Pity party weight gain...need help.

Bobogirl and MsPharoah ... it's great to see you.

Bobogirl ... I have always loved seeing your name on the boards.  My most favorite dog in the whole world was named Bobo.  Makes me smile when I see your name.  I can't imagine running ... even if I wasn't weak.  I'd pass out after about a 1/4 mile.

MsPharoah ... I might get on the scale at the doctor's office if I could be buck naked too.

Raidergirl ... Is the fatigue you're feeling a side effect of Aromasin?  You and Beachbum are probably still recovering/going through treatment.  I know I was drained physically and emotionally the first year.

hugs

Bren

PS ... Raidergirl ... thanks for the little pep talk.  I need to remember that "it's nothing until it's something."

Bren, RG and Ms P, thank you. You are right. Bren, who is that beautiful dog you are hugging in your avatar?

Ms P, no one in her right mind would arrest you. Gentle walks sound very good for you. I use to be a runner -- I enjoy hardcore types of exercise. I haven't felt like myself, not doing it.

Beachbum, sounds like you were listening to your intuition. I feel like I should do that more too.

RaiderGirl.....I found that exercise was really helpful in getting back to myself, and was about 95% there about 6 months following radiation which ended early June, 5 years ago. I was exercising throughout that period. The other 5% took another year or so. Now, I am fitter than ever, or will be once I get in full swing of training for summer cycling events.

I found exercise potions...gels and energy bars....a godsend that summer. I didn't care if it took one to get me going because I would be better off at the other end. I do admit to a bit of joint pain, but ibuprofen is a wonder drug that way. None of this is as bad as walking much farther than planned in my snazzy heeled boots last night because of a gridlock in Seattle, and the bus wasn't moving!

I will say that without exercise and strength training, it will be very hard to lose weight and keep it off. But that is true with those who have not been through breast cancer treatment.

I was remarking about that while at a wine bar party last night. Wonderful spread of cheeses and salumi to go with the winemaker's featured wines. My friends were there, and everyone eats. All of us also exercise, including the lady who cycled into work (remember that she got there because traffic was gridlocked). So I really do believe that exercise is the magic bullet.

Reflecting on what your nurse navigator said, I am worried about setting the bar too low. I expected to have a full recovery, and I did. But I to admit it takes work, and I don't think you get there without exercise. Not as much as I do every single day, but at least what the guidelines for adults are. So what I would aim for, and who knows beyond that?

Good luck and feel perkier soon! - Claire

Claire_in_Seattle, I was inspired by your post... I am very new to treatment, only 3 weeks past surgery tomorrow and I still have my TE's and 2 drains in. In an attempt to get off the couch I went for a walk ... well that was a no no! I had a DR. Appointment yesterday to see if I could have my drains out and although they were beneath the 30 cc's for the 3 days prior the day prior to the visit they were above 30 due to my walk... Needless to say I was told NO WALKING and I left with my drains still in! I am counting the days until I get cleared to do any physical activity.

Raidergirl ....

Bren

I love the minions too -- make me smile every time!

RaiderGirl -- have you had your ferritin/iron levels checked lately.  I was exhausted after my second surgery -- granted it a long one, but even after 6 months, I was tired, and I am usually a morning person. When I had some blood work done last summer, it showed that my iron had dropped by more than half -- I wasn't anemic, but it was much lower than it had been.  So I've added a couple of more pills to the mix, and I am feeling better.

As for exercise -- the only think I'm doing right now is walking -- I use that time to catch up with friends -- usually walk 3 times a week for at least an hour with different friends -- the walking seems to fade into the background and we solve all kinds of issues as we chat and walk.

Just got a call from GP office my blood numbers are horrible pre-diabetic high LDL and triglycerides. She said Dr wants me to sign up for a pre-diabetic class. I was like no thank you I know what I need to do. Got motivated did 1 hour on treadmill and started my good diet. Oh yes my B12 is on the low side.

The first week is the hardest but I want lose weight for my May trip.

I love my fitbit. DH and my grown kids have one too so we compete. It's a fun way to stay connected. Down .2 lbs - I've decided .2 is the new 2 lbs and I'm going to celebrate every victory. Eating right feels good - much better than binge eating and feeling miserable

Interesting comments here. My surgeon gave me the OK to cycle after my follow up visit. I think the effect was that I had my drain longer than I would have had it in otherwise. I certainly learned that aerobic exercise generates lymphatic fluid! This was also true of walking, but not to the same degree. I also made sure that I did the arm exercises they sent me home with, but nothing beyond that for my upper body until the drain was out.

I had a lumpectomy and felt basically just fine the day after. I needed a nap to recover, but scared everyone as looked no worse than a bit more tired than usual. I have no idea what would have happened if I had needed a mastectomy. I am thankful that I didn't.

I turned 65 a month ago, which I celebrated with a weekend x-country skiing with my guy. We had a blast, except that I need something to keep my right boot from rubbing on my ankle bone. Just glorious scenery, and yes we ate well.

For the record, I will say that during treatment, there were days that I didn't feel like walking. But I did it anyway, and always felt better afterwards. (I didn't feel like doing last night's walk either, post website screw up which I did trying for perfection....all is just fine now.)

I make exercise a priority in my life. I will do crunches on the exercise ball prior to leaving for the office (after I redo the website changes that I wiped out with the restore last night). I will either do a 5k run or a 2 mile walk after I get home depending on the amount of daylight left and whether raining. I will do my free weight routing while cooking diner. I have a cycling date with a friend who is between jobs for Saturday AM, followed by a trip to a bakery.

I have seen women on the Let's Post Our Daily Exercise thread go from having difficulty moving to running 5k races. (I did one back in December and was dreadful...but I don't care....I did it.) These moments are always exciting.

I think I learned about the importance of exercise from my mother. She waited too long to have her hips replaced, and she was left unbalanced. So she had to do her miles of walking(in the woods on logging roads with her dog) with two canes. Others would have been wheelchair bound. - Claire

Claire - your mother is amazing! What a great role model. You're a great role model for all of us, too!

I hear you loud and clear. I have always had a weight problem. Each year I gained more and more. I went and had the lapband done and found a way to get around it although it did help some. Ended up with a 20 lb. weight loss at the end. Lost more but gained some back. THEN....I was watching Dr. Phil and Dr. Stork was on talking about his book, "The Doctor's Diet". I bought it first for my Kindle and thought well I have just wasted 8.50. But I didn't. He has a diet that you can live with for the rest of your life. After we were on it for about 2 months I thought I am never going back to the way I use to eat. That was a year ago. I lost 33, my husband 42 and we have kept it off. The books makes so much sense and ironically he talks about preventing cancer. Wish I would have started it years ago. If you have any questions feel free to ask me anytime.