weight gain :(

[AmyA]

So I am still new here and I'm sure the subject has been raised, but I am really struggling with the Prednisone weight gain. More than anything it's a major blow to the ol' self esteem. Any tips on how to cope?

[Rita.M]

Hi AmyA. I have been on pred. for 4 mths. now & am down to 10mg. They told me i would stack on the weight but so far i have not.
I get so hungry, so when i feel like eating everything in sight i drink a glass of water. I have to drink lots of water so it works for me .The only draw back is
always going to the toilet, especially when you go out. Also keep active if you can . Cheers Rita.

[Sangye]

Amy, what I've learned from being on high-dose pred more than once: You will most likely crave salty, sweet and fatty foods like nobody's business. Don't even take a bite of them. Pred makes them taste WAY better than normal and you won't be able to stop if you start. Chips, sweets, dairy foods like cottage cheese-- just don't do it.

When I first went on pred I didn't know it would increase my appetite. I was ravenous, eating everything in sight, even foods I never really liked before. I also began eating in the middle of the night--something that has always repulsed me. I thought my increased appetite was due to being extremely anemic, depleted and due to the chemo. I gained 40 lbs in 4 months!

[Al]

Sorry, Amy--I am not really the right guy to talk about this, since I am in the minority who has lost weight on pred. I do not know why this is so. On high pred doses, my appetite was giant, and my calorie intake was prodigious (and, yes, I sometimes raided the refrigerator in the middle of those sleepless nights; no chips, though, or anything salty, and very little sweet stuff). True, I did keep active--even in the hospital I would do hundreds of laps a day. Yet, other Weggies have been as or more active without avoiding the "moonface". I suspect something different is going on with metabolism. Another anomaly: I have never had problems controlling glucose. (I don't avoid sweets; neither do I crave them.)

i am afraid my example does not add much oo he discussion. "i hope others will chime in....

Al

[Rita.M]

Hi Al, Like you I lost weight when I was on high dose pred, the doctors said it was probably due to my metabolism as I was super active, not sleeping & not able to sit and relax.
Now that I'm down to 10mg my weight is back to normal. I got so hungry & still have days when I could eat all day so I dont buy chocolate(my addiction).I will be glad when I'm off the stuff but really scared my joint pain will
come back.
Rita.

[Dryhill]

I got so hungry & still have days when I could eat all day so I dont buy chocolate(my addiction).Rita.

How do you do that, surely it is against the law? When I go in a shop where there is chocolate (in the uk that includes petrol stations) I can hear it talking to me, saying "buy me, eat me". I was taught to do what I was told, so I do.

AmyA, my advice is to live on an island that only has plenty of fruit and vegetables and none of the really nice food like chips, chocolate, cheese, crisps and good healthy fatty meats.

Jim

[NicShaf]

Hey Amy,
This subject has been raised before, and for good reason. It is one of the harder parts of Pred side effects to deal with. I put on about 50lbs in the first 7-8 months on Pred, it kind of stayed there after that.
I don't know if there is any good way to cope with it, I've had a tough time. I bought some new clothes for work that fit comfortably and I felt good in, and that has helped me day to day. Avoiding Sugar and Salt as much as you can is a good way to help fight the weight gain a little...or so I've read; I didn't have enough self control in that department all the time, especially in that hormonal time of the month
I hope you can find something that makes you feel better.