Nothing is more inspiring than a story of weight loss and transformation.  I’m proud to say in March, I was a fat and out of shape 186 lbs.  Now, six months later, I’m down one belt size (which hasn’t happened…EVER) and holding strong at a pudgy and out of shape 166.  What’s my secret?  Simple.  Cancer.

That’s right, nothing sheds those pesky pounds like a healthy diagnosis of tongue Cancer; Squamous Cell Carcinoma to be precise.

I was diagnosed shortly after an epic vacation to the Philippines.  It was the trip of a lifetime, but let’s be honest, I wasn’t exactly rocking my prime “beach bod.”  Well, six months later that’s all changed, and let me tell you my tips for shedding those pesky L.B.’s.

First up, after some tense deliberation, settle on an effective treatment plan, and be aggressive.  I was extremely fortunate to be administered to the multidisciplinary head and neck Cancer team at Stanford, quite literally receiving the best care in the world.  With my diagnosis coming on March 27th, less than two months later, I was headed in for surgery (a partial glossectomy and neck dissection on my left side) to remove the relatively large tumor on the side of my tongue, and 30 suspicious lymph nodes, on May 16th.  And so my diet plan began with a day of fasting, step one.

After six hours in pre-op prep, I sadly learned my surgery would need to be pushed back, as my surgeon had complications earlier in the day with his other patients.  Shit luck for me, but I was back for the real thing two days later with one more day of fasting under my belt, already on my way to dropping weight.

I won’t bore you with the labors of surgery recovery, but a mere two nights in the hospital, a few more at home with a drainage tube out the side of my neck, and about four weeks of liquid diet had me crushing my diet plan.  Here’s the secret (and forget everything you’ve heard), eat whatever you can as often as you can.  That’s right, I was on a steady diet of smoothies, pudding, ice cream, creamy soups and broths, high sugar juices and plenty of high fat dairy.  People complain about a three-day juice cleanse, but they just don’t have the fortitude to stretch it out for weeks.

Eventually, I recovered and was starting to feel as ‘back to normal,’ as I could imagine, now missing a chunk of my tongue and a horizontal scar on my neck from left ear to Adam’s apple.  But overall, I was lucky, they salvaged the tip of the tongue, which is used to enunciate, so despite a slight lisp, I’m able to still speak normally.  But my diet plan wasn’t finished, it was just getting started.

Next up, six weeks of radiation therapy.  Here’s the tricky part; if you lose more than four or five pounds in a week, you’re threatened with having a feeding tube surgically placed into your stomach.  After the tube in my neck, that just wasn’t an option for me, so you can’t simply not eat.  Besides, by this point you’re hungry as hell.  Honestly, the first three weeks of radiation weren’t too bad.  I was smashing shakes, soups, and fruit.  Zero bread was a big key, and forget about meat or vegetables (except in smoothies or puree’d soups).

After three weeks, it got brutal again.  My taste buds were fucked, the swelling returned on my tongue and throat, and I was crippled with fatigue.  Determined to keep enough weight on to avoid that beautiful sounding feeding tube, I had my family there to force feed me many small snacks and meals per day.  Routine is important.  Morning smoothie, light lunch, afternoon snacks (puree or liquid), early dinner, milkshake for desert.  Make sure to drink a TON of water, 10-12 glasses per day.  Couple that with activity level of 0-1 and you’re on the right track for a healthy Cancer diet!

When treatment is completed, buckle up for the worst two weeks of your life, where you can barely get out of bed and blend an oral swish of anti-psychotics (careful not to swallow!) and viscous lidocaine before forcing down tear filled painful bites of mush, 3-4 times daily!  But stay positive, you’re still shedding pounds and while maybe not feeling great, you’ll soon be looking great (when your color returns).  No pain, no gain.

Now that you’ve finished the Cancer diet, careful not to fall into old habits (like eating too many vegetables!!).  For me, I can never eliminate breads entirely, so make sure to bump up that activity level to burn those pesky carbs.  Keep up eating those smaller, more frequent meals, because let’s be honest, it now takes you thirty or forty minutes to chew and swallow a steak, chicken breast, or even sandwich.  Not a problem, slower eating is great for the digestion.

And there you have it, six months later, I’m holding strong at 166, down a belt size, and feeling GREAT.  When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.  Beach bod, here I come.