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HT Weight Gain -- your experience

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Posted 1/8/2014 6:00 PM (GMT 0)
I have been on HT for 10 months.

My normal weight has generally been 175-177.

Bottom line, my current weight is about 182-185.

So, I am up roughly 8 pounds. Better than the 20-40 pounds I feared.

But the weight is definitely there, in my gut area.

Just curious: For those on HT, what has been your experience?

Mel

Posted 1/8/2014 6:15 PM (GMT 0)
I was warned that a 25-50 pound gain was probable.

I went from 175 to 212 over a year, including the months after my 6 month shot was wearing off. I was walking 3-7 miles a day, every day. The last two months the weight has been suddenly dropping. I'm down to 188 at last formal check, and had stopped walking about 6 weeks ago due to rapidly advancing gout problems.

All together, the doc is concerned, as the weight should not be dropping off that fast with no real exercise.

Guess there will be something new to deal with -
Posted 1/8/2014 6:19 PM (GMT 0)
Mel,

All I can offer is Don't Give Away the Skinny Jeans! Jim packed them all off to Goodwill. Jim gained 15 gut lbs. on HT but lost it when he went intermittent. The metformin may have helped too. Now we have to buy more size 34. We will be saving the FAT jeans...

mswampuscat
Posted 1/8/2014 6:31 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, the jean size will change.

I added well over an inch on my waist, but nobody really noticed since I wear loose-fitting shirts. Now that it is falling off, so are my jeans. Had to get the old ones out a week or so ago and dust them off.
Posted 1/8/2014 6:49 PM (GMT 0)
I stopped weighing....probably 20 on top of the 20 I was already to heaving.  Stressing right now to see if I have to go back on HT.  I do not want to and I am considering not under any circumstances....Quality of Life
Posted 1/8/2014 7:05 PM (GMT 0)
Mel,
I am not typical. I have not gained any weight. But, I have always been thin and have a thin frame. I do try to eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly.
SC
Posted 1/8/2014 7:07 PM (GMT 0)
When I decided to seek surgery I went on a low-carb diet and did very well. Since I started HT my weight has gone up in a remarkably linear fashion at about 1 1/2 lb per month. I was interested to see which was mightier, low-carb or ADT weight gain. So far ADT seems to be winning. We'll see if the weight comes back off when the ADT ends.

Here's a graph of my adiposity. (If you look closely this year's GFMPH gatherings appear as easily-visible bumps on the graph).
Posted 1/8/2014 7:17 PM (GMT 0)
Mel.

 

I gained 25 lbs  over 18 months. But I was very very good for the first 12 months, only 5-10 pounds. All went to hell in the past 6 months. Now I somehow have to try to lose at least 15 (preferably 20 lbs) while still on HT. How the heck I i suppossed to do that (i know, eat like a bird and work out like a lunatic) 

Posted 1/8/2014 8:57 PM (GMT 0)
My Onc "suggested" to be prepared for 20 lbs per year gain.
He said that to the wrong person... I dropped 15 or so the first 6 months with careful diet and intense cardio. My nurse took my weight and started asking me questions and being concerned... Lol.
Since then I've held steady gaining or loosing 5 lbs or so. I get cheers from nurses in the Cancer Clinic when I step on the scale... Now.
I won't say it has been easy or that I'll be able to keep it up... The ADT sucks the energy out of me...especially lately.
But I know it can be done. I will not give in!
Posted 1/8/2014 9:02 PM (GMT 0)
Mel:

I'd been in the midst of a diet losing 25lbs before i was diagnosed. Since then it's been a struggle. (Though Radiation dropped 30 lbs in a few weeks; it came back once i started eating again though).

I eat low carb, i workout with a trainer, and i keep active. It takes me twice as long to lose weight now and every time I look at a good beer or a cookie i put on two pounds. (I put on 15 lbs from Thanksgiving to New Years!). But if i'm stringent and keep at it, i can keep it in control. The weight does gather around the belly much more now. Overall, I'm probably +5 pounds from my weight at diagnosis ... I'm on a plan to lose 25 lb by mid-April. Anyone want to join me? :-)

Ray
Posted 1/8/2014 9:30 PM (GMT 0)
Mel, I didn't gain any weight for the 12 months that I was on HT, although I was pretty good about staying on my low fat diet. I did loose a good deal of muscle mass and added some fat around my waist. The redistribution is probably what allowed me to maintain my weight through HT. BTW, I have yet to regain the muscle mass that I lost on HT. Sure wish I hit the weight more. BB
Posted 1/8/2014 9:54 PM (GMT 0)
Mel,

I have been on HT for 5 1/2 years without a problem of gaining weight. I do watch what I eat and stay active and exercise.

Sam
Posted 1/8/2014 10:17 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like so many other things about PCa -- different experiences for different folks. I went on Lupron in August, swore off red meat and dairy products (almost entirely), and exercise vigorously (stationary bike and light weights) for 30 minutes every day + walks. I've been able to lose 15 pounds, which I badly needed. Now, I need to figure out how to lose the other 25!
Posted 1/8/2014 10:32 PM (GMT 0)
Gained 15 lbs.  Mostly in the gut, despite lots of exercise.  Took six months to lose it on the Paleolithic diet -- basic rule is to eat only what could have been gathered, hunted, or fished 40,000 years ago.  Eliminates most starches, all processed foods, and alas, alcohol.  Worked though.   Still sticking to the Paleo diet, with an occassional social drink.  Feel stronger than I have in years.

Newspaper Lover

Age 70

11/09 DaVinci surgery upstate NY; nerve bundle taken; clean margins, clean seminal vessels, no incontinence, alas no erections.

06/11 PSA re-emerged.

Gleason 8

Time to recurrence 18 months

Three month doubling time (summer 2011).

PSA rose from .07 on 06/11 to .17 on 11/11.

09/11 hernia surgery to repair hernia resulting from the DaVinci.

10/11 Moved management of my case to Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York City.

12/11 Started hormones (Lupron/Casodex).

02/12 Began radiation (SRT), including pelvic lymph. 40 sessions.

04/12 Finished SRT.

03/12 Last Lupron shot.

07/12 PSA and testosterone "undetectable." 

01/13 PSA “undetectable”; testosterone (T) level at 452 ng/dl.

07/13 PSA “undetectable”; testosterone (T) level at 444 ng/dl.

Currently receiving no treatment.

 

Posted 1/8/2014 11:01 PM (GMT 0)
for every guy who doesn't gain weight someone else gains twice as much. that's how averages work. I gained 25 lbs in nine months but I was ravenous all the time and I also worked out regularly.

ed
Posted 1/9/2014 12:08 AM (GMT 0)
Mel,

I gain 40 pounds in my 19 months. Still trying to get out of my BIG boy pants

Dave
Posted 1/9/2014 12:48 AM (GMT 0)
I didn't gain any weight. But, I exercised and really watched what I ate.
Posted 1/9/2014 12:54 AM (GMT 0)
Shingles, ADT, external,beam & seed combo. End of 7 months, lost 15 pounds which was significant for me, but gained a nice stomach/breast combo to make up for it rolleyes
Posted 1/9/2014 12:55 AM (GMT 0)
Mel,

Started HT Oct. 2, 2012, have gained about 5 pounds the first six months. Lost 7 while on RT last Nov. but gained it back over the holidays. Currently at 199 lb, working on getting down to 175 by March FL trip. Since my DX 10-2-2012, I've been in so much hip\butt and lower back pain, just haven't felt like exercising like I should. However, as I said, want to loose down by March. I CAN DO THIS. In the past 45 years, I've lost about 50 lb.X3 and gained it all back over time. This time, going to keep it off. The summer of 2012, I was up to about 235lb. and lost down to 210lb. 9-10-2012.

I'm on two metformin 500 in the evening and one in the morning. Been type 2 diabetic going on four years now.

Dave


Dave
Posted 1/9/2014 1:40 AM (GMT 0)
Interesting responses. I think the weight gain is due to an increased appetite, definitely caused by HT

Mel

Posted 1/9/2014 2:21 AM (GMT 0)
I'm up about 8 pounds after 8 months on Lupron.

Dr Myers mentioned the "Lose It" app for the iPhone to track what one eats, and I've been using it since before Thanksgiving more or less faithfully. It's a clever app.

I'm working on getting the weight back down. With a family history of heart disease, I can't afford to let my weight run away. Gaining 20 pounds a year would be a nightmare!

My 34 waist clothes get tighter and looser, but I'm not giving up a belt notch!
Posted 1/9/2014 12:21 PM (GMT 0)
I lost 15 pounds getting ready for HT. Then over the past three years I have gained 30 pounds while on HT and with a bum knee. In the last 8 weeks I have had knee surgery, took a cruise, and lost 10 pounds. My last Lupron shot was in August so the HT should be wearing off the middle of this year. My target is to get to about 10 pounds less than my pre-HT weight, or to lose about 25 pounds from where I am currently.
Posted 1/9/2014 12:55 PM (GMT 0)
My pre-cancer weight was around 190. I was down to 160 when I was diagnosed, having lost 30 pounds during the prior three weeks (zero appetite and all food/drinks tasted awful). I re-gained most but not all of the 30 pounds during the first 5 months of HT, then lost weight again when the HT stopped working. I have been stable around 168 for months now, well below the 190, due to low appetite (I was on HT plus chemo). I just started Xtandi, a new type of HT, and stopped chemo last month. My appetite is still and my stomach often queasy. My weight remains around 168.
Posted 1/9/2014 2:08 PM (GMT 0)
On the first round (2 years) I gained 22 lbs and most, if not all, of that was in the second year. I think that was due to fatigue and my inability to maintain a vigorous work out. Within four months of cessation I dropped 30 lbs to about 170 as my energy returned.

On the second round I managed to keep the weight gain to about 10 lbs. I took a 10 month holiday and recently started lupron round 3. I am managing to keep up my exercise routine and watching my diet and so far have been steady at about 178 lbs. Another interesting occurence during the holiday was the return of libido and modest ability to get an erection at about eight months out. All gone now. cry

One thing that I noticed on each round is the increase in appetite and the constant feeling of hunger. On this round I have been taking metformin and it has absolutely stopped the feeling of hunger. I actually dropped about three lbs in the first two weeks on the stuff. I know that lupron can cause the "metabolic syndrome" and send one's blood sugar into a spin. Perhaps the metformin is blocking this particular side effect?

One more thing about the gut. On the this round I had a relatively flat stomach at the start. As the T level drops and the muscle tone slackens the gut has grown.

Don

Posted 1/9/2014 8:16 PM (GMT 0)

PeterDisAbelard. said...
...

Here's a graph of my adiposity. (If you look closely this year's GFMPH gatherings appear as easily-visible bumps on the graph).

PeterDA nailed it.

I'd agree that the weight gain was concurrent with GFMPH Rochester, but no regrets. Thanks for feeding us so well Mr & Mrs. Worried Guy and Sonny.

As far as I know no wedding reception at Florida GFMPH but sure Sonny and Sherry will make it difficult to maintain weight than week with good eats.

With respect to the 8-10 pound gain in 2013, the lack of testosterone causes it to be belly fat.

Have gotten off my twice a week 15-mile bicycle ride routines past couple of months between Thanksgiving and New Years, but expect to be back in the saddle as weather warms up here in Florida and be back to pre-GFMPH weight by mid-March.

The real reason medical oncologist wanted me to not gain belly fat though is so that I could still see my shrunken penis.

LupronJim
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