Weight gain and Prednisolone

It is both really - some people eat loads more because they are permanently hungry (like my husband but he's so skinny and eats nothing that it is a decided benefit!) but pred changes the way your body processed carbs and also triggers random spikes of glucose to be released by the liver, in turn triggering production of too much insulin to bring the BS back down, it overshoots and makes you crave carbs to bring it back up. Rinse and repeat! Insulin is heavily implicated in weight gain - it encourages the body to lay down fat stores in particular places. Pred can also cause fluid retention - and that causes weight gain too.

You can help the fluid bit by restricting salt in your diet. The carb-related weight gain can be helped by cutting carbs in your diet drastically - especially "white" processed carbs: white flour, white rice, above all sugar, and limiting root vegetables and fruit as both are carb-rich and not too much wholemeal grain products. And it DOES work.

I've gained 20 lbs. started at 30 mg down to 10. i crave sweets all the time. also now have the moon face. maybe you can be more diciplined than me.

i have BRONCHIECTASIS and have been on high strength steroid inhalers and tablets when needed for many years. i did pile the weight on but gradually for a few years, but then decided to do something about it. it seems to me i did store fat and i do feel hungry through using steroids. I also have chocolate crazes every so often. unfortunately I need the steroids so i joined a slimming group. it worked for me but everyone is different. I cant diet as i enjoy quite substantial meals so I did Slimming World. I eat as many fruit, vegetables & protein to fill me up and lost 4 1/2 stone to reach a target i felt comfortable with. That was 2 years ago and Im still on target. Ive learnt to eat chocolate when the craze is on me but eat healthily the rest of the time. My skin has aged quicker than i have and was told by a nurse, when she had to dress what should have just been a simple graze but the skin was torn back, that it was due to taking Steroids, so moisturise regularly.

in a short time my skin has aged too. The craving for chocolate is over whelming. I am also on metotrexate. thought I would lose weight with that hasn't happened either.