Weight gain: How do you control weight gain on hormone therapy?

Posted by philnob @philnob, Jun 1, 2023

Has anyone had success controlling weight gain after starting hormone therapy?
Thank you,
Philnob

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gained 25 lbs with 13 months lupron and erleada

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I have gained 15 pounds in 7 months but successfully stabilized this month with better diet and daily walking. It's not easy but possible.

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@edmond1971

I have gained 15 pounds in 7 months but successfully stabilized this month with better diet and daily walking. It's not easy but possible.

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Thank you for your reply. Can you tell me what kind of diet worked for you.

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I gained about 5 pounds soon after my Eligard shot, but stabilized there and went up and down a few pounds for the next few months, including radiation therapy. I really didn't change my diet or exercise habits much, but I had to be careful about during the day snacking. The only real change was to drink a second cup of coffee during the day to combat fatigue, if nothing else.

What I'm finding a little troubling now is that, 5 months clear of the hormone shot (no follow-up shot needed, according to my RO) and 2 months past radiation, is that I've started to put on weight again. I'm feeling hungry more often than before and seem to be doing more snacking during the day. I'm curious if others have had the same problem as your body recovers from the onslaught of drugs and radiation and what they did about it.

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@ssaftler

I gained about 5 pounds soon after my Eligard shot, but stabilized there and went up and down a few pounds for the next few months, including radiation therapy. I really didn't change my diet or exercise habits much, but I had to be careful about during the day snacking. The only real change was to drink a second cup of coffee during the day to combat fatigue, if nothing else.

What I'm finding a little troubling now is that, 5 months clear of the hormone shot (no follow-up shot needed, according to my RO) and 2 months past radiation, is that I've started to put on weight again. I'm feeling hungry more often than before and seem to be doing more snacking during the day. I'm curious if others have had the same problem as your body recovers from the onslaught of drugs and radiation and what they did about it.

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I have been gaining weight steadily since I started Relugolix 16 months ago. I always feel hungry, but have not been able to come up with a solution to the problem.

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I've gained inches not weight on Relugolix, it seems the muscle has turned to fat. I work out with weights 4 times a week (work permitting) and run 8-10 miles a week. Making any gains with regard to weight is virtually impossible it seems.

I also seem to be able to eat virtually anytime and don't seem to fill up! Portion control has been the answer for me, just don't prepare any more than I should eat.

Restaurants that serve large portions can be a challenge. When the meal comes, I often ask for a to go box and remove half of it from the plate, that seems to help some. Can't wait to be off this stuff!

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My only approach for stabilizing my weight in my 8th month was to adopt previous weight loss techniques of managing my total caloric intake. What I have found is that my daily caloric need is about 75% of what I needed prior to the treatment, which is a big hit as I used to enjoy 2,000 calories per day and now have to keep it to 1,500 to stabilize my weight. I will share more as I move forward, as my next step is to increase my walking from 10,000 steps to 20,000 steps per day and try to stick with 1,500 calories per day, this "should" lead to a deficit situation, we shall see!

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Alas! Gained 5 kgs in 3 months, and all in the belly.

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Well remoresfully glad it's not just me.
Feel like I have been feeding a tapeworm since ADT began.
Read somewhere that you need to cut out about 4500 calories (up from 3500) to lose 1 lb.
And there is no sign that is happening.
I have maintained my walking and modest light upper body lifting, and clearly am losing the battle.
How much willpower can one maintain?
Good luck to all.

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I've gained, stabilized, and now I stopped looking. A wellness coach with an oncology background taught me to forget about diet and focus on nutrition and movement. 2-3 Cups veggies, 2-3 cups fruit every day. Limit red meats and sugar: 30-minute walk, mindfulness swim, stretchy bands, Tai Chi, slow controlled movements, and slow dancing—a total of 90 minutes per day of activities.

This is such an excellent question philnob.

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