Losing Weight with Breast Cancer

Sydney6

StarWish - While don't believe being overweight causes cancer I did want to mention that a 1cm mass takes approximately 10 years to get to that size - per the cancer book my breast surgeon gave me when first diagnosed.  My tumor was 9mm which when I look back to what was going on in my life 9-10 years ago I believe there were a few things that contributed.  For one thing I was caring for my mom who had brain cancer plus I had an 8 and a 9 year old.  I also had a miscarrige around that time, which could have thrown my hormones out of whack.  Who really knows.  Just wanted to mention that it takes awhile for the cancer to grow.  Granted some cancers are faster growing than others.

Sue

cakeisgreat

I agree Barbara!  Thanks for posting your 2 cents

CoolBreeze

It's awful what we do to ourselves.  I keep thinking - being a partier when I was in my 20s - is that what caused me to have it?  Even though I've not been a big drinker in 25 years - did I do it to myself by drinking all those martinis I used to love?

Well, I've never weighed more than 100 pounds in my life; I'm a healthy eater, and here I am with breast cancer.  So, I think we all should just decide it was something that happened that we had nothing to do with, and let it go and stop blaming ourselves.

cakeisgreat

I agree, CoolBreeze!  It is freeing to come to that conclusion.  I am just going to enjoy the life that I have, however long it is. and continue to eat CAKE, but of course, all with moderation and exercise.

patsfan

I am 42 and was about 20-25 pounds overweight at dx.  I lost about 5 pounds initially with all the stress and all of the dx.  Once I started chemo the weight went on so fast!  I gained 10 pounds after 2 treatment of AC and the oncologist wasn't surprised and said I would likely gain another 10!  I did.  About 20pounds total.  Now I am about 8 weeks PFC and 1 1/2 weeks post surgery.  I am able to walk 2-3 miles a day and am concentrating on eating healthy.  I have always eaten pretty healthy, with the exception of sugar.  I have tried to think what might have caused this, but don't think any of us will ever know.  Just bad luck I guess.  Mine was a very fast growing tumor, so hard to say how long it had been growing.  All I know is it has seemed to me like my hormones have been out of wack for about 3 years, but my cancer is hormone negative, so probably just coincidence.

Ainm

Sue!!

If it takes about 10 years for a tumor to get to 1cm does it speed up after that? My main tumor was just under 5cm (found when I was 45) so does this mean I had cancer all my life!!! I wasn't even overweight when I started dieting but have been losing and gaining weight on a regular basis for the past 20 years and am now about 90 lbs overweight - it isn't helping!! There seems to be so much to take into consideration with this insidious disease.

Sydney6

Ainm - According to Your Breast Cancer Treatment Handbook by Judy C. Kneece, RN, ONC it says "Breast cancer cells may vary in doubling time anywhere from 23 to 209 day.  Based on a 100-day doubling time, it would take a tumor 8-9 years to reach 1/2 centimeter or approximately 10 years to grow to 1 centimeter.  However, tumors grow at various rates, some much faster and others much slower."  Based on that, I imagine that since it takes 8-9 yeras to get to 1/2 centimeter but only 1 year more to double to 1 centimeter that the answer to your question about speed would be yes, but if you want to know for sure consult your doctor.  I am just going on what I read in what I like to call the big, scary book, which was given to me the day I got my diagnosis.  You mention your main tumor being just under 5cm, did you have another tumor? 

Morgan513

I would suggest that you look at the Dana-Farber website:

www.dana-farber.org/pat/support/nutrition/optimal-diet-plan-for-cancer-survivors.html

It outlines an optimal diets with lots of vegetables, fruit, lean meat, etc.  It lays out what a plate should look like.  1/2 vegetables, 1/4 lean protein, 1/4 starch.  It also has an "ask the nutritionist" archive link which lists lots of questions and answers.  Many of the questions are by breast cancer patients.  I found this website to be very helpful.

Lorrie 

Ainm

Hi Sue,

Thanks for your answer. I had asked my dr about how long the tumor would have been there. He said it is very hard to tell. Yes I did have a second tumor, it was 6mm. I guess I should be happy that they are gone now anyway.

Thanks

Sido

I was diagnosed on 29 August 2009 and had my lumpectomy and SNB yesterday.  Oddly enough, my DH and I changed our diets a couple of months before based on Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food, "Eat food.  Not too much.  Mostly plants."  We started shopping the farmer's markets and buying only grass-finished beef and vegetarian-fed chicken and eggs.  We've decided to continue this even with my diagnosis.  I am also overweight and have lost 10 lbs since my diagnosis due to nerves.  I am committed to lose a lot more...I'm hoping that my bc will result in both a smaller chest (no more DD) and a smaller me overall.

cakeisgreat

Sido--so sorry about your new diagnosis, but welcome to the club where all of us understand and will be there for ya!  I changed my diet to non-hormonal stuff and I walk every day I can (except I'm taking a small break due to the nasty cold I have).  But I havent really cut down on how much I eat, so I only lost 10 lbs total since my June dx.  I do really have to jump on the bandwagon, but I really enjoy eating.  I'm not a slob; I just eat a large plate of food at dinner...and lunch.  I just enjoy the experience, bottom line. 

But...I do need to continue to enjoy...a little less.