I'm four years into stage 4, lupron and abi/pred doing their job well. Undetectable. My question....about a year ago I began to develop an increased appetite.. especially for sweets. Have gained about 8 pounds and find on some days I seem to be eating/snacking a lot. If it's a side effects from the meds then why did it wait 3 years to commence? Any thoughts?
Thank you.
Could be a number of things: later onset of SE of ADT, depression, slowed metabolism with aging, mental state,….
You say “I seem to be eating/snacking a lot.” So it sounds like you do not have your meals/snacks planned each day. It takes mental discipline to outline a strict, healthy diet and stick to it each day - all day. It’s called “mindful eating”. There are lots of books, videos and groups that discuss this. My wife worked on this for years.
Once you start a strict diet the cravings will be very strong but will diminish over time. If you get that craving to eat sweets try eating celery instead. The act of eating will help the craving go away. The pounds will keep adding up unless you make big changes to your daily eating & exercise habits and how you think about food.
Thank you!
Thanks, I'll certainly look in to that. My weakness is chocolate ,no problem for me to eat 250g bar of chocolate in a few minutes, then cursing myself afterwards!
PSAed I totally get understand! I was a chocoholic since I was a kid. Stopped eating sugar years ago but could still enjoy a couple bite-sized sugar-free chocolate bars.
Once I was on ADT I experienced some excruciating leg cramps every night. Tried all the regular remedies. But once I eliminated the cocoa powder from my daily protein shakes the severe cramps went away. So no more chocolate for me!
I think it is fine if you are on a strict diet and plan for one treat each day. So if you are managing your daily calorie intake and include that one chocolate bar there’s no need to be hard on yourself.
Dark chocolate that has at least 80% cacao is best. A bit bitter but goes great with many different fruit
I have such cravings too and tend to gain weight. But daily long walks and resistance exercise largely hold WG in check. Suggest adding creatine, HMB, and taurine to exercise. My weight has been going up but I think its muscle.
Good point Derf! The added pounds could very well be muscle instead of fat if you are working out hard and monitoring your intake. The best measurement is a DEXA scan that measures total body fat and total lean mass. It will give you exact percentages of fat loss and muscle gain.
I use the old fashioned belt notch system too. Over the last 10 months I had to add 2 notches in my belt to keep my pants up. My weight only gone down a few pounds during this time. Planning on another DEXA scan in October.
Great advice by Gym-rat. I started Weight Watchers on Memorial Day. Very mindful eating . Cravings are greatly reduced. Down 13 pounds and feeling better. Exercise also increased.
I’m on triple therapy which includes prednisone during this period of every 3 week chemo treatment infusions. I had been very steady at 165 pounds for several years at height of 5-9 so my weight was good. In last several weeks I’ve been much hungrier and have been giving in. Gained 3 pounds. I will need to do what gym rat advises and get more disciplined. My view it is not the medications that make you gain weight. It is the medications causing increased appetite and then giving in to the increased appetite.
Agreed Bret5! One can be disciplined all day and eating healthy then get that strong craving for ———— (fill in the blank) at the end of the day!
When I was in my 20’s and working out hard I could easily down a whole bag of cookies or chips in one go. But once I switched over to eating healthy, including no sugar, I found it best not to have those tempting snack items in the house. Too easy to give in to the strong cravings if the snacks are 6 steps away in the kitchen. They keep calling your name!
Another angle is that carb cravings are said to really be protein cravings. Folks from mid 60's age and up need to eat more protein in part because our bodies are becoming less efficient in using them. Being in a low/no T state does not help either. Exercising a lot means one's body needs more protein / food.
How do you get that protein?
Thats a perfect google question. Personally, protein powder, jerky sticks, fish, chicken, peas, beans, etc
Good advice here. I find if my exercise habits are strong it has a natural positive effect on my food intake and choices.
Plenty of protein is indeed key. Many older guys eat well otherwise but are lacking in protein. For those who tend to satisfy hunger not only with sugar but simple carbohydrates in general, cutting those while increasing protein can really help.
Breaking a heavy carb cycle works wonders. One need not go full keto to benefit.
another side of the eating is type11 diabetes which I acquired. That should be enough to slow your desire. Low testosterone does not help. Finger sticks every day will keep you in line.
I lost 100 lbs, first cut ot all sugars and fructose within 2 wks my hunger suppress, next step cut all carbs. My cancer diet no , sugar dairy, no refined carbs, no red meat, no egg yolks. I eat avacodo, lean chicken, fish, saredines, homemade tomato soup, veg broc, brussel sprouts, cali, onions,carrots, kale, fermented cabbage, salad greens, now 1 or 2 times a month I will cook up a hamburger no bun. read ingredient labels for sugars and carbs. gut biome important, you may have candida overgrowth. I always am typing in search questions, lol. wish you the best
Congratulations on that huge weight loss! It would be great to see more people doing this. I’m thin but I developed a gut from the meds. It’s not fat, just bloat so cutting calories won’t help. I have cut down my volume of food at a sitting. I was stuffing it in and my gut was feeling so big it was uncomfortable. Eating less helps.
You are the perfect candidate of what they want me to eat! Congratulations!
It is the prednisone. I have the same problem. I exercise 500 calories a day and am still 3 lbs up.
I'm into white chocolate lately. Up 20 pounds in two years. Cannot lose weight, I blame Lupron. Belly fat. Muscles withering. No energy. Procrastinate workouts.
All the SE’s from ADT can be very depressing. Don’t give up NecessarilySo! I will send you a chat message.
Au contraire -- at least I am finding that the SE's like no-BO, no body hair, and no libido are no problemo compared to osteopenia and sarcopenia.
What do i eat for protein thats healthy
Skinless chicken breast and fish are good protein sources. I eat about a palm sized piece of chicken. Easy to grill. I would eat more fish but I’m not a great cook
Avoid red meats per some studies. Red meats may foster PC growth.
I have one to two protein shakes each day. Powdered protein comes in various forms: whey protein and soy protein are the most common. I use the whey protein since it as all the essential amino acids.
My protein shake: 1/2 cup 1% milk, 2 rounded tablespoons protein powder, 1 cut up frozen banana, about 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, about 2 cups ice.
There is some debate on eating eggs when you have PC. I elect to eat a veggie omelette for breakfast. Eggs for the protein.
Thanks. Very informative
It's very likely unrelated. Review other medications you've started taking. Weight gain is expected AFAIK.
The answer is your wives left all of you.....and now you're free, free free....
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n Thursday 07/27/2023 2:03 PM DST
I am a sugarholic It takes me 3 days to get the craving out of my system. I have gone years without any sugar but if I eat any sugar it returns.
Something to think about, we are all different
So we have a common trait:)Messaged you, but no hurry.
A hopeless sugarholic I can also binge on bread/cereals, the only good way to treat it is total abstinence. No grains, no sugar. As my daily desert have my big berry salad with a red apple, seeds, then an avocado and nuts. It's liberating, I feel in control, it is me deciding and I don't succumb.
whats bad about grains?
Don’t buy snacks. If they’re not in the house, you can’t eat them. I have zero willpower. If I buy cookies or ice cream, I’ll binge on them, guaranteed. So I go to the supermarket with a list, and stick to the list. Now eating out…that’s a whole other problem. 🤭
medication compatibility
Having had a vasectomy figure in, if at all, in fighting PC?
When should my son get checked?
Melanoma and prostate cancer
please reply “YES” if you are PTEN gene mutation positive. 
