Post Treatment Weight Gain

[jmjm530]

If anyone told me during treatment that I'd have a problem losing weight a year later, I'd think they were crazy.

During treatment I lost over 30 lbs, a lot of it lean muscle mass, and most of it within the first three months of treating. Within three months of ending treatment, all the weight came back but not surprisngly a greater proportion came back as fat as opposed to muscle.

The remedy -- weight work to build muscle mass, diet sensibly with enough protein and calories to retain muscle mass and aerobic exercise to lose the fat. In the past, this has always worked and quite easily. But for some reason the body doesn't want to cooperate the same way after treatment. No doubt my metabolism has changed and not for the better.

CONT...

[jmjm530]

And it's not just vanity, more midriff fat means greater chance of heart attack and stroke, especially in my family. That, combined a worsening metabolic syndrome from treatment is not great news.

Wondering if anyone else not only noticed post treatment weigh gain, but more difficulty losing the weight than before they treated. And if so, what worked for them if anything.

My new plan is more of the above, but instead of 30-60minutes a day of interval aerobic work, I plan to do 60-120 minutes a day of aerobics with the majority of it in the lower heart rate fat burning zone. That and continue on with the weights and diet, but not cut calories so much as to start losing muscle mass. I figure something's got to give but so far it's giving real slow.

Then, of course, there's Sly Stallone's solution. LOL. Ever wonder how a guy in his 50's and 60's looks so cut up :) Ask the custom folks in Australia :)

-- Jim

[copyman]

i have the beginnings of  the metabolic syndrom (boderline high BP, glucose around 102-108,cholesterol all out of whack, and belly fat) and as you know i have not started tx yet.  i can not seem to get rid of the belly fat. i'm not really that overweight, about 20lbs. and i would say most of that is in my stomach.  my bmi is 25.2  by exercising & diet i have helped my BP & glucose but can not get rid of the belly !!! well maybe after i get rid of the HCV i will have to get liposuction, lol hope not i would rather lose it the regular way. keep me up to date with your progress of longer exercising, if it works i may have to up my time. i only do the tread mill and some light weights 30-60 mins per day.

[Tater-ToT]

Yup, sounds like me.....  Same scenero....Even South Beach isn't budging this stuborn weight much beyond phase 1....
(I think I miss my Riba & Interferon Diet)... NOT...LoL
but............................
mmm... but what if your too lazy to work out like that... Got an easier Remidy for folks like me??? I Hope, I Hope, I Hope,.....HeH, HeH

;)

[Pdilly]

I thought that problem was reserved for the women over 50.  Jeez...we can almost kill ourselves before we loose anything.  I had a friend finially loose some weight by eathing 15 almonds for breakfast,  A cut up apple for a snack, 1 cup steamed broccoli for Lunch and  1 thin slice of deli turkey as well.  For dinner whe would eat a small salad.
I believe in watching what I eat but my that is to extreme for me.  Good luck on finding something that works.   I know I will have it cut out for me when I am off treatment next week.  I then am going to start the weights and aerobic exercises.  I may even do some Pilates...not sure but I will try.  I have to watch my exercising.  Sometimes I go to extremes and about at 8 or 9 months I reach burn out.
Good luck  

[friole]

Same problem with me.  I only lost 10 on tx but gave gained about 20 post tx.  I am trying, but maybe not hard enough. I do so like to sabbotage myself!  Your regiment sounds pretty serious.  I have been doing light areobic and machine work outs (30min 4 days a week) and walk maybe only 1-2 days a week.  I too lost losts of muscle mass on tx.

As I recall your plan was to be swimming over a mile a day within a month or tow of completion.  What happened with that?  I haven't been back to the pool post tx yet.
kathy

[Pdilly]

I had a person I know that has exercised and trained for years.  One of his daughters is being watched for a future soccer player in the Olympics.  Anyway he told me to  not exercise everyday.  You don't need to from what he said. .  I found if I  mix my exercise up...Ex  Mon   Elipitical 25 min,  upper body weights  for complete routine and back to Eliptical for 15 minutes.  Then Wed do the same but on the weights do the lower body.  I work on my abs they are really bad but hey I try.  Anyway if you give your body a break it keeps it not guessing what you are doing.  I guess in a sense you trick it. ANyway that seemed to work for me but it took about 2 or 3 months to start seeing the drop in sizes.  Good luck...I know it is hard the older one gets.

[jmjm530]

Tator, I'm cuttin' down on the carbs as well. Hopefully upping the ante will signal the body to get into gear.

Friole, I know I mentioned swimming but don't believe that was a major part of my post tx plan, although hard to remember much what I thought during tx. LOL. I have done some swmming but now sticking mostly to indoor aerobic machines and will move outdoors soon for some power walking. As to swimming again, read somewhere that it's not a great fat burner compared to the same energy expenditure say running. So my focus will not be on swimming to lose the fat.

Pdilly, has your regimen been working post treatment? Main point I was trying to make is that what worked before treatment doesn't seem to be working after treatment. Definite shift in metabolism. Hopefully, it's from the rapid weight loss and then gain after treatment and not something permanent from the interferon. My gut (no pun here) tells me that 120/day of lower intensity workouts will do the trick. It should also reduce appetitite somewhat as well.

Copy, Lipo might make you look thinner but it doesn't get to the deeper lying problamatic fat that raises triglicerides and causes heart problems. I actually suggested to a cardiac researcher many moons ago that they do a study to see if liposuction could have a positive benefit on your lipid profile. Since then, at least one study has been done -- don't know if I should take credit or not. LOL. -- and the answer is "no". Too bad, cause that really would have been the easy way out.

-- Jim

[hippygem]

I also have put on weight in the mid section, been 3 years since treatment, and the weight has been slowly piling on, but only the stomach area.
Ive warned everyone who is treating to do some form of exercise whilst on treatment, be it sit ups or walking because of the muscle loss.
Ive recently started taking Avanza (AD) and this has caused me to put on more weight.
Like you said, exercise and diet is very important, its just the fatigue and lack of motivation that holds me back at this time but I will have to push myself soon or I will definately regret it.
Thanks for posting on that subject, not the only one.

Linda

[jmjm530]

Thanks for dropping by. Previous to treating, did you also have a problem with weight piling on mostly in the stomach area or did it tend to come on either in other areas or more evenly? As you know, all weight gain is not equal, and adding pounds in the stomach area has the most health consequences.

To do it all over again, I'd probably have tried to really watched my diet and exercise program immediately following treatment. However, at the time, it was such a joy to be able to eat food again, that I doubt I could have summoned the discipline. Plus the last thing I was worried about then was gaining weight as I had been close to a skeleton for so long. I actually remember early-on after treatment noticing some fat in the stomach and smiling, as if the my treatment weight loss curse was lifted. Little did I know that a year later I wouldn't be smiling :)

-- Jim

[web52]

ive lost about 20 pounds on treatment. i'm currently about 158 pounds at 5' 11''. this is about what i weighed when i got married a long time ago (i know because i have several very out of date suits from that era that fit me now, lol). about 2 years before tx i was up to 205. the low carb diet worked well for me and got me down to 178 or so. excercise helped build muscle mass, but i think the diet was the key to the weight loss. on the low carb i was also eating healthier (more salads, veggies, olive oil, nuts, etc). i also had the belly fat (even at 178), but always had excellent lipid profile. im eating mostly carbs now on tx (but i lost the belly fat), although the nausea and "taste changes" are much better over the past few weeks & i actually had a steak the other night! i can't wait to get my appetite back. i used to really enjoy food before tx.  when i'm done w/ tx, my plan is to "pig out" for a while & then go back onto the low carb diet and renew my gym membership.

[mremeet]

Great, now I'm going to tub out after I stop treating - one more thing to worry about. But if I had to guess, I'd say your metabolism and "natural" weight will settle down and mostly return to normal over time (not unlike your skin problems). You're probably experiencing some type of post treatment weight loss rebound. I'm guessing your body will slowly start to realize it's not fighting for survival anymore and internally reset itself back to "normal mode". And if you're strict enough on your diet and exercise regimen, especially weightlifting, then I can't see any excess flab sticking around very long.

Still, what you say is a bit worrying. I've always been a tall thin type (6'2" 185lbs pre treatment). I was 6'2" 135lbs when I was 17, and ranged between that weight and 185lb my entire adult life. I could always eat and drink anything I wanted, even with zero exercise, and I never got fat. I really hope my effortlessly lithe days aren't behind me once I'm off these drugs.  I've always enjoyed the luxury of not having to sweat weight gain, sure would like to keep it that way.

[web52]

in my case i think weight gain and age are correlated. i also used to have the "eat anything and not gain" profile, but my profile changed at about age 40 or so. but i think the "rebound" point regarding post treatment weight gain is well taken. i'm sure it takes quite some time for our systems to adjust after being stressed so much for so long with these tx drugs.  

[web52]

in my case i think weight gain and age are correlated. i also used to have the eat anything and not gain profile, but my profile changed at about age 40 or so. but i think the rebound point regarding post treatment weight gain is well taken. i'm sure it takes quite some time for our systems to adjust after being stressed so much for so long with these tx drugs.  

[web52]

in my case i think weight gain and age are correlated. i also used to have the eat anything and not gain profile, but my profile changed at about age 40 or so. but i think the rebound point regarding post treatment weight gain is well taken. i'm sure it takes quite some time for our systems to adjust after being stressed so much for so long with these tx drugs.  

[web52]

in my case i think weight gain and age are correlated. i also used to have the eat anything and not gain profile, but my profile changed at about age 40 or so. but i think the rebound point regarding post treatment weight gain is well taken. i'm sure it takes quite some time for our systems to adjust after being stressed so much for so long with these tx drugs.  

[web52]

in my case i think weight gain and age are correlated. i also used to have the eat anything and not gain profile, but my profile changed at about age 40 or so. but i think the rebound point regarding post treatment weight gain is well taken. i'm sure it takes quite some time for our systems to adjust after being stressed so much for so long with these tx drugs.  

[web52]

in my case i think weight gain and age are correlated. i also used to have the eat anything and not gain profile, but my profile changed at about age 40 or so. but i think the rebound point regarding post treatment weight gain is well taken. i'm sure it takes quite some time for our systems to adjust after being stressed so much for so long with these tx drugs.  

[web52]

in my case i think weight gain and age are correlated. i also used to have the eat anything and not gain profile, but my profile changed at about age 40 or so. but i think the rebound point regarding post treatment weight gain is well taken. i'm sure it takes quite some time for our systems to adjust after being stressed so much for so long with these tx drugs.  

[jmjm530]

Web,

I know it will be hard -- maybe impossible -- but try and keep the "pig out" stage to a bare minimum or just about every pound you lost could come back as fat around your abdomen in less than 90 days.

Mre,

It's been a year, but hopefully, hopefully, my body will realize it's no longer eating itself like during treatment. I'm probably a bit older than you (60) which probably doesn't help either. Still, I've always been able to get into fighting shape when motivated, until now. Starting to empathize with all those people who complain how hard it is to lose weight. Frankly, always thought they were either lazy or unmotivated, but now I realize it's not quite that simple.

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

Web,

I know it will be hard -- maybe impossible -- but try and keep the "pig out" stage to a bare minimum or just about every pound you lost could come back as fat around your abdomen in less than 90 days.

Mre,

It's been a year, but hopefully, hopefully, my body will realize it's no longer eating itself like during treatment. I'm probably a bit older than you (60) which probably doesn't help either. Still, I've always been able to get into fighting shape when motivated, until now. Starting to empathize with all those people who complain how hard it is to lose weight. Frankly, always thought they were either lazy or unmotivated, but now I realize it's not quite that simple.

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

Web,

I know it will be hard -- maybe impossible -- but try and keep the "pig out" stage to a bare minimum or just about every pound you lost could come back as fat around your abdomen in less than 90 days.

Mre,

It's been a year, but hopefully, hopefully, my body will realize it's no longer eating itself like during treatment. I'm probably a bit older than you (60) which probably doesn't help either. Still, I've always been able to get into fighting shape when motivated, until now. Starting to empathize with all those people who complain how hard it is to lose weight. Frankly, always thought they were either lazy or unmotivated, but now I realize it's not quite that simple.

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

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[jmjm530]

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[jmjm530]

Web,

I know it will be hard -- maybe impossible -- but try and keep the "pig out" stage to a bare minimum or just about every pound you lost could come back as fat around your abdomen in less than 90 days.

Mre,

It's been a year, but hopefully, hopefully, my body will realize it's no longer eating itself like during treatment. I'm probably a bit older than you (60) which probably doesn't help either. Still, I've always been able to get into fighting shape when motivated, until now. Starting to empathize with all those people who complain how hard it is to lose weight. Frankly, always thought they were either lazy or unmotivated, but now I realize it's not quite that simple.

-- Jim