concerned about my weight

Good Sunday morning everyone. well as we know all to well the pred. can make you can weight. over the past 2 months I have gained 10 lbs. I am now a whopping 170 and I'm only 5'4! I don't like looking like a balloon. I can actually hold my weight at 155 pretty well because of my bone structure. My biggest concern though is I already have high blood pressure and am on medicine for it. I don't want to have to take more. I want to feel the  best I can with the cards Ive been dealt. My brother (bless his heart) is sending me some money. Which he knows I could really use about now. If anyone can suggest somthing that might help curb my appetite (no stimulants please). or a life style change?

Also has anyone gone through days and days of living in a fog? I tried for about 5 days to come on here and post replys and I could maybe post one two at best and than I was so confused I had to quit. On other days I couldn't post anything just stared at the board. I don't know if it's the medicine or me.

as long as I'm dumping everything if you all didn't catch my post about b12 the doctor said I needed to add it but my # were 236 and that is in range I thought? also the social security sent me a letter saying they were not going to give me it anymore because I get too much from my widows pension. They figured that in june I receive 2 checks from the v.a. This is not true. Yes I get 2 checks but the first one comes on the 1st and the second one comes on the 29 because the first of july is on a weekend.. If they go by that type of figuring I don't get anything in july! so now I'm back to fighting with them and I can't even get medicaid until they figure it out. Which means I can't get a rhumy until than. I need to see an opthamologist in a real big way since i'm on 800mil. of plaq. so what ever my v.a. insurance doesn't cover I will have to put it out. All because of some (person) in the ss office.

well anyway  need to go shower for church thanks for listening and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

love and God bless

carol

Carol,

I know that prednisone changes our metabolism and redistributes fat to our abdomen, face, and back.  Been taking pred since 2005 and hope to be off later this year.  I lost 40+ lbs of muscle due to polymyositis and have gained the weight back (not all of the muscle) and now weigh the same as I did before getting sick and the same as I did at 16...almost 50 years ago.  It is possible to control your weight while on pred (I started on 60mg and am down to 8mg) but it is more difficult.  I needed to gain some weight back and allowed myself to do it.  Once I hit my goals I started a plan to control what and how much I ate.  Went a little over my ideal weight but have lost that in the past 2 months.

Do not believe in diets but in eating healthy and changing your eating habits if necessary.  We all have comfort foods that are probably very high in calories and have little or no nutritional value.  IN times of stress we tend to eat more of those foods.  If you combine increased inactivity due to disease and lower metabolism due to meds and/or less muscle mass, that is a formula for gaining weight.  It is not just the prednisone although many blame it on the meds.

Look at what you eat and when.  Eliminate the high calorie foods and substitute them with more nutritional ones.  Reward yourself weekly with small servings of your favorite "bad" food so that you don't go crazy and abandon all attempts to control your eating habits.  Eat smaller portions.  Increase your activity, even if it is just walking for a few minutes daily.  All of this has a cumulative effect and over time will result in weight loss.  A small reduction of 250 calories daily and an increase in acivity to burn 250 calories will result in a 1 lb per week weight loss.  I have seen studies that losing more than about 5 lbs per month makes it difficult to retain the loss.

Our bodies are conditioned to respond to lower calorie intake by lower your metabolism as well.  Diets will work temporarily but without a change of eating habits your body will not adjust to a different weight level.

I am not a nutritionist but have been able to maintain a healthy weight my entire life by being prudent.  Only gained significant weight once after an injury but was able to lose it all through exercise and portion control.  Ate pretty much what I wanted but in lower amounts.

Bill

 

I think the best healthy eating plan is balancing your food (all meals and snacks) with equal parts good fat, lean protein and good carbs. That is the best way to let your body process the foods and jump start your metabolism. This isnt a fad diet but simply a smart way to eat. Even whole fruits contain lots of sugar and carbs - stick to berries as much as possible. Not only do they have the least amount of natural carbs they are the fruits most heavily ladened with anti oxidants. Making small changes will go a long way in upping your nutrition... dark leafy greans instead of iceburg lettuce, sweet potato instead of starchy white potato, lean cuts of poultry, pork and fish instead of beef, green tea instead of coffee, skim milk instead of whole milk, brown/whole grain rice and pasta instead of white rice and regular pasta. Avoid pkg'd foods that are labeled as "fat free" as the fat is replaced by sugar. Instead opt for whole fresh food or food labeled as "low fat". Incorporate soy in your diet for heart health and the reduced fat aspect. Even bottled dressings contains tons of fat, sugar and carbs. It is really simple to make your own dressings with a blender using olive oil, fresh herbs and spices, citrus and garlic. Also watching your salt intake is important.

Its tough when you are on prednisone to control your weight and appetite. It is nearly impossible to lose weight w/o some form of physical activity. Even if you have to sit in a chair and do a "chair workout" doing something for 20-30 min. each day can make a huge difference.

Hope this helps!

Okie,

Hi girlfriend! Sorry've been busy and out of tough. Bsime has the right idea. The changing what it is that you are doing is *huge*.. Diet is a key thing, and Patty,Omega, CityGirl all know that. It is tough, so tough!
I love you. How are you doing today?

Sue

I think the most important thing to remember is nothing will happen overnight. Generally speaking if a person gained 100 pounds chances are it took a while for the weight gain. If somebody is 50,000 in credit card debt chances are the downard spiral of debt took a long time. You didnt gain extra weight overnight so give yourself a break when trying to lose it. One step at a time. Cleaning out all the bad stuff is a GREAT first step!

It might help to set small goals on a weekly basis. For example, this week set the goal to only eat fresh fruit and veggies without any dip as snacks and nothing else... next week add in another goal. Once you teach your body the new way of eating you will actually start to crave good, fresh, whole healthy food. It sounds strange I know but it really does happen.

Eating healthy can be very expensive. It might help to really educate yourself on seasonal produce. I buy a ton of fresh fruits and veggies in season and freeze them. There are all kinds of sites online that can teach you how to properly prep your produce for long term freezer storage. Right now the sweet potatos at my market are HUGE. I bake one, skin it and divide the "meat" of the potato in thirds. As a side dish I can get three servings from one giant potato. Baked/mashed sweet potato freezes wonderfully. I only add cracked black pepper to mine. Not only do they have lots of vit. C they also help satisfy a sweet craving and they are very filling. Berries also freeze very well. Buying in season can really cut the cost for fresh produce.