Losing weight!

[yogabonnie]

At last.. I am eating less and drinking lots of Green Smoothies..kale swiss chard and spinach with a frozen banana to save me from the taste! (and other berries) No junk food (alas) no alcohol and no sugar except for fruit. NOW my question. Will this FAT that was redistributed by the prednisone around my waist MOVE away when I am on a lower dose? When does the fat leave my neck and my waist and when does my hair stop falling? THANKS! (It helps to have grandkids here for 5 weeks!..running all the time)

[SnazzyD]

Well, I’m on 5/4.5 and have been for a few weeks and although people keep saying my face looks better, it still look in the mirror and think, “ak”. Hot weather doesn’t help. The neck fat went but I don’t know when. My hair had a huge fall out at the 5 month mark on about 18mg then stopped, but now it’s having another wobbly at the 16 month point. Difficult to stop the mad scientist look too. I still find any fat I do have still wants to hang around the same old places.

[yogabonnie in reply to SnazzyD]

Thanks! I'm still at 81/2 mg looking forward to getting past the adrenal glands come alive stage and hoping to not have any craziness during that process!

[SnazzyD in reply to yogabonnie]

Well good luck. It would be nice to sleep through this bit. I wouldn’t say I’m crazy, just miserable, though it might just be having been on this illness road for over a year and getting a bit jaded. 7mg was a turning point mood wise.

[Soraya_PMR in reply to SnazzyD]

Was 7mg mood up? Or mood down?

[SnazzyD in reply to Soraya_PMR]

Down, especially late afternoon early evening. I take my EC Pred at 5:00pm.

[ConventCassie in reply to SnazzyD]

I’m at 4 & I noticed the hair falling out a while back too. Thot it was “late”. Waiting for the Biotin to kick in. (Takes a while apparently.)

I think no sugar helps the stomach profile. I’m not perfect though. And the face? Appears to be still happening.

[yogabonnie in reply to ConventCassie]

thanks!! I am taking biotin too. Lucky for me I had really thick hair. My hair stylist was shocked at how much I've lost in the last 8 weeks. ! yikes.

[Soraya_PMR]

Congrats on the weight loss YB, well done. I suppose that gives you incentive to continue....have you noticed that you’re feeling better, less achey without sugar?

[nevagivup]

That sounds punishing! I may have to resort to it. Whenever I was able to reduce Pred my weight went down correspondingly and my waist began to show. But now on Hydrocortisone and I though I have not changed my diet at all, am still on very low carbs, small servings, no junk food and only one main meal a day, I have gained 7 pounds in the two months since starting it! All on my middle. When I lie back in the bath water my belly floats. I am looking rather like a buddah statue. It is worse than Pred in that regard. This morning I found the waist band on my favourite trousers wont do up at the button. I wont assume they have shrunk. Please do keep us posted on your weight loss.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to nevagivup]

Others have found HC has worse side effects than pred - and switched back to pred as it CAN be used for adrenal supplementation.

[nevagivup in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks for reply PMRpro. The plus side for me is that HC has made me feel hugely better, no longer feel very unwell, I have energy, no brain fogging. Once AI was diagnosed I was increased to 5 mg, then 7.5 mg then 10 mg, before reducing to 7.5 mg and still felt really ill. The difference on HC was incredible. I have another Endo appointment in August and will then discuss tapering HC, to get from 25 mg to 15 mg.

[Mrs-CJ in reply to nevagivup]

Has the HC also kept your PMR symptoms under control? I suspect when I finally get to see a specialist to get a synacthen test they may want to switch me to HC.....which is ok with me to try.....but I don’t want my PMR to flare up.

[nevagivup in reply to Mrs-CJ]

My last flare was in January after a chest virus. It was not a major flare and was quickly controlled. Nothing since, but it is early days. I have no pain anywhere, other than from osteo-arthritis, here and there, mainly my spine and some fingers. I dread the onset of 'flu and other viral chest infections with the arrival of late Autumn and through to the end of Spring. If, as is likely, I do succumb but don't get a PMR flare, I'll post on this site. For me, HC is a Godsend!

[Mrs-CJ in reply to nevagivup]

Thanks for this info! It’s so reassuring to hear from someone with a positive HC experience!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to nevagivup]

Yes - agree with Mrs-C-J. Good to hear a positive (even if I don't fancy weight gain!)

[nevagivup in reply to PMRpro]

The upside is that for the first time in years I have gone and bought on the sales a whole lotta new clothes to fit my size, with room for expansion, if necessary. Looser, more elegant and cooler for this hot summer.

[Slowdown]

Great news but oh, that wretched FAT that just seems to roam around at will but never gets less...every morning I wake up and lie there performing cheek-checks, yep still puffy, locate my hip bones which gives me hope but my bathroom mirror soon puts me straight; I don't even look at my rear! I feel like one of those ancient fertility goddesses, maybe I'll make one out of clay and stick pins in it ... Also at 8.5mg and was sticking to LCHF, until I got gut problems - that's just about sorted but I've gone rogue and am eating all the wrong things just for the hell of it, yesterday's ice cream was divine. I WILL be going back to it, because I do actually like eating the low carb way, another couple of days should do it. Bravo to you, I'll race you to 'svelte'!

[yogabonnie in reply to Slowdown]

So good it is the summer. Salads and smoothies are delightful. and makes it all easier! I guess in the winter it's soup. (but where's the CRUSTY LOAF of bread!!! We are on!!

[Christophene47 in reply to Slowdown]

I am no different; all belly. To make matters worse, I have a paraesophageal hernia that makes me look about 6 months pregnant. Stomach has pushed up into my chest cavity, collapsing a lower left lobe of left lung. That causes me shortness of breath and poor stamina for walking.

But we shouldn't have to change; cultural norms need to re-adjust to the ancient fertility goddess notion of beauty again. The artist Rubens adored the female body in its fullest forms. Why can't we go back to that standard of beauty again? A neo-Rubens form of beauty to be envied, treasured and admired.

Or simply growing much taller might work.

[Slowdown in reply to Christophene47]

Hello Christophene47, once upon a time I was more a hippy version of a Boticelli girl .. lots of flowers and floaty dresses. So long as I don't morph into a Lucian Freud I'm content. Although I do a fair amount of lounging on a sofa...

I looked up paraesophageal hernia as I have been feeling uncomfortably 'full' at the juncture of diaphragm and stomach, but not noticeably breathless - sorry you have to contend with this and you've prompted me to get it checked out with GP.

Taller would be good, I'm heading downwards to 5ft nothing.... I blame my genes.

[maria40]

Food is certainly easier in the summer but I do miss the bread. But the downside is getting last summer's clothes out of the wardrobe and realising that I'd been fooling myself -like nevagiveup I've had the failure of the top button on two pairs of trousers and one skirt. And trying to buy new clothes is certainly not recommended unless you can keep your eyes closed until you're fully clothed- changing rooms seem to be designed for masochists!