Weight!

[Zellamze]

It's me again with the flare up! Took 15mg yesterday from 10mg due to the flare up and got on the scales today and up four pounds and my face looks puffy. I feel really down as I'm trying so garden to lose weight at slimming world. Over the last four weeks I've lost half a stone and then put it on again. I'm eating hardly anything! I feel very disheartened by this PMR! I don't want to feel sorry for myself but I feel like I'm getting nowhere? So horribly frustrating. 🙀

[Stroppymoo]

Depends how often you weigh yourself. I weigh once a week after doing a poo. Also, I only have to move the scales to another part of the house or even a fraction of an inch and the result is different! Weigh once a week and treat scales as rough guide. Carry on gardening! Good luck.

[misaryk in reply to Stroppymoo]

It's the same for me! Move the scale an once and voila I lose a pound. I go more by my clothes.

[misaryk in reply to misaryk]

Inch I meant silly phone. 😬

[Stroppymoo in reply to misaryk]

Clothes yes me too

[PMRpro Ambassador]

If you gained 4 lbs that fast it is fluid retention, not fat. You can help that by drinking plenty of water (I know, sounds crazy but if you are dehydrated your body hangs on to fluid) and cutting salt. Foods with a diuretic effect will also help. Eating carbs also makes you retain fluid in the muscles and causes weight gain. You may be eating hardly anything - but that also causes your body to go into starvation mode and retain fluid.

I had a similar experience at RC classes years ago - I would lose weight for a few weeks and then suddenly - there it was, back again. And I wasn't even on pred then! Now I use no salt at all and don't usually eat processed foods so when we are on holiday and eating out - within a few days I puff up, especially my feet and ankles. Back to my normal diet and it goes again. This summer we've been away a lot - salty food and carbs. The result has been a gain of about 6 lbs, now a total of 10lbs since my lowest 15 months ago and I've been back at 10-15mg for 8 months now. I'm not happy either - but I feel OK which I didn't without the pred!

Oh yes - and having seen stroppymoo's post - your weight varies by as much as 2lbs from day to day anyway. And position of the scales is also critical!

[lesley2015]

Hiya

I was on slimming world and lost a stone, then I was diagnosed and put on high does of steroid, stopped losing as soon as I was on steroids. I gave up SW because it was too depressing, I maintained for a while then put the weight back on, and a further stone - admittedly I overate, pred hunger and insomnia!

However, I do not over eat now, walk a couple of miles a day, no white carbs and very careful, low salt and almost no processed foods.

I have stopped putting on weight, but other than an odd pound , my weight is not budging. It can vary day by day ...... but I still have moon face, hippo neck and swollen midrift. I know the fat redistributes, but my legs do hold fluid.

So although it does get me down, I try and manage the illness for now and will deal with the weight later when it is more of a straight forward battle. Determined not to put more on. I have gone from a size 12/14 to 16 - so I will not allow myself to get bigger.

Just know you are not alone in your struggle - it seems to come with the territory .

[Zellamze]

Gosh, so sorry to here that. I do feel sorry for you. You are doing well. I tweet s/w as I don't have carbs very often and hand mostly sp days. Find it very hard though. How do you find the walking? Do you feel exhausted? I walk but get very tied after 40 mins. 🙈

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Zellamze]

Try doing 2x20 mins walking with a rest in between - in fact, you may even manage 2x30 min.

A good way to manage a longer walk is to plan it around known stopping places - walk to a park bench, rest for a few minutes, walk to another identified spot. We used to walk to a local restaurant for lunch and then walk back a couple of hours later - 40 mins each way, but I couldn't have managde an 80 min walk in one go.

[kiltylyn]

Same here , had been going to a slim class since March , lost a stone half , began steroids when diagnosed in July , since then its a pound on 2 off 2 on 1 off 2 on . Very disheartened.. Wardrobe full of 12/14 have now began buying 18/20 and have to accept that as long as on treatment for PMR Im not going to loose weight . Down to 12 mg yet whole of buttocks are in pain every day , yesterday was bad.. every time im sat , get up , sit down bum is aching . I will call GP tomorrow as feel she has cut me down to quick . Also same as you face much rounder. Its disheartening every time you stand on scales your up and youve have eaten healthy all week....

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to kiltylyn]

If you have specifically buttock pain ask your GP to consider you may have piriformis syndrome - which will improve some at higher dose pred but return as you reduce. It can be treated separately and that works better. It is often found alongside PMR, as is myofascial pain syndrome which can cause similar symptoms.

spine-health.com/conditions...

[kiltylyn in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you for that . Will mention this when see her this Friday .. Ive upped pred again, so second day of 12 half... Doc had be down to 11mg 3 weeks ago . Buttocks in agony since then.. only time relief was when began the 3 x 5 mg... So glad you are all here to help and share our experiences..

[zebsky]

I hate what pred does to my body.Ive just gone up from 4mgs to 7mgs and the weight has piled on the fat deposits on my chin (jowls) .......