NED's are you following a diet & exercising or living your life as before?

[Lydia666]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaDt3AJQ98c

Very good info from a doc who had cancer himself.

[weisssoccermom]

Not sure you can say his pathway was 100% effective as he passed away in 2011....about a year after this video. Honestly, I didn't watch it so can't speak to what he was talking about but, I still don't believe that following a specific diet plan or implementing exercise will stop cancer from recurring if the cancer is going to. Again, not saying we all shouldn't follow a better diet (I know that I should) or exercise more frequently (again, I am guilty of not following this recommendation either)....but I just don't believe that a lifestyle that focuses just on diet/exercise will either keep cancer from inhabiting our bodies (initially) or keep it from recurring. Take a look at all the people in the world who do the 'right' things...exercise, don't drink, don't smoke, etc and who are dxd with cancer. Then there are those out there who are grossly overweight, don't exercise and they are walking around presumably cancer free. Just my opinion.

[Lydia666]

True, but I imagine it can only help. He isn't the only one talking about similar things.

[kiwiinoz]

I agree with Lee, in that if diet and exercise were a 100% proven solution there would be no need for any conventional treatment. However for me personally my philosophy is:

A healthy diet provides my body with all the macro nutrients it needs to function properly
A healthy diet makes me feel feel better about life
Exercise makes me feel better
Exercise makes reduces my risk for other chronic diseases

Since I changed my diet to become a little more extreme after dx the issues I had with psoriasis have pretty much disappeared, which considering I had that for 25 years prior to dx is a major achievement for me. I enjoy life a lot more when I eat right, and I exercise and whilst there is no proven link between recurrence and exercise the body of evidence does tend to support that the odds increase if you follow this lifestyle.

For me, I wanted something to hang my hat on and to try for during treatment and this became diet and exercise. Once treatment finished I wanted a something to focus on for my fear of recurrence and could not just sit there and do nothing. I was fortunate in that during and post treatment I was well enough to be able to carry this lifestyle on.

I totally agree that it is an individual choice and you need to do what you can to get through. For some this is living a "healthy" lifestyle, and for others, it is just doing what you need to do in order to cope with whatever you are facing. Each of us makes their own choices and I don't think we should be blaming anyone else for those individual choices.

Kiwi
1/2 Marathon # 5, 6 & 7 on the horizon and then 2016 a full marathon.....

[cathy123]

Just had my first post chemo appt with my onc and I asked him what he recommends to reduce chance of recurrence. He said the number one evidence based action is exercise - at least 20 minutes 3x a week. He also recommends vitamin d and a baby aspirin each day. I asked about curcumin and he said it won't hurt but he hasn't seen convincing evidence. He did not recommend cimetidine. As far as food, he said that red meat and in particular ground meat or charred meat are shown to have possible links to polyps. But he said he just recommends moderation.

I know there are a lot if opinions, but I trust and respect my onc so thought I would share.

[Chiller74]

although I'm not NED ... I'm starting to try and cut more added sugar from my diet as everything you read seems to suggest cancer feeds off sugar. Not cutting out fruit and fruit juice by doing best to cut out junk food

so many studies about harmful of processed sugar and what it does to your body... fatigue, craving it, feeding candida, etc ....from numerous health writers J.J. Virgin, Tasco Reno, etc.

Good a time as any to make small modifications towards healthier life

[Nik Colon]

Sadly, I admit I am still eating the same, my body craves sugar in the morning, it has for a long time, but I also have lived with fatigue for a long time on top of apnea, going again to see a sleep specialist next month, my last was in 2000 I believe, gave me a nose cpap, didn't know of full masks at that time or if they had them, I now know and think I need one. I would also like a tonsillectomy also removing my adenoids to hopefully help but cant right now, who knows, all I know is it's getting worse. Sorry for switching subjects. Best wishes. Also again, I know so many here that lived extremely healthy and got crc, so, jmo, it's sporadic, yes, everyone should strive to be healthy but imo, crc is indescriminate

[Jachut]

Its a constant source of anxiety for me but I live WAY worse eating wise than before cancer.

I don't know whether it was chemo, radiation, surgery, or now sporting a colostomy, and in actual fact probably the toughest thing was the radiation induced sudden and complete menopause, but I have NO appetite anymore. I am just so disinterested in food, everything sounds revolting, I cant stand the smell of meat cooking, cant bear salad or fruit, just never get hungry and basically the only things I willingly ingest are caffeine and sugar in the form of baked goods or chocolate. I feel like sh*t, I look like sh*t and I know I'm setting myself up for major health problems but I just honestly cant stand cooking or eating. Treatment for me finished mid 2011 and I was a star patient throughout - no chemo problems, no radiation problems, quick surgical recovery - made my docs happy but I don't feel I have ever regained even a fraction of my former health.

I see a fantastic integrative practitioner who solved the awful fatigue problems I was having but he's scratching his head over this one.

All the things we should eat - fruit, vegies, beans, fish - cant stand any of them. And the things we shouldn't overdo - white carbs, sugar and such, that's all I want. I'm going out for dinner tonight, and that to me is just an exercise in hiding the fact that I'm not eating much of anything.