Fasting: interesting experiment!

AnnNYC
AnnNYC Member Posts: 27
in Uterine/Endometrial Cancer #1

So, I gained weight the last 3 years which my Dr. said correlated to my current diagnosis.  I don't have diabetes or high blood pressure or anything but definitely have been meaning to get serious about slimming back down.

As soon as I received that lovely call telling me I had cancer, my first instinct was to think how I just wanted to starve those terrible cells!  I've been fasting for two days now and I'm shocked that I feel fine (other than the constant abdominal pain), am not feeling weak and am not hungry.  But the most interesting part of this is to see that for 2 days now, I have not bled!  I had been bleeding every day for months and this is the longest period of time without bleeding!  

I'm giddy at the thought that this fasting is actually starving those hateful cells!

Has anyone tried using intermittent fasting during treatment?  I've heard that it can also positively affect your body's response to chemo, ie. you don't feel as sick/can recover faster.  

After my PET/CT scan tomorrow, I will likely break the fast as it seems 3 day stretches are the maximum advised at a time.  Just curious if anyone has tried this with success.  

Comments

  • Gardena
    Gardena Member Posts: 102
    #2
    AnnNYC

    You will need your strength to heal from surgery and protein will become important to injest if you go onto chemo. From my understanding, nutrition is a key element in recovering during and after treatment. I haven't heard of anyone fasting to kill cancer cells, but I have heard of people limiting their sugar intake. All the best to you~ 

  • CheeseQueen57
    CheeseQueen57 Member Posts: 933 Member
    #3
    Fasting

    Hi Ann,

    Now is probably not the time to focus on weight loss. Fasting can place people with cancer at risk, especially those who are malnourished. Studies related to cancer suggest that fasting could actually lead to promotion of tumors. No evidence supports fasting as a healthy habit during cancer therapy or any other time. 

  • AnnNYC
    AnnNYC Member Posts: 27
    #4
    CheeseQueen57 said:

    Fasting

    Hi Ann,

    Now is probably not the time to focus on weight loss. Fasting can place people with cancer at risk, especially those who are malnourished. Studies related to cancer suggest that fasting could actually lead to promotion of tumors. No evidence supports fasting as a healthy habit during cancer therapy or any other time. 

    Healthy eating

    Thank you for your good advice.  Now that I've had my PET/CT today, I'm easing back into eating.  Healthy eating it will be, as it should have been all along, but now I will really fuel my body with what it needs to get through this.  I'm still fascinated by the fact that I'm now on day 3 of no bleeding though, which is extremely exceptional for me.  I think I will stay away from sugar and see if I can continue this trend.

     

  • molimoli
    molimoli Member Posts: 514
    #5
    AnnNYC said:

    Healthy eating

    Thank you for your good advice.  Now that I've had my PET/CT today, I'm easing back into eating.  Healthy eating it will be, as it should have been all along, but now I will really fuel my body with what it needs to get through this.  I'm still fascinated by the fact that I'm now on day 3 of no bleeding though, which is extremely exceptional for me.  I think I will stay away from sugar and see if I can continue this trend.

     

    I was worried for you and that fasting revelation.

    Wise move to not fast my sister, you cannot starve cancer cells without also starving the cancer fighting cells as well

    then you will get new health issues on top of cancer issues,

    Decision to eat' healthy' is a plus, good luck.

    Moli wishing showers of blessings and 0 confusion. Nuff love.

     

  • molimoli
    molimoli Member Posts: 514
    #6
    CheeseQueen57 said:

    Fasting

    Hi Ann,

    Now is probably not the time to focus on weight loss. Fasting can place people with cancer at risk, especially those who are malnourished. Studies related to cancer suggest that fasting could actually lead to promotion of tumors. No evidence supports fasting as a healthy habit during cancer therapy or any other time. 

    Thanks for the sanity revival Cheese

    Well said , sensibly said, needed to be said in this said way.

    To all my valued sisters ,ABSOLUTELY NO FASTING EVEN IF YOU ARE A CERTIFIED 'CHERUB' This is earth.

    Plenty love , Moli

  • culka
    culka Member Posts: 149 Member
    #7
    Fasting

    Hi ladies, it's 8 years and a week since I was diagnosed with cancers (serous, clear cells and endometroid), that time stage II b, today only stage II.

    2 years later, in October 2010 I fast for 21 days. I did that as a training for possible recurrence. With my collection and all of them grade 3 it's look to me like no if, but when.

    Anyway it was awesome experience, my best friend was glass of water and not so worm shower. I worked almost all the time, cooked for my family, took care of garden.

    Since then I found out that ketogenic diet mimics fast so you can try that. Recommended author  is Elaine Cantin 

  • molimoli
    molimoli Member Posts: 514
    #8
    culka said:

    Fasting

    Hi ladies, it's 8 years and a week since I was diagnosed with cancers (serous, clear cells and endometroid), that time stage II b, today only stage II.

    2 years later, in October 2010 I fast for 21 days. I did that as a training for possible recurrence. With my collection and all of them grade 3 it's look to me like no if, but when.

    Anyway it was awesome experience, my best friend was glass of water and not so worm shower. I worked almost all the time, cooked for my family, took care of garden.

    Since then I found out that ketogenic diet mimics fast so you can try that. Recommended author  is Elaine Cantin 

    Glad you survived the fasting .

    .

    The length of time you've been on this cancer journey  reeks of hope for newbies , Thanks for posting.

    Other than maybe weight lost did you identify any cancer benefit from that fast that you can share with us?

    Moli --Wishing no recurrence .Nuff Love.

     

  • Tethys41
    Tethys41 Member Posts: 1,382 Member
    #9
    The Benefits of Fasting During Treatment

    Hi AnnNYC,

    Actually, you are onto something.  Dr. Valter Longo has done quite a bit of research regarding intermittent fasting and cancer and it shows quite a bit of promise.  He based his research on Otto Warburg's research that showed you can reduce the activity of cancer cells by depriving them of sugar.  Thomas Seyfried even said in his book "Cancer as a Metabolic Disease,"  that perhaps the conventional treatments are not what impact the cancer directly but the anorexia caused by them.  In other words, the fact that conventional treatment negatively impacts the patient's appetite may actually be what kills the cancer.

    I know a number of women who fast around chemo days.  They eat a high fat, moderate protein, very low carb breakfast the day before chemo and break the fast the morning after chemo with a similar type of meal.  This starves the cancer cells prior to chemo, which causes them to absorb much more of the chemo drugs when they are administered.  Women I know who do this have very, very minimal side effects from the treatment because the cancer cells absorb the bulk of the drugs, leaving the normal cells unharmed. 

    I know to many, this might sound counterintuitive, bordering on bad advice.  But the women I know who are following this protocol are doing so under the guidance of health practitioners.  Additionaly, the advice is to stick to a ketogenic diet, very low carb.  There are a number of Ketogenic cookbooks out there, if you decide to check into it.  There is also a Facebook Page for people pursuing a Ketogenic diet.  Most of the people there are doing the diet to lose weight, but some of them are using the diet for cancer purposes.  Good luck. Do you research.

  • culka
    culka Member Posts: 149 Member
    #10
    molimoli said:

    Glad you survived the fasting .

    .

    The length of time you've been on this cancer journey  reeks of hope for newbies , Thanks for posting.

    Other than maybe weight lost did you identify any cancer benefit from that fast that you can share with us?

    Moli --Wishing no recurrence .Nuff Love.

     

    Like I said I did it so I

    Like I said I did it so I know what to do if that beast come back. So no mesuraeble cancer benefit in my case.

    BUT:  friend back home has/had lymphoma about 10 years ago. After chemo he did 22 and 26 days fast (I mean water only) and 6 years ago doctors saw something on his lungs  and they tried to convinced him for surgery. He did 40 days and so far so good.

  • AnnNYC
    AnnNYC Member Posts: 27
    #11
    Tethys41 said:

    The Benefits of Fasting During Treatment

    Hi AnnNYC,

    Actually, you are onto something.  Dr. Valter Longo has done quite a bit of research regarding intermittent fasting and cancer and it shows quite a bit of promise.  He based his research on Otto Warburg's research that showed you can reduce the activity of cancer cells by depriving them of sugar.  Thomas Seyfried even said in his book "Cancer as a Metabolic Disease,"  that perhaps the conventional treatments are not what impact the cancer directly but the anorexia caused by them.  In other words, the fact that conventional treatment negatively impacts the patient's appetite may actually be what kills the cancer.

    I know a number of women who fast around chemo days.  They eat a high fat, moderate protein, very low carb breakfast the day before chemo and break the fast the morning after chemo with a similar type of meal.  This starves the cancer cells prior to chemo, which causes them to absorb much more of the chemo drugs when they are administered.  Women I know who do this have very, very minimal side effects from the treatment because the cancer cells absorb the bulk of the drugs, leaving the normal cells unharmed. 

    I know to many, this might sound counterintuitive, bordering on bad advice.  But the women I know who are following this protocol are doing so under the guidance of health practitioners.  Additionaly, the advice is to stick to a ketogenic diet, very low carb.  There are a number of Ketogenic cookbooks out there, if you decide to check into it.  There is also a Facebook Page for people pursuing a Ketogenic diet.  Most of the people there are doing the diet to lose weight, but some of them are using the diet for cancer purposes.  Good luck. Do you research.

    Thank you for your informative reply

    It's been 21 days since I was diagnosed.  I've gone through a few short water fasts, but mostly have just eliminated sugar in all forms from my diet, and reduced many foods that would easily break down to sugar in my body (carbohydrates).  I am due to start chemo in 2 days and may revisit the research I had started regarding fasting immediately surrounding a chemo infusion.  I am motivated to supplement, enhance, and aid the medical process in any way that I can.  I will look into some of the resources you mentioned.  Thank you!

     

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