Hello

psmsheriff

Hi, my name is Michele. I am 52 years old, breast cancer "survivor". My goal is to lose weight and create a healthier lifestyle.

Corina1143

Welcome Michele! I'm trying to get healthier, too. This is a good place for it.

AnnPT77

Hi, Michele!

I'm a breast cancer survivor, too, in my case a long-term-er. I was diagnosed with stage III BC back in 2000 at age 44, had bilateral mastectomies (one simple, one modified radical - tumors in both breasts), no reconstruction, 6 months of chemo, 6 weeks of radiation, 2.5 years Tamoxifen, 5 years Arimidex.

I was very physically depleted after treatment, class 1 obese, and hadn't been very active so was in bad shape even going into treatment. Soon after treatment, I was diagnosed as severely hypothyroid. I realized I needed to get more active post-treatment if I wanted to feel strong, energetic, maybe even happy ever again.

I gradually increased exercise, starting with some local yoga classes a couple of times a week. After a couple of years, I stumbled into an athletic activity I enjoyed so much that I'd do it even if it weren't good for me. (I joined a breast cancer survivors rowing team.) That was kind of magical, a huge quality of life improvement.

Unfortunately, I stayed overweight/obese for another dozen years, until I finally had to admit I needed to lose weight and get my blood pressure and cholesterol in line. That was 2015, age 59. In just under a year, I lost 50-some pounds, down to a healthy weight, and have been at a healthy weight since (admittedly with some ups and downs, all in the healthy range and same jeans size). The weight loss was another huuuuge quality of life improvement.

At this point, turning 68 in a couple of weeks, I'm still very active. Honestly, I feel more functional and younger than I did at 44 before my diagnosis. I'm not some kind of special motivated person, so I'm confident you can make positive changes, too.

Wishing you success - the results are worth it!