When see weight loss with pred reduction?

[emmamom]

I am tapering after a year on prednisone. I gained 20 pounds when I started on it. I am down to 7 1/2 mg. Did any of you have the pounds "melt off" when weaning? If so, when did you start to see the pounds go down?

[Highlandtiger]

I put on 7 Kg with pred. When I eventually got down from 5mg to 4.5mg they just disappeared over the course of about 3 months. I have no idea why or how.

[Brears in reply to Highlandtiger]

I’ve managed to taper down to 1 mg daily 30 months but really struggling at this moment joint pain stiffness is getting worse walking very slow.Im thinking of going back to 2 mg.My doctor wants be to stop completely.Went to Physio which I don’t think has helped me.My weight gain 1 stone has come off very quickly within 2 months, no dieting but I don’t seem to have a large appetite I once had.

[PMR2011 in reply to Brears]

As a rule if you continue trying to taper when you’re having symptoms a flare will ensue. I think you’ve given yourself excellent advice. Would go back to the last dose where your symptoms were controlled. There is great advice on here for losing Pred weight if you’re willing to make some adjustments. I was on Pred for 8 years for PMR then GCA and gained very little weight by cutting out almost all simple carbs (potatoes, bread, sugar, citrus/sweet fruits, processed foods).

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Brears]

"My doctor wants be to stop completely"Maybe he does - but it isn;t his call. PMR is the boss. If it is still active you need enough pred. Nothing he can do or say will change that. Not enough pred and you will soon be back where you started - needing a higher dose of pred and probably struggling to get things under control. And physio rarely helps in PMR - repetitive exercises are poison...

[SnazzyD]

It depends; we’re all different. I had to remain on a low carb diet to the end or suffer the consequences.

[123mossie]

My weight gain stayed stubbornly until I got to about 1.5mgm then it started to go. Up to that point nothing seemed to help with reducing. But everyone is very different.

[agingfeminist]

have you tried the virtually no carbs diet? no flour, sugar, rice, potatoes, and no fruits with high sugar (eg bananas). It seems to keep the weight down for many of us and might help reduce weight. It really isn't as difficult as it might sound but you do need to make sure there are no temptations lurking in your kitchen cupboards

[emmamom in reply to agingfeminist]

I have. As you said, we are all different. Thank you!

[hellina]

After being diagnosed with GCA I put on 17 kilos/37 pounds as a result of high doses of prednisone. I started to reduce the dosage after being on Actemera injections for 3 months and my excess weight started to drop off. It took about 6 months to get back to my pre GCA weight and after another 3 months I found I had lost more weight, which I have to say I am not complaining about. It's really sad that I have to get sick before I achieve the weight that I always wanted to be. 😊

[betsgirl]

Hi Emmamom. If the weight "melts off" as some other lucky people find, I would have had to sat by the fire for the rest of my life!😂 I gained a lot of weight on prednisolone and when I reached zero ( 2019) the pandemic just started so it was another good excuse to use my time indoors baking cakes - and eating them🍪🍪🍪🤪. Obviously more weight gained!

Come the first time we were allowed "out" I started walking while on a short holiday (still eating whatever I wanted😏) but realised I was feeling better and fitter for the exercise so carried on walking each day, decided to cut out all carbohydrates and gradually (I say gradually, nothing "melted") my weight previous to PMR/GCA has returned to what it was before, and I still manage to maintain it. I would add that pre-PMR I had lost a lot of weight as I always have had a weight problem and was one of those "yo yo dieters all my life" so it was quite a shock initially to see all my hard work disappearing as soon as prednisolone took its hold. I actually gained two dress sizes in a month!!

Thankfully, I have a good friend...... his name is Will Power and he has made sure I haven't had cake since September 2020

😉. I think variety of diet is the best idea. I'm lucky in that I'm not a pasta or potato fan and only occasionally eat rice. Instead of bread I substitute dry crackers . I can eat salads every day and plenty of fruit and vegetables, fish, chicken and only occasionally red meat. If you have a "sweet tooth" you can always satisfy it with dried fruit (dates, apricots - but be careful as they do contain sugar, ) and a couple of squares of dark chocolate now is enough for me.

I do hope that you can lose those miserable extra pounds, It can be done if you are determined, and I wish you lots of luck and hope to hear that you have managed to get back to your original weight.

🤞🤞🤞