Help with a diet
I have been on Prednisone for some time now and have gained a great amount of weight. Can anyone help me find a way to loose some of this and still be on the medication?
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5 Comments:
Will the doctor who prescribed the drug refer you to see a nutritionist? It seems to me like a nutritionist or medical professional would be better able to help you counter the side effects of the medication. Plus, seems like a good excuse to have an in-depth professional analysis of your diet. For some reason that sounds cool to me.
blackolive at 12:53PM on 07/10/08
I hear you... I was on prednisone for a long time and my face looked like a balloon, not to mention the changes in mood. my body was not as heavy, but my cheeks were huge.
The thing is that this IS one of the side effects of the medication. So as long as you're on it, that'll happen. I was once 85lbs, but my face sure didn't looked as if i was at that weight. I am not familiar with your condition... but I have an IBS and some doctors believed in long-term steroids and medications, which I have found not to be the real solution to the issue.
Look for ways to ingest calcium and calcium-rich foods. There's the chance of developing cortisone-induced osteoporosis when on prednisone for long periods of time. So consume lots of dairy, spinach and other calcium-rich products daily. Even a calcium supplement to make sure you're getting what you need.
I am not a doctor... so my advice only comes from personal experience. If you want to loose some pounds... even on prednisone... try these:
Steer away from ALL sodas, even the diet kind - they're empty calories and chemicals to your system. i lost about 10 lbs when I did.
Steer away from refined anything - eat less processed foods, more whole grains, more fruits and veggies overall. My friend Kathleen lost a whole bunch of weight by just eating healthier.Here you can find some of her journey.
Try to eat less meat products - I am a vegetarian and I know that becoming a vegetarian is a big deal and people need to be ready for it. But if you consciously decide to eat no animal protein 2 days out of the week, it's a nice start. You'll not be vegetarian, but making it easier to eat healthier with more veggies and whole grains.
Drink LOTS of water, so your body can help eliminate a lot of toxins, including the prednisdone waste.
Exercise regularly... at least do some brisk walking. I remember when I was on prednisone that I slept little and was always alert. Use that energy (or external adrenaline you're getting) and move your body. As long as your condition allows, move that skeleton!!!
And last but not least... this is my advice from someone who was in your shoes... try to look for some alternative medicine to compliment your current traditional treatment. I have found that alternative doctors try to treat the root of the problem rather than just the symptoms. I am fortunate to have a gastro who's open to collaborate with my alternative/natural medicine doctor. Thanks to the combination of treatments, I am and have been on remission from my IBS condition and, happy to say, using no chemical medications.
It's been a process... I've been diagnosed for 16 years now. But your food can be your nourishment as well as your medicine. Stress contributes to a lot of inflamatory conditions, so yoga exercises and meditation can also help...
Hope you feel better overall and can shed some of those extra lbs that are bothering you. But most of all, I wish you all the HEALTH in the world!!!
Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking
MadelynRodriguez at 12:54PM on 07/10/08
i second the lots of water recommendation. it works for any diet but for prednisone specifically it really helped me work through those urges to eat everything.
the other thing that helped was not having any junk, snack food in the house that was not healthy. on steriods my willpower went down AND my cravings and urges went up, so i just couldn't have anything bad in the house. that plus putting myself on a budget for vending machine, coffee break, snack foods curbed a lot of the senseless eating.
i think being prepared is key. i've been through the steriod cycle a few times and by my forth go around i was so ready to tackle it i actually ended up dropping a few pounds -which was probably muscle but oh well, better than packing on fat pounds.
tinat at 1:31PM on 07/10/08
@blackolive -- as someone who has seen a nutritionist for health stuff for a couple of years, I can say that while I DO think it's cool to have my diet analyzed, I have to go into it completely modestly or else its super easy to get defensive!! I never quite want to write on my food log that I got up at 3 in the morning to have a big bowlful of chocolate and nuts washed down with hot cocoa!!
BUT, ssto1946, Madelyn's advice (above) sounds nurturing and healthful, and really all-encompassing. Best of luck overcoming this!
gretchenx5 at 8:42PM on 07/10/08
I was on high doses of Prednisone for about 5 months last year and created a diet that worked for me - obviously, you should talk with your doctor first and everyone's situation is different. I am lucky that I am small to begin with. However, I did a lot of research to create this diet and did not gain any weight or get the facial swelling that is common. Even my doctors were very surprised...I actually lost a few pounds!! I was very strict about it, and it worked for me, but it might be difficult for some.
The biggest thing I did was to avoid white foods with the exception of cheese. I can tell you I did not have even one piece of bread, not one french fry. That also means steering clear of sugar and salt. It's pretty hard, but I found that ultimately it changed my eating habits for the better! If you go to health food stores and look for gluten free products, you can find lots of yummy crackers that don't have all that processed flour. For breakfast every day I had Arrowhead Mills Organic Wheat Free 7 Grain Hot Cereal. On its own, it's not so good - but I added dried blueberries and almonds and it really filled me up. Sometimes I also made poached eggs with tarragon, olive oil, and goat cheese served over Kavli crisps and it is one of my favorite things to eat! I also ate a lot of yogurt (unsweetened) with fresh fruit. No granola.
Surprisingly, I actually ate a lot of cheese (steroids deplete calcium, as I'm sure you know) and had no issues with weight gain. For my other meals, I stuck with lots of proteins and veggies (lots of chicken and fish, grilled vegetables, sauteed spinach, that sort of thing). I also ate a lot of sushi (no soy sauce). If I wanted sweets I would have ginger slices or sometimes dried figs with goat cheese. I also never, ever drink soda anyway, so as others have mentioned, lots of water is always a good thing.
As a snack, I always kept (and still do) a stash of almonds with me. I find that when I need a snack, it gives the crunch I need and fills me up.
I also read a book "Coping with Prednisone" as part of my research - it has some recipes - but honestly the book mostly scared me so I'm not so sure I would recommend reading it beyond the food part.
One last thing. I also regularly started going to acupuncture. I'm not sure if that was a factor in my weight but it certainly helped with my overall well being, in my opinion.
I hope this info is helpful. Good luck!
KDK08 at 1:15PM on 07/12/08