After shock , surgery, radiation & now on the Letrozole road for 5 years ,, I'd be interested to hear what products & food you have changed or given up to give your bodies the best chance in this shitfest ! Time to look after me ! So changes are needed I feel ! All suggestions gratefully accepted .

I haven't given up on anything. I know it's wrong to believe that eating and living same as pre breast cancer is possible. But I m doing everything i did pre breast cancer. I do think products are more harmful then we think they are. My personal opinion is that I dont know how long I m going to live so I rather enjoy my time while i can......

Hi @tigerbeth I am over 5 years since diagnosis. I have made a lot of changes but very slowly. A one step at a time process. I think the changes I have made have added to rather than taken away from my quality of life.I eat a healthier diet than before but I don’t eat anything I don’t enjoy! I am more active than before bc too but I have found exercise that I love to do so I actually look forward to it! I think about it differently than I used to. I see it as time out, time for me to do something I enjoy rather than something else that I should do, something that I need to force myself to do.I have swapped to using less chemical products too. It just feels like the right thing to do. Something that helps my body to cope with the side effects of Femara etc.I have also made changes towards a simpler life. Life is complicated and stressful enough without adding extras that may be avoidable. This is an ongoing process and one that I have to keep myself in check about. I honestly think that you need to make any changes slowly and that you need to feel they are the right ones for you. That way you don’t feel like you are giving up things but making little improvements towards a better quality of life.After all that we go through the last thing we need to feel is that we must give up things that are enjoyable. I just swapped one thing for another. I found that if I was swapping something that I enjoyed but that I felt was truly not good for me, for something that I still enjoyed but that I felt was better for me, it was a double win. I was not missing out but just making a change that was better for me in every way. I hope that makes sense?Take care and I hope that you find a way to live well after bc. Deanne xxx

The only thing I have changed is I buy meat and milk that has no added hormones. Why? Because I believe that eating stuff that has grown up with ER, PR and TE pumped into it sounds like might be a bit suspect. That's not based on anything but a hunch and knowing a few farmers around the place. Apart from that nothing has changed. If I want wine, I drink it (or whatever else I can find in the cupboard LOL). If I want chocolate and netflix I do that too. I've lost 8 kgs for some unknown reason (I think its the HT but my doctor doesn't) I don't go to the gym but I am active.Hugs to allxoxoxo

@tigerbeth so sorry about your dad - sending u the hugest hugs xoxoox. I have been vegan for a couple of years on and off and have always been very fit and don’t lots of exercise Have also on the other side of the spectrum enjoyed some typical occasional vices. I haven’t really changed anything post cancer diagnosis/treatment - I’m kind of currently going through a “life’s too short” phase.

I have very reluctantly given up full cream milk. Not that I had much of it but boy, does it make coffee & a bowl of cereal nice. I've given up my daily coffee, as much for the kjs as anything else, but will still have one if I'm out with friends or if I've had a truly appalling night's sleep. I've cut back on sugar, which for me means less chocolate :s. I've never had cholesterol problems and will have my first post-Letrozole blood test in October, so I'm more mindful of my red meat consumption. I think I'll make some turkey meatballs tonight.But the big one is booze. I'd put on a lot of weight with the stress of my life in the two years prior to my diagnosis, and like so many middle-aged Australian women, I'd used wine as a stress buster. So I've gone from at least two big glasses a day to one or two a week. A g&t on Friday, and a glass or two with a meal on Saturday or Sunday. Sometimes I don't at all. Surprisingly to me, it's been the easiest thing to give up. And the good thing is it's saving me a lot of money! When I do buy a bottle of wine it's a much better one. Hey, if I'm only going to drink occasionally it may as well be good!All this, plus some cancer diagnosis and chemo assisted appetite loss, and an effort to exercise more, has meant I've lost 25kgs. I'm still classified as overweight so to reduce my cancer risk I've got to start working on the rest of it. I'm going to break it down into 5kg chunks. Fingers crossed I can do it.The latest thinking on making any lifestyle changes is to not do them all at once. So pick one thing, and give it three months for the new habit to get established. And then onto the next one etc. However some people are good with the cold turkey change. What do you reckon you'd be better with? Which thing are you going to tackle first @tigerbeth?

You're giving up that ????? | BCNA Online Network

Sister
Member
7 years ago
@artferret I meant to ask...Lemon, Lime and Ginger Chicken Rolls - recipe, please?!!!!
Giovanna_BCNA
Member
7 years ago
Hello @tigerbeth very sorry to hear the news about your dad, take care
Stork
Member
7 years ago
I have just finished Dry July and I am going to be alcohol free till Xmas Plus I have a fatty liver.
My other vice is chocolate my way to cope was to eat a block a day
in 9 months I put on 15K, I realised I was heading towards Stroke,heart disease/attack and cancer coming back.
I had a major lifestyle change since May I have lost weight and waking longer and faster, it has been hard work but it is worth the effect.
Stork
kmakm
Member
7 years ago
@Ellamary98 Personally I rather liked liked your dark chocolate wisdom... ;)
Ellamary98
Member
7 years ago
Oh dear. I just re-read my earlier post, and it sounds so preachy. Sorry, folks!
Ellamary98
Member
7 years ago
Love to you @tigerbeth. That is so tough. :( xx
Ellamary98
Member
7 years ago
@lgray3911 Brie gives me a tummy ache, but by God I love it!

I don't believe that specific foods create cancer either, but the science tells us that cancer cells thrive in particular environments, so it makes sense that we want to adjust this where we can after treatment. Whilst the aim of chemo, radiation and surgery is to eliminate the tumour and residual cancer cells in the body, there is a good chance that some small amounts survive the blast and are looking for a home. Diet and exercise are no longer just about being healthy and looking good, but also about preventing the growth of cancer cells which may remain, much like the hormonal meds do, and improving our immune systems where possible.

All power to those who choose to carry on their lives as before- I just wanted to clarify that we are not talking about cancer-causing theories. I also wish that I had paid more heed to this earlier.

As well as dropping the booze, I now definitely avoid foods with hormone added, such as manufactured meats and pork, full cream milk products and soy. I keep up the exercise intensity, to maximise the effectiveness of my meds, and take a good vitamin D supplement. Oh, and I eat plenty of dark chocolate- essential for healthy living. ;)
tigerbeth
Member
7 years ago
Thanks @Igray3911 @"Kiwi Angel"&
@kmakm
Thanks for the hugs So very hard too handle this too.
Kate would love a catch up , not sure when but I'll be in touch xxx
Kiwi_Angel
Member
7 years ago
@tigerbeth so sorry about your dad - sending u the hugest hugs xoxoox.

I have been vegan for a couple of years on and off and have always been very fit and don’t lots of exercise Have also on the other side of the spectrum enjoyed some typical occasional vices. I haven’t really changed anything post cancer diagnosis/treatment - I’m kind of currently going through a “life’s too short” phase.
kmakm
Member
7 years ago
@lgray3911 Barrel of brie... mmmmm...