weight gain

[Crystaleta]

I've been gaining soooooooo much weight lately. I finally got off prednisone but it seems like i am still gaining weight. I've noticed a few stretch marks on my legs and i'm freaking out. any suggestions on how to lose weight?

[Katina]

I am in the same boat with you. I have gained so much weight in the past year. I am still on prednisone. I am also still gaining weight. I exercise and try to eat right. Most of the time I have to make myself eat. But, I still gain weight. My doctor told me this Monday to try the South Beach Diet. I haven't yet but what could it hurt. Good luck and God bless. Katina :flowers:

[Traceyjean]

Hi,
I started Weight Watchers and lost 17lbs but 3 weeks ago I had a bad flare and they had to up my predisone from 2mg. to 40mg. and now I gained at least 6lbs back.. We are lowing my predisone week by week but its so depressing!!! I was doing so good and always seems like I take 1 step forward and 2 steps back... I do like the WW plan..

Good Luck,
Traceyjean

[confused1]

Hi,

I only know what is working for me: eat less and try to move my exhausted, hurting, lumpy body a bit every day.

I have been on pred (mostly 10 mg a day but regular bursts) for 2.5 years and on big doses of Neurontin for 2 years. Both cause cravings and do something weird to food once it's in your body. As a result, I never feel like I have eaten, never feel satisified.

Anyhow, after gaining 40 pounds I freaked and decided it had to change. I haven't got a miracle diet or any system. I often eat something sweet and gooey. The weight loss hasn't been a straight line, but more of a back and forth. But a bit more than 20 pounds has come off since March.

Mostly, I go hungry. I make sure to eat a decent breakfast. Then I have a salad (lettuce, carrots, radishes, fresh fruit, a sprinkle of cheese and a few raisins) for lunch and another just like it for dinner. At dinner I usually have a spoonful of whatever the rest of the family is having (we eat a lot of stir-fry veggies with meat in sauce to put over rice).

I eat a lot of fruit. I stay away from most raw veggies cuz they give me reflux. I use only very low calorie dressing on my salads. I am hungry just about all the time.

But, I am keeping on. The weight loss has been gratifying. I am starting to look a bit more like "me" again.

Good luck and make sure you are getting good nutrition and don't try anything that promises you will lose 20 pounds in a weekend!

Sunny

[katrina]

Hey Hey,
I've been on prednisone for the past year and a half. And uhh i gained so much weight i hated it - i didnt even look like myself. And don't worry about the stretch marks - i have a bunch. My doctor told me that they're actually called striations becasue once ur on prednisone ur skin is thinner so it stretches so much easier! But some of them are fading now so yay! I've lost almost 40 pounds since march-april...i've started running, i cut out all the fast food stuff, chips, and lots of other stuff, i don't eat past 7:30...and i only drink water. Plus i also dont eat alot throughout the day..but yah u just gotta fund something that works for you. Good Luck!
Love Katrina

[weesa]

Hey
I know what it is like to get stretch marks from the swelling. Recently mine have become so bad that its impossible to wear shorts. I started using a new product from Bath and Body works its from there true blue spa section it is called 100% shea butter balm. I put it on twice or whenever they start to itch. You should try it!
Weesa :D

[Mighty Oak]

Several years back, the doctors put me on large doses of Prednisone for my asthma. (They were a bunch of quacks... when I told them it wasn't helping my breathing they doubled my dose despite severe side effects.) The weight gain really depressed me. I put on 25 pounds in a week. I kept that on well after being on prednisone, too! I didn't start taking it off again until recently. I've started taking Plaquenil which mellows my joints out just enough so that I can work out. I lift weights twice weekly, swim laps until I reach my target heart rate (http://www.serverlogic3.com/lm/rtl3.asp?si=22&k=heart%20rate), and have been trying to eat healthier. I find that the better my joints feel, the easier it is for me to lose weight. Exercise works best for me overall. Also, I find that exercising through my fatigue tends to help with the joint pain the next day. I may be tired, but at least I'm not as achey!

--Oak

ADDITION: I'd also be careful with hardcore dieting, though. As depressing as it can be not to look like yourself, it's more important to be healthy than to be thinner. If you eat right and exercise, you'll probably find that it'll come off more naturally. My friend, Carol, has done wonders by just cutting soda and fast food out. She's lost about 15 lbs. already without doing any serious dieting. (She's on Pred. for severe Crohn's disease and will probably have to take it for the rest of her life.)

[Angel_gurl]

Hey i kno wat ur goin through im still on prednisone and i have lots of stretch marks i am constantly going between 145 lbs and 155 lbs it sux well i hope you figure out a way to lose it

[plainwhitets]

oh my gosh!!!

I was just recently put on prednisone and i couldn't understand why i was like vedging out... it all makes sense now. good grief! for the life of me i coudln't figure out why i was contanstly feeling compelled to snack on something... i was starting to think i was pregnant. lol. ugh... this is really ticking me off though. i just recently lost alot of weight for graduation and hoped to keep it off for college. uugh... now it's coming back. really irritating... specially since i'm going to the gym 5 days a week and i'm failing to see any change. i need to like put a tazer on my frige. lol. but i guess this explains it. sonuva. grr... d*#n prednisone... you may have saved my life from a terrible flare.. but i hate putting on weight.. baah... luckily i'm getting off this stuff soon. *sigh...

just wondering... what do you guys think makes you snack more, being on prednisone or just coming off of it?

[dmb]

Hey plainw, I think coming off of prednisone makes you snack more, I know that's my case. When I first started on 60mg of pred, I was never hungry, and got down to 106 (i'm 5'4.5") from 130. Now I am on 2.5 mg I eat everything in sight and when I am not eating I am thinking about it. We'll just say that I have gained the weight back now. The only problem with 60mg of pred is that I had extreme water retention, but after bumex I was small.