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Posted 5/22/2007 9:35 PM (GMT 0)
For the past year I have been on a roller coaster with my lupus and my weight. And now it's spring going into summer fast and I am hmmmm how should I put this ...reaching maximum capacity. I could use half of me walking the other way and I would look great. LOL. I used to love to work out and now I just get so tired after a mild workout. The only thing I can think of doing is really cutting out all the junk sad   and eating super healthy. But I love cookies, cake and chocolate and it loves me so much that it stays with me on my hips, belly and behind. devil But I have to do something. Please how do you manage medications that make you fat, lupus, fatigue and needing to lose weight???? Please help.

 

 

Kitty

Posted 5/22/2007 10:13 PM (GMT 0)

Hey Kitty,
You must have read my mind.  I used to walk 2 miles every day and kept in pretty good shape but now I am so tired all the time or in some kind of pain somewhere in my body.  I have gotten so bad about grabbing a coke or sweet tea for the sugar and caffeine for a pick-up that  I think I am addicted!  I'm serious!  Anyway, like you said just eating healthy and doing any excercise that you can do will help.  You will probably lose it slower but that is better for you anyway.  Good luck!

While we are on the subject of weight, I have to rant a little here.  Do ya'll feel like some people don't take your diseases seriously because of being overweight?  The other day someone made the comment to me that I just needed to "get in shape". Some people tend to blame any medical problem on your weight. mad

Posted 5/22/2007 11:44 PM (GMT 0)
bamagal,

I know what your saying. I get such enjoyment from sweets. Hey I can't drink alcohol, I don't smoke and I don't use illegal drugs. At least I can eat sweets. I guess (it hurts to say) that I need to cut back or cut out all the sweets.

I have had some insensitive people tell me that I would have more energy and beat Lupus if I would lose weight. All I could say was OH wow that's all I have to do??? Ok lose weight and that will beat the Lupus. Heck they should be published. Some people say the most awful things. They blame everything on being overweight.

I don't like being overweight and I have to figure out how to lose it.

kitty

Posted 5/23/2007 12:14 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Kitty.  I reached max capacity about a year ago...5 feet tall (on a good day) and 199 lbs.  Shortly after that I stopped prednisone and lost 10 lbs which I kept off for many months.  Alas, I've been flaring lately, got back on the ever so addictive prednisone and flux between 195-198.  I read something interesting in a Lupus pamphlet, "Steroids may also cause a redistribution of fat, leading to a swollen face and abdomen, but thin arms and legs."  Now there is a really great euphemisim, redistribution of fat; read: fat a**.  I call it my old lady butt.  As for the exercise, many of us keep saying we need to run a post re running, swimming, weights, etc.  Until then I'll continue to click my heals together 3 times and say, "There's no place like body tone, there's no place like body tone." eyes   Tee hee.  Love to all. 

Posted 5/23/2007 12:38 AM (GMT 0)
I'm having the same problem right now too, i had a kidney transplant last year and i still havent gotten rid of the weight from that and i am having a flare so i am on 60 mg of prednisone right now. what i would really love is for those people who tell you your just out of shape and and being "lazy" that they need to walk a mile in my shoes (cuz i sure as hell can't), and they dont listen when you try to explain nicely at first that the energy it takes to exercise is used up just by getting up in the morning and taking ALL the medicine that does this to you in the first place. at least my hubby is supportive. i'm only 5'0 and i have gained a ton a of weight, the last time i went to the doctor i had the nurse weigh me with my back to the scale, i knew i gained weight but i figured that was the last thing i needed to be stressed about, even my doc didnt say anything about it. and i am also a sweet junkie, although with the high dosage of prednisone i am not craving sweets as much, thank god for the small things, and hopefully now that i can taper i will get a little smaller again. sorry if this doesnt make any sense.
Posted 5/23/2007 3:54 AM (GMT 0)
Kitty,

There is no magic in losing weight.  Change what you eat, eat less, eat healthier, and be more active.  If you are on prednisone limit your carbs and stay away from sweets as much as possible.  Just don't go cold turkey.....most of us will revert.  Reward yourself once or twice a week with your favorite whatever.

I lost 40 lbs of muscle when I was first sick in Dec 2005 and gained it back and a little more.  Even though I have been on pred for more than a year and a half I have brought my weight to a desired level.  Just lost 6 lbs in about 6 weeks without being on a diet.

Changing your habits and increasing your activity (if you can) are the only ways to lose weight and KEEP it off.  I think that many people on pred blame it for all their weight problems when their eating habits are the main culprit.  Pred does complicate things but so does eating too much of the wrong foods.

Bill

Posted 5/23/2007 4:28 AM (GMT 0)

Ok Ladies - lets get you on the right track!!!     

Be Positive!!!

I've read all the posts - and first and foremost - sweets ARE addictive.  If you give in today - you are going to crave again tomorrow.  Seriously, you have to limit the sweets - the last thing you need is to be dealing with diabetes.

I have battled weight all my life.  I still go up and down!  I think I look good.  What you need is a change of attitude!  Learn to think about food and you in a whole new light!  

Tell me a bit about what you eat... I'll see if some subtle changes might help shed some (but not too many)pounds because...

Phat = Pretty, Hot And Thick...

Sands....


Post Edited (sandspoker) : 5/22/2007 10:35:04 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/23/2007 2:47 PM (GMT 0)

Bsime said...
Kitty,

There is no magic in losing weight.  Change what you eat, eat less, eat healthier, and be more active.  If you are on prednisone limit your carbs and stay away from sweets as much as possible.  Just don't go cold turkey.....most of us will revert.  Reward yourself once or twice a week with your favorite whatever.

I lost 40 lbs of muscle when I was first sick in Dec 2005 and gained it back and a little more.  Even though I have been on pred for more than a year and a half I have brought my weight to a desired level.  Just lost 6 lbs in about 6 weeks without being on a diet.

Changing your habits and increasing your activity (if you can) are the only ways to lose weight and KEEP it off.  I think that many people on pred blame it for all their weight problems when their eating habits are the main culprit.  Pred does complicate things but so does eating too much of the wrong foods.

Bill

I could not have said it better myself......

There is one secret to weight loss, move more, eat less!

Increasing activity when you feel like hell is tough. I was weight training 6 days a week for over 4 yrs. Now that I am sick and feel like a bag of poo most of the time, I only get to the gym 1-2 x a week. I also swim once a week. Whether I feel like heck or not. It's certainly not easy, but ya just do it.

If you cannot get out to walk or to the gym. Make a small simple routine u can do at home.

Staying away from sweets is tough (I am a recovering sweetaholic) It is an addiction. Try not to eat sweets for one week and you'll notice you will not crave them anymore.

Eat lots of protein, lower your carbs and drink a ton of water. Do not eat carbs after 3:00 pm and when you eat carbs, eat only clean carbs (sweet potatos, veggies, whole wheat). And yes CHEAT CHEAT CHEAT once a week. If you don't cheat, you will never succeed

And don't expect results right away or you''ll get disappointed. Take your time to adjust to a new eating habit.

Good luck and keep up the fight :-)

Jen

Posted 5/23/2007 3:01 PM (GMT 0)
I see you have PCOS, Kitty. Do you see an endocrinologist? A big part of PCOS is metabolic and results in insulin resistance (which prevents you from losing weight). That is why Metformin (Glucophage) is prescribed as a treatment for PCOS. I've had two opinions from endocrinologist and both have agree it is the standard in treatment these days. I happen to be one of the lucky ones that doesn't have weight issues, but if you go to www.soulcysters.net you will find a lot of success stories. It did regulate my periods and reduce the hair growth so I've had success with it too.
Posted 5/24/2007 12:56 AM (GMT 0)

Hey Sands,
I agree that sugar is definitely addictive for me although actually I eat pretty healthy.  It is just what I drink that has the sugar.  Go figure!  I am really trying to drink a lot of water.  I don't usually like diet sodas but I drank a diet mt. dew today and actually thought it tasted pretty good.  I am really working on it but it is so hard. 

Bama

Posted 5/24/2007 2:51 AM (GMT 0)

Everyone is so right. And I know what I really need to do to lose the weight. It's just harder with having lupus now. I think I have been in denial about the weight I have gained and depressed off and on this past year. I just needed a kick in the pants to get moving. And yes moving is an issue. I have to get used to the way my body feels and responds now to movement. It's almost like I went to sleep and someone in the middle of the night switched bodies. lol. And I have had this unrealistic fear that if I exercise and get tired then I will go into a flare. And I know that won't happen. Anyway, I am going to take my time and lower my sweets (no cold turkey I might go through withdrawals. lol) and start out by walking.

Thankyou for the inspiration!!! yeah yeah

Trying2Bfree, I see an endo and she has gotten side tracked with my thyroid. My PCOS has taken the back burner. I haven't tried Metformin yet. When I see you next I will ask her about it. Metformin helped with hair growth?? My PCOS has been giving me problems and I am seeing the gyno everyother month. Lupus and PCOS I guess don't mix and they aggravate each other. Ok so now I am going to ask the endo about meds for PCOS. OH yea more colorful pills. lol. Thankyou for the info. If you have anything else that would help please share.

kitty

Posted 5/24/2007 6:00 AM (GMT 0)
Hi--
I'm not recommending a diet, but the only one that ever worked for me caused me to lose 60 lbs and keep it off. I'm still overweigh but not obese and have hit a plateau. I can't eat carbs, no potatoes, bread, pasta, etc, and don't crave them if I don't eat them. You only crave what you eat and this is really really true. Slimjims and beef jerky and celery were my candy bar replacements. Many athletes I've talked to at the gym eat the same thing every day, usually boiled chicken breast, some kind of vegetable, and then drink special drinks. The craving thing, that is definitely true. I eat too much meat probably and lots of pressure cooked vegetables and fresh vegetables and a limited amount of fruit, this because I'm a diabetic. I no longer worry about fat, but don't eat gobs of it either, just prefer butter to margarine and use dressing on my salad and like steak. Despite my higher meat and fat intake, my cholesterol has almost reached normal, coming down a lot, and my liver levels have reached normal, though I have fatty liver and take metformin. This diet was recommended to me by my hepatologist. I have added back some carbs, I was down to 12 g a day, eating six times a day, for quick loss, and progress is slower. I use strips to test my urine and a blood sugar meter. I've also had my thyroid dx, Im hypothyroid, but havent experienced any weight loss due to that, unfortunately. I'm not recommending a diet, just telling you that there are diets out there now that work, can allow you to eat and feel full and eat plenty and your doc ought to be able to suggest one to you. A recent change Ive made has been to add baked salmon to my diet at least once a week for the omega three. I need to get as much vitamins as I can from my food as my liver can't deal with lots of suppliements. All my docs say whatever I'm doing is working for me so just stay with it till I get down to where I need to be. After drinking diet sodas, I can't stand a real one, it tastes too flat and sweet. I prefer splenda sweetened stuff. Oh, you can get a sugar meter without being diabetic. I got one to get my doc to test me because she didn't believe me. It helps to show what foods are bad for you too.
Posted 5/24/2007 1:52 PM (GMT 0)
They eat boiled chicken? Gross! I am a fitness nut and let me tell you (I've been working out and eating well for 8 yrs) and never have I even thought about making boiled chicken...haha! I bake or BBQ it.

I would also suggest NO SODA, not even diet. Nutrasweet is a known irritant. Of course you won't find this research from the FDA, b/c nutrasweet (aspertame) is manuf. by one of the world largest chemical companies, Monsanto and Monsanto funds the FDA (google it)
ASPERTAME is a chemical. Did you know in China and Japan, diet sodas are made with Stevia. A natural sweetener.
For the sugar addicts on here, google stevia. A safe healthy ZERO calorie alternative to sugar.

We have LUPUS folks, and ingesting a chemical the body does not know how to process is asking for trouble. You're better off drinking a sugar filled soda in my eyes.
Ever wonder why auto immune illness and cancer is at an all time high????.........chemicals in our foods, air etc.

Another interesting tidbit for those looking to lose weight, Make sure you eat FAT. Yes fat....the good essential fats. You need to watch the labels and make sure the sat. fats are low or non-existant.
The essensial fats are olive oil, avacado, nuts (not peanuts), fish oils (omegas) and flax seed.
You see, our bodies cling to bad fat (the fat around your belly and thighs) b/c the body does not want to starve and keep the bad fat around.
This is why it's IMPERATIVE to eat 5-6 small meals a day and not 3 large ones. When ppl skip breakfast (or any meal) thinking they will lose weight, that's wrong. The body then believes it's going to be starved and then the metabolism slows down. Once the metabolism slows, the body starts to store fat for future. The more you eat, the faster the metabolism works.
Now this is how the good fats work here. If you feed your body the good fats, the body will then allow the bad fats (in the belly etc) to release. The body needs fat to live, but our bodies cannot distinguish between good and bad fat, so when we eat ONLY good fat, our brain tells our bodies "you will not starve so you can now shed fat". But ya see, when only eating good fat, good fat will never turn into the ugly belly and thigh fat, it's burned off and not stored.


Again, the best and ONLY way to lose weight healthy is to move and eat well.

Post Edited (peacesoul) : 5/24/2007 11:24:11 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/24/2007 2:02 PM (GMT 0)
I am waiting for a book to come in that I bought called: American Heart Association No-Fad Diet: A Personal Plan for Healthy Weight Loss. I have heard wonderful things about it and that its a complete guide on taking care of yourself. I should be getting it tomorrow in the mail so I will let you know if it looks good or not. I didn't intend on it being a weight loss/diet kind of book but more of a healthy living type of thing for me, my husband and my son. Heart disease and diabetes run in his family and my son already has a high cholesterol at age 13. The weight loss thing is just a bonus. Since its "no-fad" means that its not an overnight drop 10 pounds type of thing but those seem like they set you up for failure anyway. I'll let you know.

Take Care
Posted 5/24/2007 5:26 PM (GMT 0)
Hello Ladies . . . Gentleman!!

I just popped in to see what's up and I saw this great string.

YES!! to Stevia (available powder or liquid at health food stores). Stevia comes in different concentrations so you will see a huge price difference from one pachage to the next, but is is an all natural product and zero calories . . . considered a good thing even by people who eat only organic.

One thing that might help you avoid sugar . . . . sugar causes INFLAMATION. So it is a huge enemy. I see above that someone said that the artificial sweetners are also irritants (causing inflamation). . . I didn't know that but I do avoid them totally because they are so controversial and my body is already confused.

I've lost 20lbs in 2007 and have been lured back by sweets. I plan to stop it NOW. I don't want to gain back any of that weight.

Nice to see old and new friends.

Blessings!
Posted 5/25/2007 2:47 AM (GMT 0)
I know nutrasweet is bad and my ex husband was a sciencewriter and looked at the microbiology of it and it is supposed to be very bad for children whose brains are developing. Now we know our brains develop until we are in our twenties so logic follows. I like splenda, don't know if that's good, but also like stevia, just very expensive where I live, like six bucks for a little box of packets in the healthfood store, can't get it at the Pig. I lost so much weight when I got off a low fat diet and my cholesterol went down and liver levels returned to normal with the weight loss. 60 lbs in 3 mos and kept off for over two years now, even though I'm at a plateau, I'm not "dying" like I was, literally dying from my liver. Caffeine is bad, and now I have this bladder problem I can't have any fruit or nuts, no juice, no tea, just plain water or milk if I want it. No soy either. It is awful. I don't know what I'll eat and drink anymore. This is for diabetes and interstitial cystitis. I agree that eating more than three times a day, eating only until full not stuffed, and eating high quality food was the key to losing 60 lbs. I was really overweight though, now I'm just under obese and cant seem to move from there, no matter what.
Posted 5/26/2007 4:30 AM (GMT 0)
Kitty--
I unfortunately am in that same cycle, of liking to work out and be active but not having no energy. And in response to Bamagal, I totally feel like people look at me and think that I am "out of shape." esp since I am technically in diagnosis limbo, and I always get the response of "what do you mean they dont know whats wrong with you??"

Anyhow Kitty I noticed that you have PCOS as a diagnosis but are not on Glucophage. PCOS causes increase in testosterone and a few other hormones. In return it causes your cells to become insulin resistent. Causing your body to store more sugars and crave more of those wonderful carbs (cookies, cakes, and chocolate). The glucophage sucks at first because you get some GI issues, kinda like starting Plaquenil. I would talk to your MD about starting on Glucophage. See if you can find some literature and bring it in to him. I am sure there is a site just for PCOS. I think it is a fairly new treatment. Good Luck!
Melissa
Posted 5/27/2007 10:18 PM (GMT 0)

cured4real? said...
I know nutrasweet is bad and my ex husband was a sciencewriter and looked at the microbiology of it and it is supposed to be very bad for children whose brains are developing. Now we know our brains develop until we are in our twenties so logic follows. I like splenda, don't know if that's good, but also like stevia, just very expensive where I live, like six bucks for a little box of packets in the healthfood store, can't get it at the Pig. I lost so much weight when I got off a low fat diet and my cholesterol went down and liver levels returned to normal with the weight loss. 60 lbs in 3 mos and kept off for over two years now, even though I'm at a plateau, I'm not "dying" like I was, literally dying from my liver. Caffeine is bad, and now I have this bladder problem I can't have any fruit or nuts, no juice, no tea, just plain water or milk if I want it. No soy either. It is awful. I don't know what I'll eat and drink anymore. This is for diabetes and interstitial cystitis. I agree that eating more than three times a day, eating only until full not stuffed, and eating high quality food was the key to losing 60 lbs. I was really overweight though, now I'm just under obese and cant seem to move from there, no matter what.

Good stuff losing 60 lbs. That is something to be very proud of. When you hit a plateau, what you need to do it shock your body. Trick your metabolism.

It's like a bodybuilder, they work out hard, gain muscle then hit a plateau. At that point, you need to shock the muscle by changing the work out.

Losing more weight can be achieved by looking at the times you eat, and change them. Walking early in the AM on an empty stomach.

Eat more in smaller portions. Basically, doing opposite of what you're doing now.

Stevia is costly. It's $10 for a small box up here in Montreal, but I so rarely use it.
I have to admit, I do eat sugar. But I eat so little of it, I don't worry.

I also do not drink anything with caffeine. I've not in many years. I drink a ton of water and very little juice.
It is tough to change and cut the items we so love, but the benefits are so worth it.

Keep up the GREAT work...........:-)

Jen

Posted 5/31/2007 6:04 AM (GMT 0)
Losing the weight is tough. Every time I tried I'd get frusterated. Low carb, low fat, exercise -- nothing worked. When I'd try to exercise, I'd either get really exhausted for the next five days or my blood levels (I have clotting issues) would go into the basement. It was almost like trying to be healthy was defeating the purpose. So I stopped "dieting" and started drinking more water. That helped a lot. It was slow weight loss, but I am down to 185 (from a max of 210). It's still a work in progress, but at least it is slowly coming off. Coming to terms with lupus also means coming to terms with the new you. You have new limitations, new body, new responsibilities. It's almost like you have to disregard everything you knew about your old body to get to know your new one. Like the fact that pre-lupus I was a 36D bra and now I am a 36I!! How messed up is that! I hope that my insurance will cover a reduction -- I think there is about 10 pounds of weight right there!

peachy
Posted 5/31/2007 2:15 PM (GMT 0)
Well... tongue , one could always get clostridium difficile (the intestinal bacteria that I picked up in hospital)

You all know I am joking and wouldnt wish it on ANYONE. But... I have to drink boosts and ensures just so i can keep my tailbone from high centering in the bathtub! What a pain.

Is there never a middle ground?

Darlene
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