Exercise is particularly important with hormone-dominant cancers like estrogen-positive breast cancer. Fat cells harbor estrogen, so the more weight you lose, the lesser your estrogen load. Having a “spare tyre” is dangerous for people with estrogen-sensitive cancer. Exercise also helps to alleviate many side-effects associated with drugs prescribed for cancer like aromatase inhibitors.

Since I started on the aromatase inhibitor Letrozole (Femara) a couple of months ago, I have been putting on weight, a common side-effect of AIs. This is not good for someone with my condition. I had actually been losing weight steadily over the last couple of years, until Femara came along. Now, it seems to me that no matter what I do I just can’t seem to lose weight. It’s so frustrating.

So I bought myself a pedometer last week, to help keep track of the number of steps I walk daily. The recommendation is to take at least 10,000 steps each day. Not counting the steps I take when I’m indoors, this translates (for me) to two hours of brisk walking. Each time I walk my dog, Ginger, it takes 25-30 minutes, and I do this twice a day. Either I walk her four times daily (ha! ha!) from now on, or I’ll just have to find some other way to get the other 5,000 steps in. So far, by taking an additional long walk each day, I’m averaging 9,000 steps. At least the pedometer reminds me to walk at least 10,000 steps everyday.

I’ve also been looking at other things I can do naturally to help lose weight, like drastically reducing sugar intake. I already hardly consume any sugar, so I’ve just switched from drinking “reduced-sugar” soy milk daily to “sugar-free” soy milk. Hopefully, that will help. I’m also thinking of taking virgin coconut oil daily, as my research shows that it assists weight loss, besides providing many other health benefits.

Weight-bearing exercises are supposed to help burn fat too. I used to have a pair of barbells. Wonder where they are now? Must look for them. Meanwhile, I bought an exercise band yesterday, so I can do some resistance-based stretching and pulling, even while sitting at my computer. I spend hours working at my desk, so every bit of exercise I can work in helps.

If you have any other ideas to help me lose weight safely and quickly, please share. I’m not doing this for vanity’s sake, but for my life.

All of us are different, our ailments are different, the pathways are different and there is no one simple solution for everyone. Whether one chooses conventional medical treatment and/or alternative therapy is not for others to dictate or question. As long as your decision is based on well-researched information and you have peace with it, it should be respected.

Many women today are on synthetic aromatase inhibitors like Femara or Armidex to help stop the aromatase function where androgen is converted to estrogen, the hormone feeding two-thirds of breast cancers worldwide. Here’s a selection of tips (gleaned from various message boards) from some of these women on how to deal with certain side effects:

Pain

• Exercise, no alcohol, healthy diet helped with the pain and general well-being. Had to rest mid day, taking Femara at night reduced the pain, Supplements: calcium+ Vit D and Fosamax for the bones, glucosamine for the joints.

• I have to thank two people who posted on this board that they take their Femara with food and that they experience less side effects. I was taking it at night, just before bed. That night I took it with a granola bar and a yogurt and the VERY NEXT DAY the pain was 75% better. By the day after that the pain was gone.

• My oncologist advised me to take Glucosamine and Condrointin 3x daily from the beginning and it has helped so much it is hard to describe.

• Glucosomine/chondroitin/MSM has helped joint pain,

• I have found that taking TURMERIC (a natural ingredient in curry with anti-inflammatory properties) along with the glucosamine-chondroitin has helped a lot with the joint and bone pain.

• My feet hurt me so bad I could hardly stand and then I started taking Glucosamine, Chrondroitin and MSM Complex. It has helped a lot.

• Got relief for most of the side effects by taking Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM pills for joints and it helped greatly

• I started taking 1200 mg Caltrates and 1000 IU Vitamin E daily. This has helped me with joint pains.

• I started taking Pilates 4 years ago and it has helped enormously w/joint pain.

• I exercise 3 times per week and found yoga to be most helpful to reduce joint pain

• Strenuous exercise along w/increased calcium/vitamin D can help to reduce joint pain

• Never been an exerciser but started aqua-therapy which has all but eliminated muscle and joint pain. The key is range of motion and water therapy does the trick. The temptation is to slow down because of pain but exercise has made a difference for me.

• I am exercising 5 days a week, and exercise class in the pool with styrofoam weights two of those days. Water exercise is very soothing on joints and muscles, and can be as strenuous as you want it to be.

• Exercise regimen by riding my bicycle 14 or 20 miles round trip to work, depending upon the location. This has helped tremendously with my achy neck and right hip. I find that movement is much easier upon wakening.

• So many have mentioned foot pain. The only shoes I can wear are called ‘crocs’. if i try to go barefoot, i cannot walk more that four steps without flinching. these shoes are a godsend. however, they don’t look good with dresses!!! but, at this point, who cares? i take one vicodin in the morning as well as meloxicam, an anti-inflammatory med.; folic acid with b vitamins rid the migraines. i take one tylenol-3 at night for foot pain, as well as one extra strength tylenol, plus 100mg trazadone and 1/2 benedryl to help me sleep.

• After two years or so, I started having pain in my right hip and down my leg where it was uncomfortable to walk. I also developed neuropathy in both feet. ended up going to an acupuncturist only because I was desperate! The next day my pain was gone which absolutely amazes me. I still have the neuropathy, but I can deal with that.

• I was referred to a Certified Lymphedema therapist, and have been working with him for 6 months now. The diet changes he recommended included taking cod liver oil, it relieves the joint pain; taking vitamin C; and removing dairy products from my diet. It helps.

Inflammation

• Taking mobicosa, calcium. Vitamin D, glucosomine, fish oil and juicing daily adding spinach and other fresh greenery to juices to help reduce inflammation. Physiotherapy is helping somewhat.

Osteoporosis or Bone Loss

• I take extra calcium, glucosamine and antioxidants and eclasta [iv] once a year for osteporosis and misc antioxidants and fish oil tabs.

• Fossamax works very well (checking on dexa scan): 1 pill weekly.

Brain Fog

• Omega 3 for the brain!

• Take fish oil

• I have starting doing crosswords, Sudoku, even DS Brain Age, and it seems to make a difference.

Fatigue, Drowsiness, Depression & Sleeplessness

• I started taking Femara with a full stomach at night daily. I discovered that helped reduced my drowsiness for the following day.

• Exercise reduced drowsiness.

• Try Clonasepine+Trazadone for depression and GOOD sleep at night time.

Weakness

• I needed to add exercise to try to regain some strength in my body. I just began Qigong, a form of Tai Chi.

Hot Flashes & Night Sweats

• The night sweats were the worst! I found a solution in a product called “Chilipad” It is a pad that is placed between the mattress and top sheet. You just set the temperature to your liking and are cool throughout the night. This has been the greatest discovery as there is nothing like a good night’s sleep.

• It’s the hot flushes I find difficult to deal with so I am having acupuncture and Chinese herbs at the moment and it seems to have reduced the fierceness and number of them.

• I went on Clonodine (used for high blood pressure) AND IT STOPPED THE HOT FLASHES.!!

Vaginal Dryness

• Lubrication, lubrication, lubrication for the sex.

• Replens, lubricants and persistence for sex life

• Use Replens applicator every 3 days and lots of lubricant to have sex- no condom and really lather it on both of you.

• Am taking Replens and Ovestin cream for vaginal dryness, and have succeeded in having a sex life, even though less exciting.

• KY works somewhat for vaginal dryness.

Weight Gain

• I have been able to maintain my weight with exercise three times a week, yoga and a diet with mostly vegetables, beans, fruits, nuts and less than 20% of meat daily.

• Aquafit (working out in the pool puts less stress on your joints) really helps to control weight and keep fit

• EXERCISE (join the gym: be disciplined!) even with a joint pain. This is the best for those of you who gained weight: more weight – more work for joints…. I was on the treadmill even while on 6 months of chemo and 3 months of radiation.

Thinning Hair

• I went to the dermatologist about my hair. She gave me a special biotin, zinc piccolinate and suggested I use Rogaine. Something worked because my hair has stopped falling out and looks thick again. The zinc piccolinate interfered with my synthroid (throid cancer 9 years ago) so I now take it at a different time than I take the synthroid and that has worked out fine.

General Side Effects

• I take numerous supplements to counteract known side effects. I hardly feel the effects of Femara

• I take a multivitamin, vitamin D, red yeast rice (managing cholesterol level), glucosamine (easing joint stiffness), three ibuprofen three times a day for aches and pains, a stool softener and, most nights, Ambien. When I travel I need a separate bag for the medications and supplements. Considering getting a softer mattress.

• I exercise whether I feel like it or not, a walk…..even a stroll seems to help.

• I switched my diet to all organic animal products, especially dairy. Why take a pill to remove the estrogens and eat someone else’s?

• Keep the body moving – I have taken up water aerobics for fitness which does not affect the joints. I also have an ion cleanse detox & reflexology weekly which has me helped enormously. A soft bed has assisted & an understanding family & network of friends.

• I exercise in the morning, as well as in the evening. That definitely helps.

• stay as active as you can because I find that has been helping me. I used to be an avid rollerskater and I had not been since surgery. I recently went back about 1 month ago and can feel a difference. (2) PHYSICAL THERAPY – I started going two days a week and it has been working wonders. I feel like a new person.

• Most side effects have gone away entirely since I started to eat Oatmeal and Buckwheat 30 min. prior to taking Femara. I am also taking B12 vitamins.

• 50,000 icu Vitamin D, hot spa tub for fee/ankles, Requip for RLS, Effexor for hot flashes, STAY ACTIVE!

• DRINK TONS OF WATER DAILY and stay away from alcohol which makes your liver work too hard trying to process that in addition to all the drugs. Also, we know the drill – EAT RIGHT – fruits, vegetables – it makes a difference. I eat right – I don’t hurt so much. Eat crap – feel like crap. Yes, exercise too! I know it hurts, but just WALK if you can – keep moving! The Femara WILL take a toll on your bone density as well, take a calcium supplement.

• I have been able to control all side effects sufficiently. I take Osteo BioFlex (over the counter), 2 tablets once a day, which eliminated the soreness and stiff neck. I took red yeast rice extract, 2 capsules once a day, and that lowered my cholesterol even lower than it was before taking Femara.

• My oncologist, who is Chinese, put me on Omega 3 fish oil, acidophilus,(both 3 times per day) and melatonin almost immediately when I began my treatments and I was already taking milk thistle 2 or 3 times per day. I stayed on these all during chemo and kept them up after I finished it and radiation. I feel that these supplements have helped me. I do have some joint stiffness and a little pain but it’s not terrible and I plan to ask my oncologist about taking glucosamine for the joint pain.

• I take fish oil (4000 mg/day), glucosamine chondroitin (Metagenics ‘ChondroCare’ w/ 1500 mg/day of D-Glucosamine sulfate & 1200 mg/day of Chondroitin sulfate), zinc (100 mg/day), calcium citrate w/ magnesium (1500 mg/day), vitamin D3 (1000 mg/day), Ester C w/ bioflavanoids (4000 mg/day). Whenever I run out of any one of these, my symptoms worsen. It takes a while for them to improve after I replenish my supply.

• I feel GREAT…no joint or bone pain, no weight gain, have tons of energy. I exercise for a minimum of 60 minutes every day and have lost 26 lbs in the past year from weight watchers and exercise. I do a weight bearing exercise class 3x a week.

Of course, there are women who do not want to use aromatase inhibiting drugs. They choose, instead, to try to keep the cancer from recurring through various alternative remedies and lifestyle changes. Here’s an account from one such lady:

No Aromatase Inhibitors At All

• I must be a renegade here because I refused chemo and am now refusing Femara. After surgery (partial mast) and radiation I have gone on doctor-recommended fruit-vegetable diet, exercising 30 mins day at least 5 days a week. Vit D-3 (also doctor-rec) and doing Eastern methods to boost immune system (acupuncture, Qigong, Reiki). I’ve lost 15 pounds (wasn’t heavy anyway) just about given up alcohol and look and feel better than past 10 years. I read Ralph Moss “Questioning Chemotherapy” prior to my decision to decline that and am now reading what everyone here is saying about A/I. As a biologist I also appreciate the seriousness of totally upsetting the balance of the endocrine system It seems counter-intuitive to go on a drug that will age me and make me fat and crippled when the NCI itself says exercise and weight management are key to prevention. I understand that there is a risk of getting breast cancer back. But that risk is always there. Right now I want to choose wellness.

Lose Weight
The most dangerous form of estrogen, estradiol, is manufactured in fat cells as well as various places in the body, so it stands to reason that the less fat you carry, the lower your estrogen levels will be. Through a process called aromatization, fat cells actively convert precursor hormones to estradiol, and will continue to do so even after menopause. Excess fat stores both endogenous (produced naturally within the body) and exogenous (originating from outside the body) estrogens. Avoid consuming large meals, as these cause insulin surges in the body which, in turn, wreak havoc with hormones, estrogen in particular.

Increase Consumption of Phytoestrogens
Phytoestrogens are plant chemicals which mimic estrogen. Estrogen facilitates the binding of certain cancer chemicals to receptor sites on good cells and this feeds the cancer. Phytoestrogens are a weak form of estrogen which compete with your body’s natural estrogen to fill these receptor sites, so that the harmful form of estrogen cannot take over these sites. Without the harmful type of estrogen feeding the cancer, the cancer cells starve to death.

Beans (including soybeans), lentils, pulses, peas (including chickpeas), green vegetables, carrots, red peppers, herbs and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cabbage are good sources of phytoestrogens and protective carotenoids. Asians, particularly Orientals, eat lots of soy foods. The Japanese diet, as well as the traditional Chinese diet, is rich in soy foods, and adherents of such traditional diets are known to have a low incidence of cancer. Modern diets typically do not include enough phytoestrogens to protect us from cancer. Be greedy with these foods; eat an abundance of them.

Eat More Estrogen Blockers
There are foods which help to block estrogen from dominating your body. Increase your intake of these estrogen inhibitors.

Reduce Consumption of Animal Fat
Numerous studies have reported that consumption of animal fat, including dairy products, causes many health problems, such as heart disease and cancer. In countries where growth hormones are given to dairy herds, milk has been found to contain high levels of Insulin Growth Factor (IGF 1), which has been shown to affect insulin, estrogen and other hormone levels. Swedish researchers have identified a link between the volume of dairy consumed and the risk of prostate and testicular cancers.

Animal fat also contributes to weight gain (remember the documentary “Super-Size Me”?) which, in turn, produces more fat cells in the body where estrogen can be manufactured and stored.

Vegetarians have half the cancer rates of meat eaters. There are lots of delicious non-animal based foods to enjoy nowadays. There are even mock meats, or vegetarian meats which taste and feel amazingly like real meat. Check them out at Asian grocers and supermarkets. There are plenty of yummy alternatives to dairy products too. Go discover!

Use Natural Progesterone
Natural progesterone acts to balance out and control estrogen levels. Use safe progesterone creams like those made from wild yam, such as Neways’ Endau.

Boost Your Melatonin Levels
Melatonin is a hormone produced naturally by the body when we practise good sleep habits like sleeping at regular times and sleeping in darkened rooms (light prevents the production of melatonin). This hormone is a potent antioxidant as well as an estrogen balancer, and our bodies produce it about an hour after we fall asleep in a darkened room. Interestingly, people who are blind rarely have breast cancer, whereas people with irregular or poor sleeping patterns , and night shift workers, are more cancer-prone.

Melatonin in supplementary form, like Megatonin, can also be used to boost melatonin levels.

Anyway, after tea, we had a little nap. We’ve been working hard on our websites, so we decided to give ourselves a break. A movie followed. Later in the evening, after walking our dog Ginger, we checked our computers and found that a customer had made a large order on one of our websites. I also received a nice message and thank you from someone who recently discovered this website, Healing Pastures. It’s great to be able to help.

Ah, the joys of working from home! Who wants to be a slave to a job?!

According to a recent article in the Washington Post, mindful eating is a spin-off from a lifestyle practice called mindfulness, which is about slowing down to savour life’s details, noticing small things and appreciating every sensation. Mindful eating is not a diet. Instead, it focuses on the way you eat, rather than what you eat. So, instead of eating haphazardly and mindlessly at meals, shovelling food into your mouth, you:

- Decide in advance how much to eat, and what to eat. Rather than piling food on your plate, be selective about what you choose to put into your body. Brian Wansink, author of the book “Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think”, goes further by suggesting that you make half that amount vegetables and fruit, the other half protein and starch. Psychologist Susan Albers advises that before taking anything, you should ask yourself whether you really want to eat that item. Would you really enjoy it? Are you really so hungry? Take only what you really, really want.

- Before you start eating, pause and soak in all the sights, sounds and scents of the gathering. If it’s a holiday party, enjoy the atmosphere. Train yourself to use all your senses to relish the food.

- Take your time to savour your food. Appreciate how every morsel smells and tastes. Notice the temperature and texture. Put your cutlery down while you slowly chew each bite, enjoying every moment.

- After you’ve fully savoured each bite and swallowed, then pick up your cutlery again and enjoy another bite.

- Try to be the last to finish eating. Eat slowly. Don’t rush the experience.

- By the end of the meal, you will not only be full, but truly satisfied.

Some tricks to help you remove obstacles to healthy eating include not arriving at a meal hungry, as that may cause you to wolf down more than you should. Another one is using small plates rather than large dinner plates. Your food portions will then seem more substantial. Using tall, thin glasses instead of short, squat ones will also help control your fluid intake without reducing the pleasure. Thin glasses hold less liquid. If your host presses you to take a second helping, take a teaspoonful rather than a full serving. This way, you satisfy your host without sacrificing your waistline.

Eat mindfully, and you’ll probably enjoy your meals and the company more than ever before, and without weight gain too.

Then puberty came along when I was only about 11 years old. And the weight started accumulating insidiously on my previously gangly frame. Before I realized it, I was chubby. By the time I was 13, I had ample curves. Boys were looking at me in funny ways. I was often teased about being well-endowed for my age. It was so embarrassing.

As the years went by, more weight crept on. Crash and fad diets helped me lose some of the fat, but the lost pounds – and more – always returned eventually. I put on weight gradually, just a pound or two each year, not enough to raise a red flag. I more or less accepted that I had a more womanly figure than most. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was around 135 pounds, way too much for a petite frame.

Since then, I’ve learned that being overweight or obese is a contributing factor for cancer. Fat is BAD NEWS. Estradiol, the most dangerous form of estrogen, resides in fat cells, so fat is particularly bad for those with estrogen-dominant cancer. Most breast cancers are estrogen-positive. Thank God, I’ve shed more than 20 pounds in the last couple of years. I’m looking forward to losing another 10 pounds.

Fat people shouldn’t be treated like pariahs, but do you know that the American Institute for Cancer Research just reported a few days ago that obesity causes more than 100,000 incidents of cancer in the US every year?

The group, which funds research on the link between diet and the disease, said 49 percent of endrometrial cancers, which originate in the womb, and 35 percent of esophageal cancers are linked to excess body fat.

“It’s clearer than ever that obesity’s impact is felt before, during and after cancer, it increases risk, makes treatment more difficult and shortens survival,” said Laurence Kolonel of the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii.

Scientists have long seen a link between obesity and certain types of cancer, but the study — extrapolated from US cancer incidence data — is among the first to conclude the link exists on such a scale.

Researchers have yet to pin down the exact link between obesity and cancer, but some have suggested that fat tissue may produce heightened levels of sex hormones that spur cancer growth or that fat lowers immune function.

If the link is proven to be true, cancers could be expected to balloon in tandem with US body sizes. According to the government-backed Centers for Disease Control, 34 percent of American adults aged 20 and over are obese. Red alert!

My mother-in-law is jealous. She takes care of herself and watches her weight. She potters around the garden daily and plays golf regularly. Carbohydrates, oils and anything sweet are an absolute no-no. Not so for me. I must have my rice and bread, if I’m to feel full. I eat spoonfuls of oil every morning, to ensure I get my essential fatty acids. I used to take flaxseed oil, but when I found that it aggravated my estrogen-driven breast cancer, I stopped that and switched to fish oil instead. I also consume olive oil liberally.

I’ve had a problem with weight gain all my life, and I piled on the pounds over the years, in spite of trying various diets. Then, in the last couple of years, I started losing weight gradually, without doing anything drastic. So far, I’ve lost around 25 pounds. On a small frame like mine, that’s significant.

So what’s the secret to losing weight? All I can say is, I don’t deprive myself at all. I eat until I’m satisfied, and I allow myself various treats. I think that the following factors play a big part in my weight loss:

1) I don’t let myself go hungry. When my tummy starts growling, I eat something.
2) I start every day with around 500 ml of plain water, followed by two or three mugs of fresh fruit and vegetable juice. Not only does that help to flush the toxins out of my body, but the enzymes from the fruits and vegetables also help my digestive system to work more efficiently.
3) In the past fortnight, I’ve taken a liking to eating home-made yoghurt in the morning as well as at least one more time before the end of the day. That delivers more healthy enzymes into my system
4) I eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Not only do I juice them, but I always keep fruits washed and ready to eat in the fridge, for when I get hunger pangs or simply when I feel like having something refreshing to munch on.
5) Carbohydrates are generally healthy stuff like wholemeal bread, brown rice and whole grain cereals.
6) I keep nuts, seeds and dried fruit handy for snacks.
7) Raw honey is my main sweetener, although I do sprinkle some sugar into my yoghurt.
8) Meals are cooked with olive oil. Vegetables are roasted in olive oil. Salad dressing is made with olive oil, besides other ingredients.
9) Meat is rarely eaten. I prefer fish and, once or twice a week, small portions of chicken.
10) When I treat myself to cookies, biscuits, pastries, chocolate, ice-cream and so on, I ensure that they are made with top-quality ingredients and then I try to eat small portions each time. When the quality is good, it’s easier to be satisfied with just a little bit.
11) Exercise is important. Unless I’m sick or nursing an injury, I go for walks at least once every day. I also do my own chores, which helps keep me active indoors.
12) My regular beverages are plain water or herbal teas. Sweetened drinks are only consumed very occasionally, like once or twice a month.

That’s all there is to it, really. Nothing complicated or drastic. So basically, if you want to lose weight, don’t deprive yourself, eat when you’re hungry, but make sure you eat nutritious, good-quality food. As far as possible, eat fresh. Be fussy about what you put into your body, and keep it in good shape with regular exercise. There’s no need to torture yourself; do what you enjoy. For me, that’s simply going for a walk daily.

It amuses me to see friends and relatives desperately trying to get slimmer by doing things like eliminating carbohydrates, fleeing from anything sweet, and following fads like eating primarily meat (remember the Atkins diet?). As I’ve discovered, losing weight is just simple common sense, and the results are more long-lasting when you make certain healthy lifestyle and dietary habits part of your life.