Seeking Size Positive &/or Plus Size Health Buddies

Anonymous

Hi,  I am zeroing in on the end of radiation and looking forward towards a happy healthy future.  YAY! That is challenging after a BC diagnosis but I am intent on focusing on being positive, future-oriented and healthy.  One thing that I have found that makes this challenging is the plethora of messages from varied sources (magazines, common platitudes, support groups, amateur scientists, etc.) that blame plus size women for their diagnoses - necessarily connecting their size to their diagnosis and their future (risk of recurrence).  Whether some or all of these messages are well-intentioned is besides the point.  Their impact on me (and many others) is negative. It smacks of victim blaming to me.  

I'd love to connect with people of any size or level of fitness who are interested in connecting and/or addressing isssues of fitness and health together who have also recognized and rejected the type of messages that I mention here.  I am especially interested in speaking about / sharing health, exercise, nutrition choices that we make as we move forward toward a healthy future.

Thanks for listening. Hope to hear from you if you've noticed the same.

VVH

Myopiawmn

I totally agree with you. I hate when I hear a news story coming on about breast cancer because it always seems to be about being overweight causing the cancer. Really?!? I have to feel guilty about my cancer? It's my fault I had evil cancer cells because I'm not thin? Then why does no one else in my "large" family have cancer?



Ok. I'm done complaining....

ohio4me

well.... weight isn't entirely responsible for cancer, it's just another risk factor that weighs against you. Weight alone is unlikely to cause cancer without the presence of other risk factors.

I am overweight an always heard that weight was a factor but didn't understand why. Once i was diagnosed as ER+/PR+ I started doing some research. I found that, becaue I have more cells, I have more estrogen that feeds my cancer.

That said, there are many thin and average size women with cancer, also. I don't blame myself (weight) for having cancer.

Where I struggle is, now that I know my weight if a factor in fighting cancer, why can't I seem to get on a more healthy tract and lose some weight? Seems like a cancer diagnosis should be a big enough incident to affect change. Hmmm.... hasn't worked for me yet.

Myopiawmn

I had actually asked my original oncologist after I finished treatment if by losing weight I would lower my chances of it coming back and he said no. I was really looking for that kick in the pants to become healthier. But this is also the oncologist that wrote my Rx for tamoxifen wrong and I took only half the dosage for the first year.....

Anonymous

Hi, I appreciate the feedback and hope that your Rx is on track now ; >

VVH 

Blessings2011

VVH - last September, I was dx'd with BC (IDC and DCIS). In December, 2011, I had a BMX w/ immediate reconstruction. My fills started in January, 2012.

Before my surgery my highest weight was 204. I am 5'5" tall. Even though I qualified as "obese" on the medical charts, I really didn't pay too much attention to external messages from the media, nor did I ever feel like anyone was blaming my breast cancer on my weight.

But an interesting thing happened. Because of my pre-surgery size (the Original Girls were 38DDD) I got HUGE tissue expanders. They started under the middle of my armpits and met in the middle of my chest.

I asked my plastic surgeon what would happen if he put in implants to match the size of my TEs, and later on I lost weight. He told me the implant size would not change. I responded that I had no desire to have stripper boobs, and that I'd get back to him.

I'd been on diets my whole life, and they never worked. I hated exercising, because I
have several vestibular disorders that affect my balance, and I had severe fibromyalgia. Given the choice between exercise and a root canal, the dentist would have won every time.

But I started learning more about my cancer, and ways that I could perhaps be healthier in the future.

I was told by my oncologist that I would have to take an AI for the next five years...and
I fought her on that. I told her I was post-menopausal, AND I'd had a hysterectomy, so there was NO estrogen in my body. She kindly informed me that estrogen was manufactured in body fat, of which I had plenty. She said that research had shown that diet and exercise would reduce my risk of recurrence by 23%.

I began to get serious about losing weight. At the same time, I received information from Kaiser about their Weight Management Program (Optifast). It was an 82 week program, required intense medical monitoring, a weekly visit with either the RN or the physician, and regular bloodwork. It also required weekly weigh-ins, and weekly classes with members of your cohort.

In addition to the incredible time commitment, there was an emotional commitment as well...the program started with four months of basically a liquid fast. And it wasn't cheap - the 82 week program cost $4,300, none of which was covered by insurance.

I began to experiment to see if I could lose weight on my own, and had modest success. I wasn't exercising, though. I was still a committed couch potato.

In March 2012, I joined the Optifast program. I made the commitment that because I didn't need chemo or radiation. I decided that THIS would be my breast cancer treatment.

From the day I started, I loved the program, the products, and the members of my cohort. I was never hungry. I was taken off ALL my medications, and I think I was up to about a dozen prescription meds a day.

I had a few side effects, but they quickly disappeared. We were prohibited from exercising the first few weeks (in case we got dizzy or faint) but then they issued us all pedometers, with the instructions to get in at least 10,000 steps a day. It's harder than you think. We could also do any other type of exercise for ten minutes to earn an additional mile's worth of walking. (We had teams, and a contest, for a "virtual" walk to New York City.)

A month into the program I got an incredible burst of energy. My diet consisted of four shakes a day, one soup a day, and one nutritional bar a day; all Optifast products, for a total of 960 calories a day.

The weight came off steadily - around 2 pounds a week. I could have accomplished the same at Weight Watchers for much less money, but WW never worked for me.

After four months in the "Fasting" phase, we entered the "Transition" phase. Using the
American Diabetes Association meal guidelines, we started entering real food back into our diets. The list of acceptable foods and amounts was very restricted until we were used to the plan.

As for exercise, I started by just walking slowly. Fibromyalgia and a host of otherorthopedic issues had always stopped me before. But gradually, I picked up thepace, and soon I was power walking.

After a bad fall off my mountain bike many years ago, I never got back on. Last spring, my DH got me a raspberry adult trike, and now I can fly down the city bike paths without worrying about falling off.

But the best thing I did was to go back to the local rehab hospital and join the water aerobics program in their therapy pool. Heated to 94 degrees, the water isamazingly soothing on sore joints and muscles. I do 90 minutes of exercises, three days a week.

It's been six months since I started. I've lost 56 pounds so far, and more than 63 inches. I'm still not at my goal, and I'm still no skinny Minnie.

But for the first time in my life, I can look at those "Fitness" magazines, with all those 20-something skinny weasels, and say "I can do that!" (Well, SOME of that.....  )

As for diet, the strangest thing happened. My fibromyalgia pain nearly disappeared. I believe it was due to the fact that Optifast is gluten-free. Now, I have control over what items I add back in to my meals. Gluten will not be on the list.

I had my exchange surgery two weeks ago, and my biggest disappointment was that the PS
extended my restrictions to one month....no exercise for me! It's o.k., I need to concentrate on healing. But I never, EVER thought I'd say the words "I miss exercising!"

That BC dx saved my life in SO many ways. I never would have made the choice to get healthy. Not "skinny"; HEALTHY.

My MO is thrilled. And - the best thing? I am off all my prescription meds except for thyroid, and all my labwork, blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol, is normal.

rn4babies

I am 5'5 1/2 tall and weigh 215 pounds. This is my highest weight ever. While I'm not denying that losing weight would be healthier for me, I've gotten the same impression that I am somehow to blame for being dx'd with BC twice in less than a year. My mother is 5'6 and weighs approx 120, my sister is 5'9 and weighs 120 and my aunt is 5'6 and weighs 110. Those three were all dx'd with ER+/PR+ BC at the ages of 58,37 and 42 respectively. When ABC news had a story on obesity and BC, my husband immediately was hounding me about my weight. I am healthy otherwise. Stellar blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol and triglycerides. I'd love to lose weight but it is so hard with my crazy work schedule!

Anonymous

M4: I am with you on all that.  My mom has never been bigger than a size 10 (when she was pregnant!) and has had 2 cancers, etc.... My own interest is in thinking of healthier ways to live my life without the blaming that is so common in BC communities around fat.  Lotsof internalized hatred and blame.

Blessings: Glad you found your path; everyone needs to find their own way.  

Ohio: Hope you find your path as well.  It can be difficult to do so especially in the environment that I spoek of.  I find the messages triggering that focus on the judgment that fat is necesarily the cause of the bc as this is conjecture, even by scientists at this point, and amount to victim blaming from my persepctive.  It isn't the fat; it is the possibility that for some this may mean more estrogen - for some not everyone.

Beckers

This is something that is heavily on my mind. I am 50 pounds overweight. BMI 31 (obese). Heavy sigh. I was dx with bilateral or synchronous BC at 45. I've had a complete genetic work up done with all negative results. My BC was >98% ER +. Estrogen is in the body fat. So....I know I have to get serious now. Blessings, you definitely inspire me. I've heard sugar feeds the cancer....that they give glucose before PET scans to excite cancer cells. Is that true?



This is next on the to do list. I am 4 weeks out from BMX and DIEP reconstruction surgery so I can't exercise yet.



I would like to join you on the fitness journey.

Anonymous

From my perspective this blogger touches on all the issues that I am feelign abotu this issue.  Note the first couple of comments to her post as well.

Thank you  for reading, VVH

Anonymous

oops, here it is: http://yrwelcome.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/why-im-fat-positive/