Weight loss....not Happening!!!

I'm a breast cancer survivor of 16 years this January 30, 2008. I had the same thing happen to me - gained massive weight on chemo. Went from 105 to 185. Did the Tamoxifen for 5 years too boot. STILL haven't gotten it off. I had been a athelete all my life, even ran track in college in the late 60's/early 70's. Started taking Wellbutrin XL. It's suppose to help. We shall see. The one thing I DO know about the rare weight gain and not being able to get it off is this - I'm the ONLY one of my group of 10 chemo buddies (those of us who sat side by side taking chemo) that was still alive at the 5 year mark! I know of only one other person who did the unexplained massive weight gain, and she survived too. Both of us were in our early 40's when we were diagnosed. SO, the horrible weight gain may be the very thing that helps you survive in the long run. Don't ask me why... just seems to be the case for us other two.
P.S. I just read the other comments to you. Unfortunately, their responses do not address the problem of this massive unexplained weight gain POST mastectomy after all the surgeries, drugs, treatments- and the "normal" stuff does not work. It is NOT a normal weight gain, as YOU and I BOTH know. My diet has not changed from when I was 105 pounds. But something about the weight gain, contrary to conventional wisdom, keeps the cancer from re-occurring. That is the blessing to count. Wellbutrin XL is an old antidepressent that CAN be used to boost up the metabolism. I've just started it, taking 300mg. You might ask your doctor to try it, however, WARNING! DO NOT ACCEPT THE GENERIC OF THIS DRUG, AS OF NOVEMBER OF 2007 MSNBC POSTED AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE GENERIC NOT BEING THE SAME AND CAUSING ADVERSE PROBLEMS. You can probably Google a search on the problems with the generic of this drug. If you want to follow up with me on this, ###-###-####.

S. G,

Hello. Eat right, drink plenty of h2o & once you rehab your knee walk first. Howabout aqua aerobics till your knee is better?

Also, go to www.foreverliving.com, everything is aloe-vera based and 100% natural. Two programs, one called "Clean 9" & the other "Lifestyle 30." Both are excellent to get you on the right track to becoming healthier, losing inches and weight management.

Please feel free to call/contact me if you have questions. Thank you.

D. P.
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e-mail: ____@____.com

yes I gained 45 pds in less than 4 mths due to stress married to a psycho ..I walked away after just 6 mths of it...now being a truck driver was a size 8 and went to a size 16 married to this geek...Beint 5' 9'' it did not show that bad but to me it did...Being a healthy eater did not loose..excercise did not loose...but what is working is a high protein and lots of veggies and fruit with few carbs twice pr week and sweets twice pr week. I walk when possible.
I am loosing 1 to 1 and 1/2 pr week by this method. I have lost 25 pds in 5 mths now..have 15 to go...was 205 now 182. not bragging just giving facts to prove my words. Im 55 in excellant health. And no smokes either and never on that. Google out how to releave stress naturally might be a suggestion...The stress has to be controlled or rid of.

Dear S.,
First of all, congrats on being a cancer survivor!
The weight gain is frustrating. I haven't had to go through all the health things that you have; however, I do understand the frustration of "unexplained" weight gain. After my second child was born, I started experiencing weight gain. I was exercising and following Weight Watchers. I was actually training for a 1/2 marathon so was running about 20 miles a week plus cross training. I would lose about 6-10 lbs. and then gain 10 lbs. in a week! I went through every test available at least 2x and everything came back "normal". I was put on a variety of medications to try to boost metabolism, etc. I've tried it all to no avail...until recently!
I'm an independent consultant with Arbonne International (a health and wellness company) and they have a weight loss program called Figure 8. The company is committed to their products being pure, safe and beneficial. No animal proteins are used in their weight loss products. It is vegetarian and kosher approved. I lost 6 lbs. the first week and have been steadily losing weight each week. I don't feel hungry and actually feel the most energetic I've felt in a REALLY long time....even though I have a 4 year old, a 3 year old and a 6 month old.
I'm more than happy to share the products with you if you are interested. You can check out my website www.foravibrantlife.myarbonne.com, the company's website www.arbonne.com and they have a special website dedicated to the weight loss program www.gofigure8.com. I'd love to answer any questions you may have. You can email from my website.
This is what is working for me. I wish you all the best and good health!

One thing you can do is stop buying and eating foods with monosodium glutumate (MSG) in it. Not only is it very very bad for you, but it is a flavor enhancer that makes you crave more. It's in a lot of fast foods, ranch dressings, some bbq sauces, most soups, some sausages and hotdog weinies, ramen noodles, some potato chips, chic-fil-a, etc. Look a the label or ask the restaurant manager what on the menu has it. Also anything with the word "hydrolzyed" or "autolyzed" or "natural flavoring" is the same thing. Many things nowadays say "NO MSG" on the label. Go for that. At least look for it in the ingredients and just don't buy it if its there. You'll lose 10 lbs just for reading the label and finding one of a different brand that doesn't have MSG in it. Furthermore, google "MSG chewing gum" and learn about what those artificial sweetners might be doing to you.

Good For you and congrats on starting WW.. Dont get discouraged. I am in the same situation as you I have been working out for 4 mos. and havent lost a pound but have lost inches woohoo.. With that said

Have you checked your measurements?

Check out this website it has lots of great information and you
might find something that might help you. www.sparkspeople.com

Good Luck and God Bless

If you follow the WW program, you'll see results in the first week! I lost 4.6 pounds my first week and just about flipped. I cried right then and there and totally freaked them out. I didn't think I could do it, but I have. So far, I've lost about 66 pounds with about 20 more to go.

You can do it. It take persistance and determination. Upping your fiber intake will help you feel full longer. Getting a decent amount of protein will also help you feel full. Make sure you read all of your nutrition labels. No more than 10 g of sugar per serving, lots of fiber, protein. No trans fats.

I did WW for amost a full year before I started exercising. And lost about 50 pounds. So, movement helps, but it's not all of it. Also, you don't have to exercise to move more. Take the stairs, park further out, stand up when talking on the phone. Just playing with your kids and gardening count too.

I noticed you didn't include weights or strength training in your list of exercise. Building muscle mass burns more calories and fat than fat does. But it weighs more too. So, while you might not lose weight initially, you'll lose inches. And you'll feel better, so you'll want to do more. It doesn't take heavy weights either. 5-8 pound dumbbells and a good amount of reps (12-15). You might consider hiring a personal trainer to get your started.

Good luck and hang in there!
K.

S. you inspire me. I thought I had it tough but your quick bit about yourself leads me to say... listen to your mother! You live a highly stressful existance. I have two step kids, a crazy (lunitic is more like it) ex wife (what's his is mine hahaha) and one biological 2 year old. Both steps are highly disfunctional and live with us. Your scenario sounds WAY worse. I am too heavier than I've ever been and no matter what I do something (or some family drama) always takes me away from myself.

I made sever new years resolutions this year, they consisted of things like be more supportive of my husband, be more flexable with my step kids, be nicer to their mother etc etc. Then my step daughter pointed out that none of my resolutions were about ME. So the first thing I'm going to do is find a talk therapist who can help me de stress, de drama my family and take better care of myself. I recommend you do the same.

As my mom always says, "you are no good to anyone if you are dead." hahaha

Good luck to you. Take care of YOU!

Stress causes you to gain weight. If you are really stressed you might consider talking to your doctor about Prozac or Zoloft or Paxil to help you handle your stress. If your better able to handle your stress then you might be able to loose weight. Obviously I am not advocating anti-depressants as weight loss medication, but high levels are not good for you. Good luck.

Here's my advice - try it for a week and let me know what happens!

1) Think like a mathematician! Journal your food intake with it's nutritional values (try www.fitday.com). Stick to these rules: a) no more than 30% of your calories in a day from fat b) eat a MINIMUM of 100 grams of PROTEIN each day c) make your carb choices good carbs (high fiber, no simple sugar carbs, lots of veggies and fruit -remember the 5 a day rule)

2) You can exercize - just focus on upper body/core right now. Push ups, crunches, free weights while you watch tv, rotate your core while sitting in a chair, - you don't have to go crazy - just do 15 mintues each day. Then build up to 30 minutes (it can be 15 minutes split up into 2 sets). I've twisted my knee before (I'm a clutz!) and I know that it sucks and is painful! But be creative and find something to move that doesn't hurt! Figet if you have too! Anything raises the metabolism!

3) Absolutely nothing carbonated - especially diet drinks. Try water, but stay away from high calorie "life water" like drinks. Ice water helps raise the metabolism too!

4) Nothing "sugar free" - nothing is free - remember that! It may have no "real" sugar in it, but instead is filled with an artifical sugar that will make you crave more food!