Can't lose Pred weight?!

I was on Prednisone for just under five months this time and gained about 10lbs (I finished my taper in mid February). I ate very healthily while I was on pred and have continued to do so since. The only exercise I can do right now is walking as I'm still quite badly anaemic and got bad joints from the steroids, but I walk for about 2-3 miles per day with my dog. Although the moonface seems to be going down, my weight only seems to be going up! I can't eat any healthier than I am, I've mostly cut sodium out of my diet, I'm drinking 2L of water a day... I just want to shift those 10lbs and feel like myself again! Anyone have a similar experience/any advice? I'm not sure what else to do. Thank you!

Walking is great! It naturally lowers your cortisol levels which i am sure are high from prednisone. Keep doing that daily as well as add in some weight/resistance training. You need to build up your bones and muscles again. Muscles increase your metabolic rate more than carrying around fat.

If you really wanna lose, you gotta cut out carbs. Limit to one piece of fruit max per day and eat lots of protein and fat. If you can eat veggies, load up on those to keep you full.

I would also do some stress relieving activities since stress can trigger weight gain. Baths, meditation, massages, yoga/stretching!

I think it is really hard to lose such a small amount as 10 pounds with diet. I totally agree with the advice about adding weight/resistance training. It makes a huge difference.

After your walk, maybe consider adding a combination of some exercises like, pushups, planks, core work (google core exercise, there are tons), and some squats and lunges with weights. with after walking. Adding 10 minutes of those might be enough to make a difference. Just go slowly in the beginning until you see how your anemia is going to affect you abilities to do any exercise.

In the past I have used timers and more recently an app called, Map My Run, to keep track of my routes and times while out on the road. It is a great to keep track of how far and how fast you are going on your walks so you can see your progress as you get faster and stronger.

Good luck. I've been there before too!

I know a teenage boy and and adult don't lose weight the same way, but fwiw..... my son gained a huge moon face and was always about 15 extra pounds overweight after years on steroids. about six months after he stopped them, the weight and moon faced disappeared all at once over the course of a week or so. It was quite dramatic. So maybe the weight loss will get easier over time.