Radiation recovery
Comments
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Mostly Sew....This week has been bad so far. I just have to try harder to be better. I am just having a salad for dinner after a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. The jam at least was sugar free. I was also VERY naughty and had two doughnuts for breakfast. Oh no........I hope it is forgiving next weigh day!
SAB....I do not like dark chocolate at all, too bitter for me. I wish I did as I know it is healthier than milk chocolate, which of course I love. It sounds like you are really doing great....that is awesome! I need to be much more vigilent than I have been.
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janis - I'm having a real hard time giving up the donuts. My nickname is Donnie Donut. I just have to have those cinnimon buns for breakfast but I did not yesterday or today....yippie. Also, sorry for the neck issues. I can relate. I have a couple hernated disks in my neck and several in my lower back. I do go to pain management and get spinal shots every couple of years. They help but you are only allowed 3 a year. I don't even get that much. Once and I'm good for a year or more.
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Hi all,
Belated Happy Easter and Happy Passover to those who celebrate. Was so busy with preparations, writing a book chapter, and long hours at work this week, that I hardly get on line. I feel like I'm missing a good time here....
Steph, you mentioned the muscle issue - I am 3 months post rads and I seem to be having more trouble with stretching and discomfort on my BC side. I can reach, but not without thinking about it as it pulls and hurts a little. I am trying to exercise and massage, but nothing official.
Last week I ate light and hiked 3-4 days and did lose those 3 lbs. initially. at the end of the week, that's all I lost. Was trying to figure out which foods may be slowing my progress.
We had an Easter BD and the cake set me off....craving bread, sweets, and eating the darned left over candy. Today I brought all opened candy into my classes to share. I have such a craving for carbs.
Congrats to those of you who are losing pounds and eating better. I hope to hop back on that regimen. It's still very cool here so am in long sleeves and sweaters all day....but when it warms up, the "white elephants" will have to come out of hiding (arms)...now, there's a motive.
Hugs to all...Joan
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Joan,
White Elephants......Great term. I've got 2 of those....they like to wave at the smallest provocation. Friendly devils though0 -
Sew...as my daughter has said, "tone it or tan it"
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Joan, good idea, but I think I'll opt for long sleeves....as such a massive tan might be even more silly! LOL.
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LOL ...
speaking of tanning, I know that I am supposed to watch my sun exposure this year after rads....
what about self-tan -- does it, like everything else, cause cancer???0 -
Joan,
I don't really know, but I'm treating like it does. You mean the tanning beds, right?0 -
Joan, I've been trying to stretch my muscles along my arm pit more and it seems to be helping a litte bit. It's weird how things are still shrinking. There was so much swelling initially and now I can really tell a difference. I got the papers from the hospital this week listing everything they did. They called what I had a partial mastectomy. I thought my doctor was being a little optimistic!
I heard back from the jerk PCP's nurse today. My Vit D was almost non-existent which they thought might be adding to the fatigue and mucle aches of the letrozole, so they are putting me on the high dose Vit D for 8 weeks and then I will go back for blood testing again.
I'm sorry others are struggling with the sugar monster too, but I guess it's nice to know I'm not alone!
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Steph, "partial mastectomy" is another word for "lumpectomy".
Jumping on the food/weight loss band wagon here. Those of you who are concerned about the sugar in fruit, I would recommend always eating a protein with your fruit. Protein slows the glycemic response of sugars (natural and refined, there's not much difference in how your body processes them, just the concentration of sugars in the food). So if you have fruit, have some cottage cheese, greek yogurt (preferably the kind with a little fat in it, which further slows glycemic response) or a cheese stick at the same time.
Kate, you don't know me and sorry to jump in here, but I was reading about your diet and can't help but feel that 900 calories a day is pretty low, as is your "average" caloric intake of 1200 a day. Women's bodies are programmed to store fat when our bodies believe we're in danger of starving, and those 5 days at 900 calories are probably slowing your metabolism. Unless you're doing some serious metabolism boosting weight training or high intensity interval training you're probably actually eating too little to lose weight. Or you might lose it over the short term but you'll gain it right back. You said you go on a lot of diets. :-)0 -
Spinnerpom, That's great to know--about the protein slowing sugar absorbtion. I looked yogurt itself up on the GI chart and was shocked to see that it only had an index number of 14. I have eliminated most dairy from my diet because of IGF, but I think I'll add organic low-fat yogurt back in. Can I suppose that a handful of almonds or peanuts might do the same thing when taken with fruit?
I also think it's worthwhile to point out that not all fruit is created equal in terms of sugars. According to anti-cancer (p.5 of the insert) blueberries, cherries and rasberries help to regulate sugar levels.
Joan, "white elephants" sound good if you knew what I called my arms! I do love tanners...and found that self-tanners vary a lot in ingredients. Natural Living for Women and Skin Deep web sites both list cosmetic products and their relative safety. The big ingredients to watch out for are parabens of any type and phthalates.
Now the complaining portion of my post. I am so tired of random pain and tightness six months after completing rads. I feel if Dr. McCoy from Star Trek were here he'd holler "barbaric!" about bc treatment.
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Sab, love it! Barbaric...my giggle for the day. My DH is even now going thru old star track episodes.
Spinnerpom. Glad to have you joining the weight loss group.....I love having more company
I'm finding that I have more days with energy than without now, and most of the tight muscle pull problems are easing up. They do start again if I forget to stretch that arm out, but overall much better than even a month ago .....yippee. Now if these odd days of no energy would just quit I'd totally be thankful.
I did my 1 hour hill walk with my buddy this morning and didn't regret one single bite of my orange chocolate chip scone! Course, I've been good the rest of the day so am still on track, I hope. Adding some bok choy to the stir fry tonight.0 -
Hey ladies. Sorry to be out of touch. DH just had a surgery that is keeping me busy. Better now, I have lost about 1 lb a week. Question for all of you. On and under radiated breast, I now have numerous large irregular freckles and two rather dark ones on my nipple. It has been 6 months since end of rads. Anyone else notice this type of skin changes? The nipple used to be literally black, but slowly lightened up. Still darker than othe one though. What are all of you noticing?
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Hi Gigil, glad to see you back. I hope your hubby is feeling better. I have not noticed those changes. I only lost 1 lb this week. That makes a total of 9 pounds that I've lost. I now weigh 129 and I am trying to diet to 110. I was a little disappointed that I only lost 1 pound, but the holiday's got me. I pigged out on passover and had extra on Easter too. Have a great weekend everyone.
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Kate, because you are not heavy to begin with, one lb. a week is a good weight loss.
. If you keep that up, you will be down to goal before you know it, and it will be easier to keep it off.0 -
Thank you for the encouragment Gigil. I am so glad to have your positive feedback.
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Wow all you ladies are doing great! I like Fridays for check-ins too. My scale is dropping too! Yeah! I put on a few mysterious pounds (while eating mostly right and exercising mostly right) in Feb and March that wouldn't budge. Had some serious digestion issues and am still checking out if thyroid is in trouble. But I started fish oil and things are improving. I am beginning to show signs of lightening again. Crossing fingers.
Janis, I cannot believe all you've been going through! Time for a nap? Time for relief for you!! (Naps on the house! Good thing you've got a good husband steering then.)
Mostly Sew, what a beautiful Easter!
Kate, you are inspiring us you know! I wonder how tall you are? A shorter person needs to adjust their calories differently sometimes. I know that mostly eating right and exercising usually is the slow and steady solution for me. But I have also noticed I can alternate 1200-1300 calorie days with 1700-1800 ones and then my body doesn't go into starvation mode either.
I also join the vote for fresh fruits. I LOVE fresh fruit! Yumm! Yumm! Yumm!
When I am giving up things like sugar, wine, wheat, a good remedy for a week or so is to up your yeast free vit B complex. It helps keep me balanced until I regroup my own and staves off any cravings. Lately, a scoop of wheat grass powder (35 calories), mixed with probiotics in a cup of unsweetened almond milk (40 calories) (total 75 calories) is really helping me balance too.
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GiGiL, I hope your DH is doing well. I see a black spot too, where a "beauty mark" used to be. I think of it as a burn, but will check with BS next week. I think I finished about the same time as you.
Kate, 9 pounds! That's great! A pound a week adds up fast! (Pound a week is my personal goal.) I honestly find one of the hardest things about weight loss is being patient. I weigh in on Sundays so I'm afraid to check today
.Off to a rainy day swim meet now. Like my DD says when I complain about a "no rain day" sport "are you worried I'll get wet?"
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Hi Truebff, I am glad your scale is down too. I am only 5'3 so I do require less calories than someone taller. Sab I am impatient about weight loss too I wish there was a way to drop 20 pounds in a week safely. I hate dieting.
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Hi Ladies,
Wow....you're all doing great on the weight loss thing! Good for us. Truebff, I agree that the occasional splurge or at least more than the 1200 calories is a good thing. My body seems to respond nicely to that too. Plus it's more fun.
Sorry, Kate, no good way to loose the weight except by slowly un doing the things we've done to it over the years. If you find one, don't tell me as I've convinced myself that slow and steady wins the race (but I would secretly like to be faster at it...LOL)
Gigil, I'm glad you're back with us, and do hope your husband is recovering well. I don't know about you, but I find that my DH is not the best patient there is! He's a fabulous nurse though which is wonderful when going thru this BC challenge. I'm just at 6 months out from rads, and I don't have the dark freckles. My SNB sight is a really dark dark color, and dries out quickly and the RO thinks it will probably never go back to normal skin color. I'll just have to not parade around in skimpy clothing. I think you should have those freckles looked at by a dermatologist just for peace of mind.
Janis.....you're strangely quiet again this week.....are you wildly doing more Dr. Appts? I hope you're taking the prescribed naps!
Have a great evening everyone.....0 -
Mostly Sew......It has just been a weird week. I have not been a good dieter at all! Just some unneeded stress and that is when I really get weak. I hate that. I did not weigh myself Friday, I saw no point. I am hoping when I weigh in Monday it won't be too awful.
GiGil...I hope your husband is recovering well. I think a pound a week is perfect and realistic as well. For all who are trying, best of luck to you!
Trubuff...good to see you here again. It sounds like you are on the right track with your weight loss. That is excellent.
SAB......We don't have to weigh in on the same day. I think the most important thing we can do is simply pick our day and post our progress. Or in my case, lack of it likely this week!
Have a great weekend everyone. Hugs to all......
Janis
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Janis maybe I'll wait and weigh in with you Monday. I am at a 2 day swim meet and it is so boring in between races...all there is to do is snack. I tried to pack some healthy snacks and take walks in-between but it has not been my finest dieting moment! I hope your stress is over and you have a great week coming up.
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Janis and Sab
There must be something in the air. I have been so totally far off my diet today, I'm not even going to try to log it! About the only thing I resisted was pizza, we won't discuss the dark chocolate I replaced it with, and all the food that let to. Dark chocolate is good, right? I hope so, I think I ate a months worth...lol0 -
SAB and SEW.............It sounds like a bit of a hiccup for all of us. SAB....I understand about all the snacking. I am trying as well to behave. Not easy is it? SEW....dark chocolate is good! I just wish I LIKED it. I have to try harder. I like dark chocolate when my homemade Marzipan is covered with it! Okay bad plan. Do not look at the can of almond paste in the cupboard. No!!!!!
Tomorrow might not be pretty for any of us, but we will previal! Maybe we weren't as bad as we think?
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Hi everyone, I just read about the strangest way to lose weight. A doctor inserts a nasal gastric feeding tube through your nose into your stomach and you are fed through the feeding tube for 10 days eating nothing else. You do not stay in a hospital, but you are under a doctor's supervision. People have lost 20 pounds in 10 days, but how drastic! I think I will stick with the standard way of counting calories and exercising.
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Elizabeth I saw that on The Today Show. I found it absolutely appalling and the doctor who is promoting it ought to have his license yanked! For $1,500 you get the 800 calorie liquid food for the ten days plus a catchy little tote bag with the name of his diet and the web address. Oh, and a 'free' t- shirt that states "I am not sick, I am on a diet". Name and web address too, so lots of free advertising! Of course you'll lose a lot of weight in those ten days, but also it begins to break down muscle tissue. Nice. It just makes me sick this guy is allowed to do this so a girl can look good in her wedding dress. Disgusting!
I agree with you, I'll keep plodding along the old fashioned way! At least if I lose it is done honestly...
Okay I am off my soapbox now. Carry on!
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Eeek! It's true! I GAINED 2 pounds last week
Must be that pannini which I had to finish up yesterday. Ah well, I'm back with it today and have already exercised! Leaves me with a loss of 5 pounds in 5 weeks, so overall OK. Better than not doing it at all, right? Elizabeth....YUCK. No way for me! I actually have 2 friends who went to a Dr. around here and were on a liquid fasting diet. The got 3 "special" drinks a day, and all the water they wanted. Were seen weekly by this guy. They both lost about 60 pounds in 3 or 4 months, but now, just less than 2 years later, both have gained most of it back. One on them just joined the clinic again to loose the 35 pounds she's regained. This time it took 8 weeks on liquid. She likes it, but no way for me! That's a real yo-yo thing .... plus I've seen enough dr. to last me!
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Hi Mostlysew, I am so glad you are not beating yourself up about the 2 pound weight gain. It was a holiday week so it was ok, and 5 pounds in 5 weeks is great. Keep up the good work.
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Another week, another pound, though I had to walk about 12 miles in the last three days to pull it off. (All I do at those swim meets is snack!) I never believe my weight until I maintain it a few days, but if it is correct I am about 43 down and have 7 pounds to go.
Mostlysew don't worry, I have had up weeks before. It's part of the process. 5 pounds in 5 weeks is a great rate of loss.
I want to chime in on liquid diets. My best pal did it and had amazing success--temporarily. She gained it all back and more, about 65 pounds. I really think any diet that is not part of a long term change in lifestyle can't be effective. How does drinking a liquid teach you to eat healthy, to control portions and to exercise?
Ready for the complaining portion of the post? Got a bill for my lymphedema session, not covered by insurance. After insurance reduction it is over $800 for one hour. Added it to the stack...
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Sew...I gained two pounds too! Yikes, that makes my "progress" just one pound in two weeks! My bad. I had a very bad week last week. Today has been tough with other issues and I am trying so hard to stay away from food. Well, bad food. Not bad so far as I started breakfast with oatmeal. Lunch I wasn't so great. I have no fresh salad fixings or vegetables at the moment. I have to focus!
SAB...GREAT news! You are doing fantastic. I am impressed! You are right, those liquid diets teach nothing at all. Plus as mentioned, the weight comes back once you start eating again.
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