I know steroids are commonly used for us with lupus.... I have been on them for months! Seeing as Im unable to meet with my new rheumy until December I cannot stop taking them until then.... I have slowly but surely been gaining weight. Alot of weight.. I was wondering if anyone else has or had been having issues with steroids and weight gain. If so how long were you on them? Also what did you do to get the weight off? Thanks!
My sister and i both have lupus and she gained a lot of weight also, she changed her eating to a lot of salads and fruit and began to walk, and now she is skinny again
I was on a high dose of steroids and titrated down over the course of about a year in high school and got VERY puffy and gained about 25 pounds. When I started steroids I was about 120 because I had lost so much weight during my flare and went up to about 145-150. I never lost all of it but it was much easier to lose the weight once I was feeling better and back to normal. Alot of the weight I feel is retention of water and just overall you feel more bloated. Right now im on a mixture of plaquenil and prednisone. I was on 20mg of prednisone and have titrated down to 5mg. I definitely gained some weight but i think most of it is that i have not been as active since being on the prednisone. The key is really watching what you eat while youre on the prednisone. I started to use a calorie counter app so that I can manage what kinds of calories im eating. I am still maintaining a low calorie (1500) diet and have not lost weight so my guess is just prednisone keeps that from happening. We will see if I lose the maybe 10 pounds I gained while on it in a couple weeks when im done! Good luck with everything!!
Sara
Second this- all snacky types of food are banned from my house and cooking is low fat- no fried foods no gravies and cheese sauces etc. Prednisone makes you HUNGRY- having only low calorie foods around will allow you to still eat without the massive weight gain. Want ice cream- have sorbet instead
Yes I agree. I noticed I was very hungry feeling on the higher doses but had to make myself concious of whether I was actually hungry or not. Sometimes the hardest things to avoid are the intense cravings that are not necessarily hunger related. Now that Im on the lower doses I really dont get hungry like I did before. It is all about realizing it and not mindlessly eating. It does get easier I promise! Good luck!
I had steriods years back for another reason besides lupus and went from 71/2 st to 18st and since then i've never touched them since but alot of members i've read who have been on steriods or who are on them have gained weight....it's all down to the bodies metabolism and how we respond to drugs in general.
This link may help you regarding losing weight while on prednisone.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/36682-lose-weight-prednisone/
Terri :)
Thank you all for the comments! I’ve just downloaded a calorie counter app… now I’m going to be conscious of all the uneccesary snacking…thank you all for the advice…
Hello haitianbarbie,
I glad the comments have been able to help you and the best of luck with your calorie counting and losing weight...we have another member "Roni"....who really as stuck to her diet and done so well, it's all down to determination in the end.
Love Terri :)
haitianbarbie88 said:
Thank you all for the comments! I've just downloaded a calorie counter app.. now I'm going to be conscious of all the uneccesary snacking...thank you all for the advice....