Any "fuller figure (or former) " warrior survivors out there?

Glad2BHere

UGGG! Superbowl.  Our culture makes it hard to be good.  I've gained back 2 pounds already.  I need to get it together girls!!! I get so frustrated with myself.  I made it through a really hard battle with cancer, yet I can't be good with my eating choices.  I hope everyone eles is doing well!!!!

chiefswife

Hi Glad2BHere, I'm not into any sports so the superbowl won't affect me today. Not going anywhere and nobody's coming over so I should do well. I'm watching In The Kitchen With David on qvc, they show a lot of good looking food on there. YUM I got weak and ordered the set of 4 soup bowls. Like I really need more stuff.....

So where in Ca are you at? I used to live in Lemoore. I loved living out there. Don't let the 2 pounds get you down, just get outside  (if it's warm out) and take a nice walk.

Question: Does anyone know if I will still absorb vit D when walking outside even if I have on pants and long sleeves, the only party of my body exposed to sunlight would be my face, I already have about 2 inches of new hair everywhere!!! 

Glad2BHere

chiefswife  I am in Fresno area, so I definately know Lemoore. I'm not into football either by my DH is.  He is also into Superbowl food.  I will have to start fresh tommorow.  I can't exercise right now because of the stupid mono, but it is sunny here today.  Maybe I will just sit outside for awhile and get some fresh air and natural Vitamin D.  I'll have to check out The Kitchen with David.  I definately need cooking lessons.  My DH's joke is that I can burn water-  Lovingly of course.

chiefswife

Hi, I remember Fresno very well, we used to drive up there to eat at a certain mexican restaurant, Oh heck what was the name of it...... El Torito, hmmmm does that sound familiar.  I know it was El something or other. They had great food. My husband just retired recently from the navy, now we live here in Pensacola, Fl, I'd rather be in California. Have you ever driven to Morro Bay? That was the most beautiful beach I've ever seen.

It's nice to talk to you.

Glad2BHere

chiefswife Yes there is an El Torito.  We are lucky to have great mexican food here.  I have a friend who just moved back from Florida and she felt the same way about Ca.She is glad to be back.

I found this recipe on a recipe forum and thought I would share.  I loved it and so did my entire family, even my daughter that goes EWWW to most vegetables.

preheat oven to 400 and line baking sheet with parchment paper

 take fresh califlower and break up into florets

spray or baste with olive oil and seasonings of choice

bake for 45 minutes

Delicious

barbe1958

What kind of seasoning would you put on it? I've never baked califlower....

Glad2BHere

You can just sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.  I bought an herb infused olive oil and sprinkled with pepper because I am trying to limit my salt. Some people add a little parmesean or even carrots.  It is kind of fun to experiment with different things.  I tried it with zuccini but came our really mushy.

chiefswife

Yum that sounds delicious, I love cauliflower, I'll give it a try.

I have walked on my treadmill twice so far today and I made my teenage son go walk around the track up at the school, we lasted 45 minutes. He's a good kid and doesn't mind hanging out with his mom. LOL

ToriGirl

Happy Monday all!

Roller skating was a bust on Saturday night, but we did go bowling..not as many calories being burned, but I was moving just the same...

Yesterday was the Super Bowl and although there was a plate of veggies there, I seemed to wander away from that on to "other" things...  Ugh...

At any rate..a new week and a new day...doing as much research as I can with the various books I have bought and just reading up on what you ladies are doing to get me on the right track .  

I love all the ideas you have...

I really want to wear sleeveless this summer...does anyone know if there are restrictions for lifting weights since most of us have had SNB/ANB?  

Heading out shortly to get some grocery shopping done...gonna try to stay in the perimeter of the store and get only what I need...NOT what I want!

Have a great "healthy eating" day!

peace and prayers,

Tori

DE COLORES! 

barbe1958

The weight restrictions are only for a couple of weeks after surgery. BUT, don't carry a purse, groceries bags, luggage, etc for long periods of time with your "LE" arm.

So what I did, was eat all the candy I bought last week (which also included a bag of licorice All Sorts) so that there is no more in my desk. I have apples and oranges again for my sweet tooth. I have no money for treats so it's all good! Wish me luck!

p.s. I'm finding that if I buy the little can of Dentyne cinnamon gum and chew it until it's tasteless, throw it out and get another one, I'm over coming some cravings. But then of course, I just finished all the candy in my desk....sigh. Still a bit of cinnamon hearts left too....I chew those into the gum to spice it back up....I have it all figured out wrong....sigh.

ToriGirl

Barbe1958---

Thanks for the answer to my weight lifting questions....

and good for you for getting rid of the treats that are accessible to you in your desk...

GOOD LUCK this week!  

Anyone else try the baked cauliflower?  Does it stay crunchy?  I can't do mushy veggies...that is why I eat most of them raw...but, that gets old... 

Tori 

barbe1958

I'm going to try it tomorrow (my day off) if it's not too expensive. I hate over-paying for veggies out of season, so I don't know their price right now.

chiefswife

Hi ToriGirl I think going skating sounds like a blast, a couple of years ago we went to Toy R Us so I could buy some roller blades, yeah right, I sat down on the floor and put them on and my husband went to help get me up and I couldn't stay balanced on those things at all. What was I doing wrong..........beats me so we didn't buy them and I to this day have never gone roller blading. I really wanted to do it to. I'm not too crazy about bowling but at this point I'm willing to try anything to get moving.

Sorry I don't know anything about lifiting weight restrictions, I had a lumpectomy and haved healed quickly with no complications. I have full use of my arms. I've been lucky in this whole cancer experience. 

chiefswife

Can any of you help me here, I have a yahoo email account and it's not opening when I click on "contacts" any of you know how to fix that? I don't have anyones email addresses memorized so if I can get it to open I'm gonna lose all my family and friends. LOL I'm not computer smart at all. Help anyone......thanks if ya can. 

ToriGirl

I'm not that computer saavy, but I know there is a "HELP" button in the upper right hand corner, you may be able to find out there what may be going on....

OR

If you start to compose an email and begin to type in the name of the person you are emailing, Yahoo will normally "auto fill" the rest for you...you don't have to send the email, but you would at least be able to get the email addresses you want...grant it, if you don't know everyone in your address book, you may lose some, but at least you would get some of them.

Good luck!

Tori 

Glad2BHere

Tori- I think if you use less oil and make thecaliflower florets smaller, it will stay crunchier.  

 chiefswife sorry, I am no help.  I can ask my DH when he gets home though.

chiefswife

Thanks ladies, it seems to be working correctly now. It was just giving me a hard time for about 5 hours, don't have any idea why.  Okay back to talking about our lives. I have done good today with my eating, I am writing everything down. The one thing I need to change is to drink more water, blah... It's so tasteless.

Oh yeah and to not let the annoying things my husband does get to me. all I need to do is pretend none of it matters, doesn't he know I don't need any useless stress???  

txstardust

CW - I'm not a big fan of plain water either.  I found that my local grocery store brand has flavored sparkling water that is actually quite good - and not very expensive!  My favorite is the Mandarin Orange.

I started my teaching apprenticeship today, so I've been going strong since 5:30 this morning.  It's now 11:30 p.m.  I had no time to formally exercise, but I have been on my feet for most of the day!  It's amazing how busy the day can get - I barely had time to eat!  I was glad that I had a protein bar in my purse.  I did end up very hungry by the time I got home, which is not a good place to be.  I saw the piece of chocolate cake on the counter, and I admit that I indulged.  It's ok though, I'm determined to make better choices tomorrow!  Another long day coming up - a full day in the classroom, then I have my own class to attend as a student in the evening.  I guess I should get to bed soon! 

barbe1958

Watch out for flavoured water, it sometimes has a lot of carbs in it! You shouldn't have more than 30 g of carbs a day to lose weight. A banana is MORE than 30 carbs!!!!!!

I drink a lot of water (cooler) at work because of kidney issues. I drink whenever I think of it. I keep it in a coffee mug on my desk, so people must think I'm drinking a lot of coffee! I like it very cold so it's fresh. Otherwise, hate it.

TMarina

Hi Ladies! I'd like to join in here too!  Great thread Tori!

I have a Wii fit and love it!  It has many different games, so it stays fun and interesting.  When it warms up outside, I will get out for some walks.  I hope to get back to weight lifting too. My LE specialist I saw after surgery said I could lift weights as long as I start out slow and move up to heavier weights really slow.  I'll have to be real careful about not straining my arm too much.

I lost 18 lbs with chemo for colon cancer (a year and a half ago), but put some back on with chemo for bc this past year, and the scale continues to inch up.  I am trying to make my main focus eating healthier--esp. more fruits and veggies.  I also have a slow metabolism, so I know I won't lose anything unless I exercise.  I have the "Anti-Cancer" book (by David Servan-Schreiber, MD), and that has lots of info on how to keep the cancer from coming back.

Some things I've learned that might work for some:

*Always eat breakfast!  This starts up your metabolism.

* For some, eating 6 small meals a day works better--it's supposed to keep the metabolsim up and burn more calories.

* Eat lots of fruits and veggies--all different colors! This one is tough for me.

* Exercise seems to be the answer for everything!  Doesn't matter what you do, just move.

* Apparently cancer feeds off of sugar, so limiting that and refined and processed foods is always good.  The processed food part is difficult for me!  I like convenience!

I love all the tips and ideas here.  Hope it all inspires me to work a little harder at getting my weight down.  Having had 2 cancers already, I want to do what I can to prevent anymore!

Take care ladies!

Tina

Glad2BHere

Hi Tina, Welcome!  It seems like we are doing something similar.  I have never been a breakfast eater and have been forcing myself to make a smoothie everyday.  Now I love my smoothies and have to make one for my hubby too.  I use banana, mixed berries, unsweetened vanilla almond milk and ground flax.  I have a hard time getting all the vegetables in too.  I would love any ideas you come across. It is hard to not eat processed when our entire world around us is all about it.  It takes a lot of work and resilience, but we can do this!!!!

ToriGirl

Welcome Tina!

Thanks for all the great ideas and letting us know what you are doing! I just got that book and have to get to reading it so I can learn more!

I love seeing more and more posts each time I sign on!  Thanks everyone!

peace and prayers,

Tori

DE COLORES! 

barbe1958

It's more expensive to eat good!!! Sometimes I don't have any lunch so I walk to Walmart. I go past the McDonalds....good for me!! $1.39 for a burger is a cheap lunch. So I go to the food section. A container of mixed cut-up fruit is $4.99. A sandwich is like $2.49......sigh. I also find a hot lunch lasts longer and I feel fuller for some reason. I like the steamers, but they're expensive unless on sale, and I find they have a LOT of salt!! I don't have salt in the house and haven't for 18 years as I battle high blood pressure.

hrf

I have the same issues. I have times when I'm really good and then I fall off the wagon. Having had the bmx now makes it even harder as I now have a lot od body image issues and feel nothing will make a difference. I try to pack a lunch at home to take with me. Sometimes if I make a bit pot of soup (low fat, no salt) I put some in a container and heat it up in the microwave at work. Or I make a salad and try to put I healthy veggies in it. Making it at home is much less expensive than buying it even though it is a pain. I also try to have a good breakfast like oatmeal which keeps me from getting hungry all morning. I make a big batch on Sundays, put in in the fridge and divide it into small bowls. I take it to work with me and actually enjoy eating it cold with some cut up apple in it.

barbe1958

With my gout issues, there is so much food I can't have, that the "list" of what I can have is shorter!!! I can't have beans, OATMEAL, dark green lettuces, most cereals, certain fruits, almost all veggis, grainy bread, etc, etc. It's ridiculous!!!  I'm prone to ignore it, but when I get a bout, I realize what I've eaten.

cs34

Hi everyone,

So glad I found this thread. I'm going to eat lunch at my desk and read through it all.

My mother started crying on our morning phone call (and she's SO not a cryer) that I'm doing nothing to help myself. I'm over 200lbs now (only gained 15 during chemo so I can't blame chemo) and quite frankly my issue is that I've done enough work for the past two and half years and I don't want to do the work! 

But, Mom crying this morning (at 82 years old) is NOT ok. Ever. At all.

I promised her I would start eating better and exercise three days a week. I called a nutrionist at NYU already and I came here.

Hope you're all having a peaceful day and thank you for having this thread!  

ToriGirl

Welcome cs34!



You know, I used to think I was the only one "struggling" with this weight thing.



I think knowing that we are all in this together and can support each other in ways that others can't, is a step in the right direction, no?



Although I can't lose weight during rads, I know I can start eating the way I should be....maintaining right now is better than gaining!



Barbe1958---Are your doctors giving you any kind of guidance on how to lose weight taking into consideration your other issues? I can't imagine how frustrated you must be!



I have found that all the information on losing weight after diagnosis is sooo overwhelming. I just don't know where to start!



Have a great Wednesday all!



Peace and prayers,



Tori



DE COLORES!

mumito

Hi there just found this thread.It is so depressing when you eat well try to exercise when it isn't too painful and you still do not see mych change.

barbe1958

Hi mum!! That's why I don't bother exercising....too painful and if I didn't see a result I'd quit anyway....sigh. My knees are almost shot - bone-on-bone on the right one, so walking is almost a no-no too!!! I said to the docs if weight was so important they'd have a magic bullet by now! One doc did say something interesting....when you THINK you're hungry, have a glass of water. Sounds easy, but it does work. He said our bodies mix up thirst and hunger.

chiefswife

Hi everyone, well I got brave and hopped on the scale this morning after I peed, I weighed 177..................................dangit...........................I was so hoping to be lower than that. Geez.........so anyway I will keep trudging along. Went to the hospital right after that to have some blood work done, checking my Vit D level, checking to see if my thyroid is working correctly and also to see how my blood sugar level is. She said she would call me if needed with the results, haven't heard from her yet so hopefully my blood sugar is in a good zone. I don't need anymore health issues to deal with.

Now that I'm home I thinking about what to fix for supper, I have no clue. So here I sit.