Weight loss

pjk
pjk Member Posts: 17
edited March 2014 in Uterine/Endometrial Cancer #1
I was diagnosed with uterine cancer last week. In doing research, my husband found there is a link between excessive estrogen from being obese and this cancer. He is now asking me to lose weight. I have been obese since childhood and never successfully maintained any weight loss. He says I need to optimize my nutrition now, eat lots of fruit, veggies and whole grains.

Have any of you tried to radically changed your diet to encourage weight loss during treatment? We don't know enough about my cancer yet to know what will be done other than the total hysterectomy that is coming up.

Does anyone out there have any nutrition advice?

Comments

  • thank you
    thank you Member Posts: 77
    Hi,
    Endometrioid endometrial

    Hi,

    Endometrioid endometrial cancer is associated with obesity: fat tissue produces estrogen, which after menophause "hit" the uterine. In normal cycle estrogen and progesterone (produced by the ovaries) alternate (estrogen makes the endometrium to proliferate and be ready for a possible pregnancy, and progesterone causes the bleeding). Unopposed estrogen stimulation coming from fat in obese women after menopause can lead to increased endometrial proliferation, then endometrial atypia, then cancer.
    What kind of uterine cancer you have? Whatever the type of the cancer THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR DIET!!!!! Good nutrition yes, try to be in good physical condition, yes. But no radical diets. It will not help the cancer. Depending on your type and stage, you will or won't need specific treatment. Don't overwhelm your self now with diets. I agree with fruits, veggies and whole grains, always good, unless you need to have radiation then you have to avoid. Wait for your doctor's appointment, find out what stage of cancer you have and what the treatment should be.
    And come to this site to read what those amazing women have to say.
  • deanna14
    deanna14 Member Posts: 732
    thank you said:

    Hi,
    Endometrioid endometrial

    Hi,

    Endometrioid endometrial cancer is associated with obesity: fat tissue produces estrogen, which after menophause "hit" the uterine. In normal cycle estrogen and progesterone (produced by the ovaries) alternate (estrogen makes the endometrium to proliferate and be ready for a possible pregnancy, and progesterone causes the bleeding). Unopposed estrogen stimulation coming from fat in obese women after menopause can lead to increased endometrial proliferation, then endometrial atypia, then cancer.
    What kind of uterine cancer you have? Whatever the type of the cancer THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR DIET!!!!! Good nutrition yes, try to be in good physical condition, yes. But no radical diets. It will not help the cancer. Depending on your type and stage, you will or won't need specific treatment. Don't overwhelm your self now with diets. I agree with fruits, veggies and whole grains, always good, unless you need to have radiation then you have to avoid. Wait for your doctor's appointment, find out what stage of cancer you have and what the treatment should be.
    And come to this site to read what those amazing women have to say.

    I agree...
    I agree that this is not the time for a diet. It is always a good idea to eat healthy and maintain an active lifestyle, but now is not the time to try to lose weight. If you do have to have chemo and/or radiation the possibility of compromised nutrition is a risk factor. Concentrate on getting yourself through surgery and any treatment that you may have to have. Eating a healthy diet is important during treatment. This time is about you, so take care of yourself the best way you can.
  • bonniesue
    bonniesue Member Posts: 124 Member
    deanna14 said:

    I agree...
    I agree that this is not the time for a diet. It is always a good idea to eat healthy and maintain an active lifestyle, but now is not the time to try to lose weight. If you do have to have chemo and/or radiation the possibility of compromised nutrition is a risk factor. Concentrate on getting yourself through surgery and any treatment that you may have to have. Eating a healthy diet is important during treatment. This time is about you, so take care of yourself the best way you can.

    getting through it
    I think it is important to eat what you can to keep your strenght up-radx can make you nauseated/dehydrated an then you might not get as much nuitrition. Deanna. so important to say this time is about you--so very true.
  • Reddie
    Reddie Member Posts: 72
    bonniesue said:

    getting through it
    I think it is important to eat what you can to keep your strenght up-radx can make you nauseated/dehydrated an then you might not get as much nuitrition. Deanna. so important to say this time is about you--so very true.

    nutrition advise
    Actually, I've been overweight since high school so it's time for me to change what I eat. I normally don't like to eat lots of fruits and vegetables so now I'm guilty. Now I have to change my eating lifestyle. Eating healthy lifestyle is not a choice but we have to live with it for the rest of our lives. Try to maintain proper nutrition by eating 5 servings of fruit and vegetables. I've learn a lot from my step mother who survived three cancers so she's teaching me what to eat. She said, it's very important to have protein, fruits, grains and/or vegetables in every meal but not necessary to over eat. At dinner eat lightly especially before 6 pm so that way your body can sleep well at night. I have been eating prunes and dried apricots every day in order to have good bowel movement. I've lost 10 pounds without trying! Most of all try to avoid sugar cuz Cancer loves sugar.
  • lindaprocopio
    lindaprocopio Member Posts: 1,980
    God help the man who told me I needed to lose weight! HA!!
    I strongly agree that during cancer treatment is NOT the time to try and drop a few pounds! But I do think that what you eat to keep your body strong is one of the few things you CAN control in this whole mess, and that upping the fiber and staying hydrated during chemo; and lowering the fiber and STILL stay hydrated during radiation are well worth the effort. I fell into an eating routine with chemo that was something I could follow even when food tasted horrible. Every day I ate 'Fiber One' for breakfast. mixed with almonds and some kind of fresh fruit stirred into the cereal. Every day for lunch I had a spinach salad, with an apple diced into it, more nuts of some kind, and a hard-boiled egg diced in; and a container of yogurt. For dinner I had whatever the family was eating, and lots of it!. ( I say 'every day', but I often went out to eat with girlfriends for lunch and had whatever looked good on the menu, so I don't want you to think I was rigid about this.) And I drank 64 ounces of water, juice, and green tea every day. I gained 15 pounds on this 'diet' during my 6 chemo rounds. That may be because I didn't deny myself desserts when I was feeling good, and I often ate 2 helpings at dinner of pasta or whatever we were having if it was something I really liked. And, although I am someone who has 'watched my weight' for the last 2 decades, I didn't worry when the weight came on during chemo. I wanted to give my body what it needed to 'fight the fight'. I also slept about 10 hours a night, which is something I would NEVER have thought possible.

    I've lost 9 of those 15 pounds I'd gained during the external radiation part of my treatment, and I still have the 3 bracys (internal radiation) to go. That's another reason not to worry about weight gain; you don't know how your body will react to different parts of your treatment protocol. It is much harder for me to stay on or enjoy the low-fiber radiation diet, as I prefer brown rice to white; whole grain to processed; and fresh frusits and vegetables to cooked and processed. So the high fiber chemo diet was more what I was used to eatin pre-cancer. And with the low-fiber radiation diet, I tend to eat less now of this unfamilar bland food; it's just not appealing enough to eat 2nd helpings. Plus I don't eat in the evenings now since I don't want to be up with diahrea when I should be sleeping. But I still drink the 64 ounces of fluid every day.

    The 'thin' you get from being sick isn't an attractive slimness. Save trying to lose weight until a year from now. Just focus on eating healthy. BIG HUGS!
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  • lacey2008
    lacey2008 Member Posts: 1
    I am sorry to hear about
    I am sorry to hear about your cancer diagnosis. On tips for losing weight, I may be able to help you. I suggest doing something active that you like. Some people do it by getting gym memberships, and others do it by eating healthier. I think getting a gym membership could be a great idea, but I would definitely suggest joining a class with it. Something that you like to do like dancing or yoga. I hope I was able to help.
  • susie1143
    susie1143 Member Posts: 105
    lacey2008 said:

    I am sorry to hear about
    I am sorry to hear about your cancer diagnosis. On tips for losing weight, I may be able to help you. I suggest doing something active that you like. Some people do it by getting gym memberships, and others do it by eating healthier. I think getting a gym membership could be a great idea, but I would definitely suggest joining a class with it. Something that you like to do like dancing or yoga. I hope I was able to help.

    Weight Loss
    Hi, sorry to hear about your diagnosis.

    I have struggled with weight my whole life. About 7 years ago I was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). Much of my weight is due to PCOS which is a type of insulin resistance. One of the most important things that you can do, is to eat healthy. Not so much dieting but a healthy lifestyle. Also, exercise is important. Not just physically but emotionally.

    Once I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer, I'm not so concerned about my weight. I'll tackle that once I'm done with my brachy treatments. There's several posts regarding healthy foods so do a search.

    Hope this helps.
    Susie (Lilly the Clown)