Diet and exercise after treatment

'I lost a lot of weight through changing my diet plus became more health conscious and therefore felt much better about my body.'
Andrea

After treatment for breast cancer, some people will find that they have gained weight and others will have lost weight.

Over 60 per cent of women diagnosed with breast cancer gain weight during and after treatment, making weight management a concern for many. There are various reasons why this happens – some people eat more, others are less active, and sometimes weight gain is a side effect of prescribed drugs – but the best way to safely lose weight is to combine a healthy diet and active lifestyle.

If you find you’ve lost weight this could be due to poor appetite, nausea or anxiety.

Diet

If you would like to lose weight, you can be referred to a dietician or talk to your GP, who can give advice on diet and lifestyle. They can also help you monitor your progress.

If you decide to try and lose weight after treatment has finished, you should aim to do this slowly and lose 0.5kg-1kg (1-2 lbs) per week until you reach a comfortable weight. To achieve these results, you will need to reduce the amount of foods you eat and increase your activity levels.

Fore more help with healthy eating, you can order our free Eating Well, Being Active DVD from our publications catalogue.

If you have lost weight, aim to gradually achieve a weight that is healthy for your height and age. It is important that you gain weight the right way and not by eating chocolate, cakes and other high-calorie foods that contain saturated fat and sugar. These foods can increase your body fat instead of your lean body mass.

Simple changes to your diet can help to maintain or put on weight. These include adding more starchy carbohydrate and protein, which you can find in foods like wholemeal pasta and brown rice, cheese, lean meat and fish. You should also look for full-fat options where possible.

There is a range of high-protein or high-energy supplements available and the dietician at your hospital will be able to give you advice on these supplements or you can seek the advice of your GP. To gain weight, you need to eat more calories than your body uses each day. You need to do this regularly. It's not enough just to have the occasional extra snacks.

Exercise

Regular exercise will have a positive impact on your wellbeing. It will also help to:

• increase your range of movement
• prevent long-term problems with arm and shoulder movement
• reduce the risk of lymphoedema.

Exercise can help reduce fatigue both during and after treatment. Women who exercise, even gently, during treatment (e.g. chemotherapy or radiotherapy) may tolerate treatments better and experience less pain, nausea, insomnia and fatigue. Regular exercise also helps reduce blood pressure and boosts your immune system.

Before you start any exercise it’s important that you discuss it with your doctor, and then begin gently and build up gradually.

Thirty minutes of moderate intensity exercise such as brisk walking three times per week is recommended, but this can be a lot for some people. Starting slowly and building up your activity is the best way to create a sustainable habit.

Picking an activity that you enjoy will help you stick with it. Try to choose from aerobic-type activities like cycling, swimming, walking or dancing. Anything that increases your heart rate will be beneficial. You will also benefit from light toning or conditioning exercises and stretching.

It may help to break up the time you spend exercising into small, more manageable bits throughout the day. And remember, if it feels too difficult or it hurts, stop what you’re doing.

Our new free DVD, Getting Fitter, Feeling Stronger, is available to order from our online publications catalogue.

Exercise and lymphoedema

Current opinion is that exercise does not cause or worsen lymphoedema and may help manage symptoms.

When choosing your exercise, focus on aerobic activities and exercises to increase muscle tone. Try to use only light weights/resistance and avoid activities that involve sudden vigorous movement or impact on the affected side. Any compression garments should always be worn during exercise.

Before starting an exercise programme, check with your specialist team or GP.