Breast cancer redo

Hi there

Sorry to hear about the bc scare. Frightening stuff huh? I have a rare disorder but went through a kidney cancer thing a few years ago... and a uterine tumor thing and and and.... so i get it.

First off is you need to be focused on feeling WELL more than weight. A year isn't a long time in our bodies when it comes to major surgical trauma. Go easy on yourself.

I'm concerned about the stressful job... that's way more impactful on health than weight.. poor sleep dito. Your weight seems like a low priority but idk maybe it's something that feels like it's in your power...?

You can toss out what i say but i would start by finding ways to reframe things so you feel like you're in charge and doing well... those are imporant to motivation. Can you list the things you do like about the path you are on? Like... idk.. do you feel good when you lose a pound? Or do you feel more centered after yoga? Do you remember being in a body that felt right to you? Grabbing onto those things should help. Its easy to get caught in the downside when it has been so hard... and don't minimize that, you can acknowledge the hardships and still follow the positives.

I really would stop looking at the pant size as a way to judge yourself.... unless aiming for a size 8 is motivating. Point being that life has been hard enough so make friends with yourself. It's the best tool out there.

On exercise, start gentle and do stuff you really enjoy so that you keep doing it. Think healthy instead of weight at least at first. Everything that is healthy and positive is good. You have to make it to where you are feeling like what you want is possible and the icky times are behind you before you can really safely aim for big weight loss... anything else will just add another stress brick to the load.

Once you're feeling more like you have the power regardless of the obstacles... start looking for more challenging exercise but it should always be something you get something positive from whether you lose weight or not.

I face many of the same challenges... i don't know of a good cardio exercise i can safely do but i don't give up. I kayak in summer... about to try snowshoeing around the 28th...

I found that going too hard too fast really made me cling to the obstacles... i needed to let my body get to where it could handle the challenges and I needed to mentally be past that point at which I was shell shocked.

I dk if it is the same for you but you can just ignore if it's not. I worked with a dietician to get my eating plan set up and i have to accept that I won't have an easy path to losing weight. I just keep trying while staying healthy

Welcome!

I'm a long term (16.5 year) survivor of stage III breast cancer. Chemotherapy crash-landed me in menopause at age 46. I had bilateral mastectomies, one simple one modified radical; 6 months of chemo (4 x 3 weeks of adriamycin/cytoxan, 4 x 3 weeks of taxol); 6 weeks of radiation therapy; 2.5 years of tamoxifen; and 5 years of arimidex. Right after treatment, I was diagnosed as hypothyroid.

Weight loss & health improvement: You can totally do this, and I predict you will be so glad you did.

I've been active for a long time (started ramping up activity after cancer treatment, trying to regain strength and vitality after being totally drained by the treatment process and simultaneous inactivity). I realized I was going to have to really work at it, in order to feel normal again.

But I can remember what that process was like, slowly building up strength and fitness, so I empathize with where you are in the process right now.

Only recently (April 2015) did I decide for real to lose weight, and join MFP (July 2015). Over about a 10-11 month period, I went from an obese BMI to the lower end of the healthy BMI range. I was surprised, frankly, by how simple it was (not always easy, but simple ). Now, I wish I'd done it decades ago. I'm now working on maintaining a healthy weight.

One possible motivation to consider: Recurrence rates are lower in women who exercise regularly. Your plan to start slowly, and ramp up, sounds like a good one. For me, a key thing was finding things I truly enjoyed. Along the way, I tried lots of different things, and to some extent slowly "graduated" from less vigorous things to more vigorous, or increased the intensity level of things I enjoyed doing. It's a process: Progress happens when you keep challenging yourself, wherever you are at that point.

If you wish, feel free to send me a friend request. I'm happy to help in any way I can.