Good Morning,

I have been on prednisone for 6.5 weeks now for an autoimmune problem. I have gained 33 pounds (and counting...). I have been watching what I eat at least - seriously - 95% + of the time. I am so thirsty...I'm drinking about 2+ gallons of water (just water) a day. On a "typical" day, I drink a lot of water, but this is more than usual.

My Doctor says that it is typical for people on prednisone for a long time to gain weight, but I am really concerned. I weighed 308 in March 2010 and was down to 194 in May 2011. I am at wits end here. I (hopefully) only have 6 days of prednisone left. What can I do to get this weight off as fast as it has come on?

Our local Brikram Yoga has a 30 days for $30. Would that help? (I'm can't afford to pay to join long term). I am not an experienced Yoga person. I generally work out at home and take long hikes in the very hilly woods near our home.

I am really reaching out for help here and appreciate any thoughts anyone has.

Thank you!

Hi SharrElise!

I in a similar situation to you... except I've been on prednisolone for over 8 months also to treat an autoimmune condition

I've put on about 1 stone in weight during this time and I'm trying to stick to a calorie contolled diet now.. starting off slowly but looking to stick with it long term as I needed to lose weight before starting the pred.

Congratulations on your weight loss so far! thats fantastic. I am hoping that being strict with my calories and doing some daily aerobics and weight training at home will help me lose weight. I'm having a difficult time sticking to any routine so I hope I keep up the will power this time around. I think the weight is meant to come off easily once you're off the meds but apparently its hard for some to lose weight whilst taking pred

I think yoga is a good idea. The only advice that I have received about being on pred and weight loss is to ensure you take regular exercise. I'm finding the cravings really vary with me and I'm always thirsty and can drink up to 4 litres on dome days!

Mellowstar1

Wow, it's so comforting to read about all of these stories. Sooo relateable.

I was diagnosed with chronic ulcurative colitis a little over a year ago, and I've been put on 45mg dosages of prednisone 5 times now, weaning off 5 mg every 1 or 2 weeks. I've been fighting to lose weight every step of the way. I've managed to lose a total of about 4 or 5 pounds in about the same amount of months, but some of that weight is from what I put on originally. It's so frusturating, and the doctors have always told me "don't worry, it'll go away once you're off the medication", but it never happens quite that way.

I'm down to 10mg, with a little under two weeks left until I plan to be off it for good. I've been told that I will most likely not go on it again in my lifetime since i've had it so much. I hope to god that's true. I've had to deal with all the other symptoms mentioned too with the moonface, mood swings, insomnia, and a big one for me is massive sweating.

This medication has saved me, but caused me a whole lotta heartache. Really look forward to a point in the future where I can NOT have the excuse of "I can't lose weight because of medication". Feeling like I have no control is the most frusturating thing of all.

well hi im new! so i have this super rare syndrome! only 200 ppl in the world have it! n i was diagnosed n september! i was misdiagnosed with MS! but since they got it right ive been on steroids! hate it! cuz i was 125lbs n now im 150lbs!!!!! n ive gotten sooooooooooooooooooooo many ugly stretch marks becuz of it!!!! i hate them as much as the steroids! i always say im the lucky 1 to get this RARE syndrome!(sarcastically) i go to da gym everyday cept sunday wen its closed! n really have no 1 to vent to about it but my husband! it makes me depressd most da time! cuz i went frm a size 3-5 to a 8-9!!!! well thanx for takn the time to read this! ne feed back will b greatly appreciated!

i am on prednisone n went from 125 to 150 in 13 months!

I started Prednisone today and came here to ask about it, so I was happy to find this thread. I'm only on an 8-day course for asthmatic bronchitis -- albuterol didn't help my wheezing. When I lie down and try to sleep, my lungs sound like crinkling aluminum foil.

I am not sure if such a short course will cause weight gain (I hope not), but now I have some ideas for how to prevent it. I can't do low-carb due to my kidney disease, but I am eating < 1,500 calories per day and exercising. I think I will put off any more weigh-ins until I am off the Prednisone for a few days. I don't want to get discouraged!

I went from 140 to 162ish within 3 months on prednisone. I didn't have insatiable hunger like others and ate normally, I still gained like crazy. Been off prednisone for about 5 months now and have lost only 4-5lbs so far.

I have severe asthma and have been on Prednisone off an on most of my adult life (I'm 69). I know it can cause weight gain so I am vigilant about what I eat while on it. I have still managed to lose over 200 pounds. Being 95% OP does do the job. It takes 100%. It also requires exercise.

Hi I'm new and hope something I say in my post/s can make someone feel better.

The questions everyone is asking are the same ones I was Googling in January 2011. I had a Lupus flare that put me up to 50mg Prednisone a day. With in 6 weeks I had gone from 155 pounds to 195 pounds. I had the hump, the moon face, the swollen belly and hair loss to top it all off I started to not recognise myself in the mirror and really struggled with it. I am also 5ft 2 inches...so short does not help the cause

I am now down to 10mg a day & trying to taper down to 7.5mg at present and hoping for 5mg per day in the coming months...but we all know it takes time and sometimes we have to stay on it. I have joint pain and fatigue all the symptoms that make it hard to get out of bed. 9 months later I have finally almost lost my moon face and my belly and my hair is growing back.

I just joined the Gym 4 weeks ago and able to do 5 x 30 - 40 minute workouts a week. The first few days it was a struggle but by week 2, I was excited and feeling like I had more energy and my joints hurt less. I have cold/flu at the moment and have had a week off Gym, but when you have immune problems we all know, rest is the best medicine. I have continued my healthy eating I started the week I started gym. Lots of fresh fruit and Veg, salad galore, fish & chicken. Lean red meat (very small portion) twice a week and lots of home made soup and smoothies, and of course water, water, water (yuk)

I have only lost 3 pounds in 4 weeks but thats ok, it's not a gain and it's not a race. It is making me feel better and I will continue on my journey to get back to the old me I will possibly have flares and have to go back on high doses of pred, but I know now that low sodium and water is essential. I am thinking wheat has something to do with it also, so brown bread and rice and minimal potato are also in my daily food allowance. Wish me luck, but also know the bloating, water retention, moonface, humpback, whatever you want to call it, does subside, it just takes time. Good health to everyone

Sometimes my choice is fat or dead....Is there a 3rd option??

I too am new to this site and found it by google searching "is it possible to lose weight on prednisone?" I have been on and off the stuff for years and it doesn't look like I'll be hitting the off button on it for some time to come yet. I need support and tips on how to lose weight in spite of having to take the stuff. I have a rare autoimmune disease called Dermatomyositis which pretty much forces me to have this med or deteriorate in health and physical ability very quickly. I recently joined weight watchers and am not sure this particular group of folks understand my struggle because of my health issues. So, I'm trying to be as physically active as I can while watching what I put into my body. I'm looking for results with the points plus plan but need to know if there are foods I should avoid all together since I am on the pred? I love to swim and will be working on actively swimming routine a couple days a week and walking the dog.

I'm new to this forum but I was diagnosed with Crohns Disease 14 years ago. For the last 8 years I have managed it pretty well without meds with an anti-inflammatory diet and eliminating some foods that I was allergic to. Recently I had a flare-up and had to go on prednisone again.

Last time I was on it I gained 20 lbs, but then lost the weight pretty easily once I was off of it. This time my goal is to maintain until they get me off of it. I have been on it for 3 months now (started at 30mg now down to 10mg/day) and have been able to maintain my weight despite some strong cravings and hunger pangs.

What I found works for me is to stay low-carb (no more than 2 servings of grains and 1 serving of fruit, but unlimited veggies and protein) and drink a lot of water. Homemade bone broth seems to help with the leg cramps (mineral deficiency?) that some people experience on prednisone.

If I had to be on it for longer I would see what I could do to lose weight, but right now exercise is very hard. When I have a flare-up using my abdominal muscles makes my belly sore for days (because that is where the inflammation is). Walking is all I can do.

Before I had my flare-up I was still trying to lose the last 20 lbs of baby weight from having my daughter. I believe being on prednisone has caused me some insulin resistance. I know it helps short-term but I can't wait to get off of it.

I hope this helps other people.

I was on and off high doses of Prednisone for six years for an auto-immune disorder (Evan's Syndrome). The first time I was on 120 mg I gained 40 pounds and was unrecognizable. By the third time I had to go on 120 mg I had my diet organized and I actually lost 5 pounds and looked pretty good (This was an improvement over the second time they told me I had to go on Prednisone and I had debated death vs. the medication.)

Here is exactly what I did: I bought Eugenia Zuckerman's book Coping with Prednisone (this is a MUST have). I purchased The No-Salt Lowest Sodium Cookbook. I purchased the Encyclopedia of Food Values to keep track of my nutrients! I kept my sodium to 500 mg or less a day, I removed sugar from my diet (including most fruits) and I kept a food diary listing everything I ate, the times I ate, how I felt before I ate it and how I felt after so I could make adjustments to my diet so I wasn't starving all the time. I loosely followed the Zone Diet's theory of including a balance of carbohydrate, protein, and fat (40/30/30) at every meal (helped with the hunger). I exercised when I could (it was difficult until my red blood cell count went back up!) and I drank LOTS of water!

It is not easy to maintain your weight (or your positive attitude) while on high doses of prednisone but it can be done. Feeding myself and keeping track of what was working and what wasn't was a full time job but SO WORTH IT!

The last thing I wish I had done was to reach out to someone! Find yourself a health coach, a friend, someone to support you. If you can find someone who has experienced high doses of prednisone even better (Because trying to explain how hungry you are to someone who hasn't taken prednisone is next to impossible)!

I am male and was on Prednisone for about 5 days for a sinus infection. I believe it was 10mg, 6 pills the first day, 5 the second day, 4 the third day and so on. I've been off of it for a little over a week. I did not gain weight because I had no appetite with the sinus infection. I pretty much lived on soup. However, I have been eating healthy, a nutrition plan I have used with great success in the past, and I also work out 6 days/wk. For the life of me, I CANNOT lose weight. HOW LONG DO THE EFFECTS OF THIS DRUG LINGER? When will I resume my normal weight loss that is usually associated with my nutrition plan? Like I said, that plan has worked very well for me in the past. I will never take this drug again. Is it going to be like this for another week? Month?

Hi my name is Marian and Im so glad i have found this forum. Its comforting to find others that are struggling with weight loss and having to take meds. Im currently taking pplaqunel, Immuran, and infusion drip for Lupus. I have at least 70 more pounds to loose. I started the PINK METHOD and so far have lost 14 #'s and a total of 10.5 inches total. My issue right now is that the workout part of the plan is near impossible. I'm in pain most of the day because of joint damage and decreased lung capacity caused my scarring from my most recent flare up. Anyone out there that can identify? Hope everyone's day is as blessed as mine......cause truth be told, I am blessed!