HT weight gain

[Inquisitive_one]

My husband will be starting hormone therapy <HT> prior to radiation treatment <RT>.The weight gain associated with HT is a concern. Any suggestions? Any medication available to assist with weight loss during HT?

Inquisitive One

[Tall_Allen]

More exercise! It helps with radiation too. If you can afford it, a "drill sergeant" may help.

[Inquisitive_one in reply to Tall_Allen]

TY, I'll be the drill sergeant. I'm good at encouraging/nagging.

[swwags]

No don't take weight loss stuff. Hit the weight if he can early and often. The loss of muscle mass is as detrimental as the weight gain. Proper diet of course and there will of course be someone who will tell you what that s whether you already know it or not

After hitting the weights, get some aerobics in. Make him do it. Be his inspiration or ask him to be yours. He doesn't need to become a triathlete, but lift heavy weights 3x week, get in 180 minutes of aerobics (walking counts).

A word about the weight lifting. Consult his radiologist. I've had SBRT treatments and my Oncologist told me to lighten the load as my long bones are at risk of breaking. But that's a specific radiology treatment I'm getting and his radiologist should warn him if he's at risk but won't if he doesn't bring it up. I'f you're talking about radiation to the prostate bed, my comments are not relevant.

[Inquisitive_one in reply to swwags]

TY for the information. It's much appreciated. We currently work with a trainer x2 a week, slow motion heavy weights. We'll discuss our current regime with the oncologist.

[Mischa1111111 in reply to Inquisitive_one]

I started exercise a few weeks before treatment and no muscle loss , nor weight gain, also good for the mind. Always feel better after a 40- 60 minute exercise routine . Didn't use a trainer but everyone in the gym were helpful and encouraging to get me started and to continue . Just finished 18 month of HT and took another 6 month injection yesterday.

[Gearhead]

A few men like me have actually lost weight while on HT. This isn't necessarily good since I started skinny and have gained obvious belly fat. This is in spite of 1.5 hours at the gym every other day and a healthy diet.

[Brad70]

I have no problem with my weight while on ADT (Eligard & Nubeqa). I use the "Don't eat too much" diet.

[London441]

Weight gain is far more common than loss on ADT. Both cardiovascular and strength training exercise is a must, but so is caloric restriction. Healthy diet is more essential than ever because metabolism slows significantly on ADT. Can’t afford empty calories.

Simple but not easy! Yet it is the answer not just to this but all the side effects . We know!

Also, remember this:

Every bit as common as ADT weight gain is sarcopenia (simultaneous muscle loss and fat gain). The scale may not show much difference, but the scale ‘lies’. The mirror won’t though, and neither will his health.

Don’t get behind on this, sarcopenia is a very tough hole to climb out of.

A trainer can be very helpful. Also a dexa scan-a man should always get one when starting ADT, but doctors do not always order one for their patients. They should.

Again, body composition- not weight per se-is what matters. Great luck to you!

[MarkS]

Very interesting comments. I've just started HT with RT starting in 3 months. I've taken various measurements - chest, stomach and hip size plus weight and which I'll repeat weekly. I've also got callipers that I'll use to measure body fat by my hips, biceps, triceps and below the shoulder blade (bit tricky that one!). Does anyone else do this? Is it useful?

My current body fat is below 10%. I'm wondering if a bit of extra body fat might be beneficial. I do 3-4 45 min exercise classes a week at the gym - aerobics, body conditioning and Pilates and these include weights. I really enjoy these sessions. I also walk an hour or so a day with the dog. I am trying to get a DEXA scan through my local surgery who have not been super-cooperative. My consultant has suggested one, so I will get it in the end.

[EdinBmore]

Good luck with all.

My story: I gained 20lbs in 3 mos...and this was while going to the gym 5 days a wk, having a trainer, and cutting back on everything. Many men here had a far better outcome than I. And, alas, stupid me: I thought that, once the HT/ADT was over, I'd lose wt as quickly as I gained it. Nope, didn't happen. And, with the advancing years...I have a new plump normal. Seeing a doc soon to discuss options. One more thing to be sensitive to: the extreme fatigue and depression that often accompany ADT.

Hope your husband has a better experience than I. With you in his corner, egging him on...he'll do well, I'm sure.

EdinBaltimore

[tsim]

No good substitute for exercise and weight training. In addition to keeping the weight managed will also combat things like osteopenia and osteoporosis. Have him check his latest metabolic panel results and make sure his calcium levels are in the high end of the range.

[epfj3333]

No magic bullit. Hit the gym and eat less.

[Yzinger]

interesting thoughts here. My medical team is happy with the weight I have gained. Sure it is not muscle but i think having some weight might be better than losing weight. Just mo.

[Inquisitive_one]

I appreciate all those who shared their personal experiences. It helps as my husband starts HT. We're both in the overweight category, and fluctuate between overweight and obese. So, I'll need to make sure that weight gain is kept manageable. At our age, 69 for me and 74 for my husband, we can't afford a huge weight gain. Has anyone done keto while on HT?

[Mgtd]

Proponent of exercise/resistance and walking. Like your husband I started this training 3 months prior to radiation and 1 month prior to hormone therapy.

My RO’s dietician gave me a special diet to follow during radiation. I lost 12 pounds during radiation and my side effects from radiation and HT were minimal.

Now 6 months post radiation and 2 months post hormone treatment I continue to do resistance and walking every day. I have now lost 14 lbs total and reduced my waist and pant size by 2 sizes and now can see the beginning of my old six pack from 50 years ago.

I walk about 5 to 6 miles a day - rain, snow or shine. I only do 30 minutes of weights 6 days a week. I speed through the exercises with minimal down time. I NOW use about 60 to 70 percent of my max weight for each exercise. Start low and build from there. I now do 3 sets of 10 reps for each exercise. I found free weights to be more beneficial then machines but I started with machines because I was easier and honestly much less intimidating.

One of the guys on the forum clued me into doing weights for upper leg muscles using a vertical rather than a horizontal leg press. Much easier on this old back. Doing upper legs actually burn more fat then say chests, arms etc training.

I also do 2 minutes of hanging for my back and I no longer have chronic back pain.

You CAN lose weight, build muscle and improve your vitality while on radiation/hormone therapy. You can not WIMP out and keep pushing yourself.

You can NOT control where you lose weight. You can not do spot fat lose. Diet is key. Weight lose starts at the table not in the weight room.

He will need to push every day. I left radiation and went directly to the gym. Was it easy NO!

Hope this helps and have HIM read this.

[Mascouche]

Like the others, I recommend regular exercises but my reason for doing so is that it will help fight the fatigue that comes from hormonal therapy.

To reduce the weight gain, which is difficult to do despite exercising, especially if taking prednisone which makes you insulin insensitive, you might want to look into Berberine and Garcinia Cambogia and other supplements that help the body in controlling the glucose.

[cancerfox]

I kept exercising and eating the same as before when I was on ADT, and I put on 20# in a year's time. I should have realized that my metabolism had tanked and eaten less. I cut back on calories and am off ADT now and have lost those added 20# and a few more, but it took a while. 🦊

[quietcorner]

My husband, 76, has lost weight. Nineteen pounds. He is much thinner now, going into 6th mp(and final, yay) month of ADT. He has also lost muscle mass. We attribute this to the 28 days of RT, when constant monitoring of water and food (to ensure full bladder and empty rectum) made him change his diet, involuntarily. Now he wants to gain back muscle. He is also extremely fatigued and a bit down, emotionally. I'm keeping a careful watch on how this plays out. I think he may be anemic, going to have a blood panel done on him.

[Peealot]

I gained weight through the ADT process but recently lost 20+ lbs by using a free app called “Lose It”. It helps you to understand the consequences of poor eating choices in order to stay on target toward your weight loss goal.

[Inquisitive_one in reply to Peealot]

I will check out the app "lose it"Is it free?

[Peealot in reply to Inquisitive_one]

It is free. They do have an upsell option within the app but you won’t need that. Good luck.

[delornut]

I'm 81 years old and had a prostectomy in 2010 and salvage radiation two years later when my PSA hit 0.2. I was a Gleason 8 (3 plus 5 ) and before the prostectomy my psa was 4.5. After the radiation it was undetectable until it began creeping up in late 2021. After it doubled ( my PSA was then 1.0 ) my urologist had me have a pet scan that showed a few small tumors in the left pelvic area lymph nods and started me on Erleada and 6 month Elegard. After being on this for a year and a half my PSA has been undetectable as is my testosterone level. My only side effects have been the hot flashes, occasional light headed feelings and getting up to pee a few times a night. I've maintained my weight and have been lucky enough to remain active. I still drive our RV, change oil in my car and do all the things I've always done. My urologist says he'll get me to 95 so I'll take him at his word. I strongly feel mental attitude plays an enormous role in this battle with this lousy disease.

[Inquisitive_one in reply to delornut]

My husband is 74, and is planning on 100.

I'm 69, and plan to "check-out " before him. It's good to know that you're still in remission and active. TY for sharing HT side effects. I'm hoping for no weight gain for my husband because a year ago he lost #30. I plan to be his personal "drill sergeant"

[Chadsdad in reply to delornut]

Reading your comments kinda struck home with me a little bit this morning. Just a tad younger at 68 and DX @ 61, I’ve had the same results with Eligard and Erleada. I also believe the mental attitude, exercise and eating healthy really helps with our outcome. Congratulations on your success and I believe 95 is doable.

[delornut in reply to Chadsdad]

When I was diagnosed with PCa I attended a group talk sponsored by the urology team I was going to. One of the first things they told us is that we'd hear a lot of opinions from others on what's good and what's bad about various approaches to treatment and we should keep in mind that you are you and they are them. What may work best for you may not have worked well for them and what hasn't worked out for you may have worked great for them. The one thing that we seem to have in common is that sharing our war stories in fighting this thing helps us survive regardless of the various approaches we've had to take in the battle.