Guys is it correct the weight starts to come off when I drop to below 10mg Ijust want my face and body back x
Moon Face: Guys is it correct the weight starts to... - PMRGCAuk
Moon Face
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Northernnugget
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DorsetLadyPMRGCAuk volunteer
Moon face and weight does improve as you get lower -but it doesn’t suddenly plummet like a stone over night when you hit 10mg .
Plenty of related posts on moon face -and oodles of info in FAQs on weight -
healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...
I'll take a look Thank you x
As you say to another reply, working shifts probably doesnt help for a healthy diet - so you probably need to work at it harder than some, and that's not always easy..😼
I work with feeders lol x
That’s makes it even more difficult… 🤦🏻♀️
Yes, the face will reduce and you can help by watching salt intake especially if you are above 10mg. The weight, well it depends on the person. Some people find it slips away without too much effort. For others it needs more effort to cut down heavily on carbohydrates. I’d say the higher dose you’re on the earlier you need to start that because can awful lot of weight can go on until the dose get low enough. It isn’t just weight that is important but blood glucose levels and trying not to become diabetic.
What is your dose?
I found I have needed to maintain a close watch on carbs even after coming off Pred but my activity levels are not what they used to b, which was pretty high, and I’m 7 years older.
I started on 15 managed to get down to 11 but then hit a problem with my back which after taking some advice on here I went up to 20 and put on almost 2 stone what seemed like overnight Some of the gain is my fault I work night shifts so theres always naughty nibbles I also have Fibromyalgia so even gentle exercise can set off pain x
Yes, I used to work nights back in the day. I used to take all my own food and not stray from it apart from one slice of white bread toast at the ‘kill me now’ time between 3-4am. I also had Fibromyalgia but found exercise was very good after I got past the hard bit of getting fit. Muscle soreness did seem to get mixed up with the Fibro but once I knew it was going to happen I didn’t stress about it and accepted that it would take me longer sometimes to stop hurting after the exercise, as in a few days or a day or two. The main positive of exercise was it gave me better sleep, by far the best thing for Fibro. I’m sure night shifts are not ideal with Fibro for that reason and it may be something you need to consider. The fact your body has also decided to react with PMR could be a message that something has to give. The Pred isn’t going to stop the PMR, it is propping you up which is why nearly all of us end up having to make life changes eventually if we want to get better.
Low low carbs really does work. I was on 60mg for GCA and could not exercise. I gave up all potato, pasta, rice, maize and flours and it kept my weight and average blood sugar stable.
Thanks I have a lot to think about it seems x
Wow, that's an amazing account of resilience and strength ! Makes me feel guilty for feeling sorry for myself.What did you mean when you said life changes? Like not working so hard, or something physical?. I'm so impressed you carried on exercising despite the pain. That's something I've always done, but I wonder if I should as some people say you shouldn't. I couldn't not exercise though. Got to keep mobile!
So did you still do the exercises up during fibro flares? And would you say your Fibro has slung its hook?
Not sure Fibro does sling its hook as much as hide for a while and then come out to play again...
I did some exercise always but not necessarily hard if I was getting pain. I would never blast through but no either did I do nothing. Walking is my usual go to.
As for Fibro going, I just see it as my body not having to send up flares. I am much more sensitive to lack of sleep, poor sleep, too much striving, so if I have a spate of that I go down. I don’t see it as a thing that goes away but more of a traffic light system. My biggest stride forward was getting therapy for unresolved old trauma and being in constant crisis mode for a few decades. It was as if my body was not needing to flag up distress in my body. Anyway, that’s just my experience of it; I can’t speak for others.
Thank you 😘
My face deflated around 8mg level but I had to make an effort to lose the 3kg I'd put on (cut lunches down to miso soup and a slice of rye bread with peanut butter, marmite or cheese). However on lower doses I'm keeping to normal weight without having to be too strict - probably helped by exercise levels increasing though.
NB SnazzyD's comment on blood sugar and cholesterol though - mine went up so I'm mindful of that when looking at dessert menus! (Looking is OK...). Plant sterols have helped cholesterol I think.
I thought I was having a hypo one morning while at work but checked and my sugar was 4.7 which we consider fine I do night shifts on a hospital ward I didnt start to feel better until I ate two yum yums from the canteen on my way home I related this to a medical proffesional and she reckoned I sounded like I was exhausted Hmm x
My diabetic sister said that feelings of low blood sugar come in when the blood level is plummeting, before she gets to it registering. Also, when treating low blood sugar, be careful not to over compensate. It takes some minutes to feel the effect of the sugar you have consumed so don’t chomp down the second yum yum until you have given the first one 10-15 minutes. If you eat something that readily becomes glucose in the blood like refined carbs, your body puts out lots of insulin. The result is a rapid drop in blood glucose which then sets you up for the next hypo. Nights certainly made me feel light headed, weak and shakey, just like low blood sugar too.
Its happened a few times If it happens again I'll leave it a bit before I get someone to stab me x
I've been pre-diabetic since 2009 due to a medication I take, then adding prednisone really doesn't help matters either.
But to your point of hypoglycemia ...
Peanut butter is always a good remedy for hypoglycemia and has always been my go-to (also for diabetics) when I need to bring up my blood sugar.
Thank you x
I’ve recently lost my Moon Face 😊
I came down from 10mg to 5mg l started a Reducing Regime on May 31st 2023 & was down at 5mg by 13th November 2023 with a hiccup in September, l’ve remained on 5mg as per Consultants Advice until l see him in February.
The real difference was noticed both by myself & friends quite quickly, also my neck.
I remember you losing heaps of weight, Angela. You posted a before and after pic I think? You looked amazing!!
I’ve got my ‘old’ face back again 😘
As since that ‘After’ Picture l had to go up higher on the Pred! I’m now on 5mg & waiting to see my Consultant to see what the next step is…….
A bit creaky atm - but the weather doesn’t help!
Hope you are keeping well? x
Struggling a bit since having covid, Angela it seems to have caused lots of lingering aches and pains. BUT my brother has come over to Oz from his home in the High Peaks of Derbyshire. He's in Melbourne right now but arrives here in Tasmania tomorrow night. I haven't seen him for 15 years! I am SO excited I can't sleep and have been madly cleaning the house! Wish I could share our lovely Tasmanian summer weather with you though it's a bit windy ATM. Good luck with the consultant......
Covid has a lot to answer for, no doubt about it! I do hope you improve soon 🙏🏼
That’s going to be amazing to see your brother after such a long time - you’ll have a lot to catch up on!
Yes, a bit of your weather wouldn’t go amiss 🌞
Take Care & Enjoy your visitor xx
He's coming to see YOU - and he is male, he won't notice a bit of dust! Calm down 
Thank you 😍
PMRproAmbassador
Very much depends on the person - some people are able to lose weight and the pred fat deposits even at 15mg but it doesn't always happen on its own by magic, you may have to work on the weight loss too. For some unlucky people it doesn't happen until they get off pred altogether unless they work hard at it.
And surrounded by feeders - even harder! Are you in the NHS?
PS - I see you are. Such a healthy diet environment that!!!!
Oh tell me about it I go with the intention of no no no I have control then its ok maybe just the one donut when a bag gets thrust in to my face😑
NHS staff seem to enjoy teasing the virtuous ...
Damn them x
I have gotten past moon face on lower doses, and buffalo hump is small now, but muscle loss (i do weight bearing and leg exercises 2x/week) has turned my arms and legs into virtual sticks. kinda terrifying looking.
Yup I have the dowager hump too lol x
Merryfield, I have heard that doctors can recognise patients on pred - they look for a lemon on toothpicks entering their surgery1!!!
omg! that made me laugh and grimace at the same time!!
😂🤣😅 I’m impressed with my legs, but my head is like a bald, white basketball.
we take our good points where we have them☺️
Thank you for all the advice on these replies to Northernnugget this is so interesting. I don't know where to turn. Doctor surgery almost given up til I see a rheumatologist in the summer. Will try the lower carbs. No salt and exercise and fingers crossed -when they're not too stiff and achy!
Oh, I just WISH it did! I am hovering around 7mgs ATM and the moonface (anyone remember Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree? Who knew that Moonface must have been on pred!!) My moonface is just about gone but as I have put on over 15kgs in the nearly seven years since I have been on pred that weight is hanging around my hips and stomach and I feel like My Stomach has a separate entity! I had five children so it's like being pregnant but with no end in sight except getting off pred and then, I suspect, cutting out carbs drastically and I'm not good at dieting! I eat very healthily and always have done. My brother also has PMR and has not put on any weight at all. It's simply NOT fair!!!
Don't think of it as "dieting" - think of it more as "what I eat" and start by only reducing the processed carbs in your diet and added sugar, For many that is enough. Then, if you don't lose weight, change other things until you DO start to lose weight.
As SnazzyD says so often - eating healthily as we usually think of it isn't ideal with pred as it tends to include a fair bit of carb. But a few relatively small changes for a start often grow as they become easier. And when you lose some fat bits - it feels so good and encouraging! Maybe I was lucky but the first place I lost fat stores from was around my midriff - and I didn't notice until the spare trousers I had with me for my daughter's wedding fell down!!!!! And that was in just about a couple of months.
Oh, here's to falling down rousers God Bless em!!! I don't eat processed carbs or sugar as a rule but when the grandhcildren come up I do tend to make them some healthy biscuits and of course I eat them too! I agree with you Pro to start with a few do-able changes is the way to go. I also agree that nothing succeeds like success and when those first few kilos make their loss felt, it's an incentive to carry on.
I am down 25 lbs but still have two stomachs!
Sorry, you will need a very very low carb diet. None of the usual culprits: rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and of course no cakes, biscuits...I'm afraid losing the weight is more difficult than preventing putting it on in the first place (did your doc not tell you about diet when prescribing the steroids..mine didn't! Found out on here!
Exercise makes no difference, diet is everything. It will work but takes time.
I've gained 14 pounds in 18 months on prednisone. I'm down to 12mg and still have moon face, turkey neck, and buffalo hump. Oh and also a big tummy, breasts and hips. Like someone said above, a lemon on toothpicks. Lost so much muscle. I do pilates which helps a lot though. I'd love to do cardio but my hips get sore quickly. It's nice to not be alone in this crazy situation. I appreciate everyone sharing their situation. xo!!
I, too, am looking forward to the disappearance of moonface plus toadneck. It would also be cool to lose these sideburns. Carbs are my downfall, but they give me an energy boost. I have added my weight to my daily pred diary, plus the time I get out of bed mornings.
but what we do in our spare time without epilating our sideburns?
I started beaching m,ine when I realised I could give Elvis a run for his money
uh uh x
I didn’t lose weight or lose the moon face until I made a concerted effort to change my diet. I was on 7mg and expecting to start looking like my old self but it didn’t happen. I’ve lost 20kg since January last year, I’m doing a very slow taper of 1/2mg every month-6 weeks. I eat no bread, potatoes, rice, cakes only in moderation (once per week), and also cut out lollies, sweets and chocolate. I only have the occasional glass of wine. I don’t miss these foods now as it’s become a lifestyle, and don’t go hungry, eating lots of veggies, meat and fruit and drinking water. I definitely feel better after losing this weight and find my inflammation levels have dropped also. Wishing you all the best!
Thank you x
There's an interesting Zoe podcast, probably to be found on you tube, about post menopausal women and how they don't metabolise carbs very well. So carbs and.pred....a rock and a hard face. If I can find the podcast I'll post the link Unless of course anyone else reading this might know of it.
You can always find deleted emails if you received them on your PC. Just go to the list of headings on the left of your email page, the list below your 'Inbox', and scroll down till you find 'Bin' or 'All Mail'. You may find that they're not visible at first, but if that's the case then click on the heading 'More' to expand the list, and you should find them both there.
'All Mail' is the best one to look back through, as that has all the emails you've ever received, but the 'Bin' listing has all those you've deleted, so may be a shorter list.
Yep. Am familiar with all that but just can't seem to find the one I'm looking for. I was in a bit of a rush so if I inspect them more carefully I might come across it again. Here's hoping!
Not sure, DL It was quite a long podcast and an American female researcher explaining her work into menopause, post menopause and the role of diet...and she specifically mentioned carbohydrates and digesting and metabolising them
She came on quite a way into the podcast. It came in my emails and I think I've deleted it grrrr,!
Probably not, its same guy all the way through...
- and don't you always want to refer to something once it's deleted...
Never changes, that was my mum's excuse for holding on to things- when we kids always said "why are you holding on to that". Her response - "because if I throw it away one of you want it!"
That sounds so familiar
One of these?
well-well-well.co.uk/blood-...
Don't think so. The woman talking is Dr. Frederick Amati. She's talking in one of the podcasts. I looked at the transcript and recognised the name, but she wasnt dealing with her research with post menopausal women and carbohydrates specifically, which I member.listening to. But I expect many people are making this connection now.
This is link to podcast Dr Amati is in..
zoe.com/learn/podcast-how-t...
My error I was looking for youtube previously..
Maybe easier to lose weight under 10 mg? I found moon face was separate from weight and strangely only lasted a few days.
I hope so I have put on 7llb 
I'm at 14 mg down from 20. Moonface has started to deflate a bit. My neighbour noticed it. I can tell if I've eaten too many carbs as it does tend to puff up. Because of other issues I've lost about 30 lbs, body is saggy baggy, but the moonface is still there.
😢
Yes your moon face will definitely deflate as you drop your steroid intake. I didn’t put on too much weight with steroids apart from my face ballooning but now I’m down to 2mg per day from 60mg per day just over a year ago and only have a little puffiness now.
You’ll be back in shape soon!!!
Thank you x
Thankyou people for making me feel less alone. I was wondering about the extra facial hair - and lack of it in patches at my temples. I'm picking up dumbbells again albeit half the kg I used to in a bid to tone up my arms and back. Other than that I'll lie on. My back with arms tight by my sides and suck in my cheeks and just pretend to have a figure.... Oh those days ....
I hope that means 500g rather than half the weight you used to use - but even that may be too much to start with. I know it sounds crackers but this is a whole new world and your muscles are in a very different state. We suggest water bottles with 100ml water to start - if that doesn't cause DOMS next day you can add more water, increasing slowly up to the 500g but always with a rest day between sessions. The alternating rest days are also critical. Better to spend 10 days being sure you can manage it at this stage is better than discovering you can't and being in pain for a week or more.
Ah sorry stiff fingers. I'm using 2.5kg instead of 4kg. 2.5kg feels comfortable but not too much. Sorry again. What is DOMS please? I do feel my joints are stiffer on 9mg and my hips and knees are sore and take time to get working from sitting to standing. BUT I don't need so many painkillers now
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness - the sore muscles you develop after overdoing exercise. In PMR you are at risk of it beng far worse than you are used to and taking MUCH longer to resolve - weeks instead of days. And it is possible to cause so much "damage" that it doesn't heal properly for many weeks.
Do you know what the training effect is? It is caused by tiny tears in the muscles, pulling apart of the muscle fibres. When they heal, the muscle is stronger, trained. If you do too much on PMR, they take much longer to heal and sometimes can't.
It may feel comfortable at the time - it is the day AFTER that is the crucial time. I really wouldn't start with 2.5 even if you are used to 4kg because you are in a whole new ballgame now with PMR and being on pred. Both affect your muscles badly. And needing ANY painkillers suggests to me that you aren't ready for that sort of weight yet. You must first get the muscle pain under control with pred - only then can you start to use them, and at a very low level at first.
Thankyou I'll take that on board. It's all a learning curve even 10 months on. Just another 6 months to possibly get a rheumatology appointment 🙄
That's why we are here - we learned the hard way and hope to save others going through the same agony we did.
Hi there, I'm down at 6mg now from 50mg. I put on 4 stones in weight. I've had to work really hard to get most of that off. I followed keto which seemed to work well with my inflammation and foggyness. For me it did not come off itself. I had to put in the effort. Hope you have better luck.
I hope so too x
hi, I have been on the dreaded Prednisolone since August 2014 and TBH I never noticed much of of a weight increase. I been taken off them by my G. P. this year after coming down to 1mg every other day.
Good news, but this is the second time in 4 years that I have given them up under medical supervision.
Funny old business this Polymyalgia.
In the words of my ‘famous’ poem; Polly Myalgia, she ain’t no lady, she’ll mess you up and make you ache like crazy!
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