Just Lose It

Hi Darlings....

I've been a good little blogger lately...3 blogs in one week...

I'm gonna veer off course a bit and instead of endlessly discussing my cancer and my love of my doctors and all the stuff that goes on with it I'm gonna blog about something I hate:

weight

specifically MY weight...

all my cancer stuff really started for me in March of 2016

I felt crappy...

chalked it up to menopause...

but I went to my internist and complained endlessly about no energy, not sleeping well, feeling lousy and the inability to lose any weight.

I was working out at least 5 days a week and not eating badly at all and yet the weight:
WOULD
NOT
BUDGE

I was highly annoyed

what followed was lots of tests, a visit to the cardiologist, an ultrasound of my thyroid and lots of bloodwork

I had nodules on my thyroid but they weren't big enough to worry about and my thyroid function was fine

pfffffffftttttt

(that's the wind being knocked from my sails)

I go to my gyno and complain endlessly about feeling crappy and she sends me to the endocrinologist and more tests follow and...

nothing...

my endocrine system is working fine

WEIGHT
WILL
NOT
BUDGE

The endocrinologist told me she believed me when I said I felt something was wrong with me she just didn't know what it was...

(spoiler alert: it was CANCER)

So yeah fast forward to the fall and I get the phone call that changed my life:

"you have uterine cancer"

and then what follows you all know plenty about and I don't have to rehash it here.

When I was starting chemo I figured there was a terrible thing and possibly (for me) a good thing.

The terrible was losing my hair.

Thanks to Cold Capping that did not happen...

the what could have been a good thing was that I figured chemo would make me feel awful and perhaps I would lose some weight.

After I recovered from surgery I weighed less than I had for over a year so I thought that was a good starting point to finally lose weight.

But I didn't realize that among the drugs and poisons that they pumped into my body was a nasty little steroid that makes you turn into an eating machine and your body sucks up weight like a sponge.

5 lbs went on each chemo session

6 chemo sessions

I'm not great at math but I can do 5 X 6 = 30

30 lbs

I gained 30 lbs

on top of already needing to lose weight

Once the chemo was done and the meds had worn off I resolved to lose some of this weight...actually not just some but ALL of it

I did it before...if you are new to my blogs go back a few years...I lost 100 lbs...I met Oprah...I did it in a year...all diet and exercise no pills or surgery

I don't have 100 lbs to lose but I have a bunch...

I'm happy to say that I have lost 34 lbs since April 28...roughly 14 weeks of dieting

and during that time I had a trip to Boston where I happily indulged in lots of yummy things and I went through radiation therapy

So today I had a friend ask me how I did it and I thought I might share with you what I have done because one or two of you might want to drop some weight...and what I am doing is simple.

It's not Whole 30 and it's not going into Ketosis...

I've just subtracted a few things from my diet and bumped up some other stuff and voila the weight is finally coming off...and it is easy...you just have to follow a few simple "rules" and it will start to come off...

I basically follow a low-glycemic diet...like a diabetic (and I am happy to report I am not even pre-diabetic so whew I dodged that bullet)

I eat carbs...I just eat GOOD carbs...and all the bad carbs are off limits...

So I don't eat:
bread (unless it is Dave's Bread...the green label...60 calories a slice)
potatoes
fried foods
sugar (or anything containing sugar)
pasta
white rice
flour tortillas
cheese

I limit:
red meat (only eat it once or twice a week)
Dave's bread (only 2 slices at most a day)
brown rice
sauces and dressings
fruits that are high glycemic
corn tortillas
nuts

And here's one that can be hard: I limit alcohol to ONE DRINK PER WEEK

yes you read that right...one tiny cocktail or glass of wine per week...

occasionally I will indulge in 2 drinks per week but that's it...if I have a third one it is never on the same night as I have had 2 and it is my "cheat" for the week...since I have better things to cheat with this has only happened once

I didn't even drink champagne the night I finished radiation

When I do drink it is wine, champagne, or one shot of vodka mixed with a can of LaCroix water

I eat tons of  veggies, fish and shrimp, farro (it's a whole grain---like brown rice), black beans, salads, avocado, chicken, and turkey (lean)

I love the salads at HEB that come with all the goodies for them that are under 300 calories...I probably eat one almost daily.

I love sushi (but I watch the rice) and I love a good poke bowl but I always get half the brown rice and mix it with salad or cucumber or do it over zoodles.  Whole Foods has a delicious spicy salmon bowl in their sushi section and HEB has great poke bowls with zoodles (zucchini noodles).  (Poke bowls are raw fish tossed with soy based sauce over rice and other yummy things)

My typical food day looks like this:

BREAKFAST: avocado toast, or poached egg on toast, or poached egg on avocado toast

LUNCH: salad with protein, dressing on side (limit amount), sometimes a light soup...or I have leftovers from the night before

DINNER: fish or chicken or turkey, salad, veggies...sometimes farro

SNACKS; nuts (small amount), fruit (mostly berries, watermelon, and sometimes pineapple)

I drink a lot of water and don't do much coffee because try as I may I CANNOT do it without cream...

That's it...

I try to do a few meatless meals each week---black beans over farro, peppers stuffed with veggies, veggie stir fry...I use farro in place of rice.

I use spaghetti squash in place of pasta and it's delicious with my turkey bolognese

I buy my farro in bulk at Whole Foods.  I make 2 cups worth at the beginning of the week and use it for my dishes.  You rinse it and cook it in about 6 cups of water (for 2 cups farro) and simmer it 30 minutes and then drain...

But diet alone won't do the trick...unless you have the metabolism of a 15 year old boy you are gonna have to exercise.

at least 3 times per week for 30 minutes getting your heart rate up...

and weight lifting or yoga or pilates at least a few times a week too...

you can walk or jog or spin or swim or do martial arts or get on the elliptical or whatever...

JUST MOVE

and if you can do it for more than 3 days a week---even better

as for weights I have 8, 10, and 12 lb dumbbell weights and I use them and walk a quick lap around my living room between each set...

I spin and do yoga at least 6 days a week either just spinning, just doing yoga or doing both...

My internist suggested this way of eating and exercising...it's working for me...

I'm not an expert at anything much less diet and exercise but I can tell you that as a 52 year old woman in full blown menopause who has cancer and literally just finished radiation treatments this is working for me and the weight is sliding off...

I allow myself a cheat meal every couple of weeks but I don't go crazy with it...it might be some pasta, or a hamburger, or that 3rd glass of wine that week but I don't feel deprived and it's been easy.

So if you are looking to lose a few lbs see if this doesn't work for you...it's easy to follow, there are not a lot of "rules" and I bet it will get a few pounds off for you...

Sorry that this blog isn't more interesting but I thought today I could put this out there into the universe and see if one or two of you might find it helpful...

I feel better than I have in years...

my energy is good, I'm losing weight, I'm loving getting back to exercising more and I'm fitting into things I haven't gotten to wear in a few years...and I even put my (wedge) heels on again...

My radiology oncologist told me he was amazed at my transformation from when I first saw me back at the beginning of May until my last day of radiation last Thursday...he said I was like a new person...

healthy is how this new person wants to be...

I have been given a second chance to live in this body and I plan to keep it as healthy as I can...I will never be a size 2 (or even a 6 for that matter) but I do plan to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle so I don't waste the gift I have been given...

I'm not judging anyone for their weight be it lean and strong or cute and fluffy...your body is YOUR body and we are all unique...

but I know I am happier when I can wear cute clothes and heels and move about easier...and I sleep better at night...

I have gone up and down the scale for years...and boy I do miss the girl who had that lean figure after my tummy tuck but the road has been hard on this old body and I did survive something that was trying to kill me so I might not ever be back in a bikini but at least I can look better in my old lady swimsuit...

Feel free to message me if you have questions on the eating plan...just basically cut out "white" foods and alcohol and you will be most of the way there...

I'll be back to blogging my tales from the cancer world and funny stories of my youth but tonight I just thought I'd share what has helped me...if even one of you loses one pound it will be totally worth it...

Inspiration Song: Just Lose It by Eminem...because it makes me laugh...and because I plan to lose the weight and not lose my mind or my life...

Bye Darlings---if this works for me let me know!  Step away from the white carbs and you will be fine...