I am struggling to lose weight while on 5 mgs Prednisolone. I gained a stone since starting on 20 mgs Pred. 14 months ago and am now attempting to shift it but wonder is it a lost cause and should I just wait till I am completely off the meds? Anyone else experiencing this problem?
Pre diagnosis I had successfully lost 2 stone but this time round the same diet doesn't seem to be having same effect.
Hi Lily
You need to look at your Carbohydrate Intake - the enemy of anyone on Prednisolone.
In FAQ’s there is a lot of information including my own story - l’ll copy you the link shortly.
Regards
MrsN
Thank you so much. The S. World diet allows carbs so maybe thats where I've gone wrong. Much to learn.
If I remember correctly SW has a lower carb version called Extra easy SP which removes jacket potatoes, pasta etc and only allows 10 syns per day. Might be worth a try if you have already paid membership. Good luck
Yes that's sort of what I'm doing. I go to SW for the great banter, accountability and moral support but am secretly doing low carb which is their SP plan. I don't do the healthy extras and definitely don't buy the Hifi bars. The whole ethos of the standard SW diet is based on low fat as fat is calorie-dense, ie more calories per gram/oz. But research has moved on, sugar and things that behave like sugar on the body, eg ultra processed food/carbs are the enemy, not fats.
I too struggle to lose weight even though pred down to 7 a day.No alcohol at all is the best weight loser for me.
Beethovenite.
I lost weight by going on a low carb diet. This was at the start of my diagnosis and I lost over 3 stones. I also put my type 2 into remission. Good luck
Whilst on Pred a normal healthy diet didn’t work. The only way was to severely cut out carbs such as potato, rice, pasta, maize, flours and sugar. Oils were the same or increased and even now off Pred I have to remember to put some carbs on my plate. Even on high doses I didn’t put on weight and better still, my blood sugars kept a good average.
I lost 35lbs while still on 10-15mg pred - low carb. It also helps reduce the risk of developing steroid-induced diabetes.
SW can work for some people but it is very centred on carbs - and some of us do need to get to very low carbs to lose weight.
Before and over xmas I had been eating far more carbs than usual - I hate to think how much weight I have put on though my clothes still fit but my Hba1c is brilliant: 36mmolmol/5.4%
Hi I lost 2st 2 years ago
Put on 1 stone after increasing steroids to 15 in Feb. last year lost this but gained weight over Xmas.
Treated myself to a fitness tracker I do 10000 steps daily without trying and have downloaded a app that enables me to work out my calories and food and exercise.
First week have lost 4 lb
Know its not for everyone ,I dont try to do more them I can manage re exercise and am being careful .
Im counting calories using an app on my phone and although its early days it seems to be working for me. I do keep an eye on the Carbs and Fat as well as calories though. I do find I can give up certain foods but can't be trusted to cut down!
I too started a low carb diet when I was first prescribed Prednisolone. I was not overweight to start with but knew that weight gain might be a problem. At first I started to lose quite a bit of weight so had to adapt my diet and add just a few carbs to keep my weight stable. I gave up all sugar, potatoes, rice and pasta and my beloved bread (that was the difficult one) . I found that I could have a slice of homemade bread each day toasted and with butter at breakfast and a large bowl of Greek yoghurt (full fat) which I took my Prednisolone with. Lunchtime is usually soup ( homemade veg including carrots and parsnips so a few carbs there) or cottage cheese (full fat again - you’ll need the extra fat for energy as you’re not eating many carbs) with a salad or maybe an omelette. My main meal is fish or chicken with loads of green veg or a salad. Fruit and yoghurt again as a desert. I can honestly say that I dont miss the carbs and I dont ever feel hungry. I can treat myself to chips or a roasted potato occasionally and not fall off the ladder. I am convinced that low carbs is a much more healthy way to eat so I intend to carry it on when I do eventually come off of steroids.
Carbs are your enemy I am afraid, having said that life is too short to deny completely. Try to keep the carbs low and I stop eating every day at 6pm until 8am the following day which works for me. I exercise daily and have a small bite of whatever I fancy as a treat one day a week. I have followed this since my journey with Pred and my weight is healthy and stable. Hard I know but good luck....
I did exactly this and worked well on diagnosis 6 years ago. Weight still steady and still keep carbs, sugar etc down. 👍
Lots of good advice. Just to reinforce. Cut the carbs. NO sugar, no flour, no potatoes, no pasta, no rice. Easy!
Have a look at pinned posts, FAQs & search diet, or overweight. Lots of info there…this subject comes up regularly as many of us in same boat! I put on 2 stone, fighting it with diet. Lost one stone, stopped diet for 3 weeks, put half a stone back on.
Hi, I also put about a stone and half on in weight whilst I was on Pred. As I reduced the Pred the extra weight started to come down and since I have reached zero I am now back to my pre PMR weight. I seemed to carry more fluid whilst on Pred and my feet were swollen, this seems to have disappeared now.
I’m sorry to say I’m the complete opposite, lilydunn. I can’t put on any weight after being on Pred almost 2 years!
There’s probably heaps of people on here wanting to stick needles in my eyes but, tbh, it is so frustrating as I can eat anything and my weight doesn’t budge. I’m way TOO thin it’s worrying, but I’ve had countless blood tests done, a CT scan and an endoscopy, and nothing has been found.
It’s awful when your little granddaughter says “you’ve got such skinny arms, nanny”.
My GP doesn’t seem unduly concerned, so I don’t know what to do.
Just be pleased you didn't put on 2 or 3 stones when on pred (some do) most don't put on that much but is has been known.
I was also one of the few PMRs who lost weight on pred. And am pleased to be the weight I was when 20!😂 I'm 82 now.😂👵🏻
I know I should be thankful, Constance13, but it does cause me some concern when the scales stick on 7 stone. I eat lots, too. But all tests have proved inconclusive, so what can I do.
The main thing is "don't worry"! What was your weight prior to PMR, and how tall are you?Most loose quite a bit as they age, I believe. Not much we can do about it. I still eat what I like, when I like, but am not usually very hungry.
Thanks, constance13. I was around 7 & a half stone (ish) pre PMR & I’m now half a stone less. I eat well, have a great appetite, energetic (most of the time🤣) and have absolutely no other symptoms.
Lucky you!💐💥
I do low carbs and have managed to shift nearly a stone in the last 18 months. progress is glacially slow but at least it's in the right direction, and I'm on a high-ish dose of steroids, around 20. If I have carbs like bread I very quickly pile on weight in a matter of days. I'm trying to do keto but I think the steroids are too high to get into ketosis and stay there as I understand they create random blood sugar spikes whih causes the body to store more fat. There have been plenty of postings over the years about low carbs on here , a starter for your research would be anything written by Dr Michael Mosley.
And this website:
provides a comprehensive background. Free ...
I've just read Michael Mosley's take on the keto diet in his latest book Fast 800 keto. Nothing really new that I haven't read in his other books but it's motivating me to give it another go.
Yes - I think he has perfected the art of getting 10 books from one set of data ... 
true. He does set out a 3-step approach, which as you say links to his other books. Oddly he doesn't include a list of what to eat/not to eat on keto so I guess assumes people reading it already know a lot about keto but struggle to do it and stick to it. I have to admire the way he has influenced medical thinking about treatment of T2 diabetes though, even if news hasn't fully trickled down to all GPs and diabetes nurses yet
I was put on 15mg Pred in July and I deliberately lost half a stone by cutting out all carbs - no potatoes, rice, pasta, bread- oh how I miss bread!- and sugary things like honey. There are lots of suggestions as to how to replace these items if you go online. Also cut down the hours when you eat. Fasting is supposed to be a good way of losing weight.
I haven’t cut down on red wine as I have read it is good for the heart. I’m sticking to that belief anyway. I have to have some respite from austerity.
I weigh myself every morning and if I have put on a pound I take action by reducing the amount of eating I do.
Good luck with the reducing. There is no time like the present.
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