replaced. They are exercising on concrete. Not doing that. Even with doing all that I know it may not make a difference in weight gain but I will feel better. I also have hot flashes with Tamoxifen although not too bad. Thing is I was on Arimidex and didn't have the problem with weight gain or hot flashes but with the drug robbing you of calcium couldn't afford to keep taking that since I have osteoporosis. Just cant win sometimes. Diane

I'd heard SO MANY women say they gained weight on Tamoxifen that I requested Femera instead. 

Guess what?  I've gained 3 freakin pounds in the last week!   I swear I'm going to just drink protein shakes.

I started Tamoxifen in August 2012. From that time until August 2013 I had an epic struggle to lose weight. Did not really gain weight, ate healthy, restricted calories, exercised every day of the week - yoga, strength training, interval training, walking lots. I was extremely frustrated, because the weight just would not move no matter what I did. Then in August 2013 I decided to simply cut  out ALL carbs (bread, pasta, potatoes etc.), ALL sugar, and started drinking lots of water. No eating after 6 in the evening. My exercise stayed the same. From August till November I lost 14 pounds, so more or less a pound per week. I'm not saying this will work for somebody else, but it worked for me, and I don't feel like a helpless Tamoxifen victim any more. At 59 I am also way past menopause, which in itself is notorious for gaining weight. So I'm thinking it is that combined effect of Tamo and menopause that makes it so hard to lose weight. Only my opinion though, and I'm just grateful I found something that worked for me.

My MO told me I could eat paper while on Tamoxifen and gain weight. Either it effects you this way or it doesn't. I did Weight Watchers all Fall and was able to lose some. Stopped logging food and started gaining. I walk on treadmill and lift weights. Very frustrating but would rather be heavy than not taking Tamoxifen - tumor was very est/prog +. 

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wren and ziggy, hate you guys hahaha  - I wish I was losing!

I CANNOT LOSE WEIGHT I have been doing myfitnesspal for a almost 2 wks and haven't lost a pound.  How can this be?  1200/cal day plus 3-4 workouts a week and NOTHING

I feel the frustration, I know this drug is key and I would never go off of it because of weight gain but it is very hard when you are doing all the right things and still no movement on the scale plus I know being highly est positive keeping weight down is key (less fat, less estrogen)

my MO said its not the tamox but being thrown into menopause that is making it difficult (42 at diagnosis) she basically said "you need to eat like a bird" - yippee

any suggestions ladies?  ( I have tried the low/no carb thing)

thanks farmerlucy! gives me hope.  I have made a promise to myself not to step on the scale for a few weeks because it is just discouraging to eat this way and not lose a pound.  1200 isn't much but my goal weight is about 120-122lbs so every single calculator tells me to eat 1200 cal/day.  In the past I would do this and lose 1 lb a week which is healthy.  I need to lose about 5pds  I know this doesn't seem like a lot but for my small 5'2" frame my clothes are all tight ugh  

I have both lost and gained weight since starting T in Sept 2012.  During the first six months, I lost over 20 lbs exercising 4 - 5 x per week and following a low-ish carb, high-ish protein diet at around 1200-1500 cals per day.  I was pretty strict on both the exercise and the eating and tracking everything.  I did need to lose 40 lbs after chemo, surgery, radiation, and 9 months of inactivity and comfort eating, so that might be why the weight came off quickly.

Enter daily Effexor 12.5mg in April 2013, which my MO prescribed due to extreme irritability and wild mood swings on T.  Immediately I started feeling better but also gaining weight.  I continued to exercise I admit I wasn't as strict with my diet.  I have now gained back 10 lbs and find it almost impossible to motivate myself to be as strict as I was before.  The Effexor has changed my mental state for the better, but I also wonder if it has increased my appetite and decreased my "care factor" about losing weight LOL.

So my question for all of us is...in addition to heading for menopause, cancer treatments messing with our metabolisms and the T itself, how do any other meds we are taking play into the weight gain/inability to lose equation?  I am convinced that the Effexor is my nemesis for weight loss, not the T.

At the end of the day, happy to pop my anti-cancer pills each day and feel hopeful that I will remain cancer free.  I just make a little more room in my closet for multiple sizes of jeans 

Thank to all for your posts.  I just started tamoxifen 3 weeks ago .  My onc said most women gain weight on it.  At 53 I had trouble losing weight before the breast cancer dx, surgery and tamoxifen.  Pre diagnosis I used an app - LOSE IT which calculates out how many calories you can eat based on age, height , current weight and how much you want to lose per week.  Not having a lot of energy these days - surgery was 6 weeks ago.  I started some walking on an indoor track .  I guess I will see how it goes with the weight. Already up 5 pounds from early December.