I just finished chemotherapy last Monday...stage 2 breast cancer. Between the steriods and the adrio/cytoxan (chemo) I have developed a HUGE sugar addiction and a whopping 30+ pounds to go with that!! I am weak, but SUPER driven to get the weight off and zap the cravings. I plan to stay on phase 1 for at least 2 weeks, but may venture to a third week if I don't feel the cravings are 100% gone. I may switch to Weight Watchers after that. I have been successful in the past with both programs.
I am sure that I will be posting questions from time to time.
Welcome and what a great time to make a fresh new start! Are you still taking the steroids? I am sure they alone account for some of the weight. It seems like you are familiar with South Beach but I just wanted to say welcome!
I am done with the steriods. I am sure they account for some of the weight. I am just not sure how much. I have heard that the weight loss after chemo has been known to be slow. We'll see. Thanks for the welcome.
Welcome! Wow, you have been through a lot recently. Luckily South Beach is such a healthy eating plan (that's why I chose it), so you will be doing great things for your body. Especially if you really focus on the minimum of 4.5 cups of veggies/day.
I have often combined South Beach Diet with calorie counting and there is at least one person on this board who combines it with Weight Watchers, so that is totally doable. I find that the SBD principles keep me making good choices, when I could justify bad ones by calorie count alone.
About the sugar cravings, the first time I did Phase 1, I think I abused the artificial sweeteners, but once I got to Phase 2, I get my fix from clementines, apples, sweet potatoes, etc. I do have dark chocolate almost daily but I try to find the one with the least grams of sugar and I only eat one piece (50-100 calories).
Best of luck to you and anytime you have a question, ask here. There are some real experts here!
Welcome! Congrats on finishing your chemo. I'll bet it will feel good to start to get back to a healthy routine. With my family history with breast cancer I have been advised to follow a healthy food plan and to especially stay away from sugar. Once I got through the initial P1 it has been so much easier.
Up until about two weeks ago, I combined Weight Watchers and SB. I used points to control my portions and SB principles to control what food I ate. It worked very well! I just recently switched to calorie counting instead of WW, though, which is basically the same thing.
Thanks for the well wishes. EmmaD I am being careful about the sweetners. I know they make me feel like I am eating the real thing....tricks your brain/body into wanting more.
Welcome back to the beach...and thank God for making it through chemo, right??? Can't wait to hear about your progress...sounds like you're already familiar w/ SB and are ready to go.
Congrats on finishing and surviving chemo. That must have been dreadfully difficult. Glad to see your here and ready to start anew. Lots of prayers and I hope you continue to get healthier everyday.
Leslie