I have been on preds since early July and despite my best efforts have put on a few pounds….not excessive but it’s a slippery slope!!! I’ve cut back on pasta,rice and potatoes but can’t stop them completely as my hubby likes them all and I can’t be bothered making different meals for both of us. Never had a sweet tooth so no problem there. I notice I am hungry more often but try to keep busy and ignore the desire to eat something. So my question is …… do the steroids build fat or do I have to change my diet completely??? I am able to have a good walk most days and I do Pilates. I started on 20mg and am down to 12. I was lower but Covid saw the return of the pains and stiffness so had to go back up a bit and begin the taper again. I don’t want to sound a fuss pot as I know some people have really awful side effects and me putting on a few pounds isn’t a tragedy but as I said it’s a slippery slope.
weight gain: I have been on preds since early July... - PMRGCAuk
weight gain
You don't have to make different meals - just make a load of veggies for your plate and let him have the carbs. You can change some of the ways you cook the same dish using less flour for example which he won't notice but are better for you. I made up lasagne with thinly sliced aubergine or courgette instead of the pasta sheets and substituted an egg beaten into greek yoghurt instead of the bechmael sauce for both, I just chuck a load of mixed veggies onto a roasting sheet with herbs and olive oil - it really isn't much work at all.
It's a bit complicated but the pred triggers the liver to randomly release stored sugars from the liver and muscle stores. That stimulates insulin production which is usually too much because the trigger isn't followed by a meal to use it up. Then when you eat carbs as well, that excess insulin turns excess sugar into fat stores and that preferentially goes to the "usual" places, around your face, midriff and back of your neck. You can't control the sugars released by the pred effect but you CAN control the dietary carbs.
Others will be along - but you don’t have to cook separate meals - just give generally yourself more veggies and cut out/down on potatoes etc …maybe have a look at this try simple easy changes -
prospre.io/blog/best-low-ca...
Now you have asked the question you can see related posts - always plenty of discussion on subject .
Thank you both for the replies. I’ll make the adjustments. It will be hard as we all love carbs but it will be worth the sacrifice
Just remember that carbs turn to sugars! As a type 2 diabetic (diagnosed after my PMR diagnosis) I lost 3 stones by cutting carbs and walking at least 10,000 steps which put my type 2 into remission. It can be hard but can be done
I love carbs too Nanatoo, and I'm not keen on drastically cutting them. However I have lost a few of my pred pounds over the last few weeks. I have greek yoghourt in the morning with meds, chicken/fish/salad/walnuts for lunch, then whatever OH is having for tea, but I up my veg and just have a small amount of carbs. If you think in terms of upping protein a bit and lowering carbs a bit it becomes doable. Good luck!
Small portions help. I eat everything my husband and son eat but a very small portion. It suits my digestion too.
I suppose it’s trial and error. I’ll try smaller portions for a few weeks to see if it makes a difference which logically, it should. It might just be easier than cutting carbs completely 🤞
I had to eat virtually no carbs when on Pred over 10mg in order to keep weight off and blood sugar down for the reasons for already said. I had the same meals as my husband but loads of veg or salad instead of pasta, bread potato, rice, maize etc. I had lots of protein and didn’t worry about fats. Normal healthy eating doesn’t help. I wasn’t able to exercise apart from a daily dog walk.
I didn’t escape the the moon face and what fat I did have sat around my middle and upper back. This is normal and reduces with the Pred dose but I found it was in fits and starts.
Eat the protein and lots of veg and avoid the carbs yourself. Cut out bread if possible or just the odd piece from a small loaf. And cut out added sugar. It's well worth the effort.
Do I need to cut out potatoes or just cut down. Same with pasta and rice. Smaller portions or none?
I would say almost none except for occasional treats - carbs are carbs and you can't cheat with them. It is said that cooking potatoes, allowing them to go cold and reheating makes the starch less available, But I, like Snazzy, really had to get to very low carb levels to lose weight. Weight maintenance is a lot easier for me now.
Try cutting them out if you can. I'm lucky as I don't particularly like carbs and hubby just eats what's put in front of him. You need to experiment. I think the stomach adjusts to having smaller meals. Hubby and I weigh ourselves every morning and I cater accordingly. You might say it's a hobby or a way of life! Our blood tests are always good.
I have switched from potato chips to sweet potato chips. Same for mash and baked. Delicious!
Be careful if you are looking to lower carb intake though. The carb level is the almost same in sweet potatoes as ordinary potatoes - they have different glycaemic indices as sweet potatoes have more fibre but less protein.
"One medium-size white potato contains 110 calories and 26 grams of carbohydrate, while one medium-size sweet potato contains 100 calories and 23 grams of carbohydrate. A medium-size white potato provides 3 grams of protein while a medium-size sweet potato provides 2 grams of protein."
Similar experience here - steadily increasing weight and moonface. Almost always hungry. My Pa was diagnosed with stomach cancer recently, had a stoma bag fitted, and was advised to eat a little and often. So I am trying this while on preds for GCA PMR. It seems to be working. I just eat enough to satisfy the hunger pangs without stuffing my face (literally).
Cutting carbs also helps reduce the hunger pangs which are due to the blood sugar level shooting up due to the liver being triggered to release glucose from body stores and overproduction of insulin sending it into freefall so you crave carbs to bring it up again which just starts the cycle all over again.
Oh dear. Mince pies have hit the co-op shelves and I have hit the mince pies. I shall do my best to cut the carbs, however! Thank you 😀
It isn't what you eat between Dec 1st and Jan 1st that is the problem! But it does help not to "sin" too much because what goes on, must come off! I cut a pie in half - a pleasure deferred is a pleasure gained ...
Parsnip chips! Lower in carbs?
Not really, almost as many carbs as spuds ... Look at the DietDoctor site
dietdoctor.com/low-carb/veg...
Scroll up and down the page to see other foods and relative carbs ... Carrot chips maybe?
I did the blood sugar diet , by Michael Mosley , three years ago and lost three stone and have maintained it. He stresses that it is not just diet, but also the type of exercise , (which may not be possible for those with PMR) and meditation. He has published an easy to read book and recipe book. There’s also an online website of the same name with info and advice. It took me at least a month to change my diet, but then my body adjusted . My partner had to eat the same or cook his own! He was happy to lose weight. Now he has a baked potato occasionally or bread, which we keep in the freezer. Sugar free Londoner website has really good recipes too, including breads and cakes with no sugar or flour.
I 've just started Moseley's Blood Sugar diet with OH. I love puds and cakes so felt very gloomy about whether I'd stick it out. Have gained about 2 stone since the Pred journey starting 2019 when on high dose for GCA, then back again a year later for PMR. This plus two hip replacements has seriously knocked back the regular walking and gardening I used to do. We have taken the 5:2 option but eat very carefully on he 5 non-diet days. I've lost about 7 lbs in 3 weeks and find the 800 cals days perfectly comfortable, no cravings or even hunger. We use the planned menus in the book so don't need to fiddle working out the calories ourselves. I'm just so glad so say goodbye to my Pred double chin and the tum is reducing too.
Brilliant, well done! We did the 5:2, then went to 4:3 after a while, as we found it do able. Good luck with the rest, although you sound like you don’t need it!
I found that when I was feeling peckish, usually in the afternoon, a mug of hot herbal tea would nip the urge to eat in the bud. I DO have a sweet tooth, so chose fruity teas to satisfy it (a little).
Being winter, it also warmed me up, and gave my tummy a feeling of fullness before the dangerous dinner hour. At dinner, I tried to limit the portion size I put on my plate, and almost never allowed myself a second helping.
My total weight gain was less than 5 #, and I have to say, I rather liked my rounder rosy cheeks! The pounds dropped as the pred tapered off.
Good luck. You can do this!
This is controversial, but might be of interest. Six months ago I eliminated vegetables from my diet, including anything made with flour or grains. I eat a bowl of fruit every morning though, about 100 grams, currently a mixture of pineapple, oranges, pomelo and banana.
I was worried about my blood pressure and didn’t want to add another drug to my list! Within a few weeks my blood pressure was down to acceptable levels. I’ve lost enough weight to fit into jeans I had grown out of, in fact some are getting a bit loose now. I am wondering whether to eat a few potatoes now and again to avoid losing any more weight, but not cauliflower or cabbage!
I take 5mg pred a day at the moment, for GCA.
I put on 10 lbs and then put the skids on but haven’t had much luck taking off that 10 lbs. I tried keto for 6 weeks - didn’t help. I’m vegetarian but cut out beans, pasta, rice, and gluten.
Still trying. Still hoping.
Not what you're looking for?
You may also like...
pmr advice
Prednisone, your dangerous little friend
Should I try the 5 mg of prednisone increase for few days
aching legs while tapering Prednisolone
Lower back pain muscle or flare?
Covid with TCZ
MGUS Newly diagnosed 
PMR and Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria with Angioedema
Please share any experience of meds to try and prevent osteoporosis especially Zoledronic acid and Romosozumab
GCA..Actemra.
