Any chance of weight loss??

[JayMot]

OK....currently metachronous oligometastatic prostate cancer diagnosed this past Fall (2024). I had SBRT (MR-Linac)to the 2 positive iliac lymph nodes in early March and I am on 3 month shots of Erleada (started Mid January) and daily 2000mg of Abiraterone (Started Mid February). PSA at start of treatment (January) was .6. Side effects are manageable. However, I am wondering if it is possible to actually lose weight while on this regime? I am currently about 20lbs overweight and I expect to be on the treatment plan for 2 years before stopping to see if I can get a durable remission for a few years. So, ramping up exercise and watching what I eat. But, has anyone out there been able to actually lose weight? Thanks.

[pjd55d]

eliminate or cut way back on Carbs - which is hard because our culture consumes carbs a lot - but it can be done - I dropped about 40 lbs

good luck

[fireandice123]

I know I’ve seen posts here saying they lost weight but they are the exception. I’ve had no luck losing weight. Part of my problem is the fatigue has reduced my ability to exercise. I still exercise but nowhere near the level I did pre-ADT.

You’re taking 2000 mg of Abi?? The normal dosage is 1000 mg.

[JayMot in reply to fireandice123]

Oops sorry, 1000mg!

[Mgtd]

I have always been a goal oriented person so that helps me in my cancer and weight lose journey.

While on ADT and getting radiation I lost 12 pounds. The key for me was exercise - aerobics and resistance as well as strict diet control.

One of my tricks that really helped was changing the size of my plate to reduce portion size and ONLY eating half a sandwich at lunch as well as increasing lean protein and eating a lot more veggies and fruit. Really restricted my carbs and eat my main meal at 4 pm. So I am actually fasting from around 4 pm to 6 am. Drink 8 to 12 ozs of water before every meal. Cut out the alcohol. I drink water to control hunger after 4 pm also.

Hope that helps! This a long game so do not expect immediate results. I have been following the above for over 2 years. I no longer am losing weight so I rely on other indicators to gauge success.

I have lost 2” off my waist, developed the top three rows of a six pack, my chest, legs and arms are well defined. I can now hike 5 or 6 hours with my dogs every day and not feel the need to rest afterwards. I have a lot more energy. At 80 I consider those to be a significant accomplishments in my journey.

My long range goal is a complete 6 pack. However that may not be possible because I honestly lack the dedication necessary to reduce my body fat to that level. The muscles are there I just need to lose that level of body fat to make them visible. Much harder than just getting back in shape.

Hope that helps!

[fast_eddie in reply to Mgtd]

I just started that "only eating a half sandwich at lunch" a week ago. Great minds think alike. I need to lose 15 lbs. I've lost 5 lbs since I exceeded my red-line weight a couple of weeks ago.

[petabyte]

I wrote about a technique that helps me here:

healthunlocked.com/prostate...

[Orange95]

My husband is on Erleada since 1 month ago. His is in 4 pills daily. He gets Lupron shots every 3 months. He eats low carb keto and goes to gym daily, he lost weight and now in a normal weight category. So yes it is possible.

[Gearhead]

I've been on Lupron + abiraterone for 6 years. Over that time, I've lost about 15 pounds. But my waist size has increased. So, even with gym workouts every other day, I'm gaining fat and losing muscle. Ugh!

I've always been skinny, so losing more weight was not my preference. Could it be that ADT often results in overweight guys gaining weight and underweight guys losing weight?

[CavScout in reply to Gearhead]

I hear. You I am successfully dropping weight. Ive lost 20 lbs, down to about 200 but I can tell I am fatter at 200 now than I was 5 years ago at the same weight.

[Kelpieshirl]

I have Gleason 9 and rising PSA , currently 9 .2 (92 at diagnosis ) been on lucrin for 5 years no chance of remission . Long story short, I was about 15 kgs overweight put on another 22 ,gave up as thought not possible . Had a good look at myself and with the help of a dietician and a very strict eating plan I have lost 30 kgs( 66 lbs)I have always exercised , 5 km walk daily , weight and a bit of swimming . I feel so much better and love a few beers which I have occasionally !! It is possible , and for me it was a very strict calorie control which worked for me !!

It can be done !!

[Scousegit]

I'm having the opposite problem. Stage 4 with mets to bones on Lupron and Xtandi since Nov last year. I used to be 78 kgs and I'm now just under 74kg. Gym 5 days per week doing heavy weights. Not running as I don't want to burn more calories. Trying my best to eat as much as possible. In the gym I'm strong. I've been eating more protein than carbs so now Im putting more carbs into my diet to try and gain weight. Going to start using creatine daily also.

Were all in this struggle together and everyone is different but I really appreciate opening my emails every morning and reading all the input so thanks to you all for that and good luck in the fight today and onwards .

[Nusch]

It’s easy if you are disciplined: switch to a plant based diet, add some fish, give up sugar and alcohol, eat latest dinner at 7pm and do sports. All that reduces weight significantly and as a side effect you do a lot to fight prostate cancer.

[dhccpa]

I lost 50 pounds once I switched to a whole food plant based diet in 2019, 8 months into hormone therapy, which I'm still on today. The weight loss occurred over a period of years, but I did not limit my quantities; I just made major changes to what I eat.

I also exercise regularly. Very important for reasons other than weight control. But in my opinion, to control weight you have to control your diet, particularly the types of things you consume, food and drink.

[London441]

Those who have done so are much more likely to respond to your question, keep this in mind. The average man’s experience is otherwise.

They are correct in emphasizing the discipline it typically requires. Sarcopenia (simultaneous fat gain and muscle loss) is a prime feature of Erleada and the other drugs in its class.

Metabolism is significantly slowed . Plenty of exercise and caloric restriction will get it done, but be prepared for a challenge. Fatigue is the most common side effect, which obviously can get in the way unless thoroughly committed.

[Brad70]

I eat whatever I enjoy and can lose weight. Just eat less. I call it the “ don’t eat too much” diet. You may find you have to cut back a lot on portion size if you don’t get much exercise.

[cambridge749]

One year ago with Gleason 9, I had SBRT and currently on Orgovyx and Nubeqa. I am not a person who loves exercise but immediately embarked first on aerobics and then with help of a physiotherapist began with weights and I watch my diet. I lost 20 - 25 lbs. I try to exercise daily. A couple of things of note, having your heart/blood pressure monitored is important given effects of ADT. Also I gave up beer. I was pleased to find that alcohol free beer with zero calories has improved remarkably over the last few years and I do not miss the alcohol type beer at all.

[NecessarilySo]

With me it's pretty much impossible to lose weight. After five years of Lupron quarterly, I am up 25 pounds. I try to cut back on portion size but exercise is like pulling teeth.

[Cenerus]

I have Gleason 9 with pelvic mets. I'm on Lupron and Zytiga. I initially gained 25 pounds pretty quickly once the ADT kicked in. I'm losing it now through a combination of strict diet and exercise. The really important thing is to limit portion size and eliminate as many carbs as possible. My diet is a modified fast style diet. I don't eat anything during the day except for a light snack around 2:00pm. Then dinner is very carb light and portion controlled. It's working, but if I splurge for just a day, I gain back weight very quickly. So you must be extremely disciplined to lose the weight and keep it off. I exercise 6 days a week with lots of cardio to burn calories and resistance training and core training to help retain some muscle.

[petabyte in reply to Cenerus]

If you "splurge for a day", most of the weight gain is water from extra glycogen and sodium. Fasting for a day has the opposite effect. Daily weight fluctuations don’t matter—only the long-term trend does.

[BroncoRick]

I had no T for 2 years, then restored for 10 months, then recently turned off again. I exercise for 1.5 hours 6 days a week, 3 running, 3 heavy weight lifting. Oddly enough, my weight tended to stay the same BUT muscles shrunk and my 'spare tire' grew noticeably. Also notice water retention in ankles and feet that disappear when I wake up in the morning then slowly reappears through the day. I'm sure everyone's body is different but I'm told what I experience is generally unavoidable but good luck in your research.

[Tonwantonga]

I lost about 45 pounds in the last 16 months or so, but it was mostly due to loss of appetite. My appetite has come back a little so I do eat every other day or so- the oncologist blames depression, the psychologist blames Zytiga and other cancer meds, i don't know who is right but even though food smells good, looks good, I rarely have any interest in actually eating food.

[j-o-h-n]

Lose weight? Well here I go again. Eat all you want but don't swallow......

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n

[fast_eddie in reply to j-o-h-n]

See food diet.

So why aren't I losing weight?

[Tommyj2]

I think those who lose weight are the exception…..I gained 30 lbs on ADT in no time and cannot diet it off…..if I eat any less I won’t be giving my body enough nutrients to function properly…..my arthritis makes intense aerobic exercise impossible……really in a quandary about this……

[226cuttino]

Yes. Im on doublet therapy of Orgovyx 120mg and 600mg of Nubeqa (started @ 1200mg but reduced). Started ADT 12/19/23, gained 30lbs and weight was 265lbs on 1/9/25. Started on my own diet, was down 25lbs in 60 days.

[Jac_J]

if you can’t lose weight while not on any treatment, it’s unlikely that you will lose weight while being on any treatment. you use for being overweight now will be compounded when any treatment. Sorry for the tough love

[JayMot in reply to Jac_J]

I never mentioned in my post that I couldn't lose weight prior to treatment. In fact, there were times where my weight ticked up over the years and I was able to lose the weight quite easily. I attribute the recent weight gain from late last summer thru mid winter as stress eating due to my diagnosis and many discussions with doctors on my treatment options. So, although I can appreciate being offered "tough love", it is misdirected by insinuating that I've always been overweight.

[swwags]

I've been on various ADT treatments/ I'm 6'3" and usually hovered around 205 lbs over the last ten years. I was as high as 214. Now I'm at 180lbs. My diet is 1500 calories a day. So yes you can lose weight on ADT and off it as well. Put in the effort. Weight lifting before aerobics imo.