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"Steroids won't cause any weight gain."

jen2607
jen2607 Posts: 148 Member
edited October 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
LIES!

I was by no means of the definition "small." However, last fall I was at an ok weight. I have asthma that decides to go through spells of worsening depending on the weather. Anyways, this is a picture of me last October (I hadn't had a dose of steroids in 8 months).
66056_10150095639928154_811178153_7275522_1173740_n.jpg

Well then I got sick and went on steroids for about a week and a half . I gained about 10 pounds, but in honestly was mostly in the face, back, and other various awkward places. This is me on my 22nd Birthday. It was in March and I was still struggling to lose the original 10 pounds when, dun dun dun, I got sick again. This time I was on an aggressive round of steroids for 3 weeks. This was about 1 week in.
199569_10150197605618154_811178153_8782951_3999375_n.jpg

Ok, so I knew I had gained a little bit of weight, it was obvious. However, it wasn't until I was looking back through old pictures today that I realized how much. The scale obviously told me it was about 25 pounds total, but when I saw this picture taken a week after I finished the last round, I was amazed.
219227_10150271465033154_811178153_9232329_71132_o.jpg


So I guess the purpose of this insomniac post is to say wow. It took me a long time to speed my metabolism up, but I am glad I am feeling better and finally starting to lose weight. I also found out that I'm insulin resistant, so I've modified my diet accordingly. So, although sometimes it is necessary to take the doctors advice and to take steroids, don't allow them to minimize the side effects. Be prepared to deal accordingly. Hopefully I will "grow out" of this frustrating problem one day. It's been 22 years, so I'm not holding my breathe. Btw, profile pic is me a few weeks ago, so I think my face has shrunk some. LoL

Replies

  • ABeautifulDistraction
    ABeautifulDistraction Posts: 348 Member
    Back in my 20's I had to take a heavy steroid therapy rotation b/c of an intrauterine infection. I also gained weight. It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't easy to take off either.
  • CuteAndCurvy83
    CuteAndCurvy83 Posts: 570 Member
    I was on and off steroids my entire childhood, I even spent a year on predisone for my asthma. Like hell they didn't cause weight gain.lol I was always fat,and I think the steroids are a root cause of it. Thankfully Advair and moving to FL when I was 13 has kept me off the steroids, though I've still gained, I'm learning to lose it.
  • jen2607
    jen2607 Posts: 148 Member
    lies! lol. I have a Flovent inhaler I am supposed to use daily now, but I don't. I mean of course one medication can't explain it all... but it definitely caused me to swell up like a chipmunk and killed any progress I had made. The crazy thing is that the medication made me feel so sick that I hardly ate, but alas...
  • cricketannie
    cricketannie Posts: 184 Member
    I have been on daily steroids for my asthma since I was a teenager. It's the only way I can keep it under control. Yes it is harder for me to get my metabolism boosted, and extra hard when I have to go in for steroid shots for any illnesses I catch.
    On the bright side, knowing why you have some weight gain means knowing what you have to do to get yourself back on track.
    Good luck with everything!
  • karenleona
    karenleona Posts: 3,959 Member
    asthma causes a thickening of the lining of your air sacs in your lungs so the little hairs (villai) cannot move any secretions out of the lungs and sets you up for more mucous which leads to inflammation which can lead to an asthma attack or pneumonia.......moral of this story is to use the flovent daily to decrease any swelling in the air sacs so the villai can do their work....as this is just a contact steroid it has no sytemic effect ie you will not gain weight or puff up but it takes about 3 weeks to start to work so if you start using it when you first start to get sick, it is too late.....yes it can cause thrush in your mouth which is easily prevented by rinsing your mouth after use.......how do i know all this you ask??? besides being a nurse I have been in the exact same position you have and had to use very high doses of steroids for several months.....not only did it cause swelling and weight gain from an insatiable appetite....it pushed me over the edge to being a diabetic and made me crazy!!! ie nearly psychotic....ps i no longer make any important decisions if i am on steroids!!
    by the way .....you look fabulous!!! good work!!!
  • baubert
    baubert Posts: 56
    LIES!

    I was by no means of the definition "small." However, last fall I was at an ok weight. I have asthma that decides to go through spells of worsening depending on the weather. Anyways, this is a picture of me last October (I hadn't had a dose of steroids in 8 months).
    66056_10150095639928154_811178153_7275522_1173740_n.jpg

    Well then I got sick and went on steroids for about a week and a half . I gained about 10 pounds, but in honestly was mostly in the face, back, and other various awkward places. This is me on my 22nd Birthday. It was in March and I was still struggling to lose the original 10 pounds when, dun dun dun, I got sick again. This time I was on an aggressive round of steroids for 3 weeks. This was about 1 week in.
    199569_10150197605618154_811178153_8782951_3999375_n.jpg

    Ok, so I knew I had gained a little bit of weight, it was obvious. However, it wasn't until I was looking back through old pictures today that I realized how much. The scale obviously told me it was about 25 pounds total, but when I saw this picture taken a week after I finished the last round, I was amazed.
    219227_10150271465033154_811178153_9232329_71132_o.jpg


    So I guess the purpose of this insomniac post is to say wow. It took me a long time to speed my metabolism up, but I am glad I am feeling better and finally starting to lose weight. I also found out that I'm insulin resistant, so I've modified my diet accordingly. So, although sometimes it is necessary to take the doctors advice and to take steroids, don't allow them to minimize the side effects. Be prepared to deal accordingly. Hopefully I will "grow out" of this frustrating problem one day. It's been 22 years, so I'm not holding my breathe. Btw, profile pic is me a few weeks ago, so I think my face has shrunk some. LoL

    I agree with karenleona. I've been on a steroid pak(?) once and wanted to EAT EVERYTHING. That was where my slight weight gain came from. But I had to take Advair(?) once for a really bad case of bronchitis and surprisingly, the experience was much different. Keep taking your meds everyday. It takes time to get them in your system and get everything working. You look great! Keep up the great job!
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