I am a sugar junkie!: weight loss and gain with chemotherapy

So, I went for post chemo pre radiation meeting with Dr. Stenger.  I have put on a lot of weight this last chemo and most of it is down to water retention but he wanted to check my diet.  The lymph drainage was painful to start but is now a joy – I would recommend it to any chemo patient storing water.

 

He said that Cancer loves sugar and salt and I need to be careful. 

 

With pride (!) I wrote down everything I ate for a week.  I was confident he would congratulate me on how good I was.... I was wrong and I left the office bright red with my tail in between my legs.

 

This is a example of what I usually have per day:

Grapefruit juice; Orange Juice; 1x marmite toast; Lentils and rice; Celery & Grape juice; Apple and fennel juice; Carrot juice; 4 biscuits

 

 

I realise now, that I know nothing about nutrition. 

For example: All my life I have eaten fruit after dinner as I thought it reduced calories or was good for me.

I love pineapple and I eat it everyday morning, noon and night – I thought it burnt fat.

I love marmite on toast – now that can’t be bad for you can it?

I eat loads of lentils (Indian Dahl) and rice... Yikes!  Well I am originally Indian after all....

 

OH No.

Dr. Stenger did an analysis of my food intake of the past five days and it said, “sugar junkie”. 

It’s crazy – here I was thinking I am a healthy living freak when in reality I am a eating the worst stuff for my cancer.

I am going on a soft diet for radiation and then after radiation a medical diet –but in short; this is the plan.

 

I must cut out all carbs as in the past five days, as I only ate carbs and no protein.

I can eat fruit for breakfast but no longer at night.

Pineapples are out.  I can have as much Tofu and fish as I like but not with pasta or bread.

I can keep going with my juices – I am having about six a day –but not the fruit juices (only 2 in the morning) followed by at least 4 veggie ones.

 

This is my weight gain/ loss plan so far this chemo and before:

January 2009: 61kg (this has been my average weight post pregnancy)

April 2009: 63kg

October 2009: (when I got the cancer) 70kg

December 2009: 68kg

January, February, March: 64-66kg

April 2010: 70kg (after the sixth chemo 4kg increase overnight).

 

Goal weight: 61kg

 

Radiation starts on Monday, so I will do the best that I can - but its going to be tough.  But I do look like a bald watermelon at the moment - so, I have to do something!

 

Comments

[water-retention-linda]

Water retention during chemotherapy is sometimes partly due to the stress being caused to your liver. There's a yellow spice called turmeric that can help to protect your liver a little bit from the chemo. You can also get turmeric (or the stronger version called curcumin) in pill form. Hoping this helps.

[Judy Batchelor]

I'm definitely a sugar junkie, too...I had lost weight for the first half of chemo, got down to 110 lbs....then while on Taxol, I gained a ton, and finished at 127 lbs. I have since only been able to lose 5 lbs.

I admit I have not really changed my diet, and that is a bad thing. I am glad to read what your doctor says about your diet, and plan to start trying to eat healthier.

I plan to take curcumin starting next week, it has so many benefits I've been researching the last few weeks. I had to get off my blood thinners first, can't take them together.

[Bena Roberts]

Judy - I am the same. Taxol or its sister Taxotere - makes you fat. I didn't put on one bit - in fact I lost about 5 pounds the first three doses of chemo.

The minute I took Taxotere - my weight is just going up and up - Its horrible - but a lot of it is water.

I want to dump 7kg - about 14 pounds then I am back to how I was in 2008 - before all this cancer stress.

I will keep sharing what the doctor tells me and maybe it will help you too. Warm hugs bena

[Judy Batchelor]

Here's a new turn of events: my period started back up this week after a 13 month hiatus, and the weight is dropping off! So weird, I guess my metabolism is kicking in again?? I have dropped from 124 to 120 in the last few days.

Are you doing dose dense Taxol? I was supposed to but was switched to weekly dosage so I would tolerate it better.

[bena roberts]

judy - the taxotere was killing me - I think I was on the strongest possible dose - 100%.
But anyway - that is over and I hope my metabolism kicks in soon - at the moment I am just so full of water.
hugs bena