After putting on two stone over the three and a half years of steroids (5m.g. At the moment). I decided to join Slimming World. First week I lost 7 pounds, I was so pleased. Second week I lost 1 pound, OK, it was still a loss. Third week I put that pound back on! So frustrating, I have followed the plan to the letter, including lots and lots of water.
I need some encouragement, has any one else out there tried and succeeded with Slimming World?
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Jeanjean16
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My daughter in law used SW with success (she’s not on pred) But to my mind there’s quite a lot of carbs included. Elimination of Carbs is what will help you.
Soraya_PMR has said what I was thinking-my daughter, again not on prednisolone, has used SW successfully. She says it is more about being accountable for your eating habits. The diet looks good but there’s a lot of carbs in it. I think there are a decent number of people in this forum that have lost weight on it though. Well done on that half stone all the same.
Before pred both slimming world and weightwatchers worked well for me. But not since pred, though I have tried both. Low carb, high fat works well for me. There is a forum for this on Health unlocked or go to Dietdoctor for ideas. The high fat means you don’t feel hungry. ....which is a real bonus. My cholesterol level has also dropped, which flies in the face of the perceived wisdom of what a baddy fat is! I have lost 3/4 stone in 3 months despite a month long hol in New Zealand (a lot of booze) and a total knee replacement 4 weeks ago.
If you’re going to do that please ensure it’s ‘happy’ fat - extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, all preferably organic. Animal fats can be delicious but be aware that their fat is where they store toxins! So eat plenty of wild-caught (not farmed) oily fish and go for organic grass fed meat, butter or ghee or you may well lose weight but you’ll also be ramping up the inflammation!
I’ve had to learn to listen carefully to my body, keep a food+mood journal and learn from scratch what works for me. We’re all different but being on Pred does have a powerful impact on all of us.
I’ve lost over 3 stones since last April following the autoimmune protocol (AIP) diet and lifestyle. I’m also no longer in pain, my energy and mood is good, I don’t have that terrible fatigue, I’m completely off Paracetamol after 15+ years of taking 8 a day, and down to 4.5 mg Pred with no flares. I’ve reversed Type 2 diabetes, my adrenals are back in action and I feel really good! In fact the weight loss is almost just a side issue/bonus.
I know SW might have been easier but definitely not as effective! 😃
It's true you bad cholesterol level can drop even on a high fat diet because fat in food is not always the problem , but the type of fat you eat.
Good fats , with good cholesterols actually improve your heart and brain function.
And if you have plenty of Omega 3 ( and no Omega 6 ! It's inflammatory) it is very good for reducing inflammation and joint pain in general.
Carbs are the same really , in lower amounts and the right types .
It's the processed carbs that turn to sugars and processed , saturated and trans fats that stick to everything not just your hips that you need to avoid.
So glad you are also doing well on your chosen plan.
For me , it's what makes me feel well that counts at the moment , keeping off the weight is an added bonus. Hugs , Bee x
I know what you mean Bee about ‘good’ fats, but with this high fat diet you are also allowed fats which have been traditionally known as ‘bad’. Eg cream, butter, fat on meat. And despite eating much more in both frequency and amount of these fats my cholesterol has still reduced a lot.
I find it very interesting, esp when you research the studies which weren’t undertaken in the 50’s and 60’s which led everyone to believe that animal fat was bad, polyunsaturates and carbs were good. Yes the doctored felt that their theory (low fat) was too important to wait 10 years for the trial results, so went ahead with the advice anyway. I ummed and ah ed for months looking at various websites...googling etc?.bearing in mind that there is a lot of nonsense on the web, before giving it a go. My cholesterol has been so high, doctors said I was mad to refuse statins, and is now only slightly above normal.
I am an NHS trained nurse, so tend to usually follow the rules! My story is only anecdotal, obviously, but interesting.
The original Ancel Keys study was flawed from the outset! They used regions in of France and Germany which had lower fat diets than other regions which had equally low cardiovascular disease rates. The Mediterranean islands were studied during Lent for dietary info - no self-respecting RC eats meat in Lent! But Ancel Keys work fitted wonderfully with the food manufacturers desires and they created an environment supporting him and excluding all other researchers who supported the sugar/carb aspect. No money means no research and publications.
I am an odd fish I suppose in that when I consider things good fats I have always included cream and butter and certain types of cheese , eggs and some meat and fish fats.
I have always used butter instead of margarine because my Grandmother taught us that the least processed forms of food was better. Then the study about trans and processed fat I read some years ago showing how they don't just clog arteries but can stick to smaller blood vessels in the brain put me off margarines and trans fats for life. Grandma also are a certain amount of meat fats ( she actually ate some really odd parts of animals ) but she did it because she said it was good for her bones and skin. And I never agreed with studies about limiting eggs , yet again it's been proved going to work on an egg is good for you.
It's the higher processed , manufactured and high salt and sugar foods that do the most damage. Which is why alot of the low carb / high fat philosophy works , but like most diets they will as long as you still realise that there needs to be variety in what is eaten and a good level of vitamins and minerals included.
I have been on the low carb, high fat diet for 7 months and lost 20 pounds. I'm still on it especially since being diagnosed with pmr and it's probably the only diet saving me from putting weight back on, as I'm so inactive compared to what I used to be. My cholesterol level is very good too.
Hello. I’ve spoken to a few people in passing about their SW program and it has far too many carbs for me whilst taking Pred which changes the metabolic landscape towards tending to high blood sugar. Some people here have had success with it but it depends how sensitive you are to carbs while on Pred.
I have already stopped eating bread and cereals and I have very little dairy products.....I know I can't do without steroids BUT they do take over your life☹️☹️☹️
Pay attention to carbs in beans and certain vegetables. The best vegetables and lowest in carbs are the green vegetables. Spinach is low in carbs and a great anti inflammatory.
Yes, but it’s temporary. I had to also cut out rice, pasta, anything made from flours of any sort, potato etc. Now that I’m low enough to be less worried about it, I often don’t think to have it now apart from chips when I’ll have about 4. You do get used to it. What’s wrong with dairy, in terms of weight loss? I never worried about fats but very very low salt.
Ah, that’s different. I can’t do dairy apart from milk in tea then that can sometimes be too much. Occasionally I crack and have some ice cream but it rarely ends well. I miss cheese but have found a vegan cheese that’s pretty good, and It actually melts. It is called Block by Violife. The cheese eaters in the house mock it, but if you’re dying for some variety in a diet of dwindling interest it’s worth a try. It’s made from coconut milk and has live cultures.
If you follow low carb high fat their recommendation is to use butter, cream and cheese quite a lot. I seem to cope with butter, but cannot deal with cheese, so use avocados olive oil and some nuts to up my fat content.
I have not tried slimming world. Please Take into account the first 8-10 lbs. are always the easiest to lose. I am on a program and lost 6 lbs quickly and then the next day gained little over 1 lb. the next day I showed a 2+ loss. It all depends on the day, how your body is reacting to what you are doing and we must take into account the prednisone and what it does to our bodies. Don't be hard on yourself. If you are enjoying the program you are on just stay with it, it will all work out. I admit I was upset about the gain but I didn't let it get me down. I just persevered and it is working out.
That is quite a common pattern of weight loss - the first thing that goes is water and that is fast. Then you settle down to loss of fat.
The others have already addressed what I see as the primary problem with SW - my daughter uses it and I find it very carb-heavy. I can't lose weight on pred if I eat more than minimum carbs, maintaining it isn't too bad. Pred changes how your body processes carbs and also causes random spikes of blood sugar to be released by the liver. Both result in production of insulin which isn't all used up by the blood sugar - and excess insulin later causes glucose to be deposited as fat. To use up the fat deposits and lose weight you have to break that circle. And the simplest way to do that is to eat fewer simple carbs - processed white carbs and sugar especially. It is easy to plan, I find it easy to use when eating out and I have a varied and enjoyable diet. And above all - it doesn't need a club you have to pay for!
Yes, I know. But most people I know tend to leave the carbs in as that is what they like and argue "but the diet allows ..." Which is fine (maybe) for most people but not if they are on pred...
I have an app on my android called Carb Manager. I fill out my profile and how much I want to lose. It then tells me how many carbs and caloried total I can have each day. Sometimes it seems like a hassle to record each meal everyday, but it also works. And soon enough, I got to automatically new what the best meals for me were everyday. I even learned to make low carb recipes to vary it up.👍 Since my diagnosis, however, I added wine back to my diet. Dry wines. I felt I needed some kind of treat. 😉🍷
SW has changed its plan quite a lot and isn't really carb heavy now. You're allowed one starchy 'healthy extra' which has to be weighed.This can be e.g. 60 g wholemeal bread or 40 g porridge oats. Any other starchy food has to be counted among the 5-15 'syns' allowance. The plan is very vegetable/fruit-based. Having said that in their defence, I have to admit I've rather fallen out of love with them (see my other response) but I think my problems stem from pred rather than the SW plan.
What I'm saying though is that that 60g wholemeal bread is about 30g utilisable carbohydate. If I ate that and added more carbs through the syns - I wouldn't lose weight in a month of Sundays. I have to get down to below 30g utilisable carbs to be able to lose weight and even then it is slow, 1/2lb a week if I'm lucky. And then the veg/fruit bit - I eat tons of above-ground veg with the very occasional small spud or parsnip and no fruit. The root veg and fruit would double the carb amount with a single portion - they may be healthy carb, but they are carb. And in the context of pred and its effects - too much carb to lose weight.
I hadn't thought about it in such detail, not having a scientific mind. In view of what you say, I suppose a loss of 13.5 lbs over 12 weeks isn't too bad really. As tangocharlie mentions, SW's SP plan, which they recommend for occasional use, is probably the best one to follow, but it would be difficult to maintain longterm. Like her I'm thinking of following Michael Mosley's 'Fast 800' programme at least for a while. As for fruit, I refuse to give up apples and pears plus stone fruits in the summer, but I'll stick to one a day. I have (with regret) stopped eating grapes and tropical fruits which are higher in sugar. I've decided to stop going to SW as it's just too demoralising and I think I can maintain my limited progress on my own. I've bought a very accurate digital scale which will help to keep my in line.
A pound a week is excellent and the sort of weight loss that is healthy and sustainable and recommended to aim for. The massive weight losses they talk about is what people who had utterly disgusting diets beforehand - stop eating several hundred calories of junk a day and anyone would lose weight and lots of it.
I have to laugh at a current daytime TV add telling me that 340 calories of icecream means you will have to find your calorie cutting elsewhere! That is a fifth of your calorie requirement per day for a woman - for a scoop of supposedly local icecream - REALLY?
Well it's true that I was already eating healthily, especially since swearing off added sugars in October. I put on about 20 lbs when I started on pred and gave in to the ravenous hunger, but that only lasted a couple of months. That extra weight has gone but I would like to lose a bit more, for the sake of my knees if nothing else...
Tell me about it - I lost 35lbs with low carb, a couple of pounds crept back on but then I had no problem keeping a stable weight until I agreed to try methotrexate when I put on a kg in a month! And had the pred hunger which I had NEVER had before! I'd love to lose another 10lbs or so...
Ah yes, methotrexate - a whole other story. I've been taking it for 15 months so far and, as far as I can tell, it hasn't had any effect on my appetite or weight. We are all so different...
All it did for me was introduce so-called pred-effects I'd never had and made my hair fall out. The final insult was being more fatigued than ever with PMR!!!
It wasn't the usual day or so feeling flu-ey people talk about. I could barely put one foot in front of the other - talk about concrete legs! I felt slightly better on the Saturday before the dose was due that night. After 3 weeks of that I couldn't have cared if I could manage on less pred!!!!
I was in a similar state the first couple of times when I took it in the morning - spent the rest of the day on the sofa. I switched to night-time and find I'm okay when I get up on Saturday morning.
I've been going to SW meetings since January for the weigh-ins and support, but not really doing their diet because I'm keeping carbs low. I don't understand how they say you can have as much potatoes rice and pasta as you want, it makes no sense to me and is based on very out of date advice. On the other hand SW is good psychologically in a way, because nothing is banned, but it doesn't teach you portion control and says avocados are a Syn but potatoes are OK, which is bonkers. That said, people in the group do say it works for them, abeit very slowly from what I've seen from talking to people. Whatever diet you do you lose about half a stone in the first two weeks, I did, and after that it's been an average of 1 lb a week, sometimes up, sometimes down. Two really useful books are by Dr Michael Mosley, The blood sugar diet (BSD) and Fast800, I'd read them and make your own mind up. I'm finding it very hard to shift the Pred weight, most people who follow low carb diets lose about 2 stone in 8 weeks, and I've lost just over 1 stone in 12 weeks. I have lost about 5 inches from my waist though, and all the flab from round my face and neck. My advice would be go to SW for the support, but follow their SP plan which is low carb.
Yes I think that it's not so much the plan itself as how well the Group Leaders educate you about using it .
Going to the website or slimming world forums and groups often gives alot more info and members have very different advice based on which group they go to.
Your first weeks loss is unusually large so it's not surprising you feel a little deflated now but you shouldn't be.
I hope you did tell your Group Leader about your health issues and medications , if so , a good instructor will keep a good eye on you and understand that your weight loss will be different to a normal group member. They should be extra encouraging when you have any losses , if not move groups to one with a leader whom understands the different weight losses for different types of Chronic conditions.
You are still on steroids , and they reduce the speed that weight is lost on a diet .
Until you finish a steroid course you will always hold some weight above your ideal for height because of the effect it has on your body . You have some water retention , your blood sugar is sensitive , and your fat is dispersed differently.
You also can't increase your activity and exercise levels to the same amount as " Normal" SW members which reduces your overall loss per week even if you all eat the same.
Everyone , even without Pred and PMR , have slow weeks , no weight loss weeks, and weight gains.
The body has to get used to changes , it goes through plateaus while it does this , and sometimes weight gain is because fat is being lost but muscle gained . Inches are actually more important than pound loss later in a diet . You can gain pounds but loose a few inches as you muscle gains tone. People forget this ! and that's what makes them think a diet isn't working and give up.
If a plateau lasts a long time , its usually time to reduce your calories or increase your exercise again but only within healthy guidelines for size and height.
If you consistently gain weight over a few pounds over a month , and your diet hasn't changed it is worth checking with a doctor to see if there are other reasons why.
No diet , especially with a Chronic Illness or on medication , should be done without having some discussion with your GP and medical supervision , just in case weight changes mean you need to change your drug dose , or it has side effects on your overall health.
Normal weight loss on a healthy diet programme for people with no health issues is 2-3lbs a week , anymore is usually in the early days because you have a lot of weight to lose or because you are not dieting in a way the weight will stay off .
Normal weight loss per week on a healthy diet programme while still on drugs or with an illness , especially steroids , is only a half - 1 1/2 lbs a week .
It may shock you , but no matter what diet experts say , a two stone weight loss with plateaus and increases as fat turns to muscle will take upto a year , sometimes more!
And the last half stone is the hardest to loose ! That last half stone may not go until after you finally get off steroids if it is mainly caused by steroid weight changes.
Big weight losses aren't always because of loosing body mass but water because the diet you are on is more like a bad fast .
Rapid loss diets will always cause Yoyoing because as soon as you return to eating normally ( even healthily) the brains starvation defense has been activated and it tries to store up all the unused calories you take in for the next time you starve yourself. You also rehydrate which adds a few pounds too.
This programme is working for you right now , and the support you get and encouragement to eat more healthily will help you lose weight but also get used to eating in a way that will keep it off later.
That's the key to dieting really , learning to have the odd treats but mainly eat in a balanced and healthy way that stops the weight going back on.
Slowly building up calories for at least six months you hit your ideal weight and then flexibly keeping to a healthy diet that prevents the weight returning.
Unfortunately , it takes a heck of a lot longer to take off than it did to gain it.
But you are making the right moves so far and you will do .
You survived years of PMR , so you are strong enough now to manage anything!
Thanks Bee, that is so helpful, encouraging too. Before Xmas I was diagnosed with steroid induced diabetes. I am trying so hard with my diet and could do better with exercise!! I have lost 10 pounds but seem to have hit that plateau. Saw my rheumy yesterday , I am staying at 7 mg for a couple of months, then 6 for a couple of months then stay at 5 for a good while. I have been at 5 mg before for 3 months and got bitten on the bum in Sept/Oct and had to increase back to 9 mg. My hba1C was 72 but reduced to 48 now so going the right way!! 😃😃😃😃😃
Well done you. Stick with it - I've lost 4 stone I've had weeks where I have maintained even though I thought I had been really good but then the next week have lost more. Sometimes it's not about the weight but the inches lost!
I've been going to SW for a year and lost 1 stone 10 pounds before my diagnosis in October 2018 . I was following their plan and eating 'good carbs' - potatoes , pasta and rice . Since I've been on pred it has been a struggle and I've put on 3 pounds but I KNOW that if I hadn't been following the diet I would have put on much, much more because I am definitely hungrier . I need to get my head around cutting out the good carbs now and eating more of what they call 'speed ' foods . It's a very healthy , balanced diet and the recipe books are very good , so don't give up ! Good luck !!
I've been on pred three and a half years now I'm currently back up to 10mg. Just started Methotrexate two weeks ago and I've just last a stone and a half on slimming world. I've been at target for a while now and find it quite easy.
Yes, I have - lost 3 stone and now less that I was before steroids. The only difference is on the diet between someone not on steroids is , I found I could not eat the 'free' pasta, rice or potato - so was really veg, fruit and protein - 3 crustless wholemeal bread for HEB, so could have eggs on toast or beans etc. It was slow going, 1 year for almost two stones then almost another year for the next stone, sometimes only half lb a week, but loss is loss and better than gain.
Yes, be patient it will go -just getting used to limited goodies. I found the choccy hifi bars were enough of a treat. Yoghurts and fruit too .... good luck
Good on you for trying. Remember the scales are only one way you can measure healthy eating. You must be feeling better eating healthy and you can take your body measurements (waist hips etc) to measure progress! Good luck!
It’s the carbs. They are free ... I lost 3 stone before Pred with SW. But have put over a stone on and SW no longer works for me because of the steroids...
I joined SW at the beginning of January and paid for 12 meetings in advance. I went to my 12th meeting last Saturday. In that time I lost 13.5 lbs - such frustration that I couldn't reach that elusive stone. At first I really enjoyed it, but in the last few weeks I've just found it frustrating and demoralising to be losing weight so slowly - even regaining weight twice - when I've been so careful about what I eat. During the discussion after the weigh-in, so many people can explain their slow progress by a birthday party or a buffet they went to, whereas I didn't shift from the plan at all.
As I've said in another response, the new SW plan isn't as carb-heavy as the original one. It's easy to be low carb while following it. I think I've found out the hard way that losing weight on pred certainly is very difficult.
My husband who has never dieted in his life and really was overweight .Didnt go to slimming world but DID go on a steady diet of their soups and meals for a couple of months and really lost all the weight . He has kept it off by keeping to soups and toast for lunches and more veg and less chips after .I make the soups now with bullion stock .Tesco bought from the gravy ect aisle . The soups are not cheap from Slimmers World but until he tried them I would never have got him to eat soup . Worth a try .Don't be disheartened . You will go up and down class a down as not going up .Thats a plus anyway .Good luck .
Hello Jeanjean16. I’ve done Slimming World for the last 15 months and have lost 3 stones in weight. I didn’t put on any weight when I started prednisolone – I was already way overweight! What did happen though was that my blood sugar (as measured by the HbA1c test) went up by 5 points from 39 to 44 in the first 10 months of taking prednisolone, thus putting me clearly in the pre-diabetic range. With the support of my GP, and indeed NHS funding for the first 3 months, I went to Slimming World and started their regime. After 5 months, my blood sugar had dropped back to 42 and after 11 months, down to 41 and out of the pre-diabetic range. What a relief. I’m very proud of my weight loss but even more proud of the fact that I’ve managed to reduce my blood sugar levels whilst still on prednisolone.
In terms of the diet itself, I don’t find it too hard to follow and, in fact, we’ve discovered all sorts of interesting and tasty recipes. I don’t think there’s necessarily a high level of knowledge, certainly in the local group, about the impact of illness and steroids on nutritional needs but then I can get my information needs met elsewhere – like the British Nutrition Foundation, for example.
If you want more information, please do feel free to private message me – and good luck!
Have tried all slimming clubs and they all work if you stick with it - I am just counting calories on preds and keeping steady - I think exercise is better for mind and body - swimming, walking and Tai Chi at the moment
I have had lots of success with Slimming World prior to steroids. My Husband was a type II diabetic and ate himself well again. He controls it with diet. I must say that members who were taking steroids did struggle to lose weight. Having put on nearly 3 stone since starting steroids in June 2018 I am desperate to lose weight as feeling so unwell and not very mobile. I am currently allowing myself 1200 calories 260g Carbs and 6g of salt and it seems to be working for me. Early days yet but it helps me feel in control of my life and not GCA!
I am on 10mg of Prednisolone and always hungry. My doctor told me the steroids make you hungry it’s what you eat causes weight gain. I always blamed the medication, so I drank a lot of water when I was hungry cut out the carbs. and had lots of fish, lean meat and salads. It definitely works, I hope this helps
I don't tend to follow 'diets' in a conventional way but pick and choose what I believe is correct.
For 2 years OH and I have been following the 16:8 Intermittent fasting eating plan which after a few weeks of adjusting has become our norm. We don't eat til midday and complete eating before 9pm. It has made not an iota of difference to me on Pred and OH has lost visible inches and gone down a size in his jeans,
We eat very little processed, pre-prepared food, have cut French bread in last 4 months down to maybe once per week. In last month I've stopped the weekly dark chocolate purchase and I also cut out desserts that have added sugar. Again, none of this has made any difference to me and in fact my blood sugar has gone up (AGAIN) and I have come back from Dr's with a px for Metformin.
I told him I was tired of not feeling I could eat like normal people....and he told me I am not normal lol It's really hard to believe that this is pred induced Diabetes Type 2 BUT.....have looked back at old blood results and even though I was obese, my blood sugar was in normal limits.
I feel we have been sold a lie by the diet industry and we always believe we SHOULD be dieting....but I don't believe them. If diets worked, there would be no fat people. The diet industry is invested in us spending money on their products. How many of you have followed SW/Weightwatchers etc in the past and have gained weight after 2 years?
Oh, Waterfeature....my body already thinks I am diuretics lol....I couldn't add in even more water without being catheterised
Well done to all those who have lost weight. Bon continuation!
I could have written that!! Plus there are the other fallacies: eating a small snack every couple of hours makes you lose weight because you never feel hungry; fat is the enemy (applies for cholesterol levels too) ... I could go on, I won't
I maintain weight fine on 16:8 and it suits me. But to lose - very low carb only.
I eat fat, I eat animal fats, I eat more protein and love veg. I'm not as strict as you with carbs but I don't eat a high carb diet, and carbs in our diet are normally complex.
I find the language of the SW/WWs groups dodgy too. Further reinforcing our belief that food is bad by referring to syn's or treats.
That sounds good. I really don't like those sprays that they recommend as an alternative to oil, since I tend to suspect anything that's obviously highly processed, and I always end up wasting half of it as the nozzle gets so clogged up.
I agree. I remember a butter ad that pointed out that butter is simply cream that is beaten until it solidifies, but margarine is made from some dodgy ingredients and goes through lots of industrial processes, including being turned into soap for a time. My son was about 6 at the time and he was horrified and made me promise not to buy margarine, which was easy as I didn't anyway.
I’ve had to watch my weight all my life. For me, weight loss doesn’t always follow a regular predictable course week to week. If I don’t lose any weight one week or the next, I could lose 2 or 3 pounds the following week. I have to take a long term approach. If I expect my weight to always go down each week I would just feel frustrated and give up. 8 pounds in the first 2 weeks is a tremendous success. Just keeping that off is an achievement. You’re doing fabulous!
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