Can you loose weight while on Prednisone?

LisaMB7714

I have 5 autoimmunes and a whole lot of other health issues. I've been on and off prednisone almost my whole life due to my breathing issues/disroders and the autoimmune issues as well. You can lose weight on prednisone it's just harder.

meluka29

I had a kidney pancreas transplant 6 months ago i have gain 30 pounds and i dont know how to loose them i ve tried everything but the steroids dont let me loose no pounds at all . I dont know what to do i am trying to do everything to loose them but its junst not functioning....

leslina42

I was recently diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder Sarcoidosis, I'm on week 4 of a 12 month regiment of Prednisone treatment and immunosuppressant treatment. My current dosage is 40 mg. I've been working really hard to lose weight; walking 3x a week and following a stringent high protein/ low carb diet. I haven't gained any weight, but it's been a lot harder to lose weight for sure. Taking comfort that I'm not alone in this battle. When I get cravings or hunger pangs I drink a cup of green tea and that seems to help curb the cravings and pangs. I am most concerned with developing diabetes being on steroids for such a long time.

medic218mc

Hey I found out August of last year that I had ulcerative colitis. I weighed 175 at the time and was fairly healthy I was then put on prednisone and gained 50 lbs. I remained in remission for several months not paying attention to my weight cause I did not notice a the 50 lbs gained. Went with son to a pack hike and realized how out of shape I was. I started working out very hard this past month and with myfitnesspal it was doing really well had energy. Losing weight with relative ease lost actually 10 lbs in month. But during the last two weeks I had knee pain. I went to doctor to find out that I had bursitis in my right and was prescribed dicofenlic and my colitis flared like none other. Now I am getting put back on prednisone and really hate it cause I can not afford to back track again or gain another 50 lbs. is there any thoughts as how manage through this and not fall back do much. I feel so horrible cause I was actually about to keep up with my boys both active and now I just feel run down. If anybody a meal plan that could help me stay close to weight so once I can get off. I won't be so bad off with my weight. I would love the assistance t

lucful

I've got lupus nephritis and am on presi. I was on it earlier but i was not exercising or eating better. Now I as i am on it, I have been able to loose weight alright my face is still a little bigger, but the calorie tracking and exercising are keeping my face from being as big as it was the first-time.

33Freya

You will puff up on that, but watch your calories and work out. Concentrate more on body composition as opposed to the number on the scale and you'll do yourself some good. Good luck!

Ang108

I need to loose at least 10 lbs. I am starting today. I am on prednisone for an autoimmune disease. I know you usually gain weight on this medication. How hard is it to acually loose weight on this. Am I fighting a loosing battle?

I am on high doses of Prednisone as well s Dexamethasone ( plus I am older....past 65) due to almost life long RA as well as active systemic Lupus for the last three years. I have to be very disciplined in regard to my calorie intake as well as the quality of the calories I ingest. Due to age and height ( under 5 feet ) I eat 1200 calories a day and walk 45 minutes six days a week. I have lost 50 pounds over the last year. In case you are interested....my food log is open.

cz_scrap

It was so good to read all your stories. 3 years ago I lost 30 pounds on weight watchers-looked and felt better than in years, but I was still having difficulty going up stairs and climbing a step that was high. Then one day, my legs went out from under me as I was getting on a shuttle bus. I mentioned this to my rheumatologist who dx my with polymyositis-put me on 60 mgs of prednisone. I didn't handle it well and gave up and just ate everything-feeling what's the use. I just got down to 5mgs last month, but was dx yesterday with vasculitis-and was put back on to 40 mgs. I'm at my upper weight now and just do not want to gain any more. I'm determined not to freak out like I did last time so it was good to hear the stories of those of you that have maintained or lost weight. I'm with the camp that doesn't like the side affects, but am so glad there is this medication as I don't want to imagine what my life would be like without it. I started tracking today and will focus on eating lots of veggies, some fruit, some protein, a little carb and exercising(once these lesions on my leg heal-eww-they are gross but I'm hoping the prednisone helps quickly-)

vtcapel

Hi, i've been taking prednisone for a year already decresing dosis. Now im at 12.5mg I got diagnose Dermatomyositis and besides the monthly internations at thr hospital for gammaglobuline i was on solumedrol, another steroid. At first i lost 15 lbs gained from my illness and felt good about, but after two months on 60mg prednisone got blowned up. I have always kept a healthy eating habit, but it didnt stopped the weight gain. I've gain 43 lbs and i wasnt able to exercise until a month ago, because i wasnt able to walk properly because of the illness. It has been already two weeks since i started exercise and feel much better and less like a balloon, still my weight is the same. Its sooo depressing!! Hope to friend you guys, you all understand how prednisone works and could really cheer up each other

JustGettingBy

Yes, you can! But be prepared to hit a plataeu on the scale. I'm a physician who treats patients with high dose steroids and slowly reduces the dose over weeks to months. Up until I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease myself, the only advice I had to offer for my patients was to cut back on salt and maintain a healthy diet and exercise program to avoid the weight gain. Well, I now realize there is much more to Prednisone.
First thing I have come to realize is that I was being too hard on myself and had high expectations of the scale! Over a 2-month period while being on 60 mg of Prednisone I lost almost 12 lbs but the scale hasn't budged over the past 3 weeks. I was quite frustrated given that I was doing a great job with both my diet and my exercises. The change I saw instead? Fuller face but fitting into smaller pant sizes!
So, I now accept that for the period I am on Prednisone, I will have a fuller face, a redistribtuion of body fat and a scale that may not make me happy but eventually I know my healthier diet and exercise program will pay off once I can come off the Prednisone.
Realistic expectations such as maintaining weight while on Prednisone (and restricitng salt and caloric intake) rather than weight loss is much more encouraging to keep looking for healthy recipes! I'm grateful for my health and for the opportunity to experience what my patients go through!!
Good luck to you all and keep in mind studies have shown that exercise helps fight autoimmune diseases!

admartin41

I have a kidney disorder that, when not in remission, requires me to take prednisone. I agree with so many of you that this may be the ideal medication to treat our ailments. However, this medication is quite brutal. I found out today that I will be starting another round and decided to find out how to beat the weight gain and other "fun" symptoms instead of blame the drug and throw in the towel. Thank you all for your positive comments and encouragement! So glad to know I'm not alone in this battle!

drewmach

I've been on Prednisone for 5 weeks now of my 8 week prescription. I'm taking it for Ulcerative Colitas, which I was diagnosed with 5 weeks ago also. In the 5 weeks I have gained 6 pounds. Before I was diagnosed, I lost almost 10 pounds in around 10 days from the UC complications (my body was not retaining much nutrients and water). I do not have moon face, and I'm feeling really good now. My secret was I completely changed my diet and removed all processed foods and minimize my carbs. Paleo, SCD, FODMAPS, etc. are all diets that are based on these guidelines. I have no doubt that this is the reason why I am seeing little to no side affects of the prednisone, and it's definitely helping my UC symptoms, and also my overall well-being.

forgetmenot_priya

I understand your pain. I have been on Prednisone for over 4 years for an autoimmune disease as well. i have rheumatoid arthritis, and although helps out a lot with the pain, and the amount of weight that i have gained is unreal and completely unwanted. I recently changed my eating habits to low-carb. I am thinking of becoming a vegetarian but i am not sure how that will pan out.

Aine8046

I've been on it for almost 20 years (and probably will be on it for the rest of my life ). Did not gain weight until few years ago - just getting older and lazier I think... My weight got redistributed though - my arms and legs (and especially hands and feet) are thin, and all the extra weight ends up on face, breasts, and waist...

singingflutelady

I know this is an old thread but I am an odd duck. I didn't gain any weight at all ( and actually was underweight while on it). Perhaps that's because I only take it when my Crohn's is really bad and I'm not absorbing much and eating is painful.

queenliz99

I was on prednisone for years, I gained weight because I was always hungry. This was before MFP and counting calories.

GaleHawkins

aspexil wrote: »

Get the book "Wheat Belly" I started a year ago eliminating wheat/grains and lost 14" off my waist. Go to http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/ if you can't afford to get the book start at http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2012/12/wheat-belly-quick-dirty-2/ While I'm still battling the appetite stimulation prednisone at least I'm not consuming bad carbs that spike blood sugar which is how we gain weight. Give it a try!

@aspexil welcome to MFP forums. I have read Wheat Belly Total Health about a year after I left off sugar and all grains and I agree it was an important book in my case.

In the case of @loosingit3 cutting out grains might or might not help however. I took Prednisone for many years and it impacted my joints and have been off of it for years now.

Healthy people do not become obese typically and sick people do often wind up gaining a lot of weight as I see it. My autoimmune problems lead to arthritis, IBS and obesity. The doctors had me set up to start Enbrel injections as of Nov 2014. Finally after trying to taper off of sugar and grains during Aug/Sept 2014 and totally failing I left sugars and all form of grains Oct 2014 and in just 30 days my autoimmune related health problems started to resolve without using any Rx medications. Had I done that 40 years earlier I expect my life would have been very different.

It might not work for others but when I was able to 'fix' my autoimmune related health issues by my new Way Of Eating as my health started to improve my weight started coming off and I have maintained at 200 down from 250 for the last year.

Loosingit3 I encourage you to keep reading and searching with Google about your health condition to see if you can learn more as you are doing here on MFP forums. Just keep in mind social media is not a place of trustworthy medical advice typically. Plus what advice may be great for one person might kill another so be carefully. Read as much research as you can find. The treatments for autoimmune diseases can be more dangerous than the disease itself I have found. Best of success.

Sarc_Warrior

leslina42 wrote: »

I was recently diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder Sarcoidosis, I'm on week 4 of a 12 month regiment of Prednisone treatment and immunosuppressant treatment. My current dosage is 40 mg. I've been working really hard to lose weight; walking 3x a week and following a stringent high protein/ low carb diet. I haven't gained any weight, but it's been a lot harder to lose weight for sure. Taking comfort that I'm not alone in this battle. When I get cravings or hunger pangs I drink a cup of green tea and that seems to help curb the cravings and pangs. I am most concerned with developing diabetes being on steroids for such a long time.

I also was diagnosed with sarcoidosis. Add me if you want