[chicagoetc]

My oncologist only told me to do one thing re food/exercise when I started chemo: Walk 30 minutes a day five days a week. It was not hard. I walked as slowly as I needed, faster later. It gave me more energy than I thought. It's not that I didn't crash out later, after I walked. Many months later I decided to decrease my fat content. And later (months) I did more. They were lifestyle changes that actually worked/helped and were not hard to implement given they were incremental, slow, and self-directed.

I still try to walk at least 30 minutes a day. [Ok in the winter I did floor exercises, calisthenics for 30 minutes when it was too cold or I could not get to a treadmill.]

I had to stop when on Taxol (could not walk due to discomfort/pain) and was fatigued by it when receiving radiation. But I never felt guilted into exercise or eating changes. Nor had I a clue when I started re how to lose weight.

Weight problems are epidemic. My health insurance company is actually beginning to reward members for healthier living, more preventative health. How to address it on a broader scale is far beyond what I know or could imagine.

But I am thankful for my oncologist's advice.

Melanie