Well it's been 10 weeks since I joined the pmr club and most of the symptoms have gone. I weighed myself at the start and have periodically jumped on them just to check. Nothing happened to my weight and I even checked every one who came through the door just to make sure it was weighing correctly.
Jumped on them today and I have put on 8lb!! How on earth have I managed that in just a week?
I know i havnt been that good over my diet but 8lb in a week is ridiculous. The scales have been banished to the compost heap and any one attempting to rescue them will be sleeping in the shed with the blow up crocodile for company.
I am majorly upset and to make me feel better I am going to make some bread, and then eat while warm with loads of butter. Bah humbug
Written by
Yellowbluebell
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I have always a little piggy but have never had to watch what i eat because I have always been tiny. I put on a few pounds when i reached middle age but still was a size 8/10. Not now!!!
Don't take any notice of me , I was in total brain fog and thought I was talking to poor DC who I was in mid chat with about going into hospital when I read your post. Sorry!
There is clearly a very simple explanation for this and a simple solution.
Dont wear your Santa suit when you weigh yourself , or at least check to see if you have an Elf in your pocket! xx
I have told you i dont want you to get fat. This is my mighty chocolate mouse special power to stop the world getting fat. Click and collect at argos could get a bit messy and I am unsure what section in the catalogue you would find it. If the elf is in my santa suit he can get himself out and start doing something useful like hiding food from me and making sure the scales stay down the garden.
Remember the crocodile was responsible for my neighbours seeing a soaking wet 55 year year old trying to get on to it whilst it floated in the pool, and swearing about being on the thing upside down and back to front before they got to see me on the thing with a glass of wine but dripping wet.xx
That sodding crocodile was responsible for virtually everything that happened in my garden over summer where I entertained the neighbours. I can imagine your face and know exactly what you are doing. Giggling!!
I am feeling rather out of shape myself,l tell myself it must be the pred.l keep looking at all the boxes of chocolates l have here ready to give to my family and friends,it is really hard not to open one,but l have to resist !
I had a couple of spare advent calendars and during the nights when with my insomnia I managed to break all the little chocolates and demolish them. No guilt at the time!!
Join the insomnia club. I find myself roaming around the house looking for things to do or chatting with Blearyeyed. As I refuse to spend my insomnia hours doing housework I have to find nice quiet things to do and one of them is eating and making sure the fridge doesn't feel overworked.
All contributions gratefully received , but better get the meds properly stable first before anybody suggests volunteering to push Venom off a cliff to raise funds for PMR/ GCA , you never know your luck though YB , you might get the chance in the future.Xx
Replying to this incase you were asking about my comment. I said about CCTV and copying me because I do the same at night, wander about not doing housework but eating my weight in sweets 🐖😉
I was never keen on house work at the best of times but even less so when hungry. The ironing pile is set to challenge the Eiffel tower any day now but as it's growing taller it's becoming the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The iron is far too heavy to lift! I have rearranged my big Eiffel Tower into a small village of cottages. I have a "cottage" in many cupboards now 😉 mañana mañana
My great aunt used to stick all her wet things that were not too heavy over the tiles in her bathroom, when they fell off they were dry and in her opinion did not need ironing!
Rules are rules , it's the Cooks or Present Buyers perks , or was my dear , old Nana lying to me for all those years ...... Oh , no don't tell me that , it's Christmas , Eat and be Merry xx
OK, now I have to admit, the other day me and OH opened a box of choccy biscuits from M & S, we had bought them weeks ago on a two for one deal intending to give them both as pressies for Christmas. Well, he had a cold and I was craving chocolate so guess what? In two nights we'd scoffed the lot between us!! How bad is that? Trouble is, the second box is still waiting for the same fate so I am resisting heavily...... I don't normally eat like this, haven't had chocolate for months and now have binged. I blame the pred, hubby blames his cold. And now I'm getting his cold.... Oh heck, pass the chocolate biscuits and let's be done with!! I've just started another reduction so think I'm entitled to 'em especially while I'm sniffling and feeling crap and sorry for myself! Bah humbug indeed! X
I must admit I have had that problem myself hence the 2 advent calendars I attacked. Plus I am in full on mince pie mode and they are not lasting very long.
Pretty sure a few weeks ago YB agreed the both chocolate given by Santa or for Advent and the 2 for 1 free box are sin and calorie free , isn't that right YB ?
Don't stress - as you indicate it's enough to send any of us on a big binge of butter with our bread and JAM !! Look my advice is yes ditch the bl***y scales - they are (those common bathroom ones) generally pretty unreliable in MY experience 🙃🙃🙃 - and enjoy Xmas. Then in the New Year just eat as healthily as you can minimising carbs and eating as much fresh fruit and veg as poss with a good source of protein. Jumping on and off scales too regularly can be very deceptive we can be easily distressed by wee 'ups' (not so much the 'downs') which sometimes don't appear to connect with what we (think) we have been doing. So weigh yourself maybe at a pharmacy on the giant machines once a month and that should do it. I realised I was getting too overwrought myself with daily weigh-ins and sometimes results which had no apparent rhyme or reason. So have a happy Festive Season and relax a bit !!
I literally lose half a stone in jumpers in April!
And go from looking like the Michelin Man to a ....much smaller version!
It's the best time for the year and I suggest you all try it , look at yourself in the mirror in all your layers not naked in the winter .
Then when it comes time to dress in light clothes take another look , you literally feel like you have just won a National Slimming Award , feeds the soul for days!
It can happen......even when you're not on pred! I once gained the same amount of weight on a one week, all inclusive trip to Jamaica (ahhhhhhh.....the dumplings and curried delights, not to mention the sweet cocktails).
When I first started on this forum, one member wrote that they believed pred made them actually crave bread! I'd rather have the butter than the bread......mmmmmmmm.
I actually went out and purchased a new electronic scale and calibrated it with the one at my GP's office, as I was starting a weight loss journey. I was tired of going to the gym and standing on the scale in front of the row of men on of treadmills. I hop on a couple of times per week, first thing in the morning, naked (sometimes on my tip toes). It helps keep me on track, but does not generate pressure or stress, more like(positive) reinforcement. I have another 25 pounds or so to lose to help out my poor suffering knees.
I think I read on here that pred causes the liver to generate more blood glucose spikes, especially when eating carbs, which in turn causes hunger (PMRpro, please clarify).
Just one of the many surprises that await in your PMR journey. Fasten your seat belt and keep that sense of humour, it will serve you well moving forward (and we enjoy a good laugh).
My GP was happy when I put some weight on as over years of illness before I had gone below 8st.
Now my weight swings about with my symptoms .
I think my scales would feel overworked if I weighed myself every week. Plus the up and down would start to be a worry.
I do it once a month , first thing in the morning after the toilet , except in December and January , so I can pretend that all the excess weight was because of wearing big winter jumpers! xx
I don't normally do it weekly but on this occasion it was. My eldest was here and said "you need to do it naked mum". As this was the middle of the day and the son in law was here I didn't think stripping off in the hallway was such a good idea.yb
I really do think Shepherds Pie should restrict her help to your weighing abilities not telling you to get naked ! making comments on your Sex Life like that YB you must have blushed at least 100 calories away!
You have been doing it long enough anyway to choose if your naked or you and Mr YB keep your spotty Long John's on ! xxx
No.it was banana bread this time. Can you imagine than face on my 30 year old son in law (The policeman) if I suddenly whipped all my clothes off and jumped on the scales in front of him. He thinks I am as mad as a matter any way. As for whether I do it naked depends on how much energy I have. No energy then just do the deed and dont worry about being romantic. But if I have the energy I will be romantic and have a drink before!!
Yep mine do that still, even though they have moved out. They think nothing of opening the door and just waltzing in to continue a conversation. You expect it as toddlers but not when they are 24 & 26.
I know someone is going to make a really good suggestion to us in a minute and say , "why don't you lock the door?" , but there be Madness too!
Tried it as they got older but for some reason , when anyone else locks the bathroom door that is taken , as it should be , as a symbol that the room is not vacant and someone needs their privacy.
When I do it , it is a symbol for all and sundry to think I have fallen down the plughole or the loo , or been kidnapped by the Towel Monster , and involves many desparate minutes of door rattling , knocking and yelling around the house which does not abate until I open it half naked with a WHAT!!!!
Often I have been greeted by all children and the OH standing outside the door with startled looks on their faces wondering if I am alright, why are you in there with the door locked. That was even before the PMR/ GCA . You would think my bathroom activities were rare and unusual or only happened once a year.
And before you think , oh , well at least it shows they care , I would like to point out that they become conspicuous by their absence when they have left the bathroom without changing the toilet roll and I have an actual emergency. Could call for hours then and not hear a peep.
The new bathroom hasn't even got a lock on it. I decided not to bother putting one on as it's only me and OH and grandson sometimes but still the daughters just join me in there. There is always someone who urgently needs the loo as soon as i am in the bath.
Mine often don't need it they just follow you chatting then come in to sit on the bath, sometimes both of them.
Sometimes I say , can't this wait , but apparently not.
I wouldn't mind if they were so eager to talk to me anywhere else in the house , but it doesn't , we may not have chatted all day , but as soon as they hear the bathroom door opening its talk time !!
The eldest has been known to stop off on her way home just to use the loo! I wouldn't mind but she only lives 4 miles away and her work is just a mile the other way!! So at most she only has a 5 mile journey. Strangely enough though when she uses the toilet she has to have privacy!!!
It can't be nostalgic as she's never lived in this house. We did think about moving and not telling them where we had gone to but realised that would mean we wouldnt see Zach so had to let them where we were!!
Nostalgic for the chat on the loo rather than the loo itself .
Although , knowing the antics that we can get upto she may just visit that often to double check what you have been doing and see if she needs to find which police station you are in to bail you out. xxx
Yes - what she said was right, no clarification needed is there?
Pred causes the liver to release spikes of glucose. Eating carbs causes spikes of glucose to be released into the blood. So you have more spikes than usual - which increases the average level of glucose overall...
It makes you hungry because that results in a spike of insulin being released to reduce the high BS level. and it usually falls too far, then your body has a hypo attack and craves sugar to bring it back up. Rinse and repeat. The BS level goes high, falls like a stone so you feel hungry, eat and it shoots up ...
The higher than normal average BS level does damage to the body tissues and the frequently elevated insulin levels eventually result in the body cells becoming immune to its effects, insulin resistance develops and the BS remains high despite insulin being present. It's called Type 2 diabetes. In our case, pred-induced initially and at that stage it can be reversed. The excess insulin encourages the excess sugar to be turned into fat stores. So you have high BS levels that cause damage, and fat depostis we see as humps, around your middle and on your face, and other places too.
I know - I'm boring and a misery. But although it is fun, especially at this time of year, to laugh about choccies and puddings and panettone, there is a serious side to it all too.
Dehydration also causes spikes in hunger pangs too.
Often when you think you are feeling ' empty ' hungry your mind is getting confused with the signals it is getting and is trying to tell you you need fluids , not food.
That's why it's good to have a nice drink before going for the cupboards , you don't feel full after it because you have drank lots but because that's what you body actually wanted .
No not boring and a misery but the sane voice that keeps us vaguely in control. I have a very sweet tooth and love carbs and was being quite smug that I hadn't gained any weight but that came back to bite me. I need to develop some willpower and stop nibbling on rubbish.ybxxx
I know I get confused by it all , so much to know , that's why the help from PMRPro and others on here with the experience of helping others is so vital to me.
Just try being 13 stone and longing to be 10 stone... Envy aside, I think the advice is sound. Weight does fluctuate in some bizarre and alarming ways when on pred and weighing a couple of times per week is probably sufficient.
That's more like where I am. Under 80k is a bonus. 70k by the time I'm 70 probably won't happen. Maybe 75 by the time I am 75 is a possible. Not sure that I can blame pred. Probably the 2 week holiday to Darwin with cooked breakfast and three course dinners is still having an effect.
I can't pretend it's all due to pred. I was already overweight before I started taking it, but it did help me to gain an extra 20 lbs or more, some of which I've lost, but not all despite giving up sugar completely and drastically reducing white carbs - I don't mind ditching the white flour, rice and pasta, but a winter without a single roast potato or parsnip really would mean deprivation.
one of the worst things to keeping a balanced diet is depriving yourself completely.
That's when you feel so sad and low and unfulfilled by your food and hungry in spirit and body that you break and binge on twice as many calories as you would have had from the odd treat or small portions of stuff you love.
I agree with you 100%, which is why I'm going for the roast spuds and parsnips on Christmas Day (parsnips are most important to me), but the fact is I genuinely don't miss the things I have stopped eating. I went out for lunch today -omelette, salad and a few chips - and didn't for a moment crave after the various tartelettes they were offering for dessert, just admired them as things of skill and beauty.
Got to have a good crispy parsnip on Christmas Day , mouthful with a bit of smoky bacon and a dab of horseradish , Bliss!
Parsnip mad in our house , every year I make more and we are all still fighting over them .
And as long as you keep portions small you can have a bit of everything and not worry at all.
Love an omelette too , I can't eat a full portion of chips anyway with my GI issues so I just get to steal a few from everyone else's plates , and let's face it stolen chips are the best chips anyway!
Parsnips make me rather nostalgic. My Dad grew the best ones I've ever seen or tasted, huge and full of flavour. He always left them in the ground until they'd been touched by the frost. I've occasionally seen ones nearly as good in farmers' markets, but never in a supermarket. His potatoes and Brussels sprouts were wonderful too...
Yes that is a thing isn't it , and strangely makes a difference , being touched by the frost. My Great Grandad grew the Master Vegetables.
I have a friend who trades veg with me now , allotment veg tastes like real veg!
Gave up on most Supermarket fruit and veg years ago , except for Aldi and Lidl , there's can be quite good , especially the oranges.
The others are all so watery it's sometimes difficult to tell between a sprout and a pea, and that's not just because the bleary eyed vision means I can tell from looking at them! xx
Do you cook yours extra crispy? In oil or fat? Any flavouring or honey?
I prefer to roast them in poultry fat but having a lot of vegetarians and vegans in the family, tend to use oil. I put in a few sprigs of thyme. However this year I'm not cooking. It's all going to be done for me as we're going to a restaurant. I wish I had a close friend with an allotment. Maybe I should make friends with my MP who's famous for his allotment, though he should really have other things on his mind at the moment...
I like a little goose fat and then butter , a little honey and nutmeg at the end.
I have an occasional vegan squatter ( my daughter's friend) and her veggie brother , so I have got into the habit with spuds and parsnips to use really hot oil , turn and at the last ten minutes scoop the veggie version in a separate dish and add some of the goose fat for the spuds and other faithful then so we don't miss out.
My family are probably doing most of the cooking again this year after last year's success with my instructions written on a santa serviette.
I will sort the turkey again but I have a foolproof way to do it, and I make the stuffing and gravy ahead on different days for them to just put in the oven or heat , to save my energy .
Although I am in charge of dinner SIL has asked if he can do potatoes as he makes them in goose fat. I said no prob but have just remembered our other SIL is vegetarian. Oh great another problem!!
Try the above , just take the veggies portion out into a smaller dish to finish 15 mins before end of cooking and add in a couple of tsps GF to everyone else's spuds for that flavour and the final crisping , it seems to work for us , no complaints yet , I actually think my roast spuds are the reason we get the squatters!!
Will get oldest SIL to do this for youngest SIL potatoes because I don't think hes even thought about the goose fat being a no no. Everything else is ok as the veg will be in the steamer and his alternative to turkey will be done separate
Look at what I said to dontwannabe sick below , once a week is the way to go.
And if you are on a good , balanced diet and were before the medication you know that the weight gain is medication related and beyond your full control , they weight will go slowly once the meds do.
I worry alot about people adding to their stress related pain with PMR/GCA because of their concern about weight gain. Especially as some then slow down their recovery by excessive dieting to try and get of weight that is beyond their control.
I find salt accounts for a lot. I noticed last week we had a salty meal and the day after my neck and throat had grown. A couple of days later it had gone down again, not perfect, but better. Water is heavy, I had gained 3 pounds.
Yes , salt can cause some water retention , that's why it's better to weigh yourself in the morning just after going to the toilet too. There is upto in some people 5 lb difference in the weight you measure depending on when you do it in the day , an average of 2 lb.
Doing a weigh in once a week is how weight management courses and slimming groups are meant to advise you at the same time in the same clothes so you don't lose motivation from the daily fluctuations or become obsessed by tiny weight changes and choose to make silly dieting choices to try and speed up results.
I like ' naked ' popcorn as well as ' naked ' nuts . Very tiny amount of salt sometimes , sometimes add a little sugar , salt and vanilla or cinnamon while it cooks , put in individual bags and have it instead of crisps , which were one of my big loves .
I make my own veggie and fruit crisps in the oven too .
I have toasted my nuts , almonds , hazelnutsand cashews , some put with a little sea salt , rest left ' naked' as we say in our house to be eaten that way or used for various seasonings or in toppings and baking . Not just a Christmas thing here , do it once a month.
Made some Florentines clusters with dark chocolate and Homemade peanut butter cups ( far less sugar and additives to the Reese's ones ) for Christmas treats . Now surrounded by goodies that are screaming to be eaten.
But cooks perks means what's left on the spoon and in the bowl is calorie free so I now have those tell tale choccy smears on my cheeks and am a very happy lass.
Can you get choccologic chocolate where you are?
I have started using it because it is dairy , gluten, soy and sugar free , but uses reduced natural sweetener rather than artificial in the ingredients and tastes very good too, especially the dark one.
Don't panic. My scales went up 2 stone at the highest level of pred. and just as dramatically in reverse at 2.5mg. Someone told me you never truly know your weight on pred. as it interferes with your sodium level causing water retention. Yes l was bloated and depressed but just kept on fasting one day a week. A year on and 2 and a half stone lighter. Hope this reassures you a little. It will correct itself. X
But I was planning to roll you past the OH in a barrel for some New Year fun, must keep those neighbours on their toes after all , as long as I get a turn too of course. xx
That is a point , must remember to pack my anti nausea medication before visiting you or no Midnight Barrel Rolling fun for me .
By the way , Does , your neighbour , Alf Dracula , not the other one , play a melody of show tunes at New Year for the street to dance to on his big organ ? or, is he a one trick pony and only plays Hammer Horror favourites while lulling unsuspecting partygoers to their doom?
Just concerned about which driveway you roll me down . xx
Oh darling don’t be upset it’s happened to many of us. I bet it will just as mysteriously disappear... well most of it! It’s probably got moisture in the scales so just ignore the figures and get back on track. All will be fabulous. Xxx
Are they electronic? If so, they maybe need a new battery. My scales give me dotty weights, both up and down, when the battery needs replacing.
My other suggestion is that, without realising it you have eaten/drunk something that your system doesn't like and you have accumulated fluid. I, for instance, know that if I've had a couple of coffees after a meal, my weight will have gone up by at least two pounds by the next morning. The upside of this is that the two pounds will usually disappear a day or so later.
Are you talking about the old ones still or has the new pair been relegated to the compost heap too?
If so , good on you , mate , you need all your money to hire an assassin to knock off the hob nailed booted Elf that keeps spoiling your fun instead of buying gadgets that tell you off at Christmas.
I am sending you a mallet to kill the other scales and free yourself from the chains of calories for Christmas.
Pretty sure all the laughing we do here burns enough calories for a few extra mince pies too , so bake on!
Oh , and anyone can send stuff through the Click and Collect your parcel can be registered through Argos and some Supermarkets , and it can be 24 hour delivery , so I reckon the cream won't have even had time to melt if you send me some mince pies before I get my mitts on them.
Just trying to help in my role as a Dietary Aid , but you are also showing Santa how good you are by saving me from myself , we are both so good we should reward ourselves with a doorstep of bread , jam and butter!!! xxx
Don't be discouraged. I thought my old scales were inaccurate so replaced them - they were pretty scruffy anyway, only to be told by the new ones that I weighed about 4 kilos more than I had on the old scales. Very demoralising - until I went to GP for a heart check and was weighed and voila! back to less than the weight the old scales had indicated . I've now happily reset the new ones.
Daisy tips for living in peace with your scales: 1. Exhale HARD before getting on. 2. Blink. Every calorie burned helps. 3. Hold up your arms. Might help. 4. Cry. Tears are heavy!
I've just weighed myself prompted by this thread and was quite encouraged to discover that gluttonous indulgence in panettone yesterday had not made a significant difference. My daughter and I now have a first world problem which is surfeit of panettone. I had bought two, one for me here and another to take to her at Christmas. But she told me yesterday that she already had two in preparation for Christmas and a friend had just given her another. Let them eat cake!
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Broken little toe! Bummer!
Broken arm while tapering Pred
Broken ribs
side effects PMR., plus broken hip with pain hip Knee pain.
Walking on, walking on broken glass…
