Weightloss Support

Hi Barb,

Well done to you and your hubby, that's loads of weight to loose! 

I'm a bit confused by the numbering but eating 5 times a day sounds good to me, I'll have a look at it online.

Xx

Hello - I was already considerably overweight, to put it mildly, when 'all this' began. I was determined that I wouldn't put any more weight on during treatment and, quite frankly, was terrified by the idea of steroids as I thought that they would cause inevitable weight gain. We are probably all on here taking or have taken different doses of steroids - in my case there was the dose immediately before the chemo started and then the two days' worth to go home with each time. On the first cycle I took them on the first day home only, on the second cycle I took one and on the third and fourth cycle I didn't take any. I did check with the oncologist that they were 'just' for anti-sickness and not part of the treatment itself. She confirmed that this is the case so I thought that I would do without, particularly as 'they' also give you other anti-sickness drugs. To be honest, I felt fine not taking them but I know that this can be different for everybody.

I had a mastectomy and an implant followed by a big infection which resulted in the implant having to come out. I am not happy about this but had to get on with it as otherwise I was delaying chemo and radiotherapy. The only way that reconstruction will be considered in the future is if I lose (a lot of) weight and get fitter. I am determined to do this and even if the reconstruction does not for some reason prove possible for me there is absolutely no reason why I can't make the most of myself in other ways.

I have upped my exercise - walking in the main - and don't eat as much and for all of the 'wrong' reasons. I think the best thing is to not overly focus on it - it's just something else one is doing along with anything else that there may be in one's life. I hope I will continue with my positive attitude. One thing is for sure, many people have commented on how well I am looking and a good number have remarked on the difference in my appearance. One thing that has worked for me is to only get on the scales every couple of weeks and to get somebody to tell me how much I've lost - that's all I want or need to know, not how much I weigh and not how much I need to lose (you kind of know that anyway). Keeping a total of the weight lost is a much more positive way to look at it than thinking how much you need to lose. So far I have lost 2 stone 9lbs.

Good luck to all of you - we all need to find a way which works for us.

Hi Lass,

I’m in a similar boat with levothyroxine, PCOS, pain and Lymphodema.

I’ve put on so much weight (currently  21 st 12 lb) my breast cancer was also estrogen positive and I need to lose the weight.

What app do you use?

Xx

Hi AnaE,

Well done, 2 stone 9 is amazing, you must feel so much better for it. 

Do you have any good eating tips or suggestions for tasty snacks?

Xx

Hi smw,

Welcome to the group. If you have an iPhone there is an app on it as standard, I've just come across it today after Lass told me about it, it's a white box with a red heart and it's called 'health'

Xx

Hi Lass

I started putting weight on with my chemo and from diagnosis to a yr later I had gone from a size 14 to a size 26. Everyone kept saying oh it’s a good sign and of course now it’s oh you need to loose weight! Well of course I know that. I started weight watchers and have lost a stone but went to class tonight and had put 4lbs back on, I could have cried but back to the it now. I’m on 22 tablets at night and i know they don’t help  but at the same time they aren’t the only reason. Really gets me down. 

I am with you . What shall I do to follow you ?

Lmao Arla! The cats lie around more than I do sometimes! They lie on me, I get up to do something - and they lie on my warm seat. lol. I think I've been ore active than they have today, which probably means there will be a 1am hoolie happening!

Nice loss AnaE!! That's awesome!! How long has it taken you to lose that? As you say, weightloss needs to happen for everyone in their own way, because we're all overweight for different reasons, and we also have our own issues to deal with, be they mental or physical. But however people want to achieve their goals, I think they almost always appreciate a little pat on the back and a well done - because weightloss is not an easy thing to do! Luckily, and touch wood, I've never had any steroids because the treatment for thyroid cancer is very specific to it and doesn't involve chemo, usually. Though one of the medications I'm on for the womb cancer does list 'moon face' as a possible side effect, so those may have a steroid effect if I'm unlucky!

Hey Smw32 - I use the one that came with my phone. So as I use a Samsung, it's the Samsung Health app that's preloaded. When I eat, I plug in the calories and nutritional info so that it adds it up and tells me how I'm doing. I also put in my height and weight, a target weight, and how active I was - and it gave me a calorie allowance for each day to stick to to help lose weight. So for me, I've found it really useful. Do you want to join us in our weight loss journey and be added to the list on the first page?

Hey Wesie! Yeh, I have heard that some people have trouble keeping weight on during chemo, and the fat is needed to help get through it. So well done you for managing that! I do wonder what people think when they point out the obvious about someone's weight. Do they really think we don't know what sizes of clothes we are picking up and trying on?! *Hugs* Well done on the loss of a stone, but don't be too disheartened by the increase of 4 lbs. I know that one of those big groups does tell you not to weigh yourself in between classes, but if you do you will see that you fluctuate throughout the day. It could be that today, you were just retaining fluid, and you've not actually put any fat back on at all! That's a positive way to look at it!

I understand the feelings of your weight getting you down. I often look at myself and pics of me, especially at fancy dos, and feel so depressed about the size I am and how minging I think I look. It usually then leads me to comfort eat...... which is just a viscious cycle that I'm trying to break.

Hey Ammie! Are you looking to lose some weight too? We're not really doing anything organised as in following a specific diet or exercise plan all together. We're just finding what works best for us all as individuals, and then helping each other through the bad days and the cravings etc. I'm also tracking the weight of anyone who wants to share on the first page, so we can see at a glance how well everyone is doing.

So if anyone wants to join us, do jump on in and share your top tips, low fat snacks and recipes, and lets all try to beat the bulge!

Lass

xx

I try not to overly focus on calories but rather on healthy choices and portion control. Believe me, I sometimes go the 'wrong' way - last time I was weighed I had put on 1kg (2.2lbs). A couple of things I like/do: 1. stewed apples with a few sultanas in with them to sweeten them up a bit served with natural yoghurt. I sometimes have this for breakfast along with porridge made with semi-skimmed milk or on its own. The apple w sultanas and yoghurt make a nice dessert/snack too. Re the yoghurt, I don't buy the low fat stuff because from what I've heard, the low fat versions contain more sugar. Yeo Valley natural yoghurt is good. 2. I have a couple of grilled vegetarian sausages (Cauldron/Linda McCartney/Tesco) with loads of vegetables for dinner. I think one needs some 'bulk' and have recently discovered the joys of swede, carrot, butternut squash and sweet potato - any combination thereof boiled and mashed together. Not everybody's 'cup of tea' perhaps but each to their own. 3. M&S Spicy Lentil soup from the chiller section. That and the Butternut Squash one are both very tasty and you could have the whole carton without it doing too much 'damage'.

I also have upped my walking from very little to trying to get a walk in every day. I bought a FitBit which a friend helped me to set up otherwise I wouldn't have managed it. I have mine set for 8000 steps which I thought was enough to start with. I don't always succeed and sometimes fall considerably short but I persevere. This is the thing - perseverance. If I haven't got enough walking in I sometimes just get up and 'walk' on the spot. Once I am able I will get back to aquafit which unfortunately I haven't been able to do for seven months now due to operations and treatment.

Sorry - I seem to write essays. I think above all to lose weight you need to be in the right headspace and, as I said before, to not overly focus on it. It is just something else you are doing in your life while you get on with everything else!

Finally, I have recently discovered that M&S do little packets of sugar free sweets (to be found at the check out) and it really is worth buying a few packs of these for those moments when you just want to put something in your mouth. You can eat the whole pack and it only amounts to about 115 calories.

hi, re crisps, walkers fries are low fat. Only 2 points per pack re weight watchers compared to 4 for walkers crisps,  weight watchers crisps are only 2 points too, from pound shops  so you can have your crisps just healthier ones. Weight watchers has helped me loose 6 stone, what you would spend on sweets cake and chocolate will pay for your weight watcher subscription, it's a good night out, plenty of encouragement, and the extra help in loosing a few pounds.  The new flex system is brilliant, it's not just about fitting into a size 12 dress, it's all about making the most of life, being happy, healthy