Benefits of exercise

That's great! But also, don't let the great be the enemy of the good. Cancer, aging, and meds are already putting a huge strain on your body, so the goal is to nurture it, not punish it.

I've discovered that with 4 years of ADT and my spinal damage, there's an energy cliff that I can suddenly fall off with no warning. I don't get gradually fatigued any more; I just take one step too far and there's suddenly no ground under my feet and I'm out for a few days.

So I've stopped pushing myself to bench even more weight, walk even more steps faster, etc and just focus on moderate resistance training and keeping in motion. Over the past four years my body got me out of the hospital bed into the wheelchair, out of the wheelchair into the walker, out of the walker to the cane, and then from the cane to maybe 80% of my former mobility, which is nothing short of a miracle. It deserves some TLC after that. So I'm giving it what it likes (moderate weights, nice walks, healthy home-made meals, a bit of canoe paddling) but no longer pushing it to hit new milestones. And it's returning the love: fewer and fewer night sweats, afternoon naps, etc.

YMMV

I’ve been on ADT for almost 9 years. Because I never felt fatigue and I’ve always been thin, I got almost no belly, it never really bothered me to not exercise much, If at all. I will be 78 in a couple of weeks.

In 2019, 2 1/2 years after I started Lupron, I had my right knee replaced (Osteoarthritis) I did the PT exercises required, and within a 6 months I was back to normal.

In March 2020 I started Walking on the track every day twice a day thinking that would be enough exercise. I could not run without falling. It was not enough!!!

In March 2024, I had my left knee replaced. That’s when I found out I couldn’t get off the floor without propping myself up on a bed or a chair. In September 2024, I started to go to the gym three times a week. It took me a year and three months before my left knee was finally working fully. After going to the gym for about six months, I was finally able to get off the floor without help. Once my knee fully recovered, I found I could run, Something I couldn’t do for many years. I now run around the track, 1 mile, Twice a day every day. It’s surprising how much stamina you can get when you start running daily. At first I needed to do electrolytes to be able to run the whole time, Then I discovered, when I forgot to take them, that I could do it without them. I put off exercising for too long and will be continuing To go to the gym from now on, 3 times a week.

I got away for a long time without really doing much exercise, but it caught up with me. Sure wish I had 1/4 of the determination and capability @budmartin has to exercise

Hi @budmartin
"no weight gain but muscle turning to fat and it seems to end up in my belly"

Yeah, been there, got that T-shirt. The good news for me was that shortly after getting off of the ADT, this started to reverse itself. I kind of look at the excercise during ADT as a combo of keeping it from being worse than it might be and fighting the anxiety.

Hopefully your results will be the same!
Best of luck to you!

@northoftheborder
Good luck to you. Just keep that body moving.

Yeah, during my last treatment starting in April 2023, 12 months of Orgovyx and SBRT I started at 191 pounds and a reasonable "figure."

Despite almost daily gym visits, 45-60 minutes on the bike, resistance training and swimming laps in the pool combined with other days riding my bike outside 25-45 miles, my weight climbed to 209, I had a beer belly and love handles, jeans were tight, body fat pushing 20+

I am not going to say I was an angel with regards to my diet but like when I was maintaining 191, all things in moderation.

Today, 187, body fat 16.8.

What changed, I'm not on ADT.

There are folks on this forum who have been more rigorous than I about their diet and who have had success keeping the weight gained to a minimum.

Kevin

@kujhawk1978
While you gained weight on ADT, I had no such experience. I am 6’4” and like to keep my weight around 189. I weigh myself every day and base what I eat on what I weigh. Never had a problem gaining weight on ADT. I did get a little bit of a belly, but not much. My pants size never changed and never got tight. Occasionally, I would not eat lunch because I gained a pound.

The first three years I was on ADT I didn’t do any exercises at all. I was running a computer consulting business and was pretty active all day going to multiple offices.

After almost 9 years on ADT I still do not have a problem with weight gaining.

The results can vary. Don’t start eating more when you’re on ADT.

@northoftheborder You're an inspiration. I exercised during ADT and agree with falling over the cliff. If I went too deep, I was gutted for the next 2-3 days.

@jeffmarc

I'm a bit confused on your comment "don't start eating more when you're on ADT.."

Not sure what in my post would have led you to say that!

As I said, I didn't change my diet, what I ate, how much I ate, there are no cookies, potatoes chips, ice cream....

We keep fruits and vegetables to snack on.

Most dinners were grilled chicken, grilled or broiled vegetables. Sometimes we had Salmon. Yes, an occasional steak.

We did go out for dinner on occasion but even then I was conservative on what I ordered.

It's great that you don't gain in ADT but for me, both times have resulted in similar weight gains. I sure as heck am not going to starve myself nor not enjoy a social life where there is food dnd drink.

Kevin

@chippydoo I understand. I finished the first 10 months of Orgovyx yesterday. I exercise 90 minutes (30 min. cardio) M-F, and that gives me a boost for 2-3 hours on most days. I like to DIY lawn, home, and auto projects and took on a more ambitious auto repair this week. I had to split it into two days and still the third/recovery day was pretty brutal along with falling into bed those first two nights exhausted and sore. We're supposedly in the shallow end of the cancer treatment pool, but it's nothing like a picnic.

@kujhawk1978
That wasn’t directed to you specifically, I read your comments about not eating more. That was a general warning that you don’t want to eat more on ADT. I’ve heard from some people that said they had more of an appetite with it.