The timing couldn’t be better. Protein is needed for Step 1 of ‘My Last Diet’ created by Kathleen DesMaisons. Protein is also needed to help my skin heal after getting Breast Reconstruction surgery using my considerable tummy fat.
A brief timeline re-cap of my Breast Cancer Journey
1-7-2010: Diagnosed with Stage 3A Breast Cancer in my left breast with 2 kinds of cancer: Ductal and Lobular, Tumor was 3 by 5 inches with one lymph node impacted.
From 2-4-2010 to 7-1-2010: Eight rounds of chemo that took my hair and shrank the tumor by half.
8-11-2010: Double mastectomy and full hysterectomy as I had benign grapefruit-size fibroid tumors that stretched my uterus up to my belly button. They took ten left underarm lymph nodes and both breasts. There was early stage breast cancer in my right breast. The surgery removed all cancer from my body. Fall 2010: 35 rounds of radiation aimed at my left breast for preventative purposes only. Fall 2010 to Fall 2015: I’m in the process of taking a daily low-dosage chemo tablet for preventative purposes only.
1-24-2012: Bilateral Pedicled TRAM Flap Surgery which translates as creating both breasts using my tummy fat. Around March 2012 (6 to 8 weeks after reconstruction surgery): There will be a second surgery to reconfigure and contour the breasts plus create nipples. Currently, they are partly underneath each arm. This second surgery will make them more front and center like ‘normal’ breasts. About 3 months after that in June 2012: They will tattoo the nipples.
Then my breast cancer journey will be complete.
More about Pedicled TRAM Flap Surgery
How does the surgery work?
The doctor makes a front cut from hip to hip about two inches above the bikini line. He tunnels the tummy fat up inside of me, leaving the abdominal muscle attached, and somehow anchors that tummy fat to the breast area. He wraps some artificial material around the muscles to help strengthen them.
Then he grabs the outer skin layers around my belly button and pulls that skin up taut and tight and to the top of my breasts. When he examined me on January 30, 2012, he pointed out where half of my belly button was on my left breast and where half my belly button was on my right breast. This boggles the imagination.
Then he actually cut a new belly button. He stitched all around the outside circle of each breast leaving the actual breast smooth and scarless. It feels firm and just like a real breast.
As for my tummy area, it is now fairly flat and taut. It may get even flatter once the swelling goes down. After all, I only had the surgery seven days ago.
My second chance
I have been accused of looking pregnant since my thirties due to the excessive roundedness of my stomach and the backward curvature of my lower spine that pooches the stomach out even further.
No matter what weight loss efforts and exercise efforts I made, my tummy fat never got smaller. It only got bigger. That felt frustratingly discouraging.
I used to describe my body as a salad dressing bottle, somewhat small on the top and round and big on my waist, bottom, hips, and upper thighs. After the double mastectomy, I was even more that way as I had nonexistent breasts.
Currently, I feel like I have been given a second chance to do things right. Not only am I free of cancer, I am now free of my extensive tummy fat. I am so very grateful for this opportunity.
Weight loss goals
When I was first diagnosed with cancer, I weighed the most I had ever weighed. Chemo caused me to lose 17 pounds as I lacked much of an appetite and it was too boring to eat since most of the food I put in my mouth lacked any kind of flavor.
Then I spend six months attempting the Harvey Diamond ‘Fit for Life’ diet. It pushes food combining and eating a lot of raw food. I lost an additional seven pounds.
But that stubborn tummy fat still remained. I also went into rebellions mode and began to eat up a storm without restriction. Naturally, I gained back those 25 pounds plus added an additional eight pounds.
They weighed me prior to surgery. I seem to have been maintaining that large of a number for several months.
I weighed myself three days after surgery. I went up three more pounds. Of course, I still had all that bandaging from the surgery and my clothes and slippers.
Then this morning, four days later, I’ve lost ten pounds. I’m now just 1 ½ pounds up from my original starting point.
Why did I lose so many pounds?
I’ve barely eaten since surgery as I have a very tiny appetite. Part of this is due to one of the pain pills the doctor put me on called Cephalexin 500 mg. It is helping to ward off infection and bad bacteria. I have to actually force myself to eat.
The swelling is going down. Plus, I still have a drain bag attached to each hip that is draining off excess blood.
This appears to be the ideal time to get serious about this new diet I’ve started aptly called ‘Your Last Diet’. I can capitalize on the following four factors:
Portion control is easy right now since I’m rarely hungry.
My sweet tooth seems to have gone into retirement. What little sweet tooth I have left is easily satisfied with yogurt or fruit juice or canned fruit.
I am not a bit tempted to try even one bite of candy, cookies, cake, or pie.
Protein is one of the main keys of ‘Your Last Diet’. My plastic surgeon told me to focus on eating more proteins than salads right now as it is more healing to the skin. He also wishes me to drink Gatorade to replenish my electrolytes.
So my goal is to safely lose weight in the rest of my body. I want to do this as a life-style change rather than a short-term diet as I do not wish to ‘yoyo’ any further. My desired future weight would be to weigh 135 to 140 pounds.
Once the doctor clears me to exercise, I will add that element in as well.
Two new breakfast options
As I mentioned in my previous three articles (see end of article for links), the first step of Kathleen DesMaisons’ diet and exercise plan is to simply focus on eating breakfast within an hour of waking up. That breakfast should contain several grams of complex carbohydrates. A range of 25 to 41.6 grams of protein, depending on your weight, should also be included.
In my third article, I included the first three breakfast options that could fit her diet.
Given that I lack stamina right now due to the traumas of surgery, I came up with two additional very easy breakfast options that can work for me. Perhaps they will work for you as well.
Breakfast combo #4: Fruit-flavored low fat Yogurt mixed with Flax Seed & Whey Protein; Cashews; and Gatorade
8 oz. fruit-flavored low fat yogurt (in my case, I selected Food City Raspberry Nonfat Lite Yogurt sweetened with Aspartame) 2 tbsp of ground flax seed (in my case, I selected Hodgson Mill Milled Flax Seed) ½ scoop of 100% Whey Protein (in my case, I selected 100% Whey Protein Isolate Natural Original flavor) ¼ cup of Cashews (in my case, I selected Superior Nut Company Whole Salted Cashews Halves and Pieces) 8 ounces of your favorite flavor of Gatorade (in my case, I selected Gatorade Perform™ 2 Orange)
Procedure:
Scoop the eight ounces of fruit yogurt into a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of milled or ground flax seed. Add ½ scoop (one-half the serving size) of Whey Protein. Mix these three ingredients until fully blended and eat. In a separate container, measure out ¼ cup of cashews. Drink 8 ounces of Gatorade. If you’re still thirsty, drink water.
Nutrition Facts:
434 calories 175 fat calories 19 g total fat 3 g saturated fat 0 g trans fat 5.5 mg cholesterol 403.5 mg sodium 41.5 g total carbohydrates 5 g dietary fiber 28 g sugars 30 g protein 105 mg potassium
plus other vitamins and nutrients.
Breakfast combo #5: Fruit-flavored low fat Yogurt mixed with Flax Seed & Whey Protein; Almonds; and Gatorade
8 oz. fruit-flavored low fat yogurt (in my case, I selected Food City Raspberry Nonfat Lite Yogurt sweetened with Aspartame) 2 tbsp of ground flax seed (in my case, I selected Hodgson Mill Milled Flax Seed) ½ scoop of 100% Whey Protein (in my case, I selected 100% Whey Protein Isolate Natural Original flavor) ¼ cup of Cashews (in my case, I selected Superior Nut Company Whole Natural Almonds) 8 ounces of your favorite flavor of Gatorade (in my case, I selected Gatorade Perform™ 2 Orange)
Procedure:
Scoop the eight ounces of fruit yogurt into a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of milled or ground flax seed. Add ½ scoop (one-half the serving size) of Whey Protein. Mix these three ingredients until fully blended and eat. In a separate container, measure out ¼ cup of almonds. Drink 8 ounces of Gatorade. If you’re still thirsty, drink water.
Nutrition Facts:
414 calories 165 fat calories 19 g total fat 1 g saturated fat 0 g trans fat 5.5 mg cholesterol 283.5 mg sodium 38.5 g total carbohydrates 7 g dietary fiber 28 g sugars 31 g protein 105 mg potassium
plus other vitamins and nutrients.
In the future …
I plan to continue to add to my breakfast options plus continue on to step 2 of the seven steps of ‘Your Last Diet’.
To be continued …
Past Weight loss articles
‘Your Last Diet’: Working Step 1 : Do you consider yourself to be overweight? Have you tried all kinds of diets only to have them all eventually fail? That is certainly the case with me. Join me as I work step one of ‘Your Last Diet’ created by Kathleen DesMaisons.
‘Your Last Diet’: Step 1’s Breakfast Adventure Part 1 : In my efforts to work step one of ‘Your Last Diet’ developed by Kathleen DesMaisons, I began experimenting with several recipes in my effort to create the most ideal sugar-free breakfast cookie filled with protein and carbohydrates. Read what happened.
‘Your Last Diet’: Step 1’s Breakfast Adventure Part 2 : In my efforts to work step one of ‘Your Last Diet’ developed by Kathleen DesMaisons, so far, I’ve found 3 nourishing breakfast combos that work for me. Read about liquid protein and steel cut oats.
Resources:
Radiant Recovery website by Kathleen DesMaisons Amazon link: Potatoes not Prozac by Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D., Addictive Nutrition Kathleen DesMaisons’ Radiant Recovery website: Potatoes not Prozac by Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D., Addictive Nutrition Amazon link: Your Last Diet by Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. Kathleen DesMaisons’ Radiant Recovery website: Your Last Diet by Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.