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mined to be more ft and active than
ever," she says. And she has seen this
ambition through by becoming a
competitive body builder since fn-
ishing treatment. Rhonda entered her
frst body-building competition in
2014—fve years after her diagnosis.
Kiser supports an approach
like Rhonda's—namely, to stay
active as appropriate for your cur-
rent strength and energy levels. "I
encourage a healthy routine within
your ability," she says, adding that
survivors may want to work with a
physical therapist to create safe exer-
cise routines.
Nutrition is, of course, also an
important part of maintaining a
healthy weight. Winston says that
a dietitian can help you establish
healthy eating habits during and
after treatment. She also directs
patients to the AICR dietary
guidelines, which provide great
information and recipes, including
tips for eating mostly plant-based
foods (vegetables, fruit, whole
grains and beans), limiting red meat
and avoiding processed meats. In
addition, AICR offers insight into
research related to food choices
that may help prevention efforts
in its "Foods That Fight Cancer"
list. Some foods that might protect
against cancer include blueberries,
walnuts, wild-caught salmon and
dark green leafy vegetables.
4
Friends and family can do a lot to
help you stay on track with nutrition
and ftness goals, says Trukova.
Cancer Treatment
and Weight Gain
Research related to weight
gain during and after cancer is
ongoing. If you would like to dig
a little deeper into the research,
take a look at the following
journal articles referenced here:
• Weight Gain in Breast Cancer
Survivors: Prevalence,
Pattern and Health
Consequence
Journal: Obesity Reviews
Authors: V. Vance, M.
Mourtzakis, L. McCargar and
R. Hanning
Publication date: April 2011
Abstract online: ncbi.nlm.nih.
gov/pubmed/20880127
• Obesity as a Major Risk
Factor for Cancer
Journal: Journal of Obesity
Authors: G. De Pergola and
F. Silvestris
Publication date: August 2013
Abstract online: ncbi.nlm.nih.
gov/pubmed/24073332
"I was determined to be
more ft and active than
ever," she says. And she has
seen this ambition through
by becoming a competitive
body builder since fnishing
treatment. Rhonda entered
her frst body-building com-
petition in 2014—fve years
after her diagnosis.
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