3rd week of Diet

This is the third week of Transformations, Christie Clinic's medically supervised diet. I'm down 13 pounds, and 1.5 inches in my waist, 3 inches in my hips, etc.

I do feel an energy boost compared to the last time I lost wait, which was concurrent with the development of my CLL/SLL. This is a good thing, I think. I was worried that somehow losing weight as fast as this diet does would mess around with my condition. But the bottom lone to me was, "In my current condition, at my current weight, is it better to gain weight or lose weight or stay the same?" The answer to me was clear. It has to be better to lose the weight I am carrying needlessly. It doesn't improve my cancer by any means and all the bad it is doing, it does whether I have cancer or not. Again, had I known the course of this disease, I would never have let myself put the weight back on.

That is really one of the reasons I started this blog, besides informing my family and friends of the status of my health, it was a chance to give people who might be in the same position I was a clue about what to expect.

There are lot's of variables and many different specific kinds of CLL/SLL. I have a very active case, but not the most virulent. I was never a candidate for watch and wait, and early on it was looking like I'd would need a bone marrow transplant as quickly as possible. Now I am on a clinical trial that has stabilized the disease up to this point and the transplant is on hold indefinitely (although I still see my transplant Dr. every 6 months). So my recommendation is if you are in a healthy weight range, even if you lost weight due to the cancer, there is no advantage in gaining the weight back.

It is true, I used food as a sort of anti-depressant to help me deal with the new facts of my life, but I think an actual prescription anti-depressant would have been cheaper and more healthy than the attendant weight gain.

I am not a doctor, and so I temper this advice with the further advice that you should of course consult with a medical professional to decide on what is a healthy weight with or without cancer.

The fact is, at this point, I am almost back on track to get on with my life. I spent the last four years going down my bucket list, the biggest item probably being recording my album. So, it hasn't wasted. That project was near and dear to me. It hasn't really gone anywhere as yet, but that wasn't really the point.

So, as this diet is showing and as I believe and teach my students, it just takes a little bit of success to make you believe in your own ability to overcome any odds.

It's true!