Dads update

Hey all just a quick update for my dad. He went back for his 3 month lupron and x geva cocktail last week. Hi psa continues to move down at a methodical rate- no complaints! Dad does get some moving pains here and there nothing that ever settles in one spot for more than a day. Hot flashes are frequent and some general lethargy. Anybody out there know how to keep the weight off? He was a fit 147 and now is 155 ish. Granted it does not seem like much but it is n issue for him comfort wise. He treadmills an hour a day. Anybody doing some simple weight lifting programs that may help??
Thanks again to all o you contributors here I read daily then in turn chat with dad about your threads. Thanks and best to all!!!.

you said...
Anybody out there know how to keep the weight off?

I saw your question and sat there staring at the reply box until my screen saver kicked in. Problematic question for me. At least for myself I am pretty sure I know how to keep the weight off during ADT but my diet is hard to reconcile with the general dietary advice for your dad that you will get from all the knowledgeable guys on the forum. To put that point more clearly, if you took the general consensus from this forum as to what constitutes a prostate cancer-healthy diet and willfully did the opposite you would come pretty close to my diet at least in terms of its macronuitrient composition. It keeps me thin, even on ADT. Two weeks ago I returned from a Hawaiian cruise on which I got off my diet and gained six pounds. Since I got back I have been pretty good about my diet and I have re-lost five of the six. So I can lose weight on ADT. But most people here will tell you that my diet is unhealthy. (I mean that literally. They'll be along in a few minutes to tell you that my diet is mad.) I suspect that there are aspects to nutrition and prostate cancer that are not altogether clear and that I may turn out to be less mad than they think, but they have research and I am my own single datapoint. So, if that is sufficient warning, here is ...



My Diet

I try to limit my carbohydrates to fifty grams a day or less. If I am over my weight target I shoot for twenty grams (but probably wind up eating thirty or forty.) My diet is high in fat. If my chicken is baked I eat the skin. If it is fried I will pull off most of the breading and grieve for the lost chicken skin. I eat quite a bit of red meat and lots of eggs (especially for breakfast). I try to limit my fruit consumption to berries (except for strawberries) and melons (except for watermelon) and I limit the amounts. I eat a big salad with every meal and slather it with high-fat dressings (that tend to be low in carbs) Caesar is good as is ranch and bleu cheese. (I avoid "Light" dressings that replace fats with carbohydrates). If I have it available I will add a dollop of olive oil to my salad (in addition to the dressing) to add a bit more healthy monosaturated fat. I try to eat oily fish a couple of times a week and I supplement with fish oil. I avoid starchy vegetables (potatoes, etc.) and don't eat bread or rice with my meal. I don't drink sweetened drinks. I allow myself red wine and dry whites. I drink half an ounce of good scotch every night before bed.

I found this diet (more or less) in Gary Taubes' book "Why we Get Fat: And What to Do about It." I started shortly after I was diagnosed with PC because I was quite overweight and was told by my doctors that my surgery would go better if I could lose it. At diagnosis I weighed 280. At surgery I weighed 235. I am 225 now (down from 230 after the cruise).

As for exercise, you could think about getting him a membership at a gym that has a mostly female clientele. The machines would be set appropriately for a man his age, the ladies would fuss over him and keep him motivated, and the men's locker room is never crowded.

Dallas Steve he is working op to the faster pace, the COPD slowed his pace and the upper love removal 7 yrs ago from lung CA he now covers a mile in about 25 minutes.
Peter disableard that is quite a diet!! You will like this. When dad was diagnosed before seeing his old oncologist we started with all the prostate foods for him. Berries veggies etc. the onc tells him to consume as much meat proteins etc. stay light on the carbs. His theory is that he needs to build muscle to offset the loss of T half this battle is staying in great shape for the fight. He does have the long term stage 4 patients to back his theory as well. We have just now convinced him that he has to hit the weights to go along with this to keep the muscle up in turn reducing the fat. most importantly back to you is that single malt or double malt nightly?????
Greetingz- well done with your weight loss. I see the psa sneaking up a bit. I am sure it will be on its way down again! Did anybody get the x geva for the bones with their treatments?

According to the following study, a 20% carbohydrate diet is optimal at slowing prostate cancer growth, at least if you're a mouse ;-) They compared it to a Western diet (about 50% carbs), a ketogenic diet (0% carbs), and a 10% carb diet.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23038057

I find with exercise that getting started is the hard part. Once I get going, and the weight starts to drop off, it gets easier -- less weight to move around, muscles more accustomed to the movement, and the ratio of calorie-burning muscle to fat increasing. The opposite seems to be true too - the longer I don't exercise, the harder it gets. It all starts with the first step. That's my Richard Simmons moment for the day.

Peter D you know your scotch stuff. My parents were given a bottle of scotch then 12 yrs old in 1960 it is still to be opened. Perhaps when the psa gets below 1 we can crack it open and see if it still has taste. Dads onc I think is the best around here. He is 73 himself and sort of a cowboy in the med field. Not a stand of care by the statistical book only. He looks at all treatment in the world and plugs it all in to fit it to the patients needs.
Tall Allen thx for the link to the carb study. I will review that late tonight. Also it is a pain to get over that first workout hump. Dad started the strength bands so he is getting in the rhythm then progress on to a gym program I hope...
Logos- I like the 250 cal reduction per day I actually have never known the ratios as you spelled them out I will get him to start journaling his foods- that will give him something to do besides handicap his horse racing and figuring out which has station has the cheapest gas this week. On the age thing you pointed out I think he was going to cruise to the 90-100 range til the 765 psa reading. His dad was 102 uncles and aunts mid 90-100 as well. Smoking got his brother and sisters- lung CA all within the last ten years. For him keeping the weight off was natural until the Hormone drugs came along. So that's why the 8- 10 lbs extra are dragging him down and maybe the hot flashes...
Again thanks for the continued support from all. As I am now 43 ish this has really brought insight to pca. I had no idea how it hits guys my age.. Quite eye opening.... Continued best to all!!!