Need advise on workable low carb diet

Anyway - it is possible that you have achieved the aim of your reduction: the lowest dose that manages the symptoms as well as the starting dose did. Even with methotrexate you may not get to zero pred if you have PMR (that is rather than maybe another very similar arthritis that responds to mtx). MTX doesn't replace the pred, it just maybe gets you to a lower level and many doctors feel it should only be tried for patients who struggle to get to single figures or who have repeated flares. Since the main cause of repeated flares is trying to force a reduction I don't actually see the point - why not just go about it in a rather more gentle manner?

But - that rant is over - to the weight problem. Over the last 3 years I have lost about 19kg while still on pred. Partly it was due to changing from the Medrol that had led to the massive weight gain to Lodotra, a form of prednisone. I had originally been on prednisolone and hadn't gained much weight - but I had gained weight in the 5 years I had PMR without being on pred and not being able to exercise and eating as normal. The prednisolone just made the weight redistribute to my middle, the back of my neck and round my face. But most of it has been omitting carbs. Low carbs means a very slow but steady weight loss, when I eat more carbs than usual I don't lose anything, 6 weeks of travelling all over the place has resulted in a 4lb weight gain, half has already gone in 2 weeks now I'm back to my normal diet.

When I say very slow I mean about 1-1 1/2lb per month much of the time, sometimes it's better but not often. That was when I was fairly limited at what exercise I could do - I spent 9 months on crutches and it took a long time to build up from there. Now I can walk for a couple of hours at my own pace - although hills are still a bit of a problem! So your 1/2lb in 2 weeks was actually not bad - especially since you have to remember that to start with you have a change in fluid retention as your body gets used to a different diet. When you are on a low carb diet - and paleo is fairly low carb isn't it? - first of all you are burning up the glycogen stores in your muscles. Once that is gone your body will start to burn the body stores of fat for energy - but first it has to be got rid of.

Any time you eat carbs that glycogen store is replenished and you will tend to retain water too - so if you were eating quantities of fruit, then you were eating carbs, some are worse than others. Apples, pears, bananas and grapes have a fair bit of carbohydrate - berries far less. The same applies for root veggies - sweet potatoes and squash and even carrots soon add up the carbs.

I like a blog called Diabetic Mediterranean Diet blog by Steve parker, a doctor. It has all sorts of info and ideas. Sometimes he makes me blink - like when he gave a recipe for spaghetti bolognaise using spaghetti squash - but added sugar to his meat sauce! My meat sauce has meat, tomatoes and herbs, maybe a splash of wine. SUGAR? What on earth for - he said it was because the tomatoes were sharp! The answer to that is cook it longer - Italian Nonnas would cook it for a couple of hours at least! But in general he has good stuff. 

I also combined it with Michael Moseley's 5:2 diet (search, you'll get loads of stuff online and his book is pretty good too though not essential) to start with and found that really re-educated my appetite and made eating a lot less much easier. It was about portion control - because while low carb will achieve a lot, when we are on pred there are other factors at play. One lady I know didn't lose a pound until she stopped pred - and then lost about 60 lbs without even trying!

My typical day's diet is no breakfast, just 3 or 4 large mugs of British tea with milk (low fat not skimmed). I have lunch at about 1.30pm and dinner about 7.45pm. That means I have 17 hours fasting every day if you discount the breakfast time milk. I'm not a breakfast person so it doesn't bother me at all - and if we are in a hotel and breakfast is included I eat it - eggs and bacon or the like. Not toast or pastries! When I do - I don't lose weight!  Lunch is a massive bowl of salad leaves, a few cherry tomatoes, maybe a bit of cheese, dressed with dried herbs, olive oil and vinegar. Dinner is fish or meat and another big salad or grilled vegetables. I don't refuse to eat carbs - I don't eat bread or stuff regularly but I do eat them occasionally and if I want an ice-cream - I live in italy - it's summer, I have one. But not one every day.

The aim is to keep useable carb below 50g - but you have to count it all. Salad leaves are very low in carb, but tomatoes aren't carb-free and whatever it is other than meat, fish or eggs will have some carb. Some cheeses have some carb - you have to check. But in general once you know what is what it is quite easy - while you are at home and able to control what is on your plate. You have to read labels - and absolutely NO processed food which can have sugar and starch where you wouldn't believe it! Why do sauces need sugar? Why do they need to be thickened? It will mean a lot of cooking from scratch - but it doesn't have to be complicated.

Good luck - but don't be impatient. For the first month or so you may not see a great change in your weight. Some people hang on to fluid and take a while to lose anything and then lose it in a big dollop. Others lose steadily and slowly and others lose a load in the first few weeks and then get stuck.  PMR teaches patience - and the tortoise beat the hare remember!

Here is my experience and I'm on 7 mg at month 9 of PMR. Still in 50-70 % pain depending on time of day and usage of muscle.

As per doctors orders, no flour, no rice, no grains, no dairy, no starches (potatoes), no legumes/beans, so just meat, veggies and a little fruit in mornings with protein.  3 egg whites for breakfast so I can take my drugs! 

Hard to get fat in diet, I use avacados, olive oil, almonds.

the anti inflammation diet supposedly.

Live lost 19 lbs, from 134 to 125, 5'5"

A friend of mine was on Pred and gained big time weight. She said no one told her how to eat, she ate lots of salt too. 

Also, I read Pred atrophies our muscles, so I'm seeing  my muscles in legs get quite smaller, so I'm working strength training a few times a week. And I ride stationary bike for 25-30 min. Easy, 4-5 days a week.  Mainly for circulation.

Ive now developed dry mouth and no taste, so eating is just a nessessary thing and since I cant taste wine, boo hoo!!!  I image I'm going to lose even more weight. Having no tastes...ha, was it an unconscience desire??? Ugh.

Really go for lots of protein and yummy veggies and serve over spinach, or kale or other dark green leafy veggies, it will help fill you up and not be craving sweets NOR flour products.

And don't eat late.  Did you never have acid reflux with the Pred? I do now, but I'm just now taking probiotics because no one told me I should (doctors). 

good luck.