Stopping and Starting and Steroids

HippyGalore

What are the effects of taking a week off the plan every now and again? I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and when it flares up I am suddenly more immobile and much hungrier (especially if I'm on steroids). I can't stand the thought of being hungry then as well and generally just take it easy until I have my immune system back under control. If it is just one joint I work around it but when my immune system goes crazy I just have to rest and sleep.

This was how I gained weight in the first place however. I have never had a problem maintaining my weight but when I got ill, sometimes for a couple of months (much better control now) I would gain a few pounds then stay that weight until the next time I got ill. Over time it added up and I realised I would have to actively reduce my weight. When I'm well (most of the time, about 80-90%) I do about 4000 calories a week of exercise and I'm always below my limit food wise (I eat half the exercise calories I earn, but I also have to be careful with my blood sugar so can't do 1000 calories exercise and not eat a bit more). This is not a sudden change in exercise either, so not a case of adapting. I'm not diabetic but have lost a fair amount of intestine (surgery for Ulcerative Colitis 9 years ago) so my body can't risk any sort of extreme diet. In fact it is supposed to be difficult for me to gain weight and in some camps I'm considered lucky for managing it!

I don't feel hungry and pretty much everything I eat is healthy but I am losing weight really, really slowly (0.25 - 0.5 pounds a week), could it be due to the stopping and starting, so that I never progress through the different stages I hear about here? If so, how can I minimise this without making myself feel worse? Is it because I eat the exercise calories, surely if my blood sugar is dropping that can't be to blame? I have spoken to my support nurse and it is safe for me to diet sensibly. Has anyone here balanced dieting with the weight gain whilst taking steroids for asthma/arthritis/all these weird things you see on House? I guess I'm hoping there is a magic answer like "increase your protein, steroids need protein" or something. I know there is an outside chance that there is a medical reason, but I want to make sure I have tried absolutely everything first before I go to my GP. Any advice at all appreciated... thanks to anyone who made it though the whole post/essay...

FireMonkey

I've also had to take steroids off and on throughout my life and I find that they make me extremely hungry. I'm still working off the 30 pounds I gained the last time I was on prednisone :grumble:

I think a slow weight loss is ok; it's more important to feel good and not stress your body more when you have flare-ups. It's certainly better to eat healthy foods when you get very hungry because of medication. I've been hitting the cookie jar as I was also craving sweets but next time - if there IS a next time which I hope not - I'll know better. :drinker: