Weight Maintenance

Weight maintenance***

Strapline:

Cancer treatment can cause difficulties with eating. Find out how you can help yourself to maintain your weight and support your body.

Overview/headline

This section looks at ways to alter your diet at a time when you may be concerned about losing your appetite or losing weight. 

Approval score:

We gave this our maximum approval score of 3 stars meaning there is good evidence of benefit.

How does this work?

Difficulties with eating are often associated with cancer or the side effects of treatment.  It is hard to be enthusiastic about both preparing food and eating it, especially when you feel unwell.  But there are many things you can do to help yourself and many resources available to help you.

What are the benefits?

By eating as well as you can, you are giving your body the energy and nutrients it needs to rebuild damaged tissue, fight infection and cope with the side effects of treatment. This will hopefully help you recover and feel better more quickly.
Enriching your diet can help you to avoid losing weight or can help you regain any weight that you may have already lost. It may involve changing the balance of what you eat by encouraging foods that are higher in fat and sugar than the government or World Research Cancer Fund (WRCF) would normally advise.

What is the evidence?

The evidence tells us that eating as well as you can will help your body to fight infection and cope with the side effects of treatment.  If you enrich your diet you can avoid further weight loss and regain any weight you may have lost.

Who would this be good for?

We recommend you follow this advice if you have difficulties with eating or concerns about weight loss, but then gradually return to a more balanced style of eating.

Who should be careful?

If you have diabetes:

This advice sometimes suggests that you include foods that have high levels of sugar and fats.  If you are diabetic, we advise you to consult your doctor, dietician or diabetes nurse for individual advice as some of the recommended foods and drinks may not be suitable for you.

If you have breast cancer:

Treatment for breast cancer can cause weight gain. Current evidence suggests it is best to try and keep your weight as near normal as is possible to reduce risk of recurrence.

The Christie booklet ‘Eating well for breast cancer’ may also be helpful, as it offers advice on how to manage weight.

Please discuss with your consultant what advice is more appropriate for you.

What do I need to do?

Decide what your main concerns are.  Have you lost your appetite?  Have you lost weight and wish to enrich what you eat and drink? Do you want suggestions for food and drink ideas?  Do you need advice for eating while you are receiving treatment, for example dry or sore mouth?

Once you have decided on your concerns and how you would to help yourself, download the Christie's online booklet on eating well to help yourself.  If you are struggling with your appetite and aiming to eat small snacks, little and often, record your intentions in your personal PlanBe.  Note down the food suggestions you would like to try.

Setting goals and monitoring your progress

Set yourself small goals, for example to eat little and often for a week, or to have more of particular foods or drinks.  Record how you feel, any weight gain or loss, or if your weight has remained the same.

Week by week, continue to record how you feel.  Once you feel you are no longer having weight loss concerns, refer to our sections on healthy eating.

Summary

• Many people suffering from the effects of cancer or cancer treatment will experience difficulties with eating
• There are many things you can do to help yourself, and there are resources available to help you.
• Continue to record your progress in your PlanBe diary.

Resources

Your local GP, hospital or cancer therapy centre will have lots of advice on how to maintain or increase your weight.  Some will hold local health and wellbeing events.  Contact your local centre for more information.

Visit the Christie’s online resources on diet and nutrition.  In addition, Macmillan's resources on diet and cancer are helpful as are those of Cancer Research UK.