Weight Watchers ActiveLink Review

I'm a veteran Weight Watcher. I started about 15 years ago in the late 90s, when I was
26.  I lost 30 pounds. Over the years, I gained ten here, took off five there, and basically settled about five pounds over my lowest point. I've been happy with that (I love my wine and I gave up on having an 18 year old body years ago!). Then, I turned 40 and it all went downhill. I had put on 12 pounds over my comfortable weight and it just
wouldn't come off! Last spring, I was diligent about tracking points for three weeks and didn't lose an ounce! Talk about a motivation killer! I hiked all summer, five or six days a week for at least two hours - NOTHING!

A couple of months ago, a friend was visiting me and mentioned a few activity trackers that are on the market - Body Bugg, FitBit, and ActiveLink - the Weight Watchers competitor. She is an avid Weight Watcher too and really pushed that (although she didn't have one at the time) because "it's what we know" - meaning we understand how to count Weight Watchers Points to lose weight. After researching the three, I was leaning toward the FitBit, but I took her *Point* to heart and decided to try ActiveLink first. At $40 (and $5 a month web fee), if I decided I really didn't like it, I wouldn't be out a whole bunch of money. FitBit comes in around $100 (no web fee) and Body Bugg is about $150 (with an added web fee of $10 a month).

Before I continue with my story, I'll tell you a few things about how the ActiveLink works. If you are new to Weight Watchers, I suggest reading up on it here (http://www.weightwatchers.com/plan/index.aspx). ActiveLink operates on a Wii technology, which means that it's picking up on the movement of your body. You wear it around all day, and it calculates Activity Points for you, based on how much you move. There is an indicator on the device which will give you an idea of your progress toward your Activity Point goal during the day. However, you can only see how many Points you've earned by plugging it in to the computer. From there, you have the option of labeling periods of activity (aerobics, running, swimming, etc). For some exercises, like aerobics or running, it seems to be pretty accurate. By accurate, I mean that if you label the activity, the number isn't going to go up. For other activities (swimming, elliptical, skiing, etc), you HAVE to label the activity to get a number because these activities involve resistance, but not enough movement for it to work properly.

Another important thing to know is that Weight Watchers (and I suspect other diet
programs) expect you to use a baseline of calories every day. That means you will NOT get any Activity Points until the baseline is met. I've read a number of reviews where people indicate they did 30 minutes of some exercise and they know they burned 300 calories, but didn't get credit for it. Well, they did, but if you do that exercise first thing in the morning, it's getting credited to your baseline. You won't get any Points until you've hit the minimum. At the end of the day, you'll have an accurate count. This may seem like a flaw, but at the end of the day, I want results and miscalculating my Activity Points wasn't getting me there! The baseline WILL NOT be met by sitting at a computer or in front of the TV all day. I've found that 45 minutes of walking first thing in the morning gets me to about 50 or 60% of my baseline. About an hour and a half of skiing will get me to 100%.

I was so excited to get my ActiveLink, but my hopes were immediately dashed when I
realized the first week is an assessment period. The assessment is intended to
determine how active you are and set a 12 week goal. During the assessment, you can't add Activity Points to your online tracker, nor will it let you label your activities or give you any results. You can skip the assessment and do it at a later time (I didn't realize this when I started). The first week felt like a complete waste of time. I skied about 18 hours, which in hindsight might've been a problem if I had been able to label the activity because my goal would've been nearly unattainable. However, I wasn't going to give up a week of great skiing for a piece of technology! Since I couldn't manually track anything, I was completely in the dark and ended the week ready to pitch the thing out the window and give the folks at Weight Watchers an earful!

I began week two frustrated, but determined to give it at least a month before chucking it. My goal turned out to be three Points per day. As it turns out, I'm INCREDIBLY sedentary when I'm not exercising, so attaining those three points on days when I'm not out skiing is actually an effort! I suddenly realized I had to figure out ways of moving around just to get to my baseline! I work from home and if the weather is really bad (single digits, freezing rain, etc), I don't leave the house unless I absolutely have to. So, I started walking around the room when I'm on the phone or watching TV and climbing the stairs during commercials. One day I did 30 minutes of step aerobics, 30 minutes of upper body weight lifting and 30 minutes of a ballet barre video and got ONE point for the whole day! I know you are thinking that can't be right, but keep in mind that I was sitting around on the computer the rest of the day! At the end of week two, I had lost 2.4 pounds! I was at my lowest weight in over a year! FINALLY! I'm getting results!

I've been using the ActiveLink for several weeks now and I'm happy to say I've lost 13
pounds! I consistently lose each week, so I'm incredibly motivated! Because of my snafu with the assessment period, I quickly got to the stage where the site asked me if I would like to increase my 12 week goal of three activity points to five. I did, but bumped it up to six a few days later. I think of myself as an active person who wants to lose weight and keep it off. That is the recommended activity level for keeping off weight, so it seems like a logical, long term goal. I'm generally feeling better physically because I'm moving around more, as an added benefit.

While I'm happy to finally be losing weight, again, I'm also really angry at Weight
Watchers. I went for months using the online program and didn't lose any weight. My
fault for giving myself too many Activity Points? Maybe. But, here's the thing - when I go out skiing for an hour, I get about FOUR Activity Points (after my baseline is met). If I put an hour of snowboarding in to Weight Watchers Online (downhill skiing isn't an option and I have friends who snowboard and they spend just as much time on the lift as I do!), it gives me 12!! Twelve points is the amount I would get for an hour of HIGH INTENSITY exercise! Downhill skiing, when assessed through ActiveLink, is considered LOW! One thing I've learned from using ActiveLink is that there is basically NO SUCH THING as HIGH INTENSITY! So, why is it even an option? I read somewhere that one can
basically value an Activity Point at 80 calories. That would mean that one hour of
exercise would have to burn 960 calories to qualify! Even when I was training for the
Army Ten Miler, I wasn't burning that much. IF there is such an exercise, I'd like to know
what it is, even though I would probably die doing it! I'm not the only one that has made this observation -
http://community.weightwatchers.com/Blog/ViewPost.aspx?threadID=1727015. Remarkably, Weight Watchers seems to have ignored the post instead of addressing the issue. I suspect they realize there are a bunch of us who would like to get some money back for the time we wasted.
The bottom line is that I really like the ActiveLink and I'm getting results. In short, if you are going to try Weight Watchers Online, invest in the ActiveLink. Otherwise, in my opinion, it's a waste of time and money because you probably won't calculate your Activity Points correctly for one reason or another and the whole experience will be depressing. That said, at some point I will probably get a FitBit. I don't like paying a monthly fee, but I do like having a daily baseline of activity that I'm working to achieve. I'm goal-oriented like that!

What I don't like about it:
• You can't label activity, get any numbers, or manually add activity during the
assessment period
• There is no way to add activity manually if you are using it (what if I forget to wear it or
can't wear it? I'm still not sure if I can wear it at 100 ft while SCUBA diving)
• The monthly fee
• It's completely useless unless you are doing Weight Watchers (if you have met your
goal and just want to use it to be sure you are as active as you want to be, you'll have
to find something else)
• Even Lifetime members have to pay for it

What I LIKE about it:
• It clued me in to how sedentary I was when I wasn't exercising
• It has motivated me to do the most basic things - like walk around the room when I'm
on the phone or watching TV
• I can easily see if I've achieved my goal for the day (provided my exercise doesn't
 include one of the resistance exercises)
• I'm a Point counter, not a calorie counter, and it integrates easily with Weight Watchers
(I'm sure FitBit would work, but I would probably have to tinker with it to get it right)
• I'M LOSING WEIGHT (and who can argue with results???)

Got questions? Send me an email - christine@lbdclub.com.

**This article was written based on my experience with Weight Watchers and ActiveLink and are solely my opinion. Neither Little Black Dress Club, Inc nor I were compensated in any way to write this article.**

How To Stick To Your New Year’s Resolutions (now that January is gone)

January 1st has come and gone. Have your New Year’s Resolutions done the same? As a society we've come to use the phrase New Year’s Resolutions as a synonym for all of the things we want to accomplish in the coming year. So how do we ensure that we stick to our guns and accomplish all the things on that list? Well you can start by throwing away that list of resolutions!

New Year’s Resolutions are not only outdated but overrated. There, I said it. Goal setting and goal accomplishing is not a onetime occurrence but a lifetime (and lifestyle) commitment. Success does not happen by accident. True success comes from preparation, planning, and execution. My favorite fashion icon, Coco Chanel, once said “Don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.” Success will not just happen, you have to seek it! This is probably why New Years Resolutions ultimately fail. We feel that great things will just happen because it’s a new year and a new beginning. WRONG. If you were not working towards a promotion last year, you probably won’t receive one this year. If you were not trying to lose weight last year, you probably won’t fit into that new dress by February (but if you do please share your secret!)

In my other life I serve as a coach to individuals who are often stuck or attempting to make a significant transition in their careers. If I had a penny for every time I’ve heard “next year I’m going to go back to school”, “next year I’m going to ask for that promotion”, “next year I’m going to get more organized”, “next year I’m going to leave this dead end job”…. the list goes on, and on, and on…this mindset is a breeding ground for procrastination. Day 1 doesn’t mean January 1. Day 1 is right here, right now.

Here are a few tips to help you REALLY meet your goals (without waiting until January 1st):

• Once you’ve decided on your goal create a one-year plan, six-month plan, and even a one-month plan of progressively smaller goals that you must reach to achieve your ultimate goals. Let’s say your ultimate goal is to get a new position or a promotion in your current job. Your smaller plans would include things like continuing your education, attaining certifications, and gaining more hands on experience.
• Write your goals down and keep them somewhere visible. My favorite place is the bathroom mirror. Every morning I’m reminded of what I’m trying to accomplish that day, that month, or that year.
• Celebrate milestones (but don’t forget to invite your LBDC sisters!)
• Constantly re-evaluate your goals along the way. If your focus has shifted or things aren’t going the way they should, go back to the drawing board.
• Don’t go it alone. Share your goals and dreams with those closest to you.
• Get a mentor. Take advantage of the experience, education, ability, and imagination of other minds.

So let’s accomplish some goals this year and be sure to share your accomplishments with us. We want to know that you’re living life to the fullest. Burn those old fashioned resolutions and start realizing new success!

~Shantell Malachi
Director, LBDC Richmond

Shantell’s Weight Loss Chronicles: Yummy Chicken Veggie Soup

This year, like so many of you and like so many years before, I resolved to lose weight BUT this time around instead of doing the latest, greatest fad diet I decided to consult a dietician who helped me create a balanced, healthy eating plan. But with a schedule that includes a full time job, two businesses, a LBDC chapter to lead, and a dissertation to write I quickly came to the realization that making sure I get all of the required portions/nutrients/good stuff in one meal is a CHALLENGE. Per my dietician’s advice dinner should include 6oz of protein, ½ cup of starch, and unlimited veggies. So I’ve decided to sweep the dust off the crock pot and make meals that meet all of my dietician’s requirements in one convenient pot.  

Here’s my yummy chicken veggie soup recipe (Disclaimer: the measurements are approximate. I’m a “season to your taste” type of cook so feel free to adjust to your taste). Feel free to use frozen or canned veggies.

What you need:
4-6oz chicken breast
2 tbsp. of olive oil
1 tbsp. of black pepper
1 tbsp. of garlic powder
1 tbsp. of seasoning salt
2 tbsp. of parsley flakes
2 cups (or 16 oz.) of whole kernel sweet yellow corn
2 cups (or 16 oz.) of cut green beans (I prefer fresh cut over French cut)
1 cup (or 8 oz.) of sweet peas
1 cup (or 8 oz.) of sliced carrots
2 cups (or 16 oz.) of tomato sauce
1 cup (or 8 oz.) of water
½ cup (or 4 oz.) of tomato paste

What to do:
Warm olive oil in a large pan. Season chicken using a little of the seasoning salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.  Lightly  brown the chicken in the olive oil. Slice chicken into strips or chunks while it’s browning. WARNING: Do not let the chicken get crispy! Drain the oil from chicken.

In your slow cooker add the tomato sauce, remaining black pepper, garlic powder, seasoning salt, and parsley flakes. Add veggies and chicken. Add tomato paste and water. Stir.

I usually let this soup simmer all day but it’s actually ready to eat in about an hour, freezes well, and is very filling (i.e., no bread/rolls/crackers necessary). In one serving you have 6 oz. of protein, ½ cup or less of starch (carrots), and unlimited veggies! The perfect balanced meal.

If you’d like to know more about the meal plan I’m following please feel free to email me by clicking here.

Enjoy ladies!
Shantell Malachi
Director, LBDC Richmond Chapter

Be Happy in 2013

Well, we made it through 2012.  Let’s make it a MUST to be happy in all we do during 2013 and beyond.  Reflect back to 2012 for a minute.  Who were you with?  When were you the happiest?  What were you doing?

Moving forward, practice these five things and just be happy:

Pay yourself first.
Don’t forget to treat yourself after you work hard.  Ladies, by yourself a flower every pay day or go out to dinner to celebrate.  Life can be challenging and you deserve recognition for all that you do.  Don’t wait for someone else to acknowledge this.

Find the silver lining.
Always look at the bright side and remember no matter what your situation is, it could always be worse.  And someone else has been through worse.  Learn from everything and be grateful for what you have.

Say ‘thank you’ a lot.
What a perfect time to have National Thank You Month during January.  It’s a great reminder to start the New Year right.  Count your blessings and compliments and say ‘thank you’ as often as you can.  Stop right now and give thanks for (fill in the blank).

Let go of the should haves.
Life is too short to dwell on what we should have done or should have said.  Don’t marinate in regret.  These two words invite guilt and stress into our lives.  Eliminate this and put your life on a ‘want to’ basis, not ‘have to.’  Free yourself from the word should.

Forgive.
Let go, let go, let go of all the hurt and anger from your past.  Turn these feelings into opportunities to build happiness.  Forgiving others will release yourself.

In all that you do this year, keep moving forward and be happy.  Smile more---it’s contagious!

- Dr. Rachel Blankenship
Director, Columbus Chapter

Making Time for You (and Little Black Dress Club)!

Do you often say “I don’t have time for that!”  YES you do!  YOU are in charge of your time.  I know many of us; myself included, have spouse and children that can dictate where our time is spent or you might have an 80+ hour week work schedule.  Here are some tips that have helped me make the most of my day.

1) Calendar: My family has an electronic calendar so that I can look at my phone or computer at any time and see what is scheduled.  You can also do this on a paper calendar as well, just make sure you have it with you ALL THE TIME.  When people ask me if I can attend something I immediately go to my calendar and see what is happening that week.  I love being able to look at my week or month in a glance and see what I have going on at all times.

2) Set time limits: If you want to read a book, go through a drawer, or clean out your closet, but you only have an hour.  Don’t say well I only have an hour, so I’m not going to do that.  Set your timer and spend that hour getting your project done or spending quality time doing what you want.  Your timer will ensure you don’t go past that as I know sometimes you can get “lost” in a project.

3) Limit Distractions: I honestly didn’t make this a conscious decision, but in the last 2 years I’ve noticed I don’t really watch TV.  I feel like I get so much done without having that as a distraction.  Find out what distractions you have such as Facebook or T.V. and remove them or limit them with your timer.

4) Look & Feel your best:   Have everything packed and ready to go for the next day, know what you and you’re children are going to wear and whatever you do...Get 8 hours of sleep!

I wake up about 20-30 minutes more than I really need to because I hate that morning rush.  I can have quiet time to read, drink my coffee, and eat my breakfast before anyone is up.  If one of my kids gets up, that’s ok too.  I have had some of the best conversations with my daughter at 6:30am.

5) Support System: Another key in managing your time is having a great support system. Surround yourself by family and friends who are supportive of you and make sure you are a known support system to them as well. I’m thankful for the many wonderful, supportive women from LBDC that I have met along the way.  Don’t be weary to ask for help or just take a couple minutes to have a conversation on tips from someone who has been there.

6)Fun: Don’t forget to schedule in the fun with LBDC or leave your schedule open for fun!  Call a friend for a sporadic run or shopping trip.  You need “you” time to rest and recover from the stresses of life.

I hope these tips help you so you can do it all!

~Suzy Hicks

Co Director, Columbus Chapter

 

 

 

Don’t Break the Belt… Over the Holidays!

One day a few years ago I woke up and took a reality pill. That pill was a big dose of “I will never be 18 or have an 18 year old body again!” And, I’m ok with that, I am 40 after all! I’m willing to be about 15 pounds heavier than I was in high school so that I can enjoy life.

In the last year I’ve noticed that I have more and more trouble losing weight. Back in 1998, I lost 30 pounds doing Weight Watchers (WW). Until this past year, I maintained that loss. My strategy has always been to revitalize my WW diet when I gain five to seven pounds until I get back down to my “normal” weight. Normal for me is NOT skinny. I like to eat and I especially LOVE my WINE!

Now, I am seven pounds heavier than I would like to be (at least) and my attempts to shed the weight for the last eight months or so have been nothing short of frustrating and unsuccessful. To top it all off, the holidays are approaching. I’m not a masochist and I’m NOT going to diet over the holidays! It’s unrealistic for me and frankly, it kind of takes the fun out of the holidays. So, I’ve devised some strategies just to avoid gaining another five pounds!

First, if I have to bake anything, I will eat a healthy meal or snack before I start. I know I will be snacking my way through the cookie dough bowl, if I’m at all hungry. Second, any resulting baked goods will be taken away from the house or put in the freezer ASAP. I’m less tempted this way. When I’m done baking, provided it’s socially acceptable, I will indulge in a reasonable portion of goodies by applying Jennifer Moore’s  Mindful Eating techniques. I will "make time for it. “ I will “set aside ten minutes to truly experience my treat.” I will get a napkin, get a beverage, and sit down.” I will not multitask while I’m enjoying!

My second potential problem lies in parties. Again, I’m simply NOT going to a party and skipping the delicious things my host has made in the fruitless attempt to save a pound. I’ll worry about it after the first of the year. However, that said, I realize I don’t need to overdo it and there are a couple of things I can do to prep for an evening of fun. I’ll start off with a filling breakfast. This will probably include my six point (WW) breakfast burrito - one egg and one egg white, a vegetarian sausage patty, 1/8 of a cup of cheese, salsa and adobo seasoning on a two point tortilla - and a banana. I know from experience that that will keep me full for awhile. At some point during the day, for lunch or just before I go to the party, I’ll have a big salad with lots of veggies and a light salad dressing or a bowl of my Dad’s award winning chili (see recipe below), which is about two WW points per cup. Then, when I get to the party, I’ll eat, drink and be merry knowing I didn’t completely throw in the towel!

My Dad’s Chili (which always gets GREAT REVIEWS, by the way!)
2 15 oz cans dark kidney beans
2 large onions chopped (I usually cook them down before throwing them in the pot)
4 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp salt
2 packages of Smart Ground (my dad uses ground turkey or lean ground beef)
2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 15 oz can water

I mix it all in the crockpot and let it cook all day, but you can also put it in a large pot and cook it on the stove. This also freezes well, so I recommend doubling the recipe and eating it when you want something light and filling.

Cheers To Breast Cancer Awareness

If you haven’t been following us on Twitter (@lbdclub) or Instagram (lbdclub) this month, you’ve been missing out on our Pink Drink fun to raise awareness during Breast Cancer Month!

We’ve been posting our original Little Black Dress Club cocktail concoctions throughout the month and thought we’d share a final pink toast!. A few of them are the result of a weekend long Directors retreat in Deep Creek Lake, MD. We played mixologist in the kitchen - we stocked up on juices and mixers, cleaned out the liquor cabinets, and had a blast mixing, swirling and sipping!

Here’s a taste of what we created - The Cotton Candy Cocktail, The Flower Berry Bellini and Sparkling Hope are all pink and delicious. We had an interesting time coming up with these and even more fun sipping on them while enjoying a great view of the lake!

Next time you have your girlfriends over for a GNO, pull them into your kitchen and stir up a few of these LBDC cocktails. Use it as a conversation starter to remind your friends to get a mammogram, tell a story about a loved one who battled breast cancer, or just enjoy sipping a yummy cocktail while you appreciate some girl time. Do you have a favorite recipe that you came up with on your own? Share it in the comments below and we will include it in a future LBDC publication!

Cheers!

Christine Zellers                                      Jen Holzer

Co Founder, LBDC                                  Co Director, LBDC                    

Shay Ashcraft                                          Richelle Schneider
Social Media Director, LBDC                   Chicago, Director

Cotton Candy Cocktail
Ingredients
Raspberry vodka
Gingerale
Cranberry juice
Cotton candy

Directions
Rim glass with pink sugar or with pink cotton candy. Rim glass first with lemon to stick.
Mix equal parts liquid ingredients in martini glass.
Tear small piece of pink cotton candy and float on top until dissolved. Add more to sweeten drink.

Sparkling Hope
Ingredients
Cranberry juice
St Germaine
Sparkling wine

Directions
Fill wine glass with sparkling wine
Add equal splashes of cranberry and St Germaine.

Flower Berry Bellini
Ingredients
16 oz frozen strawberry or blackberry
⅓ cup Agave Nectar
Sparkling Wine

Directions
Puree frozen fruit
Add agave nectar
Mix until blended.
Add one Tbs puree mixture to flute glass. Fill with sparkling wine. Stir. 
                                           

Less Sugar, More FUN!

Don’t want to contribute to your neighbor’s kid’s tooth decay this year? Not the dentist in town who’s going to profit from all the Halloween candy that’s getting passed out? I don’t and I’m not, so I thought it would be fun to see what candy alternatives I could find. Frankly, it’s easy to spend $20 or $30 on candy for the kids, and I wondered what I could find in a comparable price range. I thought it would be fun to build a grab bag (or grab pumpkin) of fun items. A visit to Dollar Tree yielded the following options at a buck each:

• Stickers (pack of 30)

• Halloween pencils (pack of 12)

• Halloween erasers (pack of 12)

• Halloween straws (pack of 5)

• Glow bracelets (pack of 15)

• Glow finger extensions (pack of 4  - not sure what you do with a finger extension…)

• Grow capsules (pack of 15)

• Bubbles (3 bottles)

• Play Dough (pack of 8 or a pack of 4 of larger containers)

• Glow Balloons, Flying Discs, and Tops (packs of 4)

Moving on down the road to Walmart, I found water balloons and henna tattoos. Hobby Lobby has Loopy Straws  (8 for $1.59), a 24 pack of bubbles for $3 and light up balloons .The light up balloons are a bit pricy, but I must confess, I wanted one for myself! Oriental Trading also had a ton of great Halloween goodies, like pencils and erasers, in bulk at reasonable prices.

The upside (or downside, depending on your point of view), is that at the end of Halloween, I won’t be left with a bunch of candy in the house that will end up on my bottom line. On the other hand, figuring out what to do with a bunch of leftover toys could be a challenge….

For the kids I know well, I’m throwing in a bag of the Original Chex Mix. Let’s face it, the homemade stuff is so much better than the bags in the snack aisle and since it’s made with cereal, I can convince myself it’s healthy!

Shay, our Social Media Director suggested Rice Krispie treats. Yes, there’s some sugar in there, but I’m going to make a case for these since they are made with fortified cereal, too. And, she had the great idea of adding some chocolate chips and red and yellow food coloring for the black and orange color effect. I think the kids would get a kick out of that.

Jen - our co-founder - says, “If you are making a homemade treat, be sure to put your name on it.” At least if the moms in your neighborhood have a question about it, they can give you a quick call to confirm, which will give you a chance to catch up.

Did you find something you think I should add to my grab pumpkin? Leave me a message in the comments below…

Happy Halloween!
Christine Z, LBDC Co-Founder

Save The Tatas

For many, October means the leaves are changing, the days are getting shorter and the weather gets a little colder. For others, October brings a reminder that Breast Cancer Awareness can never be overdone.

Every October, you see pink ribbons in stores, at gas stations, in commercials and on t-shirts. It’s a month to celebrate our survivors, remember those we have lost and encourage those we love to get checked, schedule a mammogram and be aware that there are steps that can be taken to slow the progression of this deadly cancer. There are fundraisers, marathons, celebrations and a nation of pink, all with hopes to end this disease.

Because the Little Black Dress Club is an organization made up of strong, intelligent and wonderful women, we wanted to help raise awareness for those of you who may not stop to think about breast cancer very often. We want to remind those of you who have been affected that there can be a cure one day. And for those we have lost to this disease, we want you to know that we will never stop spreading awareness or sharing the importance of saving the tatas.

Here are a few stats that you may not have known:

• About 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. That’s almost 12%.
• Other than lung cancer, breast cancer death rates of women in the United States are higher than those with any other cancer.
• In 2011, there were more than 2.6 million breast cancer survivors in the US.
• A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. About 15% of women who get breast cancer have a family member diagnosed with it.
• There is a genetic test that most doctors offer in their office, or can refer you to have, that can tell you if you have the inherited gene mutation that is the most common cause of breast cancer. BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the most common and women with these mutations have up to an 80% risk of developing breast cancer during their lifetime. They are also more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age (before menopause). An increased ovarian cancer risk is also associated with these genetic mutations.
• The most significant risk factors of breast cancer are being a woman and getting older.

With all of the risks inherent in being women, there are many reasons to raise awareness, get annual mammograms and ultrasounds and proudly display our pink ribbons. This October let’s show the world that as women, we are united, we are fierce and we will find a cure for this disease. Let’s save the tatas, ladies. One pink ribbon at a time.

                                        ~Shay Ashcraft

Social Media Director, LBDC

In memory of my mother and grandmother

Sources
breastcancer.org
nationalbreastcancer.org
American Cancer Society