Post cancer weight loss help - severe limited mobility

[nikkihanmer]

Hi everyone - I am new here. I was diagnosed with bowel cancer 2015 and had extensive surgery including a colostomy. So long story short I have gone back to my pre diagnosis size of 18... I went down to an 8 (caused by the cancer). I have severe limited mobility as they had to take a lot of things away so cannot stand with out a stick, walking even up stairs is terrible and I have various bits and pieces that need correcting so I am not allowed to swim. Can any one recommend how I can lose some weight. I also am in full blown menopause due to having all the girly bits taken away. I also cannot eat veg/fruit due to my colostomy aka little miss who goes into overdrive if I so much as nibble veg or fruit... Would really like to go to a size 14

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

Hi and welcome, Nikki

Much as I would love to be able to help you, we are not medically trained and this is beyond our field of 'expertise'. I would urge you to take this up with your GP/oncologist/stoma nurse.

We will, of course, be happy to support you on your weight loss journey and I'd like to invite you to join our Newbie Club, which we hope will be a good place for you to connect with members, who are also just starting out. If you just post a few words to introduce yourself and respond to others there, you'll soon break the ice. Here's the link

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

You'll find all the information you need to navigate the forum in the header, so please take the time to read it carefully.

Wishing you all the best

[DartmoorDumpling Restart Feb 2024]

Hi Nikki, I admire your determination to make the best of your health after a tough couple of years.

Hopefully your weight gain is a sign of better health, ....but as you say, you need to find a way to balance your food intake with your activity levels, and your food needs versus your dietary intolerances. A lot of that will be down to trial and error, but keeping portion control in mind, plus keeping your mind busy so you don't get tempted to comfort eat or snack out of boredom, which might be your biggest challenge.

You are doing the right thing in looking for support networks and forums with others who share some of your challenges.

[jopo]

Hi @nikkihanmer and welcome,

I'm sorry to read of your situation, you really have had an awful time.

You will find lots of support here on this friendly forum and we have many successful weight loss members who are limited with the amount of exercise they can do.

Your limited diet will be challenging but it's the amount of calories overall that will help you lose weight. Perhaps if you could let us know what you can eat our amazing friends here can come up with some ideas that can start you on a healthier lifestyle.

You'll be welcome to weigh-in with the Wednesday wobble warriors in the morning, it's a great place to find a terrific bunch of people who will do nothing but lift your spirits and encourage you on.

[jopo in reply to jopo]

nikkihanmer sorry I couldn't tag you in my post above for some reason, I hope you see this reply.

[87down]

hi nikkihanmer I would suggest you ask to speak to the hospital dietician as a starting place, given your circumstances i am surprised you didn't see one following the colostomy (retired nurse here) but given how short staffed they are could be the reason, but it would be worth asking.(If you aren't due back at the hosp for a bit you could ring and speak to your consultants secretary and ask her to ask the consultant to refer you) Regarding fruit and veg I would try very small portions of just one item and see what effect it has as some people can tolerate normal amounts, others cant and it is trial and error I'm afraid- have you tried mashing some broccoli into potato? Maybe stewed apple and natural yogurt but again very small amount of the apple. Hoping things continue to improve healthwise and good luck with the weight loss you have had a rough ride so hope it smoothes out now