Weight gain after Cancer

anny3818

I finished all my cancer treatment's (Chemo, Radiation, Surgery) last year. The medication I have to take for 5 years is harsh and it made me gain all my weight plus more back. The more weight I gain the more I hurt. I feel crappy and tired. I HAVE TO LOOSE 90 Pounds , I just have to

tinkerbellang83

That sucks but I guess it's a small price to pay to beat the cancer.

I imagine slower weight loss may be the way forward, particularly if you're already feeling run down and tired. Your body is likely still recovering, so don't be tempted to underfuel it too much.

What's your plan for weight loss?

AnnPT77

Hi there, and welcome! I remember that post-treatment struggle really well (even though I'm now more than 20 years past my stage III breast cancer diagnosis): I wondered if I was ever going to feel strong and healthy again.

I'm here to tell you: There IS a path back to health, energy, vitality. I absolutely feel better/stronger and healthier now than I was even before treatment. It doesn't require some kind of massive warfare-scale effort, either, IMO: Just a good, manageable approach, time and patience.

I'm wondering if you may be a breast cancer survivor, partly because it's sadly common, partly because so many of us need to take something for 5 years like Tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor (like Anastrozole/Arimidex, Examestane/Aromasin, Letrozole/Femara, etc.). If that's the case, I'll mention that I took Tamoxifen for 2.5 years, then Arimidex for 5. I've also been a trained volunteer peer support person for other breast cancer survivors, though an American Cancer Society program, and a long-term member of a support group, so I've heard others' experiences, too (lots of variation in effects).

If it was breast cancer you experienced, I'll mention that all of improved diet quality, weight reduction, and becoming more active have been shown via research to offer survival benefits in various subgroups of breast cancer survivors, so you'd have the potential for multi-dimension win from your determination to start taking steps: You get the health benefits everyone gets, and potentially some reduced chance of breast cancer recurrence. (Possible it's also true for other cancer types, but it's breast cancer's research I'm familiar with.) Repeating: It doesn't have to be everything all at once!

Everyone's best approach is going to differ, so it's important to figure out what's going to work best for you, given your own personal circumstances, strengths and limitations. I'm not saying that it's super hard, but suggesting that *especially* those of us with special circumstances will be well-served by a bit of reflection, rather than just jumping on the latest trendy diet/exercise bandwagon.

For me, getting a bit more active after cancer treatment was the easier path, vs. weight loss as such. I was obese, but feeling so weak and depleted was the easier thread to pull, for me (even though I'd not consistently been routinely active before treatment). As an aside, other things in my life at the time had contributed to my low physical vigor (had spent lots of time caring for a husband who was dying of cancer, working in IT during the chaotic Y2K period, managing care for my 83-year-old dad who'd fallen & blinded himself in an instant (and broken multiple bones), . . . .). So, I was weak, physically stressed, in pain from those things, even before cancer treatment whacked me again.

I'm not saying this is what you should do, but simply sharing my personal thought process and path. I started with some classes/videos, things that seemed manageable: Yoga, stretching, later low-impact cardio, and eventually a "weight training for women" class that was non-intimidating and really helpful. Eventually, a breast cancer survivors rowing team starting in my area, and I swallowed some major fears and doubts to join it. It literally changed my life. All of this was very gradual, but progressive: Quite easy, at each individual step. If you'd told me at the start where I was heading I would've literally refused to believe it possible!

I still stayed obese for some time, but a few years back, my health markers (blood pressure, cholesterol) reached a point where I couldn't lie to myself anymore that being active was enough, despite being obese. At first, I just cut back on portions and became more thoughtful about what I ate, and lost a few pounds. When that started to slow down, I joined MFP, and it turned out to be the perfect tool for me. In a bit less than a year, I lost a total of 50+ pounds, obese to a healthy weight (a weight I hadn't seen since college in the 1970s!), while staying active with exercise. I didn't do any official named diet, just figured out how to eat many of the same foods in different portions and proportions to stay happy with what I ate, full/satisfied, and get overall decent nutrition. That, too, was a process, rather than an instant revolution.

Sometime back, I'd written up that kind of approach to eating for weight loss, and shared it as a post here on MFP. If the general idea appeals to you, that post is here:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

I'm now 65, still very active, reasonably fit for a woman our age, and still (in year 5+ of maintaining a healthy weight after 3+ previous decades of obesity) eating pretty much the way described in the post linked above.

I apologize for writing this gigantic essay, but I wanted to reach out and say that there is a path back from cancer, not only to previous weight/fitness, but - if one chooses - a manageable path to significant improvement even beyond that. Your approach will be different from mine, but I'm completely confident that you can achieve your goals, with some thought/planning, patience, and commitment.

It doesn't have to all happen at once, and keeping it gradual and easy (at each moment, but progressing) is a good route. Any meaningful amount of weight loss or fitness improvement is inherently a long-term project that realistically will take weeks and months. Keeping it manageable, sustainable for that long, is a good route to go, IMO.

Wishing you much success, and betting you can find it!

ETA: I personally didn't start being active with walking because I have really crummy knees that don't like impact, nor with swimming or pool-based exercise because I personally don't enjoy that *at all*, but those are also excellent starting activities if you want to be more active, are able to do them, and do enjoy them.

anny3818

AnnPT77
Member and tinkerbellang83 thank you so much for responding.
Yes i was battling Breast Cancer and the medication i am on for the next 5 ( now 4 Years ) is anastrozole. At first it did not bother me to much but slowly i started to get horrible muscle cramps, muscle and joint pain just to name a few things.
Long story short here is my plan, not really going on a diet but learning how to eat healthy, cutting out refined sugar, watching my sodium intake to stay low. Stopped drinking diet Soda,
I dont want to fallow some diet and fail , i want to learn a new better way of doing things. That is my end goal.
This week i been weighing all my food, logging it and making sure i do not go over 1200 cal. I have to say every meal i cooked was delicious and i feel full and satisfied after.
starting today i am going to start walking for at least 20 minutes a day adding more as i feel better.
One thing i struggle with is drinking enough water..... i have to work hard on that
90 pounds seems such a impossible amount so i divided it up in 6 mini goals 15 pounds at a time

thank you again for your encouraging words

AnnPT77

anny3818 wrote: »

AnnPT77
Member and tinkerbellang83 thank you so much for responding.
Yes i was battling Breast Cancer and the medication i am on for the next 5 ( now 4 Years ) is anastrozole. At first it did not bother me to much but slowly i started to get horrible muscle cramps, muscle and joint pain just to name a few things.
Long story short here is my plan, not really going on a diet but learning how to eat healthy, cutting out refined sugar, watching my sodium intake to stay low. Stopped drinking diet Soda,
I dont want to fallow some diet and fail , i want to learn a new better way of doing things. That is my end goal.
This week i been weighing all my food, logging it and making sure i do not go over 1200 cal. I have to say every meal i cooked was delicious and i feel full and satisfied after.
starting today i am going to start walking for at least 20 minutes a day adding more as i feel better.
One thing i struggle with is drinking enough water..... i have to work hard on that
90 pounds seems such a impossible amount so i divided it up in 6 mini goals 15 pounds at a time

thank you again for your encouraging words

I hope you are talking with your oncologist about having negative side effects from the anastrozole? Sometimes alternative aromatase inhibitor drugs are an option, and may have a different side effect profile. Also, they may have options for reducing the side effects. (One reason I was switched from Tamoxifen to Arimidex was to see if it would affect a sleep problem I was having.) I'm so sorry you're having that experience!

Please don't go under 1200 calories, either: That's a pretty low goal, and nutrition is important.

Wishing you good progress!

anny3818

just got new med Exemestane .... see if it will change. I am down 7 pounds and feeling already better. I cut out most refined sugar, watching my Sodium intake, i drink more Water and just overall try to eat healthy. Not fallowing a special diet , but trying to learn to make good choices

AnnPT77

anny3818 wrote: »

just got new med Exemestane .... see if it will change. I am down 7 pounds and feeling already better. I cut out most refined sugar, watching my Sodium intake, i drink more Water and just overall try to eat healthy. Not fallowing a special diet , but trying to learn to make good choices

I'm glad to hear that . . . I hope the change in drugs will be a help, and - as you're finding out - I'm sure the gradually-greater weight loss will help. (I feel so much better, lighter!) Nutrition is good for everyone, and especially important with a cancer history (or to help avoid getting getting that history, if folks are smart enough to reach a healthy weight, nutritious way of eating, and activity level at a younger age than I did so!).

Hoping you'll find yourself feeling better and better, as time goes on, and progress accumulates!