Down To 5mg Prednisone, But Still Over 200lbs!!

[TOBEY32]

I've been down to 5mg for about 2 month, but it hasn't made a difference.
Maybe more time? My man-boobs may need a training bra before long!
I'm trying to eat even better: less sugar, fried-food, etc. I know this stuff isn't good for more than one reason.
I'm convinced I will never be able to give these things up all together though. To much to ask.
Will I abe able to lose anything with the effort I'm putting in? Only time...

[pberggren1]

I think it is possible for you to give up those foods Tobey. It just may take some more time. Are you able to exercise at all? Like going for walks even?

[TOBEY32]

Yes, Phil, I do walk regularly, and I go to the gym at least once a week.
I recently borrowed a book from the library on stopping sugar. I'll look at it a little closer.
But it can be hard to keep the sugar, the flour, the oil, the this, the that in mind all the time - and I don't bring in the kind of $$ that allows shopping at Whole Foods for everything.
I'm not a pig when it comes to these things, Phil, it's just I've always been fit (looking), and haven't for now for couple of years (I'm usually at about 170lbs).
Maybe I just needed to vent!
David

[pberggren1]

No, I really do think that you can achieve these diet changes. Of course it will be hard but anything that is worth doing takes a lot of work. I have seen many Weggies make some awesome diet changes. Marta and her family are 100% gluten free now. And I'm sure they already notice huge improvements in there lives. Sugar is a big thing for sure. It is almost everywhere. It is in soda drinks, cookies, pastries, pies, etc.....most processed food. One thing to think about is trying to eat fresh foods that are whole as your main diet and of course those would be veggies, fruits and meats. Fresh fish is also very good.

[annekat]

There may be a lot to the gluten free thing, cutting out wheat. There are some good books on the subject, like Wheat Belly (don't remember author), and The Autoimmune Recovery Plan, by Dr. Susan Blum. These books explain how the gluten in today's wheat can mess up our immune systems as well as adding pounds of fat where we don't want them. People who have gone gluten free have testified that they've lost weight and feel a lot better, plus have fewer symptoms from allergies and such. I can't say I'm gluten free, far from it, but have been consciously buying less bread and have noticed I feel better when I eat less of it.

Sugar is huge, and remember that it isn't just eating sugar directly, as in sweets, but also any carbohydrates that you eat will be converted into sugar. I definitely feel like crap when I eat too much sugar. But then I turn around and do it again at a later date. I don't think you need to shop at Whole Foods, though. Just buy veggies, fruits, and meats wherever you normally shop. Buy rice cakes instead of bread, and make them taste better by spreading something like hummus on them, or peanut butter, though some say peanuts are bad; there are other nut butters available. I'm not off dairy, either, though I don't actually drink milk. It seems like whatever we eat, someone will say it is bad... like soy, for example, as a replacement for dairy. I don't actually know what is wrong with it or with peanuts. But I think keeping it simple and sticking to high quality lean meats and fish along with veggies and fruits, as Phil says, and with maybe a minimal amount of carbs like rice, potatoes, or oatmeal, sounds like a good plan.

You might be stuck with the man boobs unless you do some upper body training. Not that I'm any sort of expert on that. But I've noticed that with woman boobs, if any of the fat goes away, they tend to deflate, which isn't attractive. Man boobs might be easier to deal with as the skin hasn't been stretched as much. Good luck with that!

[Alysia]

I recently borrowed a book from the library on stopping sugar. I'll look at it a little closer.
But it can be hard to keep the sugar, the flour, the oil, the this, the that in mind all the time - and I don't bring in the kind of $$ that allows shopping at Whole Foods for everything.
David

Hi David,
for stopping sugar, this is what I did years ago:
I decided that no sugar is allowed but 2 fruits for a day, and from time to time a bit of chocolate, mostly for the soul :wink1:
so it means that I am not allowed to drink any sweet drink, nothing, only water or tea without sugar inside, and not any food which contain sugars or sweet food, no cakes, no cookies, no candies, no bubble gums. also don't use any other sweetener. :sad:
the point is to make the body accustomed to less sweet foods. especially your sense of taste.
the first week is "hell" :mad1: you have some "weanning crisis", like one addicted to drugs, you want to eat something sweet :predrage:
but then if you overcome that crisis, then everything you will taste in the future will have a more sweet taste then before.
if you succeed and then spoil it, you have to try from the beginning but if you already did it, it wil be easier each time.
for other forbidden foods, I convinced myself that I shouldn't touch them.
p.s. my colon involvment forced me to make the changes in my nutrition, so I was very motivated. find yourself some strong motivation.
good luck !

[annekat]

I have just picked up a bottle of Brer Rabbit molasses (the most mainstream brand available here). Of course, it is a form of sugar or a by-product of the sugar making process. But it is not as sweet and contains other nutrients such as potassium, iron, calcium, and magnesium... maybe not a lot, but more than sugar. I find that dribbling a little on my oatmeal or yogurt or wherever I want a little sweetness is satisfying and will add some flavor. It comes in both regular and full flavor. Another good thing is that it doesn't take much, and because of the somewhat strong and distinctive flavor, you aren't as tempted to use too much, as with sugar.

[TOBEY32]

Thanks for the reminders.
I'm sure if I even just kept reducing what I do use and take in that will also help. Again, it's not as much as it used to be, but maybe still room for impovement...

[mishb]

David, I'm the same as you.

I'm down to 3mg and no change in face or stomach.

I cut most sugar out about 8 years ago. It wasn't hard at all.
I do like a chocolate biscuit or a donut every so often, but I don't add sugar to my tea and I don't have soft drinks etc.

I need to, and I know I can, do much more.

I still love food - herein lies the problem.
If only I could live comfortably on air and water :flapper:

We will get there one day :thumbsup:

[carriej22]

I have lost almost 40lbs now (still about that much left to go - prednisone really disfigured my "curvy" body into something else). Seems like some people don't put the weight on, but I BLEW up and have the ugly striae to prove it (I have a thread somewhere). I started trying to lose weight when I hit the 10mg mark, I'm now down to 2.5mg. The first twenty pounds came off quickly once I put some effort in, the last twenty weren't so easy... I am at a bit of a plateau right now so I guess I am going to have to exercise.

I still eat garbage food about every two weeks.. Every 2nd Friday is take out night, so it varies.. Sometimes garbage, sometimes more restaurant style food. I believe in treats and not denying yourself, there are worse things in life than eating a cheeseburger. Just like 1 salad won't make you skinny - 1 cheeseburger/1 steak/1 pizza (whatever) won't make you fat. Everything in moderation.

I limited myself, used smaller plates, drank more water... I limited bread to 1 slice per day, can't stomach gluten free bread.. Might as well eat a rice cake as that's what it reminds me of. I am not a sweet person anyway; so I never really cut down on sugar as I prefer salty over sweet.

No coffee, 355mls (one can) of soda per day, eating breakfast (I used to skip breakfast - but you should eat it to get your metabolism up), prepping easy food so I don't binge when I get into a snacky mood, and simply not having garbage in the house. No chips or dips, no microwave food, no canned garbage, very little prepared foods period other than condiments and some canned vegetables/sauces.

I also removed certain things from my diet... Like vegetable oil and margarine. Replaced with healthier alternatives like olive oil/coconut oil.

Very small things, but have made a huge difference. I also try to do only eat pasta once a week, and mostly just eat whole foods.

[annekat]

Congrats on the weight loss, Carrie... 40 lbs is a lot. I like that you are eating healthier but not denying yourself everything that you like. It's good to have a system and stick to it, without having to call it a diet, and it sounds like that is working for you. Oh, and the exercise... well, I know how that is. You can always walk Chance....

[carriej22]

Chance goes for a few short walks a day; but he can sometimes be lazier than me so not much of a motivator lol...

I won't do a diet... Ever. If I want something, I go get it. Else I will just get really frustrated with it and give up.

It also helps to not look at it like it's forever. I just tell myself "this is what I'm eating today" and I do it. Don't think of it like "Oh I can never eat this again!" Just think.. I can't have this today... Maybe another day.

[Wegetarian]

Nice tips carrie, thanks :)

[carriej22]

If it makes anyone feel better...

I ate pizza today!

hahaha

[BookNut]

HI!! In my case, wegener's was ruled out....but by that time I had become attached to the folks on this forum. I've been away because of other life circumstances...but got back on tonight and read your story. My PCP has been urging me to go on the "wheat belly" diet to help out with my "non-allergic rhinosinusitis". Basically, the diet is low carb and High Fat. The high fat has really helped to cut my carb urges. I get through the day by eating sausage in the morning, lots of organic peanut butter and FULL FAT yogurt. Full fat yogurt is hard to find. Plain Fage brand is very tasty with just a very small dab of jam to sweeten it. Trader Joes also has a full fat version. get rid of all the low fat stuff, which often has sugars and carbs in it to compensate. I have been following the diet for 10 days now and i am also taking prednisone. I have lost 7 pounds and have not been craving food. when i am dying for something with crunch, i eat rice cakes with peanut butter, or a handful of dry roasted peanuts. Awhile back, when my doctor told me to drop wheat, i assumed she meant just to get rid of gluten. I started to make gluten-free bread. i would say now that getting rid of bread in any form might be best, at least for me.

Best of luck!

[annekat]

Booknut! Jacquie! Good to hear from you! Well, your diet fits in with what I eat somewhat. I haven't read Wheat Belly, but would like to. I have recently cut way down on gluten by not eating bread. I still eat a couple whole wheat tortillas here and there, but haven't been eating wheat pasta or much other gluten that I can think of. What caught my eye was the rice cakes with peanut butter, and the whole milk yogurt, because I eat both of those quite a bit. A lot of diets or food advice people seem to say that peanuts or peanut butter are bad. I can't see the problem unless one is allergic to peanuts. I can't say I eat organic PB, but I eat Adams, which has no added sugar or hydrogenated fats. As for yogurt, I eat Mountain High whole milk yogurt, or various brands of Greek yogurt if I can find it on sale. Some lowfat flavored, if on sale, which I mix with the whole milk stuff to dilute the sugary fruits added. And dairy is another thing "they say" is bad. The idea of fat reducing the urge for carbs is intriguing. I can't afford to go out and buy the expensive organic brands of things, for the most part, although I do get organic veggies at the farmers market. And you didn't mention veggies. Believe it or not, I've never been to Trader Joes, although there is one here, and I know there are some pretty good deals on really good sounding foods, from reading the flyer. One of these days I will, when I can really go in there and buy stuff; right now my budget is such that I'd have to pick and choose and leave a lot behind that I'd like to get, and that doesn't seem like much fun. Anyway, it's good to hear another perspective on the diet thing, and still going along with the gluten free idea. When you say the "wheat belly diet", do you mean you are following one that is in the book?

[BookNut]

Glad the hear from you! Yes - the whole thing is a bit counterintuitive I am afraid. My PCP is an integrated medicine doctor - so she puts a lot of emphasis on natural solutions whenever possible. Her diet ideas are really kind of an amalgamation of ideas, but Wheat Belly and another book whose name I have forgot is part of it. The diet is officially called LCHF (Low-Carb High Fat). It is similar to the findings that our national weight and diabetes went up steadily back in the decades when food processors began to add high fructose corn syrup to everything. But this theory correlates the rise with the low-fat food movement as well. I will be curious to see what happens to my cholesterol levels. I eat peanuts mostly because of my poor teeth. I love almonds, and they are probably better for me - but they are too hard for my teeth to handle.

Most Veggies are fine on the diet. At least veggies grown in the summer. You have to keep portions down on potatoes and squash. And you have to be careful of fruit. Berries and summertime fruit have fewer carbs than "winter" fruits and tropical fruits. Apples are a little high in carbs - but not too bad. So, I often eat them for breakfast with peanut butter. I was surprised that I do not miss the bread. What I miss is oatmeal. But it has 28 grams of carbs. I find that if I eat things that have under 15 grams, I don't have to do any carb counting. If I have a "treat" such as oatmeal, I have to keep track of all the other carbs I eat.

The main reason my doctor wants me to try it - is for the anti-inflammatory effects of the diet, to see if we can call a halt or a slow-down to the constant sinusitis which exacerbates my asthma. She told me a side-effect would be weight loss. I told her it would never happen. I am too sick at the moment to get out walking and I have NEVER been able to lose weight any other way. Even on a strict 1200 calorie a day diet. So - you can imagine my surprise to lose 7 pounds!

Great to be back. I have to spend some more time catching up and finding out how everyone is doing! I spent the month of November in California with my cousin. We were raised together like brother and sister, and his wife passed away after a very long battle with COPD. He has no children, and her children live far away. He really needed to have someone with him. I was there a month. Fortunately, my health hung in there till I got back home. Maybe I am allergic to New York???

[Alysia]

Hi Jacquie,
I missed you :hug1:great to hear from you. come to visit more.
how are you these days ?

[annekat]

Jacquie, not much time to respond now, but the book I'm reading, or trying to, if I'm not too tired at night, is called The Immune System Recovery Plan, by Dr. Susan Blum, who calls herself a practitioner of Functional Medicine. But she tries to get people off dairy and peanuts. Then there is the Paleo diet, which some on here practice, which also disallows dairy and I'm not sure about peanuts. I think those both go easy on carbs, too, and high on animal protein and veggies. So you take any two diets and there will be discrepancies in approach. But the common thread on these three is no gluten. I have been eating oatmeal because I'm not worried about the small amount of gluten that might be in it from the processing plant, but I hadn't thought about the carbs. I've always heard it's good for you, e.g. for the gut and colon health. i eat some potatoes but try to go easy on them. I eat quite a few veggies with eggs and a limited amount of cheese. Well, as usual, we are all over the place, but I hope to talk more soon.

[BookNut]

Thanks Alysia. I have been OK. Just the chronic aspect gets you down - as you guys well know. I seem to cycle into downturns that lay me up for a week or two. But in between - generally OK.

Glad to be back!

[BookNut]

Anne - the number of diet theories out there is incredible. I guess the thing to do is to see if you can figure out what might be aggravating a situation and give it a try. If it turns out that dairy and peanuts are bothering me, I will have to give it up. I would be too hungry all the time if all I could eat was meat and veggies. I like veggies, but don't find them filling. And I have to force myself to eat meat. I just think that we are all so very different that making conclusions about a diet that will help a wide group of people is probably not realistic. Probably the best approach is to try to eat as "clean" as possible - avoiding highly processed and chemically treated foods.

Good to be back and hear from folks!!