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AlaskaAngel · 10-30-2009, 02:23 PM

I saw the RD in Seattle, and because I hadn't been weighed since seeing my PCP on the 15th, I used his scale, which showed 1 pound of weight gain. This could be just a minor difference in the scales or clothes so my impression is that consistent dieting and consistent significant exercise is only working in the sense that it limits further gain to some degree.

So far, here are the differences between what is commonly believed about simple "postmenopausal metabolism" for this 58-year-old chemopaused woman:

"Maintaining a moderately reduced caloric intake will contribute to weight loss." - Not true for me.

"Maintaining a diet too low in calories can result in no weight loss due to the body's tendency to reserve energy." - True for me.

"Adding moderate physical exercise contributes to weight loss." Jumping rope for 30 minutes a day every single day for 3 months is more than moderate physical exercise, but did not result in weight loss for me when added to a diet too low in calories.

"Maintaining a moderately reduced caloric diet plus increasing exercise to 1 full hour every day of the week will result in weight loss." I have walked 3 miles a day (as measured by the highway paddle markers, not my imagination) when walking forward. When walking backward (to "mix it up" and use different muscles) for half of the walking, I have walked 2 1/2 miles a day because of shorter more cautious steps. So far, the goal of weight loss is not true for me at 30 days out. In that entire period, I missed 3 days of exercise. I have done my morning walk at every town where we have spent the night, but twice was limited by work load and once by being on a boat that was pitching and rolling too hard to do laps on board as I had planned to do. The difference in weight at the RD's scale may in fact be due to the 3 days out of 30 when I was unable to exercise but did diet.

So where do I go from here? In talking with the RD I said that I can try making the hour of daily exercise 1/2 walking, 1/4 weight resistance, and 1/4 aerobic to see if that makes any difference.

But at this point I also want to see some genuine personal commitment on the part of providers in figuring out how much of what they believe to be true about diet and exercise for a 58-year-old chemopausal woman is true, and just how much of what I believe to be true about diet and exercise for a 58-year-old chemopausal woman is true. So I am seeking an appointment with an endocrinologist and if I get it scheduled for my return trip through Seattle, I have asked the RD to work with the endocrinologist and my NP to help me define what it does really take for me to lose, say, a pound a week or even a pound a month, and keep it off. Does it take 2 hours a day of heavy exercise, or what? We already know it takes consistent dieting on top of consistent exercise, for me.

All my labs are normal except for slight increase in my LFTs. So if I am not diabetic, why do I have to eat like one just to prevent weight gain?

At present it appears that I must exercise a full hour every day and stick to the below-maintenance caloric diet every day from now to eternity just to not gain weight. I want more proven answers to these questions.

A.A.

10-30-2009, 02:23 PM	#35
AlaskaAngel Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Alaska Posts: 2,018	Groundhog Day #30 - on the road I saw the RD in Seattle, and because I hadn't been weighed since seeing my PCP on the 15th, I used his scale, which showed 1 pound of weight gain. This could be just a minor difference in the scales or clothes so my impression is that consistent dieting and consistent significant exercise is only working in the sense that it limits further gain to some degree. So far, here are the differences between what is commonly believed about simple "postmenopausal metabolism" for this 58-year-old chemopaused woman: "Maintaining a moderately reduced caloric intake will contribute to weight loss." - Not true for me. "Maintaining a diet too low in calories can result in no weight loss due to the body's tendency to reserve energy." - True for me. "Adding moderate physical exercise contributes to weight loss." Jumping rope for 30 minutes a day every single day for 3 months is more than moderate physical exercise, but did not result in weight loss for me when added to a diet too low in calories. "Maintaining a moderately reduced caloric diet plus increasing exercise to 1 full hour every day of the week will result in weight loss." I have walked 3 miles a day (as measured by the highway paddle markers, not my imagination) when walking forward. When walking backward (to "mix it up" and use different muscles) for half of the walking, I have walked 2 1/2 miles a day because of shorter more cautious steps. So far, the goal of weight loss is not true for me at 30 days out. In that entire period, I missed 3 days of exercise. I have done my morning walk at every town where we have spent the night, but twice was limited by work load and once by being on a boat that was pitching and rolling too hard to do laps on board as I had planned to do. The difference in weight at the RD's scale may in fact be due to the 3 days out of 30 when I was unable to exercise but did diet. So where do I go from here? In talking with the RD I said that I can try making the hour of daily exercise 1/2 walking, 1/4 weight resistance, and 1/4 aerobic to see if that makes any difference. But at this point I also want to see some genuine personal commitment on the part of providers in figuring out how much of what they believe to be true about diet and exercise for a 58-year-old chemopausal woman is true, and just how much of what I believe to be true about diet and exercise for a 58-year-old chemopausal woman is true. So I am seeking an appointment with an endocrinologist and if I get it scheduled for my return trip through Seattle, I have asked the RD to work with the endocrinologist and my NP to help me define what it does really take for me to lose, say, a pound a week or even a pound a month, and keep it off. Does it take 2 hours a day of heavy exercise, or what? We already know it takes consistent dieting on top of consistent exercise, for me. All my labs are normal except for slight increase in my LFTs. So if I am not diabetic, why do I have to eat like one just to prevent weight gain? At present it appears that I must exercise a full hour every day and stick to the below-maintenance caloric diet every day from now to eternity just to not gain weight. I want more proven answers to these questions. A.A.