When I was first diagnosed I decided I wanted to watch my weight. I had put on weight over the years and was 12 stone. I had read about reducing carbohydrates.
A few months after my PMR diagnosis I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I read all I could and changed my diet to a low carb, high fat diet. I had been prescribed gliclazide for my diabetes.
At my first diabetic review 6 months later I had reduced my weight to 8stone 10lb. My lovely diabetic nurse told me that I was amazing and had to come off the gliclazide because my hba1c was now 39 and out of diabetic range. She was worried I might go too low!
4 and a half years later I am still 8 stone 9lb, still in remission from my type 2 and feel so much better for losing the weight.
The downside was that I had to get a whole new set of clothes. The charity shop did well out of me.
I also walk a lot which keeps my sugars down. I aim to walk at least 13,000 steps each day.
Good luck to anyone wishing. To do the same.
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Koalajane
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Good for you! I think that is an amazing and inspiring post; it just goes to show what you can do for yourself without having to trouble your GP. Well done.Paddy
I have bought some from Amazon but to be honest don’t use them but look at the back of packaging to see the food plus I have a Carbs and Cals pocket counter book which is supported by Diabetes UK
When I was on Atkins years ago I neglected to drink enough water and became dehydrated, passed out and wound up in hospital. So pl remember on High fat/ low carb stay hydrated.
The easy first step is to cut out everything that can be white e.g. rice (including the brown version), flour products (even the brown version..so goodbye cakes, biscuits, bread, pies) sugar (and anything with sugar in), potatoes. Increase proteins so u don't feel hungry.
Ignore feeling hungry, your body will adapt.
Eat your meals at regular times.
Watch the fruit you eat they have hidden sugars...go for berries not bananas and NO fruit juice.
And don't ever buy anything you shouldn't eat (don't try hiding biscuits...they will get eaten.)
I found it amazing how fast your body gets used to a new diet and adapts. My worst time was during the pandemic when I couldn’t get out and feeling the need to comfort eat. I managed to resist it!
I now miss out on lunch as that is when my sugars spike due to the steroids and my body has got used to that.
Maintaining a healthy weight and losing it when on steroids, can be a huge challenge. Your post is very inspiring and shows that it can be achieved. Well done to you and thankyou.
Well done! It is quite something to not only lose weight (especially while on pred), but more importantly keep it off! Your post as in inspiration to others who may struggle with that common pred side effect, weight gain. It does feel good to lose weight and maintain it over a long period of time.....definitely a lifestyle change (not just a diet). Somehow when you do it to improve your health, it is different from dropping pounds to fit into a dress.
I too started a low carb/sugar/salt eating plan when diagnosed as I was obese and had hypertension. I've lost 30lbs since May/18, but now with diverticulitis, and cholesterol rising, I've had to adjust my diet once more (and for the last 8 weeks haven't been able to exercise as much due to muscle weakness). I'm hoping to lose another 15 pounds by Christmas as my painful right knee (OA), and diverticulitis will thank me. I've been off my blood pressure medication since August 2019 btw.
Thank you. I am glad to have kept the weight off. At first some of my work colleagues told me I should eat more but I ignored them,I think I am lucky that I actually enjoy salads all year round
That's also quite an achievement so well done to you too. I find it a challenge balancing what I can and can't eat because on the one hand you need to keep low (almost no) carb to lose weight on pred, and this then means increasing the fat content of your diet significantly to provide the energy we need. But on the other hand, as I also have very high cholesterol (I take statins) this requires a very low saturated fat diet, so lots of the things often allowed in a keto diet to replace the carbs (bacon, sausages, red meat, butter) are really unhelpful for maintaining a healthy cholesterol level. I just do the best I can. I have all the information I need from people here and I just jig it around to try and incorporate the best of both strategies.
I totally understand the balance of low carbs AND low fat as my cholesterol creeps up every year, and with the diverticulitis a low fat/red meat diet is suggested.
It is a challenge now finding foods that will help fill me up but not negatively impact my health. We have to get creative!
I do eat cheese and I eat lots of fish and chicken but I still would never eat sausage, bacon, cooked or processed meats, as I consider them pretty unhealthy anyway.... although my 'breakfast' guilty pleasure when away on holiday is......toasted sourdough spread with mashed avocado, topped with a poached egg and then a sprinkling of chilli flakes, a squeeze of fresh lime juice and......two rashers of really crispy bacon! Dee...lish!All we can do is try our best to balance one thing off another.
I will eat Turkey bacon, avocado, tomato and egg for a treat.
With my last cholesterol reading I decided to switch to Turkey bacon, “0”% yoghurt, milk in tea (instead of cream), and try my best to avoid any processed meats, but my homemade baked ginger ham is a temptation. I’m retired so have lots of time to cook from scratch which is best.
It is a balancing act for sure! And the fear of the return of diverticulitis pain has caused me to be afraid to eat at times.
I have to admit to eating sourdough bread. I also love avocados with my salad,At the start of my low carb diet I made my own keto bread with almond flour
That sounds very accomplished! I'm afraid I can't be bothered to go through the processes of making sourdough....I'm quite a patient person and I do love to bake but I'm not a patient baker! Haha! 😄
You can make it very easily in a breadmaker, yes, it's 24 hours for the first part followed by another 5 hours for the complete loaf but it only takes a very short time to prepare and put in the machine.
I'd quite like to try that but I'm not sure I'd eat enough of it to warrant buying a breadmaker. Must smell amazing in your house when you've made some though.
You can make all sorts of other things as well. As you say, it's worth doing just to have that beautiful smell around the house and if you do it on the timer you can wake up to that amazing fresh bread baking aroma first thing in the morning.
I have similar issues and totally agree it is a challenge. My diet has deteriorated in the last few weeks and whilst there has not been weight gain there is an increase in stomach fat. Not good. That should provide the jolt to get back.
It's strange that I can go all week eating really sensibly and maintaining the weight but literally just one or two pieces of cake (or a similar treat) over the weekend can see an increase of almost 2 to 3lbs by Mon morning. It's so hard but I'll keep on persevering. At the moment my weight is fairly steady, fluctuating between 9st 12lbs and 10st 2lbs. As long as it doesn't start to creep any higher, I'll take that.
How terrific! To reiterate others, your story is inspirational. Wondering if you used many Keto recipes or products? And how you initially started the diet so you weren't so hungry?I'm hoping to emulate your process and lose 20 pounds for better health.
I believe the high fats fill you up. So no low fat yogurts as full fat is actually better for you, the low ones have a lot of additives. I ate cheese and eggs. My body can now cope with more carbs so I can have the occasional treats. Being able to test my blood sugars helped me to find out which foods have a bigger effect on my blood sugars. I find pastry is worse for me than a couple of new potatoes. It is surprising how quickly your body gets used to eating in a new way
One of the best things I did was to buy a Fitbit. I hadn’t realised how competitive I am. I have to do my steps!My target used to be 10,000 steps. It is now 13,000 steps.
I have to walk to achieve this even if it is raining!
Very encouraging story thank you, I have at least 7lbs to lose to get me below what my dr calls clinically obese. I’m 9 stone 10 pounds, 5’1” and 60 next week. I’d like to get to 9 stone which is a healthier aim and will help my joints and protect me from diabetes. Luckily I love berries and salad and can give up bread and biscuits easily. My downfall is dairy as I don’t eat meat and of course the demon drink of which I have far far too much. You’ve inspired me though so thank you and well done.
Well done, that is great and gives me hope! The pounds have been slowly piling on, so I thought that now Spring is here, ditch the lunchtime sandwich plus the inevitable crisps! I now have a salad with a piece of fruit and at dinnertime have the main with very little or no potato or rice. I also take the dog for 2 one hour walks each day. We went out for a curry and I just had the curry with no rice and it was just as filling (plus a glass of vino!) This week I'm sure I'm feeling far less stodgy and not quite as fatigued, although the change of medication to Methotrexate may be helping!
I now miss out on lunch completely. I have found that my sugars leap between 12 noon and 5pm due to the steroids so it would be a double whammy. My body is used to it now. I occasionally have elevenses if I know I won’t be eating until late. I know my walking helps as well as I did put a bit of weight on when I had sciatica and was unable to walk much. Thankfully that has gone and the weight is back to my normal.
Like you I am lucky that I love salads and berries
Very well done and happy for you to no longer have diabetes. I also cut out carbs, ate all organic foods, more veggies and gluten free. For fats, I had avocados. There are good fats and bad fats. Diet and exercise is the key! My PMR is in remission and no longer on prednisone. I’m no longer as regimented about my diet but I stay as close to it as I can.
I wouldn’t say I no longer have diabetes but have been in remission for 4 and a half years. I can relax a bit more with my food but I would certainly agree that diet and exercise is the key. My exercise is 2alking and I love it!
I found Michael Mosley's Lose a Stone in 21 days really good. It is essentially no carb to start with then you can slowly introduce a few carbs. You fill up on leafy greens and protein. I didn't feel hungry at all! And it worked! The problem I have is a fussy husband who doesn't cook. I didn't want to cook 2 different meals every day so with this diet I was able to cook him his chops, mash and peas and I could have the same mal but with no mash and lots of kale instead of peas. I even have full English fry up without the chips, instead I have a slice of Warburtons low calorie wholemeal bread, toasted. I actually prefer it.
Wonderful story...so much so that I have just read it to my sister who has gained about two stones since lockdown. She has RA and lives alone, I do worry about her because she has thickened blood sometimes. She says at the moment she isn`t in the right mindset, I agree with that, but told her you don`t want a nurse telling you to lose weight because you are now diabetic. She did agree with me that she is happier when she weighs less. She is vegetarian so will send Dietdoctor.com to her that PMRpro has posted....they have advice on that also...Well done....
Thank you for such an inspiring post. Two weeks ago I committed to a low carb diet and have felt the results in less pain and more energy. Here’s the glitch , I haven’t lost even one pound, in fact I went up 1/2 a pound! What’s with that? I have been true to all the goggle sites recommendations, and used olive oil , butter, not excessively…. Eating eggs, one serving of vegetables at mealtime, 2ounces of nuts a day, 2servings of cheese, vegetarian meat replacement once a day .. 7 grams of carb…and one protein shake 7 grams of carbs… that keeps me at about 21 grams of carbs and I’m just wondering if anyone else was slow to jumpstart the weight loss? Anyone? I need some encouragement 😳
You often get into a strange fluid balance when you change diet - some people stay the same and then suddenly lose weight, others lose steadily over the whole time and others lose it at the start and then plateau later.
The bad news may be that you need even less carb - Snazzy and I do to lose weight, under 20g for us - maintaining weight is easier. Or that you aren't including some hidden carbs - what veg and fruit are you eating? 2oz nuts is 12g carbs, dairy has carb in it - soft cheeses more than harder ones. Even an egg has 1g carb. It all sounds negligible - until you add it all up.
Plus you do have to remember that when on pred your liver is triggered to release random spikes of glucose into the blood stream - so that can easily take you out of keto which is where the really speedy weight loss happens. I found that I lost very slowly - but I changed shape quite soon with the fat around my middle being the first to move.
Your ideas will really help… I didn’t know the nuts had carbs, have to update my lists… what you say really makes sense… I think hidden carbs are slowing down my diet… also didn’t know about the window of noon till 5:00 for sugar spikes. Thank you so much.. very needed ideas 🙂
Not convinced about that window - I suspect everyone is different, just as different foods cause different glucose spikes in different people. I think that Tim Spector mentioned that in his interview in the Guardian yesterday:
I think TS used a constant BS monitor - and that comes with his program they sell for a mere £260! Hmmmm ... though I suppose, once you know you can manage without.
Arrival is very interesting… especially the story of the twins, saved that article for reference. You have helped me so this morning… it was my once a week weigh in and I truly was baffled.
The fat around the middle leaving would be so welcomed.. I think I will be on the same list of slow to lose as you and snazzy gives me hope that it can be done!
I had a similar experience. I had lost 12# on a similar diet the year before PMR hit. I wanted to drop another eight pounds. I dropped a couple (Christmas weight, not long standing) and after 8 days of total compliance, had lost nothing! I checked with the doc with whom I had lost the weight. He said the steroids mess with glucose and to wait until I was off steroids. So I am waiting. I eat well, low carbs, lots of veggies (6 oz 3 times a day). My GP said that steroids cause weight gain because they increase the appetite. So when I get unusually hungry, I watch what I eat— like a hawk! Good luck!
Thanks for your input, glad that I’m not alone in this Surprize .. I am going to continue trying and weighing my food etc.Hope I can drop even a little weight!
"My GP said that steroids cause weight gain because they increase the appetite."
Mmm - possibly, But the main component of that is that the glucose in the blood triggers release of insulin and the BG plummets to too low a level which, in turn, creates a craving for carbs to bring it back up. You stuff some carbs - up goes the BG, rinse and repeat and you get into a rollercoaster of high and low BG.
You can't do that much about the liver releasing glucose but you can reduce the amount in your diet. Once you take carbs out and snack on no-carb things, the desperation to eat should reduce to controllable levels.
Just want to add that I am so inspired at your success, you are amazing ! I do hope the weight will start to drop for me also, I’m on three meds that say weight gain is a side effect.. I think my body is struggling 😳
What a wonderful story. I had PMR for three and a half years and while on pred I also went on the keto diet, I was a size 16 and dropped down to a size 4. It all happened quite fast within six months and my friends thought I had cancer. After I stopped the pred I have stabilized now at a size 6 and am in remission.
Yes I have crept up to nearly 14 stone pre this diagnosis and have been determined not to get any fatter so I started 2 weeks ago and have lost a kilo already! I am swimming at least 3/4 times a week too which is fairly new and have bought a few low carb used books off ebay. The best one so far is the Tom Kerridge Dophamine low carb book - he says - stay away from beige food - that works for me! I have cheated - fish and chips last Thursday and noodles with my salmon on Monday so I am not 100% good but I guessed that any cutting down I could do would be beneficial as I was over eating so much anyway - I am eating less, exercising more and determined to be fitter than pre diagnosis - although its only been around 8-10 weeks for me so far and I have only managed 1 taper, Well done, you are an inspiration!!
I think we all have to have a treat now and again.I am fortunate that I can eat a small piece of chocolate and then put the bar away quite happily. My husband unfortunately would have to finish his!
Wow! You have really done something great! I have always been overweight and know just how hard it can be to lose. (Right now I'm at 250 pounds, but I am losing. I'm just not sure I like the reason it's coming off. I've been in Stage 4 CKD for the past 2 to 2.5 years. I'm afraid it is progressing to ESRD. I haven't been trying to diet, but have lost over 20 pounds in the last 3 months. ) I'm really proud of you and your accomplishment. I hope you continue to hold steady at your current weight. God bless.
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