Quote:
Originally posted by Kayva
Doreen: Guess I was too eager to post a 5 lb loss! It seems as though it fluctuates up and down in spite of cutting carbs to the bone, as it were. I know this is just water weight at this point. My lab test last week showed that my sed rate was back to normal so the prednisone was cut back to 10mg. Is it really true that between the prednisone and the premarin it is hard to lose weight? On the advice of the rhuematologist I have to take the premarin (which I have taken for over 22 years) to counteract the damage prednisone can do to your boney structure. (Ie: loss of calcium). Beginning to feel the first pangs of discouragement.
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Hi Kayva,
Good news about the sed. rate; if the inflammation continues to lessen, you may not need to be on the prednisone for many more months. You sound like you have an excellent Rheumatologist. And remember that the sodium and water retention will go away after the prednisone is stopped. Do keep an eye on the salt intake, and salty foods - like pickles, olives, mustard and commercial mayonnaise, bacon, ham, sausage and other deli lunch meats (and, unfortunately, pork rind snacks). Look for salt-reduced versions of these foods. Bonus: most of the nationally popular brands of salt-reduced bacon and ham also seem to be no-sugar-added too. Less carbs.
Don't cut the carbs back too far, below Induction Level of 20 gm per day. And make sure you're eating adequate protein. Some folks try to cut back too much in an effort to "speed things up" and it has the exact opposite effect. Fiber, both from eating vegetables, and fiber supplements such as psyllium husks or metamucil, will also help to absorb and get rid of excess fluid via the bowel.
Yes, the estrogen will help protect against bone-loss. Did the doctor mention about vitamin D, which is necessary for the body to absorb the calcium that you eat? Vitamin D is produced in our body in response to sunlight, but in the winter months, when there is less sun and we stay indoors more, there might be a need to take a supplement (cod or halibut liver oil being the best sources) Vitamin D is added to liquid milk, but you're not drinking a lot of milk if you're lowcarbing. Vitamin D is NOT added to other dairy products like cheese, cottage cheese, cream or butter. Any mention of calcium supplements?? Some folks find that the chelate forms, such as calcium citrate or gluconate, are better absorbed than the carbonate form.
Weight-bearing exercise, such as good ol' walking, has been shown to increase calcium and bone-density by 10%. And it's good for the weight loss efforts too.
Don't be discouraged. You'll do fine. Have you taken your measurements with a measuring tape? And are your clothes feeling a little looser? Water weighs more than fat for the same volume, so while you may have gained 5 lbs of water, you may also have lost the same weight in fat, so your body will be slimmer. The scales don't always tell the whole picture.
Take care,
Doreen
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