# Why do my Onchologists discourage me from losing a lot of weight? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 12, 2008, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-onchologists-discourage-me-from-losing-a-lot-of-weight/456192 "2008-07-12T00:10:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-onchologists-discourage-me-from-losing-a-lot-of-weight/456192/1 "2008-07-12T00:10:53Z")
I had good news in my Post-Chemo and Post-Radiation therapies CAT-Scan. This was a month after my Therapies concluded,and they saiid I’d responded well and all the tumors had shrunk. The Radiation will keep working, they added. for two more months. But like I asked in the header, they don’t want me losing a lot of weight - and damn, I’m fat. Why Not? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-onchologists-discourage-me-from-losing-a-lot-of-weight/456192/2 "2008-07-12T00:24:57Z")
WAG. Weight loss can be stressful on your body from both a lack of calories you need to rebuild from the treatment and lack of nutrients. I was in a severe accident 4 years ago and spent 2 months in hospital. When I went home I still had alot of healing and rebuilding to do. I was told to eat as much as I want and not worry about possible excess weight as I needed to be sure I was consuming enough. That I could lose the excess later. Congrats on fighting the good fight and winning! ---
**Author:** ![Stathol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71e660/32.png) [@Stathol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stathol)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-onchologists-discourage-me-from-losing-a-lot-of-weight/456192/3 "2008-07-12T00:56:05Z")
WAG: Weight loss is often a symptom of many kinds of cancer. Intentional weight loss could either be mistaken for returning cancer or, conversely, it could mask weight loss that really is being caused by cancer. They probably want you to maintain your current dietary and exercise habits to aid with “all other things being equal”. I.e., it just makes diagnostics more accurate. A somewhat more WAG: Maybe certain chemo drugs accumulate in fat tissue? If so, rapid weight loss could dump that stuff into your system. That could be bad, since chemo drugs are basically toxic to varying degrees. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-onchologists-discourage-me-from-losing-a-lot-of-weight/456192/4 "2008-07-12T02:37:44Z")
I’m in a quandary. Finally got the guts to get rid of some of my gut, but now it looks as if I’ll have to put the program on hold. I’ll take your advice. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-onchologists-discourage-me-from-losing-a-lot-of-weight/456192/5 "2008-07-12T03:24:28Z")
Ask 'em! Maybe couch it in terms of wanting to adopt as many healthy behaviors as you can – eating better, exercising more – rather than wanting to lose weight.