CANNOT Lose This Weight

Kristy2012
Kristy2012 Member Posts: 3
in Ovarian Cancer #1
Ok, so I just joined a few minutes ago out of sheer desperation. I have survived Stage IIIc Ovarian Cancer having been in remission since September 18, 2011 after 6 rounds of chemo. I had a total hysterectomy, appendectomy, and omentum removed. After my surgery I was afraid to eat because I didn't want discomfort from the staples holding my abdominal skin together plus I was incredibly nervous to try and sleep at night. The sheets kept irritating my incision/staples so I'd lay in bed at night with my heart racing. Overall I lost 10lbs after my surgery.

Then the steroids hit compounding the fact that I like food. Pizza, ice cream ... comfort food. Never did I really worry about gaining weight because it came on slowly at first. Now I'm up 20lbs or about 50lbs over my ideal weight.

In January I began using the Power90 At Home Workout, monitored my food intake, basically busted my butt to get this weight under control with no results. I increased my protien, decreased carbs and fat, still no results.

My oncologist is highly reluctant to put me on HRT due to my BRCA1 positive trait and high probability of breast cancer. So he prescribed me Tamoxifen, certain that it would give me results because one of the side effects is weight loss. Been almost a month, nothing has changed.

He also recommended The Flat Belly Diet but my husband is very cynical about it and I can't make separate food for myself, my husband, and our 3.5 year old.

So I'm stuck. I'm miserable because on top of only having about 3 or so inches of dark hair (formerly looong blonde hair) I'm also fat. And MORE frustrated because it's not like I'm not TRYING.

Yes, I KNOW that I should be happy to be alive and I AM, but I also want to be HAPPY.

Aside from portion control, cardio/weights 5 times a week what the heck can I do???

Oh, and my 39th birthday is tomorrow. I had vowed to be down at least 30lbs by now. :(

Comments

  • forme
    forme Member Posts: 1,161 Member
    #2
    Thoughts
    Hi Kristy

    Just a thought. Have you had your thyroid levels checked? Your level might be low, which can make it very hard to lose weight. Chemo can affect so many parts of our life. I would reccomend getting checked. It's a simple blood test. Best to you.

    Lisha
  • Tethys41
    Tethys41 Member Posts: 1,382 Member
    #3
    Weight Loss
    The best results I've ever had on a weight loss diet was the "Fat Flush Plan" by Louise Gittleman. Athough it sounds like you may have been following a similar diet, maybe there is some critical piece you are missing.
    If you are insulin resistant, you won't be able to lose weight, plus it increases your cancer risk. You may want to ask your doctor to test you for this. Also, if you have sleep apnea, you won't be able to resolve the insulin resistnace without first resolving the sleep apnea. Your doctor can request a noctournal pulse oximmetry test, to see if your blod oxygen falls at night
    When you mention the HRT, are you referring to the HGC hormone treatment for weight loss? Although I doubted it was safe for cancer survivors, my naturopath prescribes it for her overweight patients who are cancer survivors. She says it does not involve the type of hormones that would affect cancer and she thinks it is important for cancer suvivors to get the excess weight off because it retains toxins. She is an ovarian cancer survivor, for 20 years, is BRCA1 and BRCA2 positive and used this treatment to rid herself of excess weight.
  • Felicia_205
    Felicia_205 Member Posts: 79 Member
    #4
    I lost 40 pounds by
    I lost 40 pounds by switching to veganism, drinking only water and tea(unsweet), and doing yoga. I have been a vegetarian for a long time but once I gave up dairy the weight started melting off of me and it has stayed off. Pretty hard at first but definately worth it.
  • kikz
    kikz Member Posts: 1,345 Member
    #5
    Felicia_205 said:

    I lost 40 pounds by
    I lost 40 pounds by switching to veganism, drinking only water and tea(unsweet), and doing yoga. I have been a vegetarian for a long time but once I gave up dairy the weight started melting off of me and it has stayed off. Pretty hard at first but definately worth it.

    I totally understand your frustration, Kristy.
    I have been on Weight Watchers for 9 1/2 months and have lost 18.8 pounds to be exact. I am a lifetime member who lost 120.5 pounds to get to goal, although I admit it was many years ago. I gained it all plus more then lost 148 pounds also many years ago. But I lost weight many times with WW prior to my diagnosis in 2010. People remind me I am a lot older now but I was actually on plan and losing weight when I first starting feeling sick and I was only two years younger than I am now.

    It is perplexing to me but I have had bloodwork when I first started WW and again in January when I complained about the slow weight loss to my doctor. Everything checks out fine and nobody has a satisfactory answer for me. It is frustrating because I have always lost 10 pounds a month for the first few months. Even if I lost half that now I would be happy.

    I am tired of people asking if I am eating the right number of points, drinking water, exercising, using extra points, not using extra points, eat more, eat less, blah, blah, blah. Yes, yes, yes to all the questions. I know how to do WW. I am also exercising and drinking water which I never did before. If I wasn't following the plan I wouldn't be complaining.

    But the fact of the matter is I have no choice but to continue because at least I know I am eating healthfully and I am sticking to it in spite of the lack of results. Maybe that is the lesson I am supposed to be learning.

    I'm sorry if I sound disgusted, I am not. I am just so darned perplexed. It has to have something to do with the disease, chemo or hormones but nobody seems to have the answer.

    I need to lose about another 85 pounds. Based on past history, I thought I would almost be there by now.

    Karen
  • sandyinmi
    sandyinmi Member Posts: 17
    #6
    I can relate
    to what you are saying here. I had lost some weight as well immediately following surgery. And then I started chemo and started gaining.

    I also quit smoking the day I went into the hospital (1/6/12) and have not touched one since.

    But I'm now up 25 lbs since the end of January. And I had 40 - 50 lbs to lose then.

    I'm 59. The weight does not come off easily at this age.

    I am not sure I've been trying tho. I'm having difficulty mustering up the motivation.
    Sany
  • mopar
    mopar Member Posts: 1,972 Member
    #7
    I CAN RELATE TO YOUR FRUSTRATION
    It sure is a difficult task to lose weight after having been through so much. For me, it is an ongoing struggle. I did find out some years ago that all the chemo, and CT's scans with triple contrast (for 2 to 3 a year for at least 10 years) was most likely the cause of my 'burned out' thyroid. Although I take Armour Thyroid, I have to still be diligent with my diet and exercise. I am on the go ALL day long (family health issues, work, etc.). You would think that I'd be as thin as a rail. But stress can also cause that weight gain, especially around the belly.

    Having said that, please don't give up. It is vital that you support your body with good protein, first and foremost. I have been extra generous with good veges and fruits such as berries. Rest is important, especially if you work out or have an otherwise stressful lifestyle (believe it or not, exercise IS stress and requires rest to rebuild your body, too).

    You are quite a bit younger than I - I am 57. There is somewhat of a 'normal/natural' expectation for us to have more difficulty as we get older to lose weight. So all of what we've been through, compounded with those factors certainly do explain the challenge. Just a suggestion: forgo the cardio, and utilize a weight bearing/weight training program instead. If done right, you can still benefit from cardio, but you will also build good muscle (as long as you support with protein) which will burn calories even when you're not working out, AND will help you body strength AND bone strength.

    I wish you the best, and let us know if we can help more.

    (((HUGS)))
    Monika

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