I have shifted to a lower carb diet which I am seeing results from. As usual I am trying to figure out why I am so tired. I had a flare a few weeks ago and went from 5 to 7 to 12 for 3 days. I am now back at 7 for this week. I keep thinking everyday my energy will rebound. Could it be the diet change? Thanks dear friends.
I hope there are lots of answers as I am cutting carbs and can summon hardly any energy but I am eating a lot of fish, eggs and nuts and loads of veg. I have other issues too so I can't blame the diet but I guess realistically we do get instant energy and glycogen from carbs so we will miss that at first. Not sure. Love and hugs. Linda xx
Will be interesting to see responses. I have lost 2 lbs but 2 and 1/2 inches around middle! I have been watching calories but am tired of the belly and clothes fitting strangely. Time for action 🕒!
Well done!!! No doubt it works but very hard to start with. Xxx
Long before PMR arrived, I tried a lo-carb diet trying to lose a few pounds to make a dress chosen for a big wedding fit me just a little better.
At first, I couldn't figure out why I had no zip, no stamina, was uncharacteristically cranky and short tempered, fell asleep an hour or more earlier than usual, and didn't feel rested even after 9-10 hours of sleep (a feat which was impossible for me before unless I had the flu).
Then I added carbs back into my diet, and bang, I was back!
As a result, I did not eliminate carbs from my diet when I started pred, only removed unnecessary simple carbs like cakes, cookies and candies. After 1 year and 10 months, I gained as much as 7 pounds (I since lost 4 as I reduced from 20mg to now 6.5) and have not felt the crippling lethargy and fatigue (except in the initial weeks of the course of my disease) so many have reported in these pages.
This isn't good for everyone. I didn't ever approach pre-diabetes or diabetes as some have experienced. And as I continue to work full time and then some, I get plenty of exercise commuting and walking the length and breadth of my NYC block long and wide office, along with regular exercise to stay limber and strong.
Listen to your body. Watch your blood tests. Make a decision based on what works for you. We're all different. And ain't that grand?
Hello,
I have no idea if I had problems or not with low carb because I was on high doses of Pred at the time of starting. What I would say though is you are wavering around the dose levels where the adrenals can start saying, “now you see me, now you don’t”, especially at 7mg, which can be neither here nor there. At 7mg I felt wrung out. You may have been at 12mg long enough to make the adrenals sleepy again. Also, you say you’ve gone up because of a flare and that in itself could be causing fatigue. So, who knows? You could try adding some carbs, perhaps some fibre laden root veg? However, be mindful of the temporary boost in wellbeing from a possible glucose spike, depending what carbs you add, especially if it is followed by a slump.
I wonder if you are following ‘other’ diets AND low carb. Following a low fat and/or low calorie diet as well as low carb is very hard. Protein and fat give you a lot of energy. but if you have been a ‘dieter’ before, you will find it hard to allow yourself these foods. Cream, cheese, oils, fat on meat are all allowed on a low carb diet and give you energy.
Also fatigue at 7 mg might be due to those b****y adrenals.
I hope you feel better soon.
Mary
I would be inclined to agree with Mary63, more likely to be adrenals! Plus are you sure you are really over your flare?
Just go back to slowly reducing- they will spark, but like many other thing will do it in their own time!
Have a look at this re adrenal -
There is a phenomenon called "keto flu" - if you try to go keto and elimate all carbs suddenly you have a transition period as the body learns to use fat for energy where you feel bleugh and may have an upset stomach and bad breath. Usually this lasts anything up to a couple of weeks but like everything else - it varies. If you make the mistake of going very low/no carb most of the time but have splurges now and again - the keto flu can reappear after each splurge because it takes very little to get "out" of keto.
That's why I/we emphasise drastic reduction in carbs but never total, certainly at the beginning. It's cold turkey on carbs.
But like the others - I think this is probably a dose-region problem. Lots of people find 7mg and just below very very hard.
I am still eating some carbs so I do image it's my dose. I am seeing an improvement in my appearance so I am happy about that. Thanks for the help.
I found 7 mgs very hard fatigue-wise. I have never know such swooning exhaustion. Now I am on 6 mgs, I feel much better. It is more likely to be Adrenaline related. I got real sugar cravings as well but any benefit was short lived and there was a sort of hangover. I gained stupid weight during those few months when I hadn’t before. I was more sedentary and drawn to fast fix energy foods. I was also fed up of the whole thing. Paying the price now!
Just came back from the GP and now I have shingles. That might be part of the fatigue. Who knows? I had the vaccine but I don't have too much pain. It's just annoying. She said the pred might be helping. We do get weary sometimes with all the ups and downs. Hang on Jane better days ahead. One day closer to being well❤️
Shingles sucks. I’ve had it four times. Please take care. Xxxx
Rheumatologist response
Pred and Metformin?
Link to a recipe tip for a PMR Friendly Diet Snack for when the Pred Hunger bites , tried and tested and suprisingly tasty!
Can PMR ever be managed without steroids? 
Diet - my story so far!
