Any weight loss tips while still on steroids?

[shyandcute14]

i was diagnosed with crohns 3 years ago when i was 18. i am now almost 22 and ive been on remicade the whole time. 2 years ago i had a flare really bad and couldnt get a treatment bc of insurance purposes and i was going on vacation at the time so my GI put me on prednisone for 2 weeks. now bc of that 2 weeks mixed with the IV steroid i still get every 8 weeks during my remicade, i am a lil over 200lbs and i use to be at 115lbs. so im thinking about asking my doctor of i could not have the steroid anymore but idk if i would have any negative effects from taking that component away :/ so aside from that has anyone else had this weight gain problem and know how to lose a bit of the weight gained from these medications? this is my first forum and just joined hoping someone who has dealt with this disease longer than i could help me. im young and still new to it and has been a battle for sure. any comments would be much appreciated thank you in advance.

 

[Christie]

Hi, I havnt been on steriods for a nuumber of years (I wish I had never been given them and would never go on them again) but I do remember putting on quite a lot of weight every time I went on them, I did lose it again when I finished them without trying, Im on infliximab (remicade) now and have put on about 14 pounds but I prob need it, hope you get it sorted x

 

[sickinlk]

stay away from the cookie jar!!! lol
no I know what its like. I would crave sugar to the point of shaking and I would get real bad mood swings if I didn't eat regularly. crazy stuff the pred.
some of the weight is fluid but the rest will be increased appetite.
why don't you join a slimming club. it will keep you in check and help you with your eating plan.
when I was on the pred the last time I was flaring badly and couldn't eat fruit or veg or high fibre(basically all the healthy food). I just gave in and concentrated on my health first. once you're of them you'll get control again and hopefully the weight will fall of.
remember its good to have extra weight when you're ill. your body needs extra calories to get better.
ju

 

[Laura Dawn]

I would say its worth asking your Dr. I was on it for 6 months and gained 20 plus pounds in a short period of time. However, I'd be afraid of coming out of remission. Double edged sword. Let us know!!!!! I'm sure that's really hard.

 

[CheerBear12]

Weight watchers or slimming world hope they worked wished I'd gained weight while on them lol I lost a stone but that was coz I was at deaths door. Hope it helps

 

[LonghornGirl]

I was on prednisone for 4 months and definitely gained weight. I'm back down to where I was before I got really sick and have been upping my water intake and tracking calories on myfitnesspal (really helpful for seeing your average consumption and tracking foods).
I did start taking raspberry ketones with my vitamins and I think they have helped. It's a concentrated capsule of the fat-burning agents found in raspberries. I found them at a GNC store, but I have seen them on Amazon as well. I saw this featured on Dr. Oz and figured I'd take a shot.

After going off the prednisone, it took me a good 3-4 weeks before the bloating subsided, but eventually the nonstop hunger went away and I was able to keep from overeating.

 

[Johnnysmom]

A good amount can be water weight and so if you watch your sodium intake it will help you to lose weight.

 

[sickofcrohns]

Agreed that exercise helps. It won't get rid of the water weight or dumb food cravings, but at least you'll combat steroid-induced muscle loss, especially of the legs, and keep off the bulk of extra fat.

You can do it! (The good thing about steroids -- at least for some people (me included) is the extra energy boost they provide). I say this as someone who was on prednisone for 10.5 years (off it since August! Yeah!) and who gets 200 mg of solucortef every 7 weeks with Remicade. (I've been on Remicade for 9 years now).