About fasting

[Rrnijmv]

Hi again I have been going back on some old post and looked at YouTube about Dr Jason Fong. Can you fast when on high dose pred I'm on 60mg . Does anyone know if I can take the pred later in the day so I can do the fasting. Since being on the pred I have been told I'm pre diabetic my blood work 2weeks ago came back high they want to do repeat blood in 3 months so I need to try and help myself. I would appreciate any advice.

[SnazzyD]

No need to fast, just eat a very low carb diet. I cut out all rice, pasta, potato, maize, flours and of course sugar. Other forum users have had similar success with stabilising both blood sugar and weight this way. The situation with Pred is that it induces the liver to convert its glycogen stores into glucose so you can get random blood glucose rises. This is even before you put anything into your mouth. Personally, I’d go for a constant and even control of blood glucose rather than fasting and then going back to a normal diet in between times.

[Rrnijmv in reply to SnazzyD]

Thanks for replying it sound like you have a better idea I'll give that a go its going to be easier than fasting for now😀

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

SnazzyD has given you good advice......I would only add - you dont really want to be changing your dose timings, it’s very important to get and keep your GCA under control, especially early days.

[Rrnijmv in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you I thought that would be the case it is so great to be able to talk it through with people that hav been through these problems 😉

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Rrnijmv]

The most important thing is your GCA, and even though you may be pre-diabetic at the moment with a bit of thought and sensible eating it doesn’t need to get any worse.

I was in same situation when on high doses of Pred, but GP didn’t get in a panic about it, and it never became diabetes.

[HeronNS]

My blood sugar went high when I was on my earliest, highest, pred dose. I eliminated virtually all "white" carbs (grains, sugar, etc). My dietitian daughter also told me when I did have carbs to also eat some protein at the same time as this helps prevent the sugar spike carbs cause. My sugar did come down but wasn't completely normal until my pred was down to maybe about 5, not quite sure. But blood sugar certainly no longer at a potentially dangerous level after I altered my diet.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

As Snazzy says - low carb is the way to go. This site is very useful to get the basic idea of what to eat and what to avoid:

dietdoctor.com/low-carb

You don't need to join anything or pay for books - google low carb recipes to get ideas. Learn the basics and adapt your usual meals to have less carbs and limit fruit and root veg. Above all, cut out processed foods.

It isn't really advisable to go as far as fasting when you are ill - and GCA is a serious systemic illness. Fasting has its place but what you need to do is find a comfortable way of eating for you that moderates your carbohydrate intake to a level that keeps your Hba1c steady and not too high. Lots of people on the forum have done it - try not to make enormous changes all at once, adjust gradually.

[piglette]

There was an article in the BMJ this week saying that we should forget about calling people pre diabetic as the vast number of them would never become diabetic anyway in their lifetime.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to piglette]

Most of it is poor diet anyway - too much in the way of snacks and sweets. And processed carbs ...

[TheMoaningViolet]

In addition to the advice above, you could consider having one very small meal for a few weeks and then try skipping a meal a couple of times per week. I always take my Prednisolone in the morning, so when I do this I have a decent lunch and I skip dinner. Small steps and be kind to yourself. As DL said, making sure your GCA is under control is the first priority, but it's good to have a plan for what to try next. Vx

[TB1208]

I take my pred early morning with a small amount of yoghurt and then eat breakfast at 12 and dinner around 6 - 7pm. This works for me. The fasting period is said to control blood sugar and fight inflamation. Depending on what you eat, you may also lose weight.

[196_]

I don't know about fasting but the Pred pushed me into Diabetes. Apparently it's one of the side effects

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to 196_]

... that can be mitigated by dietary changes before you get that far!

[196_ in reply to 196_]

I had made the necessary changes several years ago. I was no longer pre- diabetics. My Rheumatologist said that Pred can do this. I am continuing to follow the dietary patterns

[nickmits]

MAKE SURE you elimate processed sugars and foods and carbs , bread rice cakes etc..wont say it will work but that cant be in your diet anymore with PMR--im 6o my pmr started 4 months ago--and its painful but have to do the diet changes for sure.