I was diagnosed with cancer last April. Not thrilled about it, and have gone through a variety of treatment protocols. I was given 6 months to live, but I’m feeling good and believe I will conquer this thing.
Part of my strategy — losing the excess weight.
Because being fat can contribute to cancer growth. And I want to do everything I can to make sure the cancer goes away and doesn’t come back.
I do all sorts of weird things that I think help. I have written articles about some of it that have been published in Wholistique, and I’ve linked a couple below.
But getting back to the weight loss — it’s different for me than for a lot of people since I really am doing it for health reasons, not because I need to get my body ready for swimsuit season. Looking good in a bathing suit is the furthest thing from my mind. Heck, thanks to a mastectomy a few years back, I only have one breast. Nevertheless, when I visited Budapest the year before the pandemic, I went bathing in the spas there and, you know, no one made me feel bad about my lack of cleavage.
Nevertheless, it does feel good to fit into the smaller clothes I’ve had tossed in the back of my closet for years. This is the true sign of optimism and dreams, the hope that we once again will have the body we used to.
But anyway, I am taking health in general pretty seriously right now, and so I’ve had a steady weight loss since my diagnosis. I’ve been keeping track of it on a spreadsheet because I’m seriously geeky.
Since last September, I’ve dropped 33 pounds. That does not look impressive, I know. It’s only a little over 4 pounds a month. However, there are several factors to consider.
- I am over 50 years old and female
- I haven’t been able to exercise until recently
- I’ve been going through cancer treatments
- I have carried excess weight since I was first diagnosed with cancer 18 years ago. I gained 30 pounds in response to chemo, which I think was my body’s protective mechanism.
- For years after chemo, I was not able to exercise properly. I just was too weak. It’s been frustrating, because when I was in my mid-20s, I was climbing 14’ers in Colorado and would routinely hike 8–10 hours a day.
Given what my body has been fighting, I am proud of myself and of my body.
Here are some things I’ve learned to support myself as I deal with both health and weight loss issues:
- I am fine just the way I am. My body is strong and powerful because it has overcome so much.
- Health is a process. It’s OK to go backwards sometimes. Just don’t give up and try to move forward again.
- If someone is not supportive — they don’t belong in my life.
My spreadsheet shows how my progress has varied. There are periods when I’ve lost a good amount — for example, in the last month, I lost 9 pounds. Then, over the last week, my progress seems to have plateaued again. However, that has coincided with some health issues I’ve had to battle recently.
Looking at the plateaus — they all coincide with periods where I’ve had to deal with health complications.
What this has taught me is that when you hit a weight loss plateau, there is usually a reason for it. If you track your weight and keep notes of what else is going on in your life — this can help you figure out what can stymie progress.
One thing to be careful of — keeping realistic weight loss goals.
If you are young, healthy, and active — 10 pounds a month can be realistic. During the initial phase, sometimes people can even lose more. But if you push yourself too hard and start getting injured or feeling sick — then it’s too much. You have to listen to your own body. Instead of comparing yourself to other people, set realistic goals based on your own body.
For someone with my health issues — 4 pounds a month might be a great goal. I know that when I am doing well, I can lose more, but I also know that there will be times I need to accept that my body needs to heal and so that is my focus.
Honestly, my primary goal is simply to heal. Weight loss is only important to me to the extent it facilitates that.
- It’s OK to sometimes break a diet. As someone who wants to remain cancer free, for me sticking to a healthy diet is not just about weight, it’s about survival. So I’m pretty strict. But at the same time, I am trying to survive for a reason — I want to live. Instead of beating yourself up when you cheat, do it only when it really matters. The rest of the time, suggest to friends that you go for a walk or meet for tea instead of going out to eat. If they are the friends you want, they will be fine with that.
- Losing weight helps me exercise more easily. It’s synergistic. You lose a little weight and suddenly it’s easier and more fun to walk fast. You feel proud of what you’re accomplishing and this helps you stick better to your diet, which helps you do more when you exercise.
- Be aware that if you build muscle, you will look and feel better but it might not show up on the scale. So be realistic and consider body composition as well as overall weight.
- Stay away from over-the-top fads and research diets before you commit. For example, intermittent fasting has been popular in recent years and, honestly, I think it’s great for many people. However, women need to be careful if they do it because it can impact hormone levels. Fasting in general can be great for women and traditionally, many cultures have practiced fasting for spiritual or health reasons. So I’m not saying it’s not safe — but women need to be aware of health implications. There are other groups such as the elderly or immune-compromised or those with liver or kidney issues that need to really do their research before fasting.
So, there you go. I’ve shared some of my experience with weight loss, and hope that at least some of it was able to help you as well. Be happy, be kind, and stay well.
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This post was previously published on Shefali O’Hara’s blog.
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