Not Happy

Ugh, Nancy! I'm in the same boat. I was up to 159 lbs. at my doctor's appointment in February. I think the last time I weighed 159 lbs., I was pregnant with the twins. Since February, I've lost 5 pounds. I've been better about monitoring what I eat. I've been eating 100 calories of soup in between lunch and dinner, and it's stopped the snacking. I'd like to blame my weight gain on the Aromasin and Zoladex, but I think it was just me, eating.

Nancy, meds affect everyone differently.

I lost 15 pounds after diagnosis, gained it back and more during chemo, chemopause, and rads. I gradually lost weight while on Tamoxifen, then gained weight rapidly when I first switched to an AI (because of Tamoxifen SEs). A year later, I was switched to a different AI (again because of SEs) and had such rapid unexplained weight loss my doctor thought something ominous must be happening. After a year on that AI, I couldn't take the SEs and said I would try the first AI again to see if it would affect me differently this time. What do you know, my weight loss stopped but I didn't gain weight this time. So I happen to be a healthy weight again, but I haven't done anything differently throughout these weight changes except change meds.

It's awful feeling like you have so little control over your weight (I'd been through this with prednisone years ago). Go easy on yourself. Sounds like you're quite close to your healthy weight.

Nancy...Many women gain weight on anti hormones as well as anti depressants. They both can make weight loss more difficult yet not impossible. Not fair!

Even after starting Femara (7 months prior to surgery) I continued losing weight up until the point that I started radiation. Then it was a constant battle not to gain - and the frequent weigh ins during RT were a real misery. It wasn't that I gained very much (under 5 pounds) but that it was inexorable. Also, I'm petite, so very conscious of weight gain.

Once I started on celexa it seems to have become even more of an issue - to the point that I'm not sure whether depression or weight gain is worse. I do mix up my work outs a LOT but it seems almost pointless to try to hold back the weight gain. I'm not seeing the same results in terms of muscle formation that I used to, either.

It does seem really grossly unfair that at a time when we're already trying to make peace with our revised body image, and KNOW how important avoiding weight gain is for deterring recurrence, we're also (many of us) taking drugs that make it so much more difficult to control our weight.

Nancy, I went through menopause naturally 2-3 years before I was Dx with BC and what you're describing is exactly what happened to me. Suddenly I was packing on weight and not really doing much different than I ever was. Since starting BC Tx I've not been able to lose the weight because I'll need to work my butt off in the gym to lose it. Just controlling what I eat is completely ineffectual. I've concluded that it's simply that when you hit menopause, either naturally or as a SE, your metabolism slows WAY down. Kayb, you are exactly right, MyFitnessPal is the best. It keeps me from putting too many calories in my mouth every day.