Weight gain
Posted , 7 users are following.
I have Polymyaligia Rheumatica for about 18 months, and have put on nearly two stone of weight. I probably eat more than I should, but not huge amounts, My biggest problem is that I eat lots of grapes. I started on 15mg of steroids, and am now down to 6mg. I have not had a flare up, and apart from have aching arms at times, and feeling exhausted, I am not too bad. I feel absolutely huge, and few clothes fit me now.
Just wondered if anyone felt like this.
Regards,
Grace
1 like, 26 replies
tina-uk_cwall muirkelsi
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pat38625 tina-uk_cwall
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EileenH pat38625
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So Sunday night you will have dinner as normal, Tuesday morning you will have breakfast as normal. On Monday you will choose meals where the calorie count adds up to 500 altogether. It is much better to think about this in advance so you can decide what your meals will be and work out what to have. There are loads of recipes on the internet and suggestions for low calorie meals - but you need to think in advance because you need to buy the right sort of food.
A breakfast could be a boiled egg (70 calories) and tea/coffee with milk (maybe 70 calories in the milk) Total 140cals
Lunch: a big bowl of salad might be 100 calories if it is mostly leaves with dressing
That leaves you about 250 cals for your evening meal - 40z of white fish is about 200 which leaves you 50 for a side salad or veggies
It is all about what you choose to eat - white fish is fewer calories than oily fish for the same weight. Chicken breast is fewer calories than red or fatty meat and obviously 4oz (whichis a real portion) has few calories than a restaurant 8oz steak. Some veggies have fewer calories than others, leaf salads have very few calories in a big dish but look loads. Mushrooms done under the grill have almost no calories, saute them in butter and it is a very different matter! On "fast" day you would grill your mushrooms, on the other "normal" days you can have them done with butter as long as you don't go mad.
And by far the best thing to drink is plain water or herbal or fruit tea (with no sugar of course).
There are lots of recipe books with meal suggestions that make the "fast" days easier - foods and quantities that fit well with 500 calories. Choose wisely and you won't feel hungry at all. And do drink plenty.
tina-uk_cwall pat38625
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the principle is that on your "5" days you can eat a normal days food. I am also on a sort of low carb diet so I do attempt to eat healthily and I do also attempt to eat slightly smaller portions too. Then on your "2" days you restrict your days calorie intake to about 500 calories. Because I always try to have a little breakfast every day, on my "2" days I always have a small portion of porridge or a small portion of lidl's simply sumptuous special muesli, luxury fruit and nut and I add about 3 chopped dried apricots. The muesli is packed solid with nuts and they are also good for you as they're an anti inflammatory food! Honestly pat after that small portion I really can go all day without anything else to eat until my evening meal which on my "2" day is always a salad and a piece of fish. As I say "2" days are 500 calories only and the "5" days are eat as normal, but as I say I always try to reduce my portion on that day even if it is just a little less.
have a lovely Mother's Day. I will be driving to London from cornwall to visit my mothers grave, it's simply the worst day of the year for me but I always used to see my mother on Mother's Day and I stick to it even though she is no longer with me.
good luck with the diet, but it really is very simple and that they say is one of the reasons why it's so successful. Also it's created by Dr michael Mosley who does all the bbc2 medical programmes. All the best, christina
tina-uk_cwall pat38625
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pat38625 tina-uk_cwall
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pat38625 EileenH
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bronwyn97278 EileenH
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EileenH bronwyn97278
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My male cousin used the 5:2 diet very successfully, is back to the weight he was at Uni (after spreading rather in retirement despite walking and using the gym regularly) and the same trouser waist. Now he has a fast day a week if he notices his weight going up again. I've always really struggled to lose weight, never mind pred - I combined 5:2 and low carbs to get started.
pat38625 tina-uk_cwall
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If you can celebrate your mothers living years, I am sure you have lots and lots of memories, she wouldn't want you to be sad. I lost my own mum in 2008 and I know for sure I wouldn't want her back, near the end she had no quality of life really. Good luck christina and thanks again. God Bless You
davidmelville muirkelsi
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the trouble is that food is 'nice' and even the smallest intake is multiplied by Prednisolone in some mystical way which confounds my reasoning. Excercuse helps but that is a challenge as any precious energy I have I want to use on more exciting things than sitting on the excercise bike.
I'm looking forward to reading all the answers or is the new diet pill going to be the means . . .
EileenH muirkelsi
Posted
I actually put on a lot of weight just because of PMR and not being able to exercise as I had before - not pred, I wasn't on pred for 5 years. When I started on pred I didn't put on significantly more weight but it redistributed to face, back of neck and midriff. Then I was switched to Medrol - and the weight went on big time! Nearly 3 years ago I was admitted to hospital and weighed about 88kg (just under 14st). I'm 5'1" in my socks. I was a total blob and I refused to even look in a mirror.
A few months later I was switched to another form of prednisone and have steadily lost weight since. At first it was barely noticeable but I changed my eating habits - I didn't eat much carbohydrate anyway but I cut it even further. I eat no processed carbs at all now. I eat salads and non-root veg most of the time. About once every 2 or 3 weeks I eat a couple of small pieces of roast potato with roast chicken (the only roast we eat). Portions of meat/fish are 4-5oz at most. I dress salads with olive oil and vinegar and dried herbs. I occasionally eat peas and carrots, never more than about 1oz/30g bread and that only maybe twice a week. Cake, desserts, pizza are very occasional treats - I don't refuse to eat them but they have to be special. I haven't given up wine.
I also used the 5:2 diet to kick start things - what it did more than anything was retrain my appetite and I can honestly say I am not hungry and if I do feel peckish I get something to drink first and that usually works.
It may sound boring and restricted - but I don't find it so. I find it is easy to have a wide choice of meals and it is food I enjoy. The real plus side is I have lost about 19kg/42lbs over a period of just 2 1\2 years, about 2lbs a month on a good month and a good 5 inches from my waist.
I do find that in a month where I have eaten more carb than usual - visitors or holiday where it is tempting to eat pizza, pasta or polenta (I live in Italy!) I don't lose weight. I don't gain either though. As soon as I go back to my normal diet I lose again.
David mentions "even the smallest intake is multiplied by Prednisolone in some mystical way". Pred changes the way our bodies process carbs, making weight gain and a predeliction to developing pre-diabetes common. If you remove the offending article - carbs - you help your body not fall prey to these problems.
Fruit is healthy - but it is also a source of sugars, carbohydrate and the carb count mounts up rapidly. Grapes are delicious - but very more-ish and very carby. There are other fruits that are less carby such as berries.
There is loads of info on the internet these days about cutting carbs, I particularly like a blog called the Diabetic Mediterranean diet where a doctor who is a diabetic explains the theories and practise of low carb eating. This isn't NO carb, it is LOW carb and so very healthy and is a diet that has been approved by the American Diabetic Association for management of diabetes. I find I have learned to get very good value out of carbs - a normal sized piece of cake from our baker is now 3 portions for me! I eat 1 bit and keep one for tomorrow and freeze the other - and it is enough. If you don't buy something you don't get tempted to binge.
bronwyn97278 EileenH
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pat38625 EileenH
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constance.de muirkelsi
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that's about all. I never had to change my dress size or anything. I suppose I was lucky. Dieting must be awful. Hope you sort youself out soon.
Greetings from Constance
EileenH constance.de
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constance.de EileenH
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Thanks for any advice. Constance
EileenH constance.de
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If the CRP continues to rise he needs to think about why - even if it is still in normal range.