Best Way To Lose Weight After Breast Cancer

Emma struggled when she gained weight during breast cancer treatment. She shares five tips that helped her on her weight loss journey.

In September 2016, I noticed that my right breast didn’t feel the same as my left. It had been painful for a few months, but I put it down tomenstrual pain and didn’t think much of it.

When I noticed a thickening of the tissue, I took myself to the doctors. She examinedme, andput it down to hormones, possiblybecause ofbreast feeding and said it was nothing to worry about.

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A year later, the thickening had started to become a lump. When I tried to make an appointment witha femaledoctor, I was told I would have to wait two weeks.

In those short few weeks, the lump began to grow. I could see it under my skin. I began to worry again.

When I went for my appointment I was thrown into a new world of panic. Within the space of a few minutes my doctor was talking about urgentreferrals.

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I wasofficiallydiagnosed with breast cancer on the 20thOctober. I felt numb. I was 37, with no family history of breast cancer. How could this be happening?

I didn’t cry for myself, I cried for my little boys, my husband and my family. I felt like I’d let them all down in the most devastating way.

The talk soon turned to treatment. I was told I had a grade threetumourin my right breast. It was an invasive ductal, triple negative cancer. Due to my age and the nature of thetumourit was decided that I would have chemotherapy before surgery and finally a course of radiotherapy. The works!

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The thought of chemo completely terrified me. I had a vision of a chemo patient in my head and it was a million miles away from who I was. One of the worstthings for me wasthat it was going to change the way I saw myself when I looked in the mirror.

The feeling of being completely out of control was also a major mental stumbling block. I had no control over what was happening to meanymore.

I lost my hair just before my second chemotherapy session. It wasn’t long after that that I began to pile on the weight. The combination of lots of steroids and an insatiable appetitemeant that I started gaining weight very quickly.

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Chemotherapy is hard enough, but to see the old you slowly disappear and be replaced by a bloated, bald and fatigued version of yourself is heartbreaking.

A few years earlier I had lost three stone by followingSlimmingWorld. As I watched my appearance change during my treatment I decided that as soon as I finished chemotherapy I would go back toSlimmingWorld.

Lots of my friends and family thought I was crazy, but I felt like I was gaining back a little bit of control.

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It seemed a ridiculous thing for me to be worrying about, but the extra weight was having a massive effect on my mental health and self-esteem.

I kept being told that the weight didn’t matter, that there were more important things. They were right. My weight doesn’t define me, but they didn’t understand that I was beginning to lose myself.I only saw cancer when I looked in the mirror.

My last chemotherapy was on the 1stMarch 2017 and I walked into mySlimmingWorldgroupwith one of my best friends for moral supporton the 14thMarch. I stepped on the scales to discover I had gained 3st and 1lb.

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25 weeks later I have lost 2st 9.5lbs. I’m well on my way to my target weight and I’m feeling fantastic. I look in the mirror and there I am, looking right back at me!

I’m not saying that rushing straight into weight loss is the best thing to do, but it felt right for me. It’s so important to do things in your own time, with your oncologist’s advice and most importantly only when it feels right for you.

2.Don’t put any pressure on yourself. Your body is still recovering. It has been through a lot and it’s so important to listen to what it needs. I have found that the fatigue and neuropathy really limit what exercise I can do. Some days I can’t even walk down the street, so I don’t! Get out and move when you feel you can, but make sure you listen to your body.

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3. Make healthy, low fat meals that your whole family can enjoy. You don’t want to be watching your family eating fish and chips while you’re nibbling on a salad leaf. It’s about incorporating healthy meals and snacks into your everyday life. It’s a lifestyle change, not a diet.

4. Have a lovely selection of healthy quick grab snacks in your fridge/cupboards for those moments when you just want to grab something yummy!In this article below, esteemed consultant medical and clinical oncologistDr Shiroma De Silva-Minoroutlines the various benefits of losing weight for breast cancer patients.

As a breast oncologist, I am aware of numerous health benefits that weight loss can provide for breast cancer patients. Here are some potential benefits:

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It's important to note that weight loss should be approached in a healthy, sustainable way, with realistic goals, and in conjunction with discussions and support from your doctor. Crash diets and rapid weight loss can be harmful and may not provide long-term benefits or be sustainable.A doctor or registered dietitian can help develop a safe and effective weight loss plan for breast cancer patients.

Dr Shiroma De Silva-Minor is an accomplished and experienced consultant breast oncologist who specialises in breast cancer (both male and female), breast screening, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, intraoperative radiation therapy, inflammatory breast cancers, HER2 positive disease, triple-negative breast cancers and breast cancer in pregnancy. Dr De Silva-Minor oversees the entire (non-surgical) breast cancer pathway so she can advise on all aspects of treatment, including genetic ...

Dr Shiroma De Silva-Minor is an accomplished and experienced consultant breast oncologist who specialises in breast cancer (both male and female), breast screening, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, intraoperative radiation therapy, inflammatory breast cancers, HER2 positive disease, triple-negative breast cancers and breast cancer in pregnancy.

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Dr De Silva-Minor oversees the entire (non-surgical) breast cancer pathway so she can advise on all aspects of treatment, including genetic counselling and testing, systemic (chemo) therapy, radiotherapy, and lifestyle factors in optimising health and minimising disease recurrence. Dr De Silva-Minor is currently practising privately, at the London-based Cromwell Hospital, as well as at GenesisCare Oxford, The Ridgeway Hospital in Swindon, and as an NHS Consultant at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford.

Dr De Silva-Minor, whose clinical expertise is in the treatment of early and recurrent breast cancer, notably obtained her first medical qualification in 1995, with her medical doctorate from the prestigious Cardiff-based University of Wales College of Medicine. In 1999, Dr De Silva-Minor was awarded the membership of the Royal College of Physicians (UK). Dr De Silva-Minor pursued her specialist oncology training at several centres of oncological excellence in London, including The Middlesex Hospital, The Royal Free Hospital, as well as The Royal Marsden Hospital, amongst others.

In 2003, Dr De Silva-Minor was awarded the fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists and was also recognised as a clinical oncology specialist on the General Medical Council's register in 2007. Dr De Silva-Minor has been a consultant oncologist since 2007 and was appointed as a substantive consultant oncologist by the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in 2008.

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Dr De Silva-Minor has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals. During a fellowship in head and neck radiation oncology at The Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, Canada, Dr De Silva-Minor was awarded the Prize for Academic Excellence by the Princess Margaret Hospital and the University of Toronto for her research into the use of PETCT scans (Positron Emission Tomography) when identifying head and neck tumours for treatment with radiotherapy. Dr De Silva-Minor is a member of the breast cancer expert panel for the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), updating clinical guidelines on breast cancer management.

Dr De Silva-Minor is also collaborating on a metanalysis with the Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group (EBCTCG) to bring together the research on radiotherapy clinical trials to better understand how to optimally treat breast cancer patients with radiotherapy. Dr De Silva-Minor is a member of the Advisory Board on Cancer in Pregnancy (ABCIP), an international panel of experts in managing breast cancer in pregnancy. Dr De Silva-Minor is a passionate advocate for empowering her patients to be involved in their management decisions. Treatment is completely bespoke to individual patients, their specific tumour subtype, taking into consideration the individual's beliefs, wishes and personal circumstances.

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