HI guys, haven't been on for a while, kids are on school holidays and I find it hard to get any time online, Happy 4th July to all that celebrate it, hope you all have fun.
I have been sailing along on Mtx tabs and switched to injections after advice on here, have had them before but this time got the dreaded tingling lips and tightening of the throat, so don't know what doc will say tomorrow.
Anyway - OBESITY - I am now morbidly obese due to inactivity, steroids, incredible apetite and don't know what to do, I am even considering a gastric bypass, but would this work when I can't do any substantial exercise, (you have to commit to 30 mins a day after op) and the steroids? Please advise. Hope all of you are going ok, how are you Roxy, and Gramma, and all the other nice ladies on this board? Love Janie.
Its tough losing weight while on steroids. You have to be extra vigilant about what you eat. I know several people who have conquered pred weight gain by low carbing it.
No one expects you to be able to go from inactivity and morbid obesity to 30 minutes of high impact exercise a day in one big step. You have to start slowly and in smaller increments. and yes unless you are under specific medical orders not to you can exercise even with RA. Workingout in the water is safe for the joints but I know its a hassle if all you can do is 5 minutes at first. But you can walk in place for a minute at a time can't you? Do that several times a day and move it up from there. Next week try for 2 minutes at a time. It won't take long to get up to 30 minutes. Sit in a chair and raise your arms over your head for 30 seconds-1 min at a time. sitting in the chair raise your legs straight out, hold them. Lay on your bed and raise your legs up, do several of these, start with one lege at a time if you need to. If you have been very inactive it won't take much actitivty to use up calories.
I am new to this but when the RD said he was worried about me going on the pred because I should not gain any more weight I got scared. But because I was so flared up he said we will do them for awhile and then taper off (from what I have read here it may be impossible to get off of them Hi Janie!!! Glad to see you again. I am doing well...thanks for asking!!!
Buckeye gave lots of great advice on the exercise stuff. It is incredibly difficult to lose weight while on pred. I had to go back on 30mg of pred for 5 days because of a mild flare up and wow did my appetite return with a vengeance. But I am off of it now and the appetite has calmed back down and I am back to watching what I eat.
Sparky...as always your doc is the best person to talk to about an exercise program. The best low impact exercise we can do is swimming. A water aerobics class is a great thing. Bike riding is also low impact. Walking believe it or not is very high impact. Even housework can be exercise. Putting on 1-2lb ankle weights to start with while you are like vacuuming or mopping is something to think about also.
My husband and I signed up for a water workout at the local pool. The only way I can do it is because we live in the high desert and it in the 90's and 100's here. I can't stand being cold.Gramma
according to my trainer you should never simply wear ankle weights while walking around. They alter the gait and lead to injury. Use them for specific exercises such as leg lifts.
High impact, such as walking, is not forbidden we just need to be more careful, wear proper footware and use correct form.
Janie. Please think long and hard before considering a gastric bypass. IYou can lose weight while on Prednisone. I have been on it (10 mg a day) for almost 3 yrs and in January I decided to go on a low carb diet. I have lost almost 40 pounds. I am now in size 12 pants!! I was in size 18!! I raise horses so I get plenty of excercise with them and work full time. It's pretty tough to stay away from carbs but it sure worked for me. Now that I am close to my target weight I throw in a few carbs every now and then. Drink lots and lots of water. It increases your metabolism also. Water is the only thing I drink.
However low carb dieting has NOT helped my RA. I started Enbrel 5 months ago and it has not done a thing for me so I am getting ready to start remicade. My RA is throughout my body from head to toe.
I wish you luck in what ever you choose. I would not do the bypass.
well yeah brenna, lol, if you can work,walk and ride horses, then sure you can lose weight... but what if you can barely walk? and the cravings are monstrous, ravenous....then its a different story. its great you lost that weight, but this post is more for this who are really severe and can't do those kind of activities. Where even stretching hurts..
Thankyou whispered, you have described me down to a tee, I am not even allowed to walk at the mo due to stess fractures in feet just from walking!!! I am sure Brenna meant well, but I am on disability, have a motorised scooter to get around and spend most of my days in bed with the electric blanket and pain killers. Love Janie.
Whispered..go back and read my original post. I was in your position. Over 100lbs overweight, multiple joint replacements, serious disease activity. The way to start, and this is for Janie too, is focus on what you can do and what you can control. You keep focusing on what you can't do then nothing will improve
Find eating style that will help control the cravings. I don't advocate specific plans but many people with medication weight gain/food cravings do well on low carbs eating plans. Cause I bet you don't crave broccoli do you. Gotta control the junk fat and sugar.
Stretching hurts because you don't use your muscles and the more you waste away the higher your pain levels will get because those joints will have no support. You have to seperate joint pain from muscle pain. Staying in bed Janie is also counter productive to gettin better. Your muscles are just wasting away. Take your pain meds, grab your blanket and move to a chair I know it is difficult but if you keep spending most of your days in bed you will end up dying there.
Get your doctors approval, get an appt with a physical therapist to evaluate your needs and then start slowly. If you can't stand or walk do chair exercises. When you are in bad shape any movement is good for the muscles. As these exercises become easier then do more reps or start to add resistance.
here is one link but do a websearch there are many sites out there
http://eldercare.uniontrib.com/exercise/7.html
Oh, its 2 years since I changed the way I eat and started exercises. I was 250lbs rapidly heading up. I've lost 70lbs and my weight has stabalized. I can now sit up from a laying down position just by using my ab muscles. I've put off the need for a cane for my hip. My recoveries from recent surgeries have gone better because I have some muscle tone. The amount of time I can stand and walk have much improved. My blood pressure and pulse have both gotten better. I will never ride a horse but I can take care of myself and my dog. if I hadn't started exercising I would not have been able to say that.
Jane, you take it one day at a time. Do everything that Buckeye said to do, he gave you wonderful advice. Be patient and don't expect miracles. I know I've been there and back. I've lost 25 lbs. I'm still on Pred. and will have a knee replacment in 11 days and the second one replaced 6 weeks later.
I started dieting and cutting my portions in half. I do a low fat, low carb diet. Drink plenty of liquids. I do eat some carbs in the form of fruit, brown rice, and some higher carb vegs. but I stay away from flour, white rice, white bread, potatoes, high carb veggies and other high carb foods. I eat 4-5 times during the day to keep my sugars stabilized.
I started doing upper body exercises while sitting down. I used canned vegetables to do arm exercises. I finally am doing 3 lb weights for upper body strength. These can be done sitting. There is a large rubber band that can be used for resistance. You put your feet and lower legs inside the band and press out towards the edge. There are a lot of exercises that can be done in-place. This is why you need someone to help you. They can show you how to exercise based on your physical ability. There are exercise CD's for people who have serious health problems and disabilities. Do your research on what's best for you, start dieting and exercising and please be patient with the process. Keep us posted. Lindy
To Whispered and everyone else,
I had a TOTAL right hip replacement on April 2nd. A little over 3 months ago. I Know what its like to be crippled. Been crippled for almost 10 yrs now.Also no meds are working for my RA. I have been on Sulfasalazine, MTX, ENBREL and none of those have worked at all. I'm getting ready to try Remicade. I had to have my hip replaced because of Prednisone usage. Avascular Necrosis. I've had 4 other RA related surgeries.
I said I "raise" horses NOT ride horses. Yes I do work but let me tell you I have to wake up at least 2 hours because it hurts so much to get up and ready. I have severe RA from head to toe so don't tell me that this thread is not for me to post on. I was just saying that it IS possable to lose weight while on Prednisone without invasive/dangerous surgery.
Just my 2 cents worth. Weight loss/gain is due to a fairly simple process. Calories in versus energy expended. Excess amount of energy is reserved as fat. Breathing uses energy, a heart beat uses energy, moving in bed uses energy.
I feel it as well Maryblooms.
I was a thin person all my life and never had to work very hard to maintain. My main exercise was speedwalking and also I used up a lot of energy at work and had a really high metabolism.
Since my diagnoses about 4.5 years ago I have gained 40lbs. I really do understand how hard it is w/the pred cravings and lack of activity. My problem is pain vs. motivation. I have been doing so badly and I find it so hard to make myself exercise. I can't walk any length at all. So I bought a recumbant exercise bike and am trying to make myself use it.
I have a terrible time w/the cravings and I never ate like I do now (of course, I used to drink a lot of coffee and smoke), I am always hungry.
I hope you are able to find something that works for you, I hate to even go out of the house lately, I think depression is getting worse since I have had the weight gain as well.
I don't really have any answers, just wanted you to know I really understand.
hugs,
Crispy
Hi Brenna, am hoping to save my hips. So far minimal discomfort in them. I just wanted to let you know that I've been on Remicade for almost a year and I'm doing 75% better. It's probably as good as I'll get, but hey, it's great. So far I've not had any problems with Remicade. Just wanted to let you know that I'm one of Remicade's success stories. Am hoping that it lasts for a long time. Lindy
HI guys, I will take all of what you say on board, I tend to get up in the afternoon and then do light housework, maybe get out on my scooter with the boys on their bikes for some fresh air and fun, I do know the importance of exercise and low carb/fat diets, trust me I am trying very hard, I really appreciate everyones input, thankyou so much for all your advice, I truly find it extremely helpful and it makes me feel like somebody out there really does care, Thanks again and wishing you all the painfree days possible. Love Janie.