Food during 3xBEP

[nciungan]

Whats up everyone,

It looks like I'll be starting my 3xBEP next Monday and could use some advice because I'm in a peculiar situation.

I have a wedding coming up on July 28th, about 2/3 weeks AFTER I wrap up my last round of chemo. I've come to grip with the fact that I will be most likely be as bald as a baby and also still tired, but I would like to avoid packing on a significant amount of chemo weight as well due to my lack of mobility and fitness routine.

After reading around, it seems most people are at the mercy of their appetite during treatment and end up eating fried chicken, fast food, etc. Is there ANYTHING I can do to try and limit the weight gain so I can look somewhat decent for the big day? Has anyone had success with eating relatively healthy and also staying healthy during treatment?

Any advice is appreciated.

[CW406]

Don't sell yourself short - you might not be sentenced to a big weight gain. I was able to keep lifting weights through chemo and some other forum members have been able to as well. I'll say I was about 75% capacity - surprisingly strong (cardiovascular capacity went to nothng due to bleo though). Do what you are able. It will treat you however it does - if you luck out you can keep on pretty well with your day to day. In most cases, chemo is not what it used to be - with anti emetics and neulasta you're more likely to be up working or taking a stroll than puking your guts out.

As far as diet, I know I for one used chemo as an excuse to eat anything I wanted! A whole cake for dinner? Why not, I'm sick! I think that if I'd had a reason to do so, I could have made good choices. Try sticking to lean proteins, whole grains, and lots of (cooked, because you have to be careful around raw stuff) vegetables. But you're not trying to get ready for the beach here, so if it comes down to it, you gotta eat what you are able.

Also, you might want to keep an eye on the steroid dose. They make a lot of people just flat crazy, and are also what's responsible for the huge appetite.

But first and foremost, you need to stay healthy. Honestly, this is either going to knock you on your butt and you will have to scratch and claw your way through, or you'll sail right on without many problems. It doesn't often seem like there's much of a middle ground. Do what it takes to mitigate the adverse affects and keep your health in the big picture sense of things (proper hydration, nutrient balance, caloric intake, etc.). Good luck!

[hbr777]

As CW said, not everyone gains weight. Some lose substantial amounts of weight. It just depends - you won't know how you react to everything until you react.

I wish you the best of luck on this journey and kicking cancer to the curb once and for all!

[zak0691]

I never experienced any sort of weight gain...Yes, I was mostly immobile just lying in beds or chairs, but I did not eat much at all.

You will mostly lose your sense of taste unfortunately, so texture (for me) becomes more important. Like others will say, it mostly depends on what you can and will eat. Try not to focus too much on potential weight gain or anything, if you can eat you will need to.
Pretty much the only thing I found that I was able to remotely taste was ketchup - so I ate anything I could put ketchup on: french fries, chicken nuggets, tater tots, etc.

But still, I lost about 20 pounds and was underweight when I finished chemotherapy.

[Davepet]

Well, as we seem to say over & over in this forum, everyone's different. I gained 15 lbs ( & I was hoping to lose that many). Post chemo, I've gone on to lose both the 15 I gained & the 15 I wanted to lose, & working on a few more....

The steroids contributed, I'm sure. My appetite didn't seem to increase or decrease, but the food that sounded good to me changed. Some of it was healthy & some not so much. I mostly ate the same main meals as I always do, but in between main meals is where I probably ate too many calories for my very reduced activity level.

In my experience, I can't comprehend how some folks keep exercising during chemo. Sometime after my second long week, just getting dressed would leave me so winded I'd have to sit down & recover. I know some guys manage it, but it was impossible for me.

So you won't really know until you get there. Fatigue was my biggest side effect. Some folks get nauseous enough to vomit, I never did. I never had metallic taste, but some foods didn't taste "right" to me. Some smells I normally enjoy made my stomach flip. We all experience this a bit different.

One last thought for you to ponder: You are in a fight for your life & while you have an excellent chance of winning, it's far more important to get through your treatment than to look good at your wedding. Do what you need to do to get well first & let your wedding pics document your battle if they have to.

Beating your TC is job one right now. Do your best to keep your weight where you want it, but don't get bummed if it doesn't work out, you can recover from the gain if it happens with some effort, even if you can't get there before your wedding.

Dave

[MIKEBRWADE]

As CW said, not everyone gains weight. Some lose substantial amounts of weight. It just depends - you won't know how you react to everything until you react.

I wish you the best of luck on this journey and kicking cancer to the curb once and for all!

I lost nearly 40lbs, and I ate whatever I could whenever I could.. and trust me most of it wasn't "good for me". There were days when I could barely eat anything or even THINK about food without getting sick to my stomach.

Focus on getting good nutrition, if you can't maintain calories make sure you talk to your onco so you can supplement with an approved vitamin rich thing like ensure etc (make sure it doesn't have probiotics though). One thing a co-worker who went through TC as well mentioned to me was to get those big plates of veggies like for parties and snack on stuff when I could. Sometimes it wasn't appetizing so I couldn't but other times I couldn't get enough.

[Smartie]

During my treatment I ate whatever I felt like. The chemo messes with your appetite and sense of taste. I initially ate loads and gained weight. As I got sicker I lost lots of weight. I'd advise just rolling with the punches here. I wouldn' t try to plan what to eat. It's enough to deal woth the effects of the chemo, without having other, self-imposed problems to cope with.

[Kurt]

I stuck to a very healthy diet during chemo and I honestly believe that it made me feel better and less vulnerable to bouts of sickness.

Brown rice
Fruit and veg
Pasta
Fish and chicken
Lots of water

I stayed clear of alcohol and any greasy/fried food.

However, I do appreciate that it may not work for everyone.

[nciungan]

Thanks for all the advice gentlemen. As CW mentioned, I think my initial reaction would be to eat a whole cake just because 'I'm sick' and I'm going to do my best to limit that but also celebrate small victories with a treat or two.

I'll stick to a balanced diet but listen to my body as much as possible. I know the number 1 goal is to get better, but I'm a firm believer that this can be done and also maintain a somewhat healthy lifestyle. We'll see if that holds true.

*On a side note, I had my port installed today. What a breeze. I read a lot about peoples experiences and I was a little worried going into the surgery, but woke up with minimal pain and discomfort. They didn't even give me painkillers even though I politely asked

For anyone that is considering it, I would highly recommend it. I think the eventual pros fair outweigh the minimal discomfort I feel right now, which is more of a general soreness than pain itself. Nowhere NEAR as bad as the I/O.

[youngster]

I lost weight during chemo. Just let your body do the talking and eat what you wants to eat.

[DoubleZero]

I gained some weight, all water/fluid retention. I ate what I fancied at the time which was a lot of tomato soup and tomato and cheese pizzas!

[Chaps6]

My husband is currently eating whatever/whenever he can. And he has lost some weight. Not as much as we were expecting though..His top 2 items are a slushy from 7-11 and sweet tarts.. He says the slushy is to coat his throat since he's had really bad acid reflux with this round..But I think that's just his excuse