After Breast Cancer Returned, I Reclaimed My Health with WFPB Eating

Before Arlene adopted a plant-based lifestyle, she felt trapped in a cycle of exhaustion and weight gain, convinced that growing older meant feeling worse.

I gradually put on excess pounds over the course of my adult life. During the last couple years of my marriage, I was working long hours, and my weight ballooned up to 165 pounds. I was uncomfortable in my own skin. But I thought that’s just what getting older was like. It had been that way for my parents—why should I be any different?

My journey to a whole-food, plant-based diet began when a work associate told me about the documentary What the Health. She had lost some weight after going vegan, and I was intrigued. My ex-husband had been obsessed with eating lots of protein and meat, but we’d just divorced; I was living on my own and able to shop and cook just for myself. I decided to see what all the fuss was about. I watched What the Health and several other documentaries about healthy eating, including Forks Over Knives.

A few days later, I decided to give veganism a try. I ate pretty much anything that didn’t have animal products in it, ultraprocessed foods included. Over the next few months, I felt better and lost some weight—but then I plateaued. I figured I was doing fine.

A few years passed, and in 2019, I was diagnosed with a recurrence of breast cancer. Even though it was caught early, at stage 1, my doctor recommended a mastectomy, because it was my second time having breast cancer. I tried to look on the bright side—at least I’d be getting implants and wouldn’t have sagging “old lady boobies” anymore—but deep down, I felt discouraged. I thought the vegan diet was supposed to protect me. Feeling deflated, I even bought a dozen eggs to cook during my recovery.

While recuperating from surgery, I had plenty of time to think—and to research. My oncologist had warned me that if the cancer came back again, it would be hard to treat. I was determined to find a better way to eat. I revisited many of the same documentaries I’d watched before, including Forks Over Knives. This time, something clicked: I realized I’d been doing it all wrong. I’d gone vegan, but I hadn’t eliminated oil. I’d thought, “How much difference could oil make?” Apparently, a lot. I had been consuming plenty of it in dressings, stir-fries, french fries, nondairy ice cream—you name it.

Six days after surgery, I committed fully to a whole-food, plant-based diet, free of ultraprocessed foods and oil, and I didn’t look back. Over the next six months, I dropped 25 pounds. That’s when I realized I wasn’t “big boned,” as my parents had always said. That was a big aha moment.

Now, six years later, I hover around 120 pounds—and I’m cancer-free. Every year, I celebrate my “WFPB-versary” and mastectomy anniversary by sharing an update in the Forks Over Knives Facebook group.

Do I stray from the WFPB path? Sure, when I eat out. Traveling is the hardest; from my experience, I’ve learned it’s almost impossible to eat out without some oil sneaking in. But I try to always eat vegan, at least. At home, I stay very true to the WFPB diet, because I control what goes into each meal.

At 73, I’m retired but very active. I don’t take any prescription meds. My dog and I walk about a mile most mornings (I wear a weighted vest), and I do around 150 minutes of yoga and Pilates each week on my mat at home. I’m currently directing a seniors’ community theater production. Showtime is in November! With my adult kids and granddaughter nearby, my life feels full and joyful. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.