Done with chemo, rads - now about those 10 pounds...

LorenaB

4.2 lbs in one week, oh my goodness! I'll be lucky if I can lose that much in a month.

I think I'm about the same this week.  Yesterday I weighed in at a follow-up onco appt -- I was 1.4 more than last week BUT I was wearing my silicone prosthesis which is quite heavy.  Also my digestive system has been sluggish the past couple of days -- I may need to brew myself some senna tea this weekend.

Last night I was at an outdoor even with my son.  There were supposed to be food vendors so I thought I'd just buy some dinner, maybe a grilled chicken sandwich or a burger.  Well, one of the vendors didn't show so all they had was fried food, and I was hungry!  I ended up splitting an order of chicken fingers and fries with my son, and then having an ice cream sandwich for dessert.  Oh well, so much for counting points!  I'm having fruit and cottage cheese for lunch today, trying to get back on track after all that grease.

Anyone else?

magsandmattsmom

I'm thrilled because I stayed the same. So it's +0 and -0 for me! 

ellenoire

so, I am holding steady for weight loss this week. No loss, but almost no time for workouts either. This week is in my top 10 busiest work weeks of the year.

 N 

Wintermoon623

Hey everyone!  I'm checking in to report that I lost a pound this week (when I was weighed at rads).  I've been walking a lot and eating a lot of veggies and protein and trying really, really hard to stay away from the carbs.  Could do a little better on that one.  Also, I am down to my last 7 rads!!!  Can't wait to cross that off my list.

chj127

Hi all!

Sorry I'm late to the party today.  I had a busy, busy, busy day.  Congrats to everyone who lost (4.2 Jeri? You're showing up the rest of us!) or who didn't gain.  I also stayed the same as last week.  I actually had a couple of days this week where my weight was 1-1.5 pounds lower.  My problem is that Thursday is the day I work at home, and I tend to snack way too much.  I really miss being able to talk to people when I am home alone, and it's too tempting to be able to get up and walk to the fridge. I'm going to have to work on that!  I made some chicken noodle soup today, and it's yummy.

Wintemoon, that's wonderful that you are almost finished with rads!  I was so happy when I was done.  It was a month ago for me, and I had my 1-month follow-up with the radiation oncologist today.  My skin has healed up and I feel like it's back to normal.  He wants to see me in 6 months.  I don't get the point of that.  I follow up with the surgeon (he orders my mammograms and MRI) and with the oncologist (bloodwork) so I don't see any point in going back to the rads guy.  Maybe I'll cancel the appt. when it gets closer.

I took one of my cats to get her teeth cleaned today.  That went fine, though her pre-op bloodwork shows that she has hyperthyroidism (!) and so she has to go on medication.  She is at least 13 years old, and I also have 3 other senior cats.  I have a feeling we will have lots of high vet bills in the next few years. 

Have a great weekend everyone!  Get out there and exercise!

CHJ 

TennesseeMichele

Hi all,

I lost 1 pound this week. 

My weekly goal is to lose up to 1 pound.  That way if it's under a pound I'm still encouraged.  It's slow going, but I've heard slow is better, and the chances are good that it will stay off that way.

Did anybody find losing weight easier while getting rads?   I've just finished week 2, and the techs told me weight loss is a pretty common event.  Sounds good to me.

Michele

irishdreama

It sounds like you guys did great this week. I've been out of treatment, etc. for almost a year (Just waiting to heal from exchange surgery to get nipples tattooed), so I have lots of energy lately, which certainly helps with the weight loss. I don't know about you guys, but I find that if I exercise, I can eat pretty much what I want. Jeri

azsunn

Hi ladies... I  haven't forgotten about you all.  I just now caught up on all of your losses and challenges.  Good job sticking with it!!

I have not been so good at sticking with it.  Today is a new day though, I have planned out the next two days meals to help get me back on track.  I'm still struggling with my blood counts, so my energy is lacking; thus no exercise (or very little).  It seems to be  a vicious circle though, so I am trying to break it.  Same with the emotional eating, I have to stop with the excuses.

Hopefully with these changes I can stop the scale from climbing, and hopefully start a downward trend.

irishdreama

I'm bumping this up!

chj127

Thanks, irishdreama.  I've been lax because I can't seem to shake my bad habits!  So, azsunn, you are not alone.  I don't know what it is (can I blame the Arimidex?) but my appetite is non-stop.  I have been doing pretty well with walking regularly, though.

How's everyone else doing?

Wintermoon623

Hey guys!  I'm down to the final four rads!!  I may not be able to post here tomorrow or Friday so I thought I'd post my weigh in early.  I lost 1/2 lb.  Not great, but I didn't gain anything so I'll take it.  Trying really hard to eliminate sugar and carbs.  I was not a sugar person before diagnosis but during recovery from surgeries and during treatment I hit the comfort foods a little hard.  I've been walking every day and that is helping. 

Kayree

Hi All,

Please forgive me.  I really didn't abandon the idea of losing weight nor abandon the support group, but I have been REALLLLLLY  BAD!  I am so ashamed to say I haven't even tried over the last 1-2 weeks.

CHJ, I'm right there with you on the appetite thing.  When I get stressed, I eat.  And boy have I been stressed!  It is definitely an emotional thing for me.  At least you are exercising.  Good for you!

Congrats Wintermoon!  I'm so happy you are at the finish line.   Anyway, it sounds like you all have done very well! 

Azsunn, hope your energy level is improving.  Hang in there!

Hope everyone has a better week and a great weekend!  Karen

chj127

Yes, Wintermoon, you are coming down the home stretch!  I was so happy when rads were over.  And welcome back, Kayree!  I'm with you.  I want to take this seriously, but am having a hard time sticking with it for even one full day.  I hate to say it, but last night I went up into the closet and pulled out my "fat pants".  You would think that would give me the jolt I need to get going!  I'm seriously thinking of joining WW again for a couple of months to get back on track.  I haven't done WW for a long time, maybe 8 years or so.  It really helps when I have to physically get on the scale in front of someone.  I'm not so crazy about paying the fees...

Today is my work-at-home day, always a challenge for me food-wise.  I'm home alone, and I tend to be a sneaky eater.  So far today, I've had a glass of skim milk (good), 1/2 mango (good - I'll eat the rest later) and a chocolate cupcake (whoops!).  For 10:30 in the morning, that's not too bad for me on one of these "home" days!!!  I'll try to behave for the rest of the day.  Maybe I'll walk at lunch time, and again later when my dh gets home from work.

Hang in there everyone!!

CHJ

ellenoire

ummm CHJ, there is no protein to speak of in your morning so far, and way too few calories. 

irishdreama

I'm doing ok weight -wise, maintaining at least, and my appetite is ok, not excessive, but I have definately slacked on the exercise. I'm going to sign up for Planet fitness, I just can't afford Curves anymore, so Fri. I'll head to the gym and start going again

LorenaB

I have gotten off track too, and my digestive system is out of whack again (constipation) which doesn't help matters.  I haven't been eating terribly (I don't like greasy food and haven't been overdoing the sweets) but I stopped writing down what I eat and counting WW points, so I'm sure I've been consuming too many calories. 

This a.m. instead of my usual high fiber cereal with milk, I stopped at Dunkin Donuts (I live in New England and they are everywhere!) and got one of their new egg white flatbead sandwiches, with cheese and veggies.  It wasn't bad, and I got some protein and dairy in.  Supposedly they are under 300 calories.

My son will be with his grandparents for most of next week, so at the very least I'll be able to get a walk in every evening.

chj127

Leave it to Noelle to keep me honest.    Thanks for the feedback!  I figured the cupcake had the calories covered, though not in a good way...

1/2 chicken salad sandwich for lunch, on whole wheat with fresh tomato.  I'll eat another half in a couple of hours. 

ellenoire

eating both halves of the sandwich would be better. 1/2 a sandwich is fine with a yogurt or a bowl of soup. On it's own it is not enough calories. Try to aim for 250-400 calories per meal, and 100-200 per snack.

Try this trick, for each meal ( lunch and dinner) your protein serving should be about the size of your hand(without fingers) and the rest of your meal should be low glycemic carbs preferably lettuce and watery vegetables  like tomotoes and cukes with a light dressing or some low fat cheese.   If you have red meat skip the cheese and other fats.

  Since you had a cupcake today you get no dessert at your cheat meal!!  ;p

chj127

So, Noelle, with those calorie ranges, this is assuming we have 3 meals and 3 snacks per day, right?  I was thinking 6 "small meals" per day, which would make me the Goodyear blimp in no time at 250-400 calories per meal...   

TennesseeMichele

chj, so how did your day end?!  Noelle, that breakdown in calories makes so much sense.  I've never thought of it that way before.  Kayree, hang in there and think of today as a new start.

Ok, ladies, I've lost another pound.  I'm trying to walk as much as I can; this week it has only been twice, but I was able to walk 1 hour each time. 

I'm loving the fresh produce from the farmer's market.  Even the kids are picking up peaches or cucumbers to snack on instead of "junky" foods, so the whole family is thinking twice about our food choices. 

I'm finding it easier little by little to make food changes.  (I had started making changes about a month before I was diagnosed, but chemo threw most of that out the window.)  For instance, yesterday I had most of a Coke and counted that as my sweet treat for the day.  I hadn't had a soft drink in about a week, so it was a change of pace.  Does that make sense?  And I've never thought of a soft drink as a sweet treat before. 

I'm asking myself questions all the time now: does this really taste that good?  Do I really want to eat this entire piece, or slice, or portion,  and not eat something else?

We're all in this together,

Michele

azsunn

Good Morning Ladies-

Great Job on the loss Michele.  I was great Monday and Tuesday, the rest of the week not so much.  I haven't stepped on the scale yet, so we'll say I held my own until proven otherwise .

I did go for a couple of walks and did some bigger projects around the house, so some progress was made.

I hope the rest of you have/had great weeks. 

ellenoire

use this calculator to get your total calorie intake info for your goal weight. The calorie breakdown I mentioned is for 5 or 6 meals per day. 

http://www.nytimes.com/ref/health/caloriecounter.html 

 N

magsandmattsmom

Sorry I haven't been around.  I started back to work this week after being off since April for noncancer related health stuff.  Bad bad eating going back to work.  it's workshop days for me (I'm a teacher) so we eat out a lot and of course the first day back we have donuts during the welcome back time.

I did manage to run - it was awful tho! so I maintain but I need to really watch myself next week!  I have workshops 4 days!  I did learn a valuable lesson - working out is much much much harder when you haven't been eating right.  My body fought me every inch of the way!

BMac

Well, I got back from vacation yesterday around 6:30 p.m.  I wieghed myself this morning and I've put on 2 lbs!  I tried to make healthy choices but I know I didn't always.  We left Halifax on Thursday at 12:30 p.m.  We had a sleeper car but didn't sleep very well and had to get up at 6:00 a.m if we wanted breakfast.  Unfortunately the train was 2 1/2 hours late getting in to Montreal which meant we missed our train to Toronto and had to take a later one and then a later train to Oakville.

That's my excuse for having a Big Mac for lunch at the Montreal train station (my daughter wanted McDonald's and there was very little time to get anything) and then a HUGE tea biscuit that my husband bought for me.  Even breakfast on the train was questionable.  I had granola but without seeing the box who knows what was in it.  I also had yogurt, juice (sugar laden no doubt), fruit and 1/2 slice of toast.

On the good side we did lots of walking in Halifax and there are a lot of very steep hills leading up from the harbour.  Hey, maybe the 2 lbs is all muscle!!!

I will try harder next week.

ellenoire

I lost 1lb on this weigh in.

 I am using this site to keep track of calories http://caloriecount.about.com/ 

 So far I am doing well.

 For you people who keep getting tempted by junk food, try keeping an apple or two in your bag/car/ desk and eat that when there is a cupcake/ bagel/ etc nearby to tempt you.

 N 

irishdreama

Sorry I didn't check in on Fri.-I spent the day at the beach, and then had a busy weekend, and Dr. Appt. on Monday, but I'm back at work today, and that seems to be when I have more time to get on here-How ironic!-I gained 1.8 pounds, and I'm sure it's because I haven't been exercising as much-tonight, after work, I WILL be working out. I hate the way I feel when I don't, sluggish and tired all the time. Hope you guys have a great week!

Wintermoon623

Hi...I know it's not Friday check in, but I went for MY LAST RAD TODAY!!! and I weighed in another 1/2 lb. lighter.  What's with these half pounds??  Anyway, just wanted to shout out that I'm done, done, DONE...am happy about that but will now have to rely on my own bathroom scale...I'll have to dust it off first.

BMac

I dont' know about my scale.  I was weighed at the hospital when I had my Herceptin on August 7th and weighed 57kg.  Today I had a Muga Scan and weighed 56.5.  That's about 1 lb. down but according to my scale at home I'm up 2 lbs!  Like Wintermoon says I'll have to rely on my own scale for weekly weigh ins.  Sigh.

Estepp

Noelle,

You DONT need rads.. WOW.. they told me that since I am 1-3 node poss. and Her2+++.. I would for sure need rads even after Mast. Said the cancer spreads to fast. and micro are easy to miss.. what were you told??? I am stressing over RADS !!!!!!!!!

Laura

ellenoire

Rads are done here ( in canada) after 5cm total tumour size. I missed it by 1 cm. I had very clear margins and no chest wall involvement and my lymph involvment was only a micro-cell and they took out 17. Why Stress over rads? Most of the women I know say it is still way easier than chemo.