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Dealing with weight gain after treatment?

Page last modified on: August 21, 2008
Question from Nancy: I've gained 10 pounds during chemo and radiation that I can't seem to shed. I'll finish chemo in early Christmas. Advice?
Answer —Patricia Ganz, M.D.: You are part of a big club of aging women who have problems with weight gain. I don't know if you have become menopausal as a result of your treatment, but as women get older and go through menopause, their metabolism changes, and there is a difficulty in losing weight and a tendency to gain weight. It is also possible that with increased fatigue with treatment you might not be exercising as much as before your diagnosis. Whatever you can do to resume a regular exercise program and be careful about what you eat, the better off you will be. Sometimes, I encourage women not to focus on losing weight but just not gaining any more. If you can stay steady now instead of gaining a pound or two a month, you will be that much thinner at Christmas.

On Wednesday, October 17, 2001, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Quality of Life. Patricia A. Ganz, M.D.,Marisa Weiss, M.D., answered your questions about how breast cancer can affect physical, emotional, social, and sexual aspects of your life.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Patricia A. Ganz, M.D.Patricia A. Ganz, M.D. is a medical oncologist and a professor in the schools of medicine and public health at UCLA, and is director of the division of cancer prevention and control research at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center there.

Marisa Weiss, M.D. is a radiation oncologist specializing in breast cancer and the founder, president, and guiding force behind Breastcancer.org.

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