Finally decided to go on a diet

Since I'm reluctant to explain "why in the world over the Christmas holiday would you decide to go on a diet?" to everyone who asks, I figured I'd share it with my brothers here because you're more likely to understand.

I started Medifast the week after Thanksgiving (I had to still have my regular turkey bloat). Why then? Well, I have low T, and since just over 1 year of <0.1 PSA after SRT, I have been supplementing (currently Testopel). My RO gave me a 50% likelihood of a PCa recurrence in my lifetime after the SRT.

Since my days of TRT may be numbered, and it is much easier to lose weight when your T is at normal levels than in my 100-200 range untreated, I figured the sooner the better. I am convinced (especially from everyone advocating it on this site) that being in the "normal" weight range makes my odds better of prolonging my life if my cancer is still present. I figure, no time like the present, even if it means I have to live around incredible baked goods that my wife and daughter make regularly (I still get to smell them).

Since I started almost 5 weeks ago (5 week mark is tomorrow), I have lost 25 pounds! My goal loss is 55 pounds, so I am very close to the halfway mark (I will celebrate that somehow). Once I reach my goal weight and transition onto "normal" food, I am determined to "eat to live" rather than my former status quo of "live to eat". That will include avoiding, but perhaps not entirely eliminating, red meat, among other things.

One reason I am posting this is that it is close to when folks make their new year resolutions, and in case you decide to try the same route I did, perhaps you can benefit from some of my experiences and observations.

I looked around at various name-brand diet plans (I was looking for something simple), and decided that the one that was fastest while still maintaining health was medifast. You are limited to about 800-1000 calories a day. At least for me, this is dialed in to about as few calories as possible, while still giving you the needed protein, carbs, and fat. While you are on their weight loss regimen, you are eating 6 times a day, and although I would not say I have never been hungry on the plan, most of the time you are not. You go into "ketosis", or the fat-burning state, within the 2-3 days, and I lost 8 pounds in the first week - you see pronounced progress almost immediately, but it takes discipline to stay on plan. I have lost 4-5 pounds per week since that first week. I feel much more energetic than before starting the diet, and my blood sugar is rock solid - no ups and downs.

A note for us at-risk for PCa:
You get no fruit on the weight loss phase of the diet (too many calories from carbs), so in order to take in the quota of anti-oxidants, you can purchase the Medifast anti-oxidant additives to flavor water. You allegedly get vitamins through their "meals", but I supplement with a multi as well as an omega-3, along with some metamucil for fiber.

I am a believer in the old adage that "a calorie is a calorie" when it comes to dieting, so in my opinion any way you take in fewer calories than you are expending will eventually lose weight. But that does not mean that you will necessarily be healthy while doing so. I believe that the Medifast plan manages to minimize the allocation to each of protein, carbs, and fat in such a way that you can sustain a fast fat-burning state. I don't want to be on this part of the plan any longer than I have to be, and so I am being careful to avoid breaking the rules. My only exception may come tonight, when I'll probably have 2 shots to celebrate the new year (that is much less than usual).

Wish me luck, and happy new year!
Jeff

 I am convinced (especially from everyone advocating it on this site) that being in the "normal" weight range makes my odds better of prolonging my life if my cancer is still present.

i'll add that i think losing weight will prolong your life even if you don't have cancer and will also improve quality of life.  your diet is too drastic for me.  i periodically do weight watchers and i can easily lose about two pounds or so a week.  today i checked back in and my goal is to lose 10 lbs. that crept back on in the last half of 2012 .

good luck to you.  let us know how it goes.

ed

Pratoman - thanks for the input on soy. That prompted me to do a search. Here is the first thing I found:

www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/prostatesupplements/healthprofessional/page6

A couple of quotes from it:
Some animal studies have demonstrated prostate cancer prevention effects with soy and genistein; however, other animal studies have yielded conflicting results regarding beneficial effects of genistein on prostate cancer metastasis.
Epidemiologic studies have generally found high consumption of nonfermented soy foods to be associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer.
Limited human prevention studies have been conducted, and, so far, they have not yielded consistent or definitive findings.
Treatment trials of various doses and preparations of soy isoflavones in men with prostate cancer have yielded varying results but have generally failed to demonstrate significant effects on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels.
A few clinical trials of soy protein or whole soy products have provided preliminary evidence of the ability of these products to lower PSA levels in men with prostate cancer.

It seems like a mixed bag, but nothing that is scaring me away from what has been a very successful diet so far.

I'm also mindful of the number of folks that, after losing a lot of weight on the plan, gain it back. I know I'll have to put the same amount of effort and discipline into my choices on the maintenance phase when I get there.