Need advise on workable low carb diet
Posted , 12 users are following.
i have had PMR for 2 1/2 yrs and down to 5 mg pred. Also taking 7 2.5 mg methotrexate to supposedly help me lower the pred ( dr says "humor me and please try this" ) along with folic acid. Had one flare trying to drop to 4 with slow dead stop method, so now trying 1/2 mg drop. My frustration is my weight. I always ate healthy and was never over 135 lbs at 5'7". Now almost 25 lbs over weight. Tried 2 wks doing Paleo diet but barely lost 1/2 lb. Need to hear suggestions from this learned group. Pred still the culprit despite being on such low a dose?
Thanks in advance.nyour forum is a god-send!
1 like, 43 replies
andrea93419 Roda_4445
Posted
Someone told me that you don't start to loose the pred weight until you're off it altogether!!!! I'm not happy either!! I've been tapering successfully from 20mg to 10mg at present, and I continue to gain weight! Although weight gain is much slower if you cut out bread, potatoes and pasta!!!,,, plus all the nice things in life that make life worth living! Hahahaha ie, cakes, sweets and chocolate!
Hope you are not too disappointed by all this.
Best wishes
Andrea x
lodgerUK_NE Roda_4445
Posted
Methotextrate comes with its own side effects.
I lost 6 stones once off pred, it disappeared so fast I lost a skirt in a supermarket one day.
andrea93419 lodgerUK_NE
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Id be very happy if I could even loose 2 stone after pred!,,,, but more would be a bonus!! X
constance.de lodgerUK_NE
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Mrs.Mac-Canada lodgerUK_NE
Posted
Did you have any weight loss at lower doses or were you completely off pred?
Did you do the hole carb thing and what about exercise🚴🏃💃?
Thanks,
Diana🌸
Roda_4445 lodgerUK_NE
Posted
faye______00403 lodgerUK_NE
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been on Pred for a year and half....got down to 4mg and then
had terrible bout of sciatica and sed shot back up to 60.
bummer......gained about 30 lbs and I actually eat pretty healthy.
Just had blood done and total cholesterol is l61 which is
pretty good for me since can't take statins. I don't eat much
(an occasional cheeseburger) red meat, haven't had a steak
in years and do my best with the veggies. I can no longer
fit in any of my clothes. I've bought a couple of things to
tide me over but this looks like its going to be a long haul.
Lucky you........off the pred. I'm jealous
lodgerUK_NE Mrs.Mac-Canada
Posted
I did drop my pasta, rice dishes etc - and I missed them.
I ate pure dairy products, % fat or sugar yoghurt with a teaspoonful of Manuka Honey.
Like Eileen snack on cherry tomatoes (love the little pompadora's), kept cucumber (wrapped in foil keeps longer in fridge) when I was hungry, cut an inch of it and tucked in. (Cucumber has amazing properties, in fact you can survive in the desert as long as you have cucumber, it contains water and loads of minerals - and it is great to clean mirrors).
As I never ate breakfast, I had to learn to eat a slice of toast to take pred. I had a peice of fruit with cheese for my lunch and then chicken, fish and veg for dinner. Except on Saturday I had my fish and chips (I never ate the batter, I don't like it - but I love the taste of the fish deep fried - anyway the birds love the batter). On Sunday, no way am I giving up my roast dinner with yorkshire puds and roast potatoes. But they were the only food I ate on those days.
I was known as the 'Brandy Queen' as I used that as a pain-killer (brandy developed by Medieval Monks as a medicine).
Could not drink my red wine or G&T - hated the taste of both. But the occasional white wine was OK.
Oh and yes I was wearing the skirt, it had an elasticated waist and it just slid off, I was quite surprised and it was then I realised the weight was slipping away. I am still not slim and the medics have said - I will be luckyif I ever get back to where I was. They were right, I eat less than ever and still don't lose an ounce. C'est la Vie - life is great, GCA still in remission and I can still see.
Who cares about weight I don't but I do understand a whole lot of people do and I do so hope they achieve where they want to be - if not smile - the people who love you, love you for being you, not what you look like but who you are.
lodgerUK_NE
Posted
constance.de lodgerUK_NE
Posted
We haven't been to England for 3 years and once I asked my husband what he missed most and he said "Sunday dinner". Poor man!
EileenH constance.de
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constance.de EileenH
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Roasts, Yorkshires, etc - sooooo much work!! My poor husband!
jean05221 lodgerUK_NE
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Mrs.Mac-Canada Roda_4445
Posted
My PMR history is similar to yours although I had to go to 10mg of pred after a flare in January. Now at 8mg and will reduce .5 mg from now on using DSNS method. My Dr. Wanted me to try methotrexate but I'm going to Italy and refuse to give up a glass of wine or two when I' m there. He suggested I take Paquenil instead??? I decided not to take anything other than the pred because I don't know if it really shortens the time PMR goes into remission. At 5mg I think the side affects are not so bad.
As far as weight gain, it drives me crazy and also gets me down. I was active and fit till pred and now feel like a fat old lady. I do find that cutting carbs and doing some walking or cycling every day does make a difference. I'm not as disciplined as some of the members of the forum but try to cut out sweets, breads, pasta (that won't work in Italy😬) and rice. I have potatoes and a piece of toast or English muffin occasionally.
I'm sure you'll hear soon from the pros here on the forum. It is truly a great source of info and support.
Good luck with your continuing decreases and always remember slow and steady wins the race. I guess we also need to accept that big is beautiful for awhile to😉.
Hugs, Diana🌸
Roda_4445 Mrs.Mac-Canada
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Mrs.Mac-Canada Roda_4445
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Do check into the wine thing. When I told my Dr. I was going to Italy he said "well, we can't have you on that then because you can't drink wine while you're taking it". I had heard that before so never looked it up because I wasn't going to take any more meds anyway.
Cheers🍷,
🌸
EileenH Mrs.Mac-Canada
Posted
I don't understand why a doctor would want you to try any new drug just before you were about to set off on a foreign holiday - go when you are stable on current medication and you know you have minimised the chances of things going pear-shaped.
I started to lose weight at 15mg - but it did also involve a change of corticosteroid as I've explained in my epistle below (probably, never know with this site these days!). I'm not losing significantly more or faster at 4 or 5mg but I am still losing weight slowly. The first to go was the swim-rings and the fat face - both of which make you feel much slimmer as your trousers/pants are suddenly enormous around the waist! I haven't lost anything in the way of clothes in supermarkets - but I have gone from a 34H bra size to a 32F. And there are a lot of trousers now rolled up and put in another cupboard. I shall have to buy stuff next summer - and some I'm wearing isn't for external showings!
Mrs.Mac-Canada EileenH
Posted
I'm hoping the extra walking (done cautiously) will help shed a few lbs. The great wine and pasta won't help that cause but I'm going to try and be good😕.
Do you have any tips for me on what to see in Northern Italy. So far we only have plans for 3 days in Rome and we're staying at an Agriturismo for 6 days after that so we can explore the hillside towns. No return ticket so we're not stuck to any schedule. Want to see Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast at some point.
Hugs, 🌸
EileenH Mrs.Mac-Canada
Posted
That's not north - that's central Italy by my standards! If you are going in the direction of Venice do consider an excursion into the Dolomites. I live on the northern edge but they are a World Heritage things and utterly utterly beautiful and awe inspiring. The food is not what you'd describe as slimming though. All of Alto Adige/South Tirol is wonderful with good food and amazing wines...
Funny how everybody associates Italy with just pasta and pizza! I eat wheat-free and low carb anyway - Italy is the easiest country in Europe to do that! They know what is in their food, they cook wonderful meat and fish and it's up to you want to have alongside it. I live here - I want to see Cinque Terre and the Amalfi coast! My friend spent 2 weeks near Sorrento in the spring - they loved it. We have a camper van - not ideal for either but I'm working on himself. There are campsites close to train stations for Cinque Terre. Sorrento may have to be a hotel ...
When are you coming?
faye______00403 Mrs.Mac-Canada
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some great pasta dishes......You only live once
Mrs.Mac-Canada EileenH
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We arrive in Rome the morning of Aug 31st. We have rented an small apartment for 3 nights so we can take the 1/2 day tours of the Vatican and Colosseum and poke around as much as I'm able. We'll be flying out of Rome so can if we miss things we really want to see we can plan on being there for an extra few days. I'm already looking forward to resting up a bit at the farmhouse because we'll be there 6 nights. Going to learn to make pasta!! After than we don't know yet. Flying by the seat of our pants
Guess I better not carry on or I'll be getting in trouble for going off topic!!!
Mrs.Mac-Canada faye______00403
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You're right... we never know what tomorrow will bring so enjoy while we
can.
Hugs, Diana
EileenH Mrs.Mac-Canada
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constance.de Mrs.Mac-Canada
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