The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Guest]

Hi all,

I've been lurking on your wonderful forum for about 2 weeks. I've ordered my medifast this morning and I'm looking forward to dropping the weight.

I'm 41 years old and the happily married mom of 3 (1 boy, 18, 2 girls 10 & I was diagnosed 4/04 with breast cancer and I've undergone chemo, double mastectomy, radiation and reconstruction. I'm happy to report that my prognosis is excellent and I'm cancer free. So my big issue now is to get rid of the 40+ lbs I've gained. A girl from my cancer support group says the extra weight is like lugging around a small 3rd grader!LOL

My oncologist would like me to lose 40 lbs. I had 4 surgeries since last September so she is understanding of my fatigue and weight gain. She told me she'd like to see a considerable dent in that number. I don't see her again until January 10, 2006. So this is a doable thing for me. I'm at risk for other cancers and a recurrence if I don't get the blubber down. A very scary fact for me.

I've always been active (running, tennis, swimming) and ate whatever I wanted. When I was sick and couldn't get out of bed I look at my elliptical machine and cry because I couldn't exercise. I'll be totally honest and say that the reason I've always been so active is so I could eat like a pig!!! It's not so easy anymore and I don't want to wait 2 years when I could lose this weight much quicker!!! And just so this info is out there....Yes, I want to be healthy but in close 2nd place is I WANT TO LOOK and FEEL SEXY and PRETTY AGAIN!!! I've been bald, boobless and fat recently. Now my hair is back (getting pretty long too) I've got new perky boobs (thanks to a brilliant Plastic Surgeon) Now I've just got to ditch this pesky 3rd grader!!!!

I'm ready to do this and all of you sound so wonderful and supportive. Your successes are VERY inspiring. I loved looking at the picture gallery....AMAZING.

My biggest problem is my lifetime of eating whatever I liked. It's not BAD food, just TOO MUCH. I'm sure I've never eaten a "serving size" of pasta in my whole life. So I need to get off this vicious circle and start SHAKING!! ANY words of wisdom or tips are gladly welcome.

Continued Success to all of you.

Anne Marie

[Nancy]

Anne Marie ~

Your story is amazing and we are thankful that you are getting your life back in order. Losing weight is never easy and for true foodies - people who love grub and lots of it; making permanent changes in our eating habits and food selections takes a lot of discipline. When health issues are at stake, it somehow seems to make the process more important.

I do not wish to send you to the corner to suck your thumb and pout but please know that many times for people who have had cancer, especially breast or uterine cancer, soy is not a good choice for them.

Our regular shakes (the Medifast 55 and 70 shakes) are all soy-based and most doctors tell their cancer patients no soy.

There are mixed opinions on whether or not soy is appropriate for cancer survivors...be SURE to talk to your doctor first.

We DO have products that are soy-free and I have clients on our weight loss program using the whey-based products. They lose weight and feel great, too.

The choices of soy-free products include:

Hot Cocoa
Instant Cappuccino
Chai Latte
Fast Soup (Savory Beef, Delicate Chicken & Robust Tomato - these are SNACK items, not complete meal replacements)
Creamy Soups (Cream of Brocc, Cream of Chicken, Cream of Tomato)
Tropical Fruit Punch
Cranberry Mango Drink
Peach Iced Tea
Raspberry Iced Tea

They do not contain soy and can all be used as complete meal replacements (except for the Fast Soup).

Talk to your Health Advisor and have him/her create a 5 and 1 plan using these soyless products and include the lean and green meal ranging between 300-320 calories.

The Mayo Clinic advises their post breast cancer patients to avoid soy.

There are many articles with conflicting information regarding soy consumption for post breast cancer patients.

Some article indicate that soy is a cancer preventative and others indicate that consumption of soy is not advised for people with known cancers.

Most breast tumors are estrogen-positive tumors and that is why you can not take any hormone replacement.

Estrogen is stored in the fat cells in the body and if someone is losing a large amount of weight there is an increase of estrogen in the blood stream.

Tamoxifen is often taken for 5 years by breast cancer patients. It is given to diminish the estrogen effect in the body. Some doctors feel there is not much validity that soy is a concern but there are reputable resources such as Sloan Kettering which disagree.

I would totally defer to your own physician and oncologist, let them give you the various theories.

The Medifast 55 shakes have 27.03-27.23 mg of soy isoflavones and the Medifast 70 shakes have 3.4 mg of naturally-occurring isoflavones per gram of soy protein in the shakes.

Again, we have a number of non-soy products that can be used as meal replacements and are suitable for a weight loss program.

It is best to speak directly to your oncologist for advice, to prescribe your program and to give you input regarding the amount of soy, if any that you may consume.

You can always send me a PM and I can help you.

[Jan]

Hi All
The last post by Nancy is a great example of how honest and ethical she is. She could have just "forgotten" the information regarding breast cancer and soy and encouraged our friend to get going on the regular program -- but Nancy is too honest for that. We all know that we are in the best hands as she gives the best advice available. Thank You -- we know we can trust you!!
jan

[Mommy2girls]

Nancy, I had NO idea about the soy/cancer survivor controversy. I whole heartedly agree with Jan, your honest helpful opinion is very refreshing in today's world. THANK YOU!!!!

[Nancy]

It relates primarily to breast and uterine cancer. The isoflavones in soy acts similarly to estrogen - that's why it is so nice for menopausal women - it is a naturally occurring food element that helps some of us with night sweats, crankiness and other 'southerly issues' that some of us experience during menopause. I used to awaken between 23 and 27 times a night with night sweats...lemme tell ya, that can create a problem in terms of staying alert and awake during daylight hours for the Leopard Woman…however, for women with breast cancer or uterine cancer, there are those physicians who feel we need to eliminate extra estrogen-like sources.

[mama of 2]

Hi Anne Marie

I'm glad to here your doing so well. Everyone here is so nice. You have already seen that with Nancy. Hope to here more from you. Did you wear wigs? My mom had Breast Cancer to. She made up a bunch of different types of hats. She hated the wigs. So We donated them to the hospital. There are a lot of people who can't afford them.

Nancy
I never knew that either.

I had to go off my Estrogen pills for awhile. Those night sweats are terrible.
The first night I thought I had a fever. There more like night showers.

[dlr2424]

Anne Marie.... ......my prayers to you for a great success in your weight loss venture and also for a future filled with health , hope, and happiness...... ......you will love the support on this forum..... ......May God Bless you always and provide you with the needed strength

donna....dlr2424