Hello
I am 50 years old. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2016 and finished treatment in April 2017. I am now on tamoxifen and will stay on it for the next 4 years. I’ve been a yo-yo dieter with weight going up and down between 11st and 13st over the past 10 years, however, I am now over 14stone (I gained a lot of weight whilst on treatment) and am in medical menopause, none of which helps when trying to lose weight. I have lots of joint pain, back pain, foot pain and have not really done any exercise since diagnosis. All this needs to change…I need to lose this weight and start exercising properly again. I really want to believe this will work but I feel I have tried everything at this stage and have been unsuccessful. I started the Ketogenic Diet in July and in the first 3 weeks I lost about a stone and was delighted, however, despite sticking to it rigidly, I did not lose another pound over the following 4 months. I kind of gave up in mid November and have pretty much put it back on again. Looking back I wonder now about the amount of calories I was consuming…this is not something I thought about at the time.. but thinking about it now, I imagine I was probably consuming around 1200-1500 and this is why I am hoping that dropping to 800 and following this plan will achieve the results I need. I would love to get to 70kg…it’s a weight I am very comfortable at so that would mean I need to lose 24kg…arrghhhhh! I wonder if there is anyone else on here who is struggling with menopause, or who is post treatment for breast cancer? Even if not, I am so hopeful that this will be the lifeline I need right now 🙂

Welcome to the posts Sixer — I’m sorry to read of your troubles right now but you’ve come to the right place for support and insight — I hope we can help make it easier for you.
This way of eating will have a lot of benefits for the menopausal symptoms — mine eased considerably within just a few weeks. I also read that low-carbohydrate/sugar diets are being prescribed for cancer patients — so hopefully it helps you there too.
This diet has worked for so many of us where all other diets have failed. Just step on in and don’t give up — you’ll get better and better at it (I had to LEARN how to do it) — it is a wonderful thing to make friends with your body again.
Keep us posted.

Hi Californiagirl…thanks so much for your reply and your very kind and encouraging words! I am really looking forward to starting and I have actually signed up to the Online Program which starts next week so that should be nice for a bit of “hand holding” too! Again, thanks for your reply 🙂

Hi there Sixer and welcome. Sorry to read about your health issues and your struggles with your weight too. I can empathise with being desperate to loss menopause weight gain and failing to make real headway. Lots of us on here are in menopause or post menopause and have turned to the BSD to shift stubborn weight that nothing else has been able to move. Think the important thing is to embrace the BSD as a new lifestyle, not a diet. Learning a new approach to what we consume, changing our relationship with both food and our bodies and wellbeing.

I’d recommend joining a few threads which look like they will be helpful to you, as the advice, support and encouragement of the people on the forum is invaluable to staying the course. I for one would have given up, had it not been for the folks here helping to urge me on and carry me through.

Best of luck to you as you begin you BSD journey and I hope we will be reading positive results from you soon.

Hi Sixer, welcome from me too, and so pleased to hear your treatment to date has been successful.

Personally, I cannot recommend this WOE (way of eating) enough, but as Sunny says, it must become a way of life (WOL), as far as restricting carbs are concerned. If you can do that, and so many of us still on this forum have, you will keep the weight off forever, no more yoyo dieting. And this way of eating is truly enjoyable, once you get your head around it, and once you start burning fat instead of carbs, you will not feel hungry, you will reduce your carb craving, and your energy levels will soar.

Good luck, there are so many fantastic people on here who will be only too happy to hold your hand in your journey.

Hello Sixer. I wrote a long post here last night & it seems to have disappeared😐. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you’re not alone. I was diagnosed with ER+ breast cancer in May 2015 (turned 50 that August). I underwent surgery, chemo & RTx, finishing active treatment at the end of January 2016.

I gained lots of weight on chemo, because of the steroids & also ended up with type 2 diabetes (steroids again probably). I didn’t tolerate tamoxifen so have been receinving 4-weekly hormone injections instead, & since last June have also been taking daily hormone tablets. I have fibromyalgia anyway, so already had widespread pain, including in my hands, wrists, elbows, knees & (worst of all) feet & the hormonal therapy has made this worse. I don’t exercise because of this. So I really sympathise & empathise with you. As for the fatigue – that’s part of fibro & chemo etc exacerbated it hugely. As you say, the menopausal symptoms, which mimic the drug side-effects, also make life hard-going.

I’m new to the low-carb way of life, so can’t offer any advice as far as that goes but as you can see there are lots of lovely people on the forums with wisdom to share. What I will say is just remember that your body has been through an assault that shouldn’t be underestimated & you deserve to be kind to yourself. Cancer treatment casts a long shadow which I think only those who have been through it can truly appreciate.

Sorry if I’ve gone on too long but I just wanted to offer my support on this latest stage of the journey.

Hello Sunnyb! Thank you so much for your response and lovely words and of course your encouragement! I really appreciate it! I will definitely look at all the various threads and join in 🙂 I’m feeling more positive and excited that this might actually work for me! i have done ketogenic which is very similar but not with counting calories and this might be the thing that makes the difference! Thanks again!

Hi Theodora…thank you so much for your lovely and encouraging message! I am well used to low carb lifestyle thankfully and always enjoy/feel good on it however I now believe that counting calories is so important, especially with all the issues I am dealing with so am really looking forward to cracking on with the BSD and finally getting rid of this weight! Thanks again!

Hi JuliaV…oh, you are so good to write again…thank you so much and thank you for sharing your story. It means so much to know there is somebody here who understands all the issues that we suffer during and post treatment. I also had issues with pain prior to diagnosis/treatment and have had surgery for scoliosis too so I do understand that additional burden.

And thank you for that reminder…I do tend to forget and can get angry that I still feel so bad but it’s really only 8 months since I finished treatment and you are right, it is such an assault and indeed casts a long shadow. I really hope this way of eating works to help me lose this 20kg I need to lose as I feel that losing that weight is bound to alleviate the various aches and pains and hopefully put a bounce back in my step. I find exercise very difficult at the moment also but hope to give it a good go and do what I can and ideally see some improvements in my fitness level which is worse than it’s ever been. I know they say we can’t go back to our normal selves but a new normal that is somewhat similar would be nice, right??

Are you only just starting? It would be nice to keep in touch so that we can compare notes! Thanks again for writing!

Hi Sixer. You’re very welcome! Glad you found my post helpful.

Sounds like you already know what you’re doing, whereas I am just starting to explore low carbing. I’m trying to cut out the forbidden foods I love so much but that I know don’t do me any good. I have a sweet tooth & one biscuit is never enough! So I want to see how it goes eating more strictly without counting calories. I don’t find real food that interesting, so hope I won’t overeat, as long as I have plenty of veg & fat to sustain me. I’m finding Diet Doctor quite useful in terms of knowing what to eat & why, though it is a bit scary contemplating all that fat & so few carbs (20g per day max). I’ve been extending my fast for a while, skipping breakfast, & that’s fine. I just want to feel in control of it all.

I lost some weight at the beginning of last year but lost my motivation because I was bored of the food I was eating & really craving bread, biscuits etc. Naturally most of the weight came back. I didn’t really know how to go about a low-carb transformation but am making more of an effort to understand the right approach. I’m not a details person but it’s obviously important to prepare properly & plan meals. I’m very much still learning but also making changes already.

I ‘d love to keep in touch & compare notes, even if we’re not following exactly the same method.

Hi Sixer, welcome to the forum. The fact that you prevailed over such a brutal opponent goes to show what a true fighter you are. That same power that carried you through the worst of cancer and treatment is now going to be dedicated to reclaiming your health in a different area of endeavor, and it’s important, I think, for you to recognize and acknowledge how much ass you’ve already kicked so you can feel that strength inside of you even when the numbers on the scale don’t cooperate.

Illness is so debilitating, and with the chronic pain and complications of treatment to deal with, I imagine you’ve felt weak and exhausted for a long time. You can build up to exercise. Just set it aside for now. The biggest feat of strength required for success on the BSD is mental focus and we all know you have that because you are a survivor and dragonslayer. Focus on that for the time being. Once you’ve cut all the carbs and your body is getting some nutrient-dense food and burning fat for energy instead of sugars, your body will feel very different. When you’re up to it, you can start very modestly with a short walk or something like a 10-minute exercise video on YouTube targeted to people with mobility issues.

You’ll work it out. The dragon hasn’t a hope in the world against your courage and strength.

Sixer, JuliaV

So good to meet you both. This bunch of friendly people are all that you need to help, guide and champion your causes. Better than attending any club! Keep posting, anything at all!