I'm hungry!

Anonymous

Last night I fixed dinner here at my father's and could have made a meal on salad, it was so good and he really didn't even have many ingredients on hand....romaine, mushrooms, zucchini, and a homegrown tomato (can't beat em) and then I made a dressing out of olive oil. sea salt, pepper, oregano, basil, parsley and garlic.   But did I stop there....NO....and would not have been bad even eating the rest of the dinner, but my father said he had Klondike bars in the freezer he had bought Just For Me so I couldn't very well say no to one of those. 

Re soy, I heard Marisa Weise speak and she said there is soy in just about everything and is difficult to avoid. The deal with soy is that it acts as a natural estrogen, but eating something with soy in it, is not the same as our body producing it.  Getting rid of fat which stores estrogen is important which is another incentive for us to try to lose weight.  She said it is more important to avoid pesticides....like some things we should get organic, blueberries, strawberries and things with thin skins..... with melons, pineapple, things with thick skins, we are taking the area that absorbed the chemicals off. 

My father wants to go out for lunch so I am going to order a big fat salad with dressing on the side and try to be good today.  It is not a SE of Halaven, but I swear I want to eat everything I hear or see an ad for.

ruthbru

I don't know if I can explain this technically right, but you don't want to take anti-oxidant's during chemo or rads because you are trying to KILL cells (cancer cells), not build your system up.

www.loseit.com is a great, free website where you can chart your weight, calories etc. I especially like it because you also log your exercise and can get calories back from exercising.

Under the fitness forum, I am on the 'Lets Post Our Daily Exercise' and 'Wednesday Weigh In' threads. I know there are other good threads in that forum too. I like (need) the accountability!

Spellgirl

cookiegal i am right there with you! My son works for an upscale conference center and occasionally brings home desserts to really make you lose your concentration... Today I had to eat a carton of raspberries and some cottage cheese to help me feel full enough to resist eating the whole huge piece of cake he brought! ( I did try it though, and was proud of myself for not finishing it off while everyone else is gone!) The best thing I did for myself was get out of the kitchen and find this thread.  I like the ideas of eating lots of veggies and eating often- I am going to give it a try. I will be having my exchange surgery in two or three months, if all goes well, and I really want to lose more weight before then. I have dropped 5 pounds since my surgery- only 30 to go! Glad to be on this thread.

stage1

Thank you ladies for comments on soy and antioxidents.  I have 5 boosts this week.  I am apprehensive about long term side effects.    I am maintaining my weight right now, thru the holiday.  With eating out a lot, that is progress for me I eat half and bag half for the next meal.  HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

Anonymous

I had one of the WW friendly meals at Applebee's.....9 points....broiled tilapia on rice with some sort of Cajun sauce with beans, tomato and corn and broccoli.   And boy did I drink the water the waitress kept filling my glass with....I am bad about getting water in unless I am in a restaurant for some reason. 

lago

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to be here but I too love cookies, love to eat, top chef, food blogs etc. Granted I am a good 13 lbs heavier than I was 5 years ago I am not overweight by my doctors standards. (IMO I'm about 3 lbs but that really doesn't count).

I'll be honest I can't eat what ever I want nor can I eat massive amounts. It is all about portion control and the type of foods you eat. I don't count calories. Eating a typical salad is going to leave you hungry. I do eat salads for lunch all the time but I put things in there that are healthy and will fill me up. Walnuts, black berries, low fat cheeses (think goat cheese instead of cheddar) beans are all healthy foods that will help fill you up or satisfy your cravings for sweets and cheese.

I eat very simply during the week then "cheat" on the weekends. That doesn't mean I eat everything and lots of it. I still watch my portions. I do order things with no butter or low oil. All these little things add up. 

Since veggies will be a big portion of what you eat (think 1/2 your plate and I don't count corn or potatoes in that half) try to favor without butter. Think olive oil & Garlic (spinach) balsamic vinegar (broccoli) etc. Use oil sparingly. 

I stay away from "white" foods. Brown rice, whole wheat breads are a better choice when you eat starches. Pasta is more of a side dish than a main meal. I do eat spaghetti squash instead of pasta. Really it's wonderful with tomato sauce, mushrooms and broccoli.

I highly recommend you ask your doctors to talk with a nutritionist. Once you have a better understanding of portion control and which foods are bad (high in calorie but low in nutrition and don't really fill you up) you will find it easier to make the right choices.

hymil

Everyone's welcome here, Iago! I got to thirty with stick figure so never learnt much self control, preg put four stone on me and the last 5kg never came off, my thirties were hyeractive working + lone-parenting and it's okay to be cuddly, what is a mum without a lap? and then my forties got really stressful so of course i comfort ate some more, that's when all that weight went back on, was diagnosed BC at 48 with BMI over 29. It's been a slog to get back to 24+ at 50 but hey we younger ER+ are highly motivated. I figure it's basically just a simple energy exercise balance and I rather beat a cycle machine to pulp than quit on chocolate. 

I have a scheme to clean the kitchen properly after supper, then hang a sign saying "Closed till 7am". Will let you know if it works... And yes, I'm hungry again..  and healthy string-bean DD ate all my fruit.....

lago

hymil  exercise helps but you really have to work out tons to really make a huge difference. You really need to reduce portions although I doubt the UK eats the massive portions the US does.

The trick to increasing your metabolism is to build muscle. Stregth training 2-3 times a week will make a huge difference. I can't wait till they let me do that again. (Still on limits from exchange surgery June 24th).

(BTW I did just finishe making my chocolate chip, banana, peanutbutter oatmeal cookies. Not for me though. A gal I know is finishing chemo tomorrow. She's 6" and thin. I kinda hate her a little. She had the same chemo I did, same amount of rounds and had almost no SE except hair loss.)

hymil

And while you are jealous of her skinny figure, she is probably envying your curves and your lovely hair...

I don't have really huge portions but i often go for seconds and sometimes even thirds, or bake a tray of brownies and finish them all by myself. That's not good.

lago

You eat an entire tray of brownies… that sounds like a huge portion to me

You're right I have a pretty straight figure with wide hips. Not very curvy. The new boobie prizes help though.

cookiegal

Marybe.....I'm glad you like the Applebee's. I liked their WW cheesecake.

Anonymous

So, isn't anyone hungry these days?  I have been on a stromboli kick again....took it to a party last night along with salad, but amazingly enough I really filled up on salad.  Sometimes I just really crave salad.....problem is it messes with my INR and they are always having to change my coumadin dosage.  Then today I took the leftover stromboli to my friend who had to have her infected implant operated on today

lago

Stromboli, yum. Too bad I'm still battling heartburn from surgery 2.5 weeks ago. I hate general anesthesia!

cookiegal

Yea...down to 178.5 this morning. Then someone gave me a tray of cupcakes and wouldn't take no for an answer :O

Suzybelle

Hi, Ladies:

I have fought my weight all of my life, and have managed to stay trim through starving myself during my 20's, and then running 30 miles a week in my 30's.  But even when I was running 1/2 marathons and working out constantly, I had to really watch what I ate. 

I was carrying about 15 extra pounds before my cancer diagnosis, and then dropped it when I switched to a total  vegan diet.  I felt great, but it's soooo difficult to maintain where I live, and was honestly just too restrictive for me.  And I didn't enjoy it, to be honest.  So I am mostly vegetarian now, and when I do eat meat, it's very little and it's fish or shrimp.  No red meat at all and very little chicken. I love Iago's strategy - it's basically what I do.  I try to avoid white flour and sugar (really hard for me, but it works) and no red meat at all.  I do a lot of fruit, salads, veggies, and like Iago, I eat really boring during the week, and then will bake something and cook during the weekends, and give the bad stuff away - I take a lot of the cookies, pies, cakes to work and people go nuts.  This way I can bake, taste it, and not eat so much of it. 

Also, I read Dr. Block's book "Life Over Cancer" and now totally avoid soy except maybe one serving a week.  LOVE the veggie corn dogs...they're junk food, but really good.

The thing that made me switch back to a largely vegetarian diet from the vegan...you cannot bake (or at least I can't) without butter.  It's not possible.  I used  coconut oil, and every kind of substitute imaginable, but it just doesn't work.  I know there are people who do it, but for me, the taste just wasn't the same.

In the south, where I live, food is a HUGE part of our culture.  You take food when someone is sick, has a death, goes to jail (haha), whatever.  I love our church pot lucks we have every month or so.  Food is a way we show we care and love one another.  But every meal is not supposed to be a huge celebration.  During the week, I'll eat a bowl of oatmeal for dinner and I'm perfectly happy. 

lago

Suzybelle although you can replace the butter completely in some recipes for baking you can replace some of that butter with banana. You can also reduce some sugar too since the bananas are sweet.

Another secret is try to stay away from prepared foods. If it comes in a box, bag and they don't let you see it then there's a good chance it isn't good for you. Read labels.

I too use olive oil instead of butter when cooking. It may not be lower in calories but it is better for you. It's not all about being thin. If your thin and eat crap you are not accomplishing anything  health wise IMO.

KS1

I've read the studies about weight and LE, and there does seem to be a relationship, but it isn't straightforward, and the studies typically have what the statisticians call "confounds." (Basically, people who have one good health habit generally have better overall health and health habits.) My pre-BC BMI was 20, and my post-BC BMI is about 19, so being thin didn't prevent me from getting LE. That said, I do think my LE is a bit better when I am on the low side of my normal post-BC weight.   But, that could be because when I am thinner, I've generally been better about hydration, salt and exercise. 

I definitely have to work to stay thin, especially with BC meds and some physical restrictions. Here are some of the things that work for me:

I try to follow my kids' pediatrician's simple guidelines: cook "from scratch," lots of veggies and fruits, no juice or other sugary drinks (people will drink tons of sugar because they are thirsty, before they are sated), and avoid white foods. She says baked goods are fine as long as they are homemade and whole grain. (Lucky for my kids, I like to bake.) I also try to follow Michael Pollan's 7-word rule for healthy eating: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

I find that if I eat starches, I crave more an hour later, so I only eat starches at night. I am a firm believer in the power of water. If I find myself wanting to nibble on something unhealthy, I drink a glass of water and wait 10 minutes. Most times, I lose the urge to nibble. Before every meal, I drink 2 glasses of water. I also find exercise suppresses the nibbles. Then there is my "good brownie rule": I try to never eat something unless I really want it and it tastes really good. A good brownie has the same number of calories as a mediocre brownie, so why waste the calories on a bad brownie?

I relax these restrictions on the weekends and for special occasions. And in the evenings, I often have some Touch of Salt Triscuits to kill my salt craving, or a Skinny Cow chocolate fudge ice cream cone (which I find perversely yummy and satisfying).  

- KS1

stage1

Ks1, suzybelle and lago, Thanks for all your great ideas!  Suzybelle, about avoiding soy, I am finding that everything has that soy lethitin in it, almost all packaged foods, and even the Skinny Cow stuff has it, and most ice cream or frozen desserts have it.  Suzybelle, do you know if this should be avoided, along with soy products that are the main ingredient?  Any comments from anyone?

lago

Soy has been a very controversial subject. If you trust your oncologist I would highly recommend getting their feelings on this.

One thing I don't do is add additional soy supplements. But you're right it is almost impossible. Even my Calcium supplements even have soy bean oil in them.

stage1

Wow!  If this soy they add to our food and supplements has something to do with our getting ER+ BC, now wonder we are all in this situation.  You would think that studies would be focusing on this.

LuvRVing

Ladies - there is a great discussion thread in the Fitness and Getting Back into Shape forum

Stop Sugar Support Thread

that will give you ideas and support for eliminating sugar/carbs from your diet to help with weight loss. 

By the "weigh" nuts are really helpful if you want to lose weight.  There are studies showing that eating pistachios can help you drop pounds.  And they are a good fat.  If you're having hunger pains, try a handful and see if it doesn't help.

Michelle

Binney4

Oh, good, RV, I'm glad you brought up nuts. I've read they're great when you're losing weight, but I've wanted to ask how that can be since they're so loaded with calories. Can someone explain that so I can understand it?

KS, who ever heard of a "bad brownie"?! (Just kidding -- I get your meaning and I too have become very selective about "treats". They have to be really good or I hold out for something better.)

Eat well!
Binney

lago

Almonds are also a good healthy food to "fill up" but again high in calorie so only take a small handful.

The theory is because you fill up on these you won't go back and eat more 1/2 hour later. Junk food does't fill you up so you will get hungry again later.

KS1

I'm on a few odd non CA medications.  My med onc sent me to an integrative medicine doc to make sure they all played together nicely.  (They did.)  I asked the integrative medicine doc what his opinion on the soy controversy.  He said that eating soy foods (e.g., soy beans, tofu etc) was fine, especially if it replaced meat and other "bad" foods.   When I pushed him on how much soy food was ok, he said he wouldn't eat exclusively tofu. Also, consistent with what Lago said, he said he would definitely avoid soy supplements (including soy protein powder).  "Eat Food.  Not too much.  Mostly plants." 

The integrative med doc told me that studies suggest that women who exercise have better outcomes, even when BMI is controlled for, and that exercise is beneficial for all BMIs.  What struck me at the time is that even modest amounts of exercise were beneficial.  I can't find the paper he gave me, but this might be it.  

http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/commissure/2011-04-05_012558_physical-activity-and-survival-after-breast-cancer-diagnosis.pdf 

My problem with exercising is that  I only have so much time each day to devote to health-and-maintenance, and keeping the LE beast under control sucks up too much of that time.  Someone should devise forms of MLD and garment washing that are aerobic activities.  - KS1

- KS1 

stage1

I buy the Emerald Dry Roasted Almonds from Target.  Portion control is the key for me. a quarter cup is 150 calories, a perfect snack and count that as a good fat for the day. We need good fats to absorb some of the vitamins we take.  Lago,  I checked my vitamins and calcium for soy.  My Nature Made Calcium from Costco has no soy.  But I am glad I checked, as I found BHT in my Centrum Silver Multi.  I think I will shop for something without BHT.  BTW, after my rad appt today, a nutritionist approached me to have me make an appointment.  A little late, I have two more rads to do.  I could have used the nutritional info a month ago, but I will take advantage of it and see her tomorrow.  If you guys have any questions that you want me to ask her, let me know. 

LuvRVing

I think the "how nuts work to help lose weight" is still a bit of a mystery.  Studies have shown that nut eaters can eat more calories and still lose weight, which seems to throw out the typical equation about calorie intake and energy expenditure.  Here's a link to an article about pistachios that suggests the body may not absorb all the fats, so therefore not all the calories.

http://scienceblog.com/46083/fat-found-in-pistachios-may-not-be-readily-absorbed-by-the-body/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+scienceblogrssfeed+%28Science+Blog%29

 I tried to create a real link, didn't want to work, but at least this is clickable.

Michelle

cookiegal

I know the nuts thing is really....well...nuts!

Claire_in_Seattle

Hey Cookie!

Just discovered a new combo today.  Dark chocolate with white chocolate chips in it.  Got enroute when doing the endurance cycling event over the weekend.  Was just fine eating as still making up calories.

What a discovery!!

(Now, I will be on your "other list" but thought it my duty to let you in on the news.) - Claire

lago

I probably shouldn't post this but

FYI free Slurpee day at 7-11 linky 
I have never had a Slurpee, White Castle or cup of coffee. 

Suzybelle

Iago,

Your free slurpee post made me snort...you are definitely multi-faceted!!!!!! 

There is definitely a difference in good brownies/bad brownies.  I cannot eat most box brownie mixes.  They taste like chemicals and crap.  UGH.  So, if I want a brownie, I have to make them from scratch, which is a lot of trouble....so I really have to WANT one, you know?  Most of the time, I will just wind up eating an apple or something. 

For me, once I get used to eating well (organic, no chemicals, additives, lots of fresh fruits and veggies), that's really all I want.

Accept for bacon.  I am like Elvis when it comes to bacon and cannot leave it alone, so I almost never buy it.