I am coming to you all because I am lost.

I have been battling breast cancer since the age of 26 and am now 44. I went into remission for the 4th time last year. I had my ovaries removed and have been in full blown menopause since then. I have a horrible time dealing with anxiety and depression along with the other wonderful things that come with it. I CANNOT take HRT because the 3 types of breast cancer I have had (yes ladies...3) were all estragen(sp) fed!

This all combined with full time school, a full time job, and my husband fighting for disability before his insurance company decides a broken back isn't a good enough reason not to work have all resulted in me feeling very ashamed and disappointed in my inability to lose more than the 11 lbs I have lost since January of this year.

I lack the energy (or is it the motivation?) to get up and move.

I am NOT asking for pity (please), but I need suggestions, opinions, thoughts, help....anything.

Thank you.

When i started menopause I had wicked bad hot flashes and other typical associated symptoms. I tried an over the counter product called iCool and it really helped with the hot flashes. After about 6 months I weaned myself off it and the hot flashes (so far) have not come back (it's been a year).

Recently I've been adding red macca powder to my smoothies. It is recommended for menopausal women to help regular hormones and also lift depression. I don't much like the taste of it to be honest and I have not noticed it is helping with my depression but I've commited to using up the pound i got through nuts.com. Many people swear by red macca powder so either I haven't been using it long enough or maybe it won't help me but I figure it's worth trying....

Neither of these will help with weight loss though, but if they help with other parts of your life maybe they will free you up to focus your energy a bit more toward that particular goal. I know for me right now I just have enough energy to commit to cutting out junk food and about once a week I manage to kick myself to the curb for a walk. I know exercise is supposed to help you get out of a funk but it's a catch-22 isn't it - if you're in a funk it's really really hard to make yourself start the exercise...

In the end we just do what we can and hope it gets better...