Weight gain

[viamonv]

Have u gained any weight and does it come off after.

[SheffieldJane]

Sadly the weight gain is mostly due to the increase in appetite on steroids, so you would probably have to diet once this effect was no longer a temptation to eat too much. The really clever go on a low carb low sugar diet from the outset. Not easy.

[Nones]

I gained 30 pounds. It’s coming off but verrrrry slowly. About a pound every three months.

[SnazzyD]

No weight gain after a year but my shape has changed so what fat I do have has gone to my face and tummy more than anywhere else. I went on to a very low carb diet and didn’t worry about fats. I had terrible hunger between 60mg and 10mg but just ate veg, fruit (mostly berries) or protein in between meals and lot of it. I also cut right down to nearly zero salt because that causes fluid retention due to the Pred making you hold on to sodium.

[Rose54]

Hi

i have got down to 8.00mg a day and have started to lose weight some weeks ony half a pound but at least I'm losing it .

i really do watch what i eat

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I gained weight with PMR (5 years unmanaged and unable to exercise). I gained no more with pred at first. Then I was switched to medrol and gained a load of weight. Switched to a form of prednisone and cut carbs drastically and all the weight came off even though I was still at above 10mg pred.

If you cut carbs - especially processed ones, stuff in packets and cans - you will probably manage to either not gain weight or lose what you have gained.

[yogabonnie]

I have gained 10 lbs in 4 months spite of the good advice I solicited from this forum and GOT.!!! Just have become an eating machine. Making huge effort to cut back all salt and sugar. But its the toast.. big weakness..and I have not managed. There is a site called dietbet where you bet money and have to lose 4% in 4 weeks. If you lose your weight you keep your money and a tiny bit more. I just entered it in desperation. We shall see which is my greater drive.. MONEY or FOOD. haha.

[Sandy1947 in reply to yogabonnie]

Yogabonnie thanks for the laugh! I understand carb crave. 3 small ramekin bowls of cereal before bed last night! Feed a cold called my name! Anxiety of being with my 94 yr. old mentally declining mother drove me to pizza, bread and cheesecake. I will button it today.

Money? Food? Let us know how you do.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to yogabonnie]

Sounds as if you may have solicited advice - but not acted on it!

Good luck!

[yogabonnie in reply to PMRpro]

Ha. won't be the first time!!! alas!! But I'll never give up.

[rosajur]

On 2mg pred but unfortunately, due to the exercise factor, the weight hasn't come off. Have always eaten a very healthy diet, zero salt & sugar only via fruit. If only I had the stamina to go for an hour's walk per day.

[yogabonnie in reply to rosajur]

I can exercise pretty much... I will swap you some stamina for some of your will power with food! Start with a 10 minute walk. and I will start with cutting back on the carbs!! It's the all or nothing mentality that kills me I think!

[rosajur in reply to yogabonnie]

I have a list of foods to eat prior to eating protein, first a carrot, then a stick of celery & if I have eggs, will put loads of greens/tomatoes/cucumbers next to it. ONLY on the weekends will I have a couple of squares of chocolate. The lack of stamina is the biggest annoyance factor here..

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to rosajur]

You can exercise all you like - pred still changes the way your body processes sugars. Low carb works - but fruit is carb-packed and you soon mount up enough carbs to mess up that low-carb diet you think you are eating. Several people have found the same thing.

[rosajur in reply to PMRpro]

Even with 2 measly mgs? I have to eat fruit as it's usually my evening 'dessert' & if not, fear I will be buying rubbish to eat. One of my brothers went on a no carbs diet & lost huge patches of hair which did grow back in around 2 years time. He refused to eat fruit etc & that vitamin/diet deficiency scares me.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to rosajur]

You can get all you need from veggies and no-carb is not low carb. We have never had a habit of "pudding" even when the children were small - but if you look you can find low-carb desserts. I could just go a bowl of mascarpone cheese right now now we're talking about it!

[navejasjoe]

My wife has been on Pred for 20 months and she has gained a lot of weight, about 25 pounds, and she has a moon face. She had gotten down to 10mg but was still in too much pain to exercise, so she was put back on 12.5mg. She started exercising again on February 9th, and she has been able to shed about 3 pounds in that time.

Joe

[yogabonnie in reply to navejasjoe]

tell her way to go!!! It isn't easy but it's nice to hear she has such good support from you!

[Tonysue]

I have put on weight but only round my middle and my face has got a bit moony. I went through a phase of just eating too much. Cake here, biscuits there and chocolate. But have been much more careful for the last 2months and am losing a bit but slowly. We have all home cooked food. So no processed stuff. Lots of fruit and live yoghurt. I walk my dog every day. You have to walk a long way to lose any weight though. It’s down to self control and that’s hard when you have aches and pains. Classic comfort eating isn’t it. 😳

[Hindags]

I was 20 pounds over what I should have been when I got sick. I was terrified of gaining more so I cut out almost all carbs and sugar. I said to myself that if I just held onto that diet for three weeks I might be able to cut a lifelong craving for all things carb. It worked and I lost 25 pounds in the first 5 months or so. I’m now at month 14 months have gained a pound or two back as I have lost some of my will power in the last month. Also I have had some issues with weakness that has sent me into the kitchen and some more difficulty exercising without hurting myself as I’ve been on a Pred longer and tapering down (6mg now).

[paulst955]

Weight gain is caused by calories not the pred, that just gives you an appetite. Sorry you have to control what you eat. Much easier to say or write than do.

[nevagivup in reply to paulst955]

Sorry Paul, but that is a generalisation. Pred does make you gain weight around the middle and the hump on the shoulders. it is not only due to carbs, but water retention and if one has a tendency to retain water Pred make it worse. I have ideopathic oedema, have had since a teenager. Also, if you have no energy you cannot exercise sufficiently to lose weight. some people do put on weight more easily than others.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to paulst955]

Nor is it the calories - it is the type of calories. Pred messes up carb metabolism and makes your liver release spikes of glucose into the blood. Which triggers the release of insulin, which deposits the excess glusose in the usual places as fat and encourages insulin resistance.

Cutting carbs reduces the blood glucose levels, avoids insulin release and leads to the body using the fat deposits to produce energy and so the fat goes.

[Koalajane]

Hi, I have been on a low carb high fat diet since diagnosis and have not put any weight on, in fact I have lost at least 2 stone. I also walk for an hour each day.

[yogabonnie in reply to Koalajane]

wow! THAT is so good.

Bravo!

[rosajur in reply to Koalajane]

wow. How amazing. OK. I will try an hour's walk today..

[HeronNS in reply to rosajur]

Umm, if it's not too late to slow you down - if you aren't used to walking that far don't dive right in. A short walk to get started and build up over the next little while as long as you feel well. You will find your stamina does increase quite quickly but you don't want to set yourself back by overdoing it at the beginning! And maybe a couple of shorter walks each day rather than one long one, at least in early days?

[rosajur in reply to HeronNS]

Good idea. I used to be able to do this no problems. A walk a day sounds like a plan.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to rosajur]

Heron already said what I was going to say - start with a short walk and see how you feel next day! What you could do pre-PMR and what your muscles will accept now are two very different things!!!!

[B4lamb]

As others I'm gaining weight in places I never used to like face and neck. It's stretched out the saggy skin but my cheeks look all puffy. Doc said I'd get a moon face and I've only been on pred for a 2.5 months. It's the appetite that is the killer but I try to eat really healthy veg and protein (nearly all fish) and exercise as much as I can with the limitations of stamina. I'm still on 14 mg/day so hopefully things will get easier in time when I taper off more. Like you I really hope I can get back to my original weight if and when I get clear of this horrible desease but it looks like it will take a lot of effort and willpower.

[stellafmdm]

I haven't tried it but it is said that taking Apple Cider vinegar kills a sweet tooth! might be worth a try?

[rosajur in reply to stellafmdm]

Yes, because it is so revolting you feel like you need to throw up all the time.

[Mama48]

I stopped taking steroids about 10 months ago, since then I have lost about 10 lbs in weight. I haven’t been dieting strictly but have found I don’t want to eat as much as I did and also I have more energy, hope this is encouraging to others.

[viamonv]

Thank you all It’s so good to have this support.

[viamonv]

I have been on 60 for a week now. Pain in heard is a little better but temple still bad. How long you stared feeling better.

[HeronNS in reply to viamonv]

Are you getting enough rest?

[viamonv in reply to HeronNS]

I think so I really don't feel tired. only when I do a little too much.

[HeronNS in reply to viamonv]

I was concerned, because I think when people have PMR and especially GCA for the first little while, maybe a few days, maybe a couple of weeks, after they start treatment they should pretend they have something like the flu and rest accordingly. It's so tempting when we feel better to believe we really are better, but our bodies do need time to heal.

[Lanakay]

40 lbs. and a fat face and thin hair! I weighed 135 when this started.

[Sailormo]

Yes it does come off mines just gone back on.