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Is there any point in trying to lose weight when on prednisone?

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Posted 8/20/2011 1:30 PM (GMT 0)
So prednisone has caused me to gain almost 10lbs so far and its annoying to say the least. It didn't really start until I tried to taper down below 20mg unsuccessfully a few times and now I am back at 30mg. I am the first to acknowledge I don't eat the best, but when you aren't feeling well consistently, how can you? I am trying to exercise more(cardio) when I do have energy, but I wonder if prednisone will make losing this weight even more challenging. Thoughts?
Posted 8/20/2011 1:51 PM (GMT 0)
It will be tougher, but you'll be better off if you keep trying, as you might not gain as much. I always try to exercise while I'm on pred. I've also been drinking more water and eating better, and I think it's helped. That, or I get a different set of side-effects each time, lol.
Posted 8/20/2011 3:38 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with elephant, while it may seem futile, I think trying to keep it off is worthwhile. I think the most important thing is to keep eating the quantity of food you were eating before starting prednisone, even if you're hungry. I was hungry all the time on prednisone and I ate and ate and I gained a lot more thann 10 pounds. The weight didn't come on while I was on 40mg either, it crept up while I was tapering, slowly, I didn't even realize how much I gained or how difficult it would be to lose this weight. I was able to lose it but not until I got under 4mg of prednisone. While on prednisone, I stopped trying to keep weight off and I think it was a mistake. I seriously ate all the time. I heard lowering salt intake can help a bit.

What medications are you currently takng? Is your signature up to date? Just Asacol? What dose per day?

Posted 8/20/2011 4:04 PM (GMT 0)
i was just in the hospital 2 weeks ago and when i got in there, i weighed 95 lbs. within 2 days of being on 40 mg of pred, i went up to 130lbs. i felt so huge!! im home now and down to 35 mg (no tapering) a day with 50 mg of 6mp and i weigh even less at 92 lbs!! the water retention came off like really fast once i tapered the 5 mgs and now i look like a freakin skeleton.

is your weight just water weight or is it fat and muscle?? im trying to gain as much non water weight as possible by eating constantly and lifting soup cans as my weights. i start on remicade soon, too, so maybe that will make me fat. haha
Posted 8/20/2011 4:39 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, I figured I just need to try and exercise and eat better. I definitely was really hungry when I first started the pred and that lasted a little while and I'm a bit of a stress eater, so that didn't help either.

Yes, my sig is current, my doc just switched me from Apriso to Asacol(6 pills a day) in hopes of a possible (miracle) remission with that and Cimzia, which I am starting in the next week or so. Its my last hope before surgery and prednisone is really the only thing keeping me going.

I don't know if my weight is water weight or not, the weight is definitely in my middle and I think its starting in my face too..I guess I am lucky in that I have never been underweight during this disease. It wouldn't kill me to lose 20 lbs anyway, so adding 10 is unsettling.

Is it bad that I have wondered how much weight I would lose when I get surgery?
Posted 8/20/2011 7:24 PM (GMT 0)
Being sick combined with the prednisone will make weight control difficult. 1st if you don't feel like eating, and i certainly understand that, then you won't have enough fuel in the tank that it takes to exercise. If you do eat decently and take pred you will gain weight, all the more reason to exercise. I believe that exercising while on prednisone is key to not letting weight get out of control. In my nurses drug manual it lists exercise as a recommendation while on prednisone.
-dB
Posted 8/20/2011 11:32 PM (GMT 0)
I did get cravings from pred... I seriously went to Arby's like once a week.. possibly more (I still want to go... maye this week lol). But I balanced it out by eating well the rest of the time, less salt, more water, etc.
Posted 8/27/2011 10:38 PM (GMT 0)
Everyone told me to not worry about it too much. But being a fitness guru and someone who is always trying to keep my weight in check it was hard. I only gained a little. Probably would have been a lot more had I not been eating helathy (consuming a lot more calories than normal, but figured it was healthy food) and exercising a lot to try to counteract the eating/prednisone. It was definitely the better stints on prednisone. Gaining the least amount. I think it is riddiculous how someone blamed prednisone for gaining 50, 100, pounds. Those people obviously didn't try to hard to combat the prednisione effects.
Posted 8/27/2011 11:54 PM (GMT 0)
I don't get it. I lose up to 50 lbs every time I take prednisone. It erases all weightlifting. It is catabolic. I would think any weight gain is fat, but I am not even hungry on prednisone so I still do not understand.
Posted 8/29/2011 12:43 PM (GMT 0)
     Meredith, watch your salt intake while on prednisone.  It makes you retain fluid.  My blood pressure was off the wall while I was on that awful drug.  Before surgery, I had to take three different blood pressure meds.  I didn't really gain weight, probably because I had no appetite I was sooo sick most of the time.  Since surgery (June 28th, 2010) I did gain about 15 lbs but am sooo much healthier....no drugs except for on 1 pill...25 mgm of Toprol for BP.  Probably could go off that too but don't want to take the chance.  I am 65 yrs old. smilewinkgrin
Posted 8/29/2011 1:30 PM (GMT 0)
Absolutely!  Cravings are the hardest for me at least.  Although I'm not on prednisone anymore I was on SCD while I was on steroids.  I gained more than 20lbs.  But found that once I came of pred the weight fell off and I think it's because I was on SCD.  You can try the DUKAN diet too. I found it really easy to follow and incorportate into my life. 

Good Luck!

Posted 8/29/2011 7:14 PM (GMT 0)
I believe the two cause for Pred weight gain are increased appetite and water retention, but like all other Pred side effects, some get them more than others... At the same time, it is catabolic, which for me dropped off a lot of muscle mass, so like a guy, I've lost a good deal of weight while on Pred (and I would have loved to remain at the same weight, at least). but on the bright side, no moonface :), and just a small amount of acne.
Posted 8/29/2011 7:21 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, I'm calling myself 'full moon' these days, and you all can guess why. The weight gain is continuing sadly, even though I am trying to exercise and eat well. Sigh. I am getting moody and tired and somehow more jittery right now, so any more diet modification isn't realistic. Someday when I get off this crap, I will look and feel normal again.

Thanks for all the feedback and support!
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