Belly fat

[vicisu]

Hi, I've always been on the thinner side until about 15 years ago, but my problem is I can lose weight everywhere but my stomach..it is huge..and I feel bloated all the time. I have been on at least 5 mg of prednisone for over 30 years and I just.dont know what to do

[Wizzi]

Hi it depends also on the medications the age i think .

Which type of vasculitis do you have?

[vicisu in reply to Wizzi]

I'm not sure I have vasculitis...I just have fat pads and my stomach is so much larger then the rest of me due to the prednisone I've been told.

[PMRpro]

It is a common place for pred to cause fat deposits. However, the first place I lost fat when I started to be consistent about cutting carbs was around my middle (I've been on pred for nearly 9 years now). It took a couple of years but I got my waist back - but I only lose fat/weight by eating a VERY low level of carbohydrate. Everyone is different in how much they can eat before no longer losing fat but it is well worth trying. I lost 35lb of pred-associated fat.

[vicisu in reply to PMRpro]

Wow that is great...but it was low carbs that made the difference..I can't believe how big my stomach is...did you do a particular diet?

[PMRpro in reply to vicisu]

No, just cut carbs of all sorts, not just cakes and bread and stuff. I eat little fruit - it may be good carb but it is still carbs - and loads of above ground veg and protein in the form of fish, meat, cheese, eggs. Apart from carrots, root veg are a special treat as they also have a fair bit of carbohydrate.

I don't find it difficult. I cook meat for both of us, he has chips/potatoes, I have a big plate of salad leaves and other veg.

This website

dietdoctor.com/low-carb/foods

has loads of illustrations showing which are good low carb choices and makes it easy to see where you might go wrong.

In low carb it doesn't matter if you use white flour, rice, pasta and so on or the brown wholemeal sort - ALL CARBS so not allowed!

You will find loads of info online though with recipes and suggestions how to make foods low carb. For example, I love moussaka, instead of making it with a white sauce with flour, I beat an egg into a Greek yoghurt to make the topping, almost no carbs. If I make lasagne I make one for me with thinly sliced courgette/zucchini instead of the pasta and the egg in yog instead of sauce.

Some things you can't replace - but then you keep them for a very special treat. I do eat a pizza occasionally - but like once every 2 or 3 months. But once you get used to it, you don't miss carbs and you do notice if you eat too many - or at least, most people do.

[Nap1 in reply to PMRpro]

You are a miracle. I can’t get rid of an ounce of steroid fat. I do not eat carbs. Haven’t since pre diabetic. Now with Addison’s my metabolism doesn’t work. Never worked with the high doses with steroids either. The little I lost came back since I don’t move around to well.

[PMRpro in reply to Nap1]

There are a lot of us on the PMRGCA forum who have either not gained weight or been able to lose weight on low carb, albeit very slowly.

[minxabroad in reply to Nap1]

Hi, excuse me for jumping in here Nap1 . Am I right in thinking that you are saying you have Addison's yet you have not lost weight from it? When I asked my doctor about having cortisol concerns he said as I was overweight, it was not an issue. Is that not correct? Thank you.

[Nap1 in reply to minxabroad]

That is not correct Addison’s and weight have little to do with each other excepting when people do not know they have adrenal issues sometimes they do lose weight. But think about this if you have no adrenal function you have no metabolism if you’re taking steroids you’re retaining weight from steroids which is really when I gained my weight. I have been totally in active because of pain and fatigue and eat very little and no carbs. To date I have not lost any weight. If I ate carbs I would weigh a lot more than I do. By the way the weight is mostly in the areas that steroids help put weight on. Never had a stomach in my life and wore a string bikini until I was perhaps 54. Those were the good old days. Then I quit smoking and gained about 7 pounds so I was still OK until the steroids. I do think if I could get my metabolism going the weight would come off because of the way I eat. So I don’t know adrenal glands and skinny? Perhaps pro will chime in.

[minxabroad in reply to Nap1]

Thank you for that info. Much appreciated.

[Puttystuff]

Completely agree - low carb diet (under 50g a day) made massive difference to me.

[vicisu]

Thanks to all of you..I at least don't feel like I'm losing my mind with my weight. I know I won't begin to be thin again at my age but am really going to try to watch the carbs because I think I am a carbaholic...it is so frustrating..

[SusanEleven]

I’ve been on steroids for 2+ years so far (PMR, plus recently positive P-ANCA with low MPO antibodies). I lowered carbs and basically follow the Michael Mosley 5:2 plan. I’m down over 20 pounds now in two months. My blood sugar went from pre-diabetic to normal. I think I eat better than I ever have in my 62 years. My carb cravings diminished dramatically. Now I crave cheese! I lost 13 pounds in the first four days, which lets you know how much sheer bloat/water weight was puffing me up! The subsequent loss has been slow and steady, even with a short break to eat Cadbury chocolate Easter eggs. 😊