Hi, I have been diagnosed with primary lobular breast cancer and awaiting MRI and surgery. As I have read that being overweight increases risk of re occurrence I am really keen to properly start losing weight as have been yo yo dieting all my life but unsure about healthiest option. I am currently a WW member and would appreciate anyone’s thoughts and experiences x
Hello @ca55
I’m sorry to hear you find yourself in the club no-one wants to join. It is very understandable that when asking the question “why me?” you start thinking about some other aspects of your lifestyle and what you may like to do to change things.
What I would say however is whilst you are in active treatment please don’t try to do too much: your body (and mind!) are about to be put through so much trying to effect changes at the same time just doesn’t work! You have permission to eat as much cake as you like
Cancer “diet” advice is no different from any other normal healthy eating advice (despite what some may try and tell or sell(!) you) the best advice is to try and cut down on processed and ultra processed food, sugar and alcohol and eat more fruit and vegetables.
In terms of trying to lose excess weight, personally I had success in shifting weight I really thought I couldn’t lose, using an app which uses CBT to help you change your approach to eating less (or not eating food your body doesn’t need!) but I only started this six months after I finished active treatment
Wishing you all the best with your treatment plan
AM xxx
Like @adoptedmanc says - it is pretty much the same advice as eating healthy.
6 weeks ago, I joined a gym which has helped. I do very simple/ light cardio every morning and that has helped a bit, especially as I was waking with stress at 5-6am and getting very down.
I’ve also read up a lot about cancer prehab - a newish concept - but that was helpful in finding things to do pre-surgery. I’ve shifted my focus away from doing stuff to help with cancer specifically and more to being in the best state to recover from major surgery. A solid goal.
diet wise: I’ve upped my intake of green leafy veg ( kale/ cabbage, spinach) and also brussel sprouts, broc/ cauliflower. I eat much more fruit. Berries are especially good. As a rule of thumb, the darker the fruit or veg, the better it is for you. Switched out all white stuff (pasta/rice/pastries) for wholemeal/brown alternatives and make that carby section the smallest part of my plate, rather than biggest.
Added in daily seeds and nuts and more healthy fats ( full fat greek yoghurt, avocado, extra virgin olive oil, boiled and poached eggs. Basically, I’ve not cut down the amount of food I eat at all, so I’ve not really been hungry. I try and look at every meal and think, how can I use this opportunity to make this the most nutritious, balanced meal I can eat. I remember I only have 6 weeks to surgery, so every meal counts.
I would be someone who definitely relied on sugar too much, always craving pudding or cake later in the day. I found the first could of weeks hard, but after my taste buds readjusted… I’ve really noticed I taste food more and I notice much more how sweet things are. I had a bit of cake and couldn’t finish it, as it was just too sweet. Crazy.
I’m not a big breakfast eater, so I have moved to intermittent fasting - eating an evening meal (finish by 8pm ( and then skipping breakfast. At 12 I eat a breakfast/ lunch combo. It works for me, but it’s not for everyone.
I was slightly overweight post pandemic, but in 6 weeks I’ve lost the extra weight I was carrying and actually feel A LOT better. Most of my IBS issues have gone. For me rather than dieting, I’ve seen it as pre-surgery prep. I have not calorie counted and I have eaten full fat dairy.
I also recommend this book by Tim Spector - Food for Life. It’s easy to dip into and basically outlines what the best foods are for nutrition with lots of tables showing a rating for each veg, etc.
I also got my GP to do a bunch of blood tests and check vitamin levels so I could see areas I might be lacking.
For me, a mindset change has helped me the most.