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Diet and Nutrition By popular demand our nutritional message board. This board will be monitored by a Registered RD who is certified in oncology by the American Dietetic Association

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Old 05-11-2012, 09:35 PM   #1
AliciaB
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Join Date: May 2012
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emotional eating

I have always been an emotional eater but it seems worse since dx in February. I know that nutrition is a key in fighting cancer, but can't seem to take the steps. I am doing the following to help myself: meditation, massage therapy, counseling, Thai Chi, Christian Bible study, walking 1/2 hour 3 days a week and physical therapy ( to help with scar lesions to chest wall after bilateral mastectomy). So why is this eating thing so hard? My husband will cook me ANYTHING! Yet I eat cookie dough when he is not looking. I eat when I am not hungry, by the way I am never hungry since starting chemotherapy. ugh!!
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Old 05-12-2012, 05:57 AM   #2
kltb04
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Re: emotional eating

Hi Alicia...I too am an emotional eater. I actually was excited after first chemo because I had no appetite and wasn't eating and lost 10 lbs... well, it came back. I still am not hungry often, but I just eat for eating's sake. I LOVE to just sit and eat and read or watch TV. And I am super picky as well, hate most veggies, love the simple carbs - ugh.

Sounds like you have taken a lot of good steps already; I haven't even been able to motivate myself to exercise/walk. I too was dx in February...I am in chemo now (neoadjuvant) but I still have 2 good weeks out of 3 that I could and should be exercising.

Just letting you know you are definitely not alone...
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Old 05-13-2012, 04:07 PM   #3
AliciaB
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Re: emotional eating

Thank you. It's nice to know I am not the only one. It's easy to know what to do. It's the implementation that is harder.
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Old 05-13-2012, 05:22 PM   #4
Mtngrl
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Re: emotional eating

AliciaB,

It looks to me like you're doing a really good job of implementing healthier habits. Don't be too hard on yourself.

Is there a support group you could join, for bc or eating (or both)? Or have you asked your onc about meds for anxiety/depression? You don't have to do everything yourself. Reach out for help.

Hang in there. Just keep doing your best, and keep trying to do the next right thing.
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4/19/11 Diagnosed invasive ductal carcinoma in left breast; 2.3 cm tumor, 1 axillary lymph node, weakly ER+, HER2+++
4/29/11 CT scan shows suspicious lesions on liver and lungs
5/17/11 liver biopsy
5/24/11 liver met confirmed--Stage IV at diagnosis
5/27/11 Begin weekly Taxol & Herceptin for 3 months (standard of care at the time of my DX)
7/18/11 Switch to weekly Abraxane & Herceptin due to Taxol allergy
8/29/11 CT scan shows no new lesions & old lesions shrinking
9/27/11 Finish Abraxane. Start Herceptin every 3 weeks. Begin taking Arimidex
10/17/11--Brain MRI--No Brain mets
12/5/11 PET scan--Almost NED
5/15/12 PET scan shows progression-breast/chest/spine (one vertebra)
5/22/12 Stop taking Arimidex; stay on Herceptin
6/11/12 Started Tykerb and Herceptin on clinical trial (w/no chemo)
9/24/12 CT scan--No new mets. Everything stable.
3/11/13 CT Scan--two small new possible mets and odd looking area in left lung getting larger.
4/2/13--Biopsy of suspicious area in lower left lung. Mets to lung confirmed.
4/30/13 Begin Kadcyla/TDM-1
8/16/13 PET scan "mixed," with some areas of increased uptake, but also some definite improvement, so I'll stay on TDM-1/Kadcyla.
11/11/13 Finally get hormone receptor results from lung biopsy of 4/2/13. My cancer is no longer ER positive.
11/13/13 PET scan mixed results again. We're calling it "stable." Problems breathing on exertion.
2/18/14 PET scan shows a new lesion and newly active lymph node in chest, other progression. Bye bye TDM-1.
2/28/14 Begin Herceptin/Perjeta every 3 weeks.
6/8/14 PET "mixed," with no new lesions, and everything but lower lungs improving. My breathing is better.
8/18/14 PET "mixed" again. Upper lungs & one spine met stable, lower lungs less FDG avid, original tumor more avid, one lymph node in mediastinum more avid.
9/1/14 Begin taking Xeloda one week on, one week off. Will also stay on Herceptin and Perjeta every three weeks.
12/11/14 PET Scan--no new lesions, and everything looks better than it did.
3/20/15 PET Scan--no new lesions, but lower lung lesions larger and a bit more avid.
4/13/15 Increasing Xeloda dose to 10 days on, one week off.
7/1/15 Scan "mixed" again, but suggests continuing progression. Stop Xeloda. Substitute Abraxane every 3 weeks starting 7/13.
10/28/15 PET scan shows dramatic improvement everywhere. All lesions except lower lungs have resolved; lower lungs noticeably improved.
12/18/15 Last Abraxane. Continue on Herceptin and Perjeta alone beginning 1/8/16.
1/27/16 PET scan shows cancer is stable.
5/11/16 PET scan shows uptake in some areas that were resolved on the last two scans.
6/3/16 Begin Kadcyla and Tykerb combination
6/5 - 6/23 Horrible diarrhea from K&T together. Got pneumonia.
7/15/16 Begin Kadcyla only every 3 weeks.
9/6/16 Begin radiation therapy on right lung lesion that caused the pneumonia.
10/3/16 Last of 12 radiation treatments to right lung.
11/4/16 Huffing and puffing, low O2, high heart rate, on tiniest bit of exertion. Diagnosed as radiation pneumonitis. Treated with Prednisone.
11/11/16 PET scan shows significant improvement to radiated part of right lung BUT a bunch of new lung lesions, and the bone met is getting worse.
11/22/16 Begin Eribulin and Herceptin. H every 3 weeks. E two weeks on, one week off.
3/6/17 Scan shows progression in lungs. Bone met a little better.
3/23/17 Lung biopsy. Tumor sampled is ER-, PR+ (5%), HER2+++. Getting Herceptin and Perjeta as a maintenance treatment.
5/31/17 Port placement
6/1/17 Start Navelbine & Tykerb
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Old 05-13-2012, 06:42 PM   #5
AliciaB
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Re: emotional eating

Amy, I do counseling on a weekly basis. I have not found a bc group yet that I connect with yet. The one at our university is good, but everyone is further along than I am. So they are on different issues than I am. I find that I want to rat for comfort, but then the comfort is gone the minute the food us gone. Just don't know how to stop the "addiction". Maybe the Acupucture will help to replace old habits. Thanks for support.
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Old 05-14-2012, 05:39 AM   #6
Jackie07
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Re: emotional eating

Hi,

During chemotherapy, a lot of us put on a little bit of 'fluid' weight because of the steroid. It will gradually 'disappear' if you continue to exercise regularly after completing your treatment. Right now you might want to try to walk 30 minutes 'everyday' (or at least 5 times a week) instead of 3 times a week. This will help burn some of the calories and regulate your appetite.

Instead of eating cookie dough, how about getting some walnuts which contains the beneficial Omega-3 fatty acid. You can try to roast them with a tiny bit of sugar if you really can't escape the craving for 'sweets'. Sometimes because of the low-fat content of our diet, we end up craving for 'empty' calories such as sugar...

Since you are aware of the 'emotional eating' situation, I guess the key will be to figure out what 'emotion' has caused it and why. Be sure to be honest with your counselor. My husband had gone for several sessions of therapy a couple years ago. He would come home and tell me how he was not sharing his true feelings/stories with the therapist ...

Walking/exercising also helps improve the mood because of the increased release of 'endorphins' in our brain. The more we exercise, the happier/healthier we are, the less we crave...

Be sure to talk to your doctor before trying acupuncture - it could cause tiny bleeding sometimes if the traditional tiny needles are used.

Sending you good vibes.
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Last edited by Jackie07; 05-14-2012 at 05:46 AM..
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Old 05-18-2012, 05:06 AM   #7
TanyaRD
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Re: emotional eating

AliciaB-feel no shame about emotional eating! As a dietitian I can confess to some emotional eating too and think most of us can on one level or another. Have you even read Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink? It is a great book that really makes you think about food triggers. Google him and you'll be able to see some of his videos and studies. He has a great sense of humor to help us laugh at ourselves for our mindless eating habits.
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