[AlaskaAngel]

Hi Msleslie!

Your suggestion is an excellent one for the women here who are premenopausal or perimenopausal and should work well for them, and there are many younger patients here. Part of the problem for breast cancer patients is that there are so many important differences among us.

The vast majority of breast cancer patients are over age 55 and postmenopausal, which changes not only their ability to process nutrients but also their body composition. They form more fat around the middle, and more fat deposits around the organs inside the abdomen. When they drop their caloric intake to the point where younger patients would tend to lose weight with exercise, instead their metabolism goes into a form of "starvation mode" and becomes more efficient than yours, and instead of losing weight they just continue to exercise and diet, exercise and diet, without success.

But also, there are those among us at all ages who have other disease processes besides breast cancer that limit their ability to vigorously exercise, and yet they still need help with losing weight they have gained with steroids and chemo.

We really do need more emphasis from our caretakers on finding ways to match our individual metabolic capabilities, with the help of registered dietitians who specialize in oncology.

A.A.