I've been having such a hard time this past week or two, I have rheumatoid arthritis & since my surgery in Jan, I took myself off the prednisone, because it increases your appetite, but I have been having a lot of swelling because of the heat & humidity we've been having on the east coast. So I had to start taking it again, but I'm rattling ALL THE TIME! Even when I'm not hungry I find myself in the kitchen looking for something to eat, I've been trying to make smart choices , like fruit, sugar free jello, tuna, protein drinks, but I never feel satisfied. I stopped taking it again I'm terrified of gaining weight back, I've lost 109lbs, I got used to loosing 15-20lbs a week,which I New was going to slow down, & I settled into about 10lbs a month, which is still ok, but this week when I weighed myself I lost 1lb!! It has me freaked out. It's been to hot to walk, plus my knees are a mess from the arthritis ( they both need to be replaced) & I joined a gym that is opening right by my house, the only problem is there not opened yet. Ok I'm done whining, but if anyone has any ideas or words of encouragement it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks peace, Mary

Hang in there Mary! I am in upstate SC and I know between the rain and the heat its difficult. I have been fighting my own demons from the unhealthy eating habits lately myself.....too much time indoors and it's working on my last nerve!

I will say a prayer for you! Keep reaching for the healthy stuff...and try to read or distract yourself in some other non-food way. (It's easier said than done, I know!)

Mary,

We are in the same boat my dear. I have RA and have been on pred for about 6-7 years. Before surgery my dose was 20 mg a day and I am now down to 2.5. I can't seem to get off of it due to hip pain that flares up each time I try. I am also on actemra and methotrexate for my RA. I had the surgery due to the pred usage and I am so glad I did. I had begun to get the moon face from the start of cushings and headed down a bad path. I am 13 months post op and have lost about 117. My weight is stable now and I am happy where I am.

As for the grazing I truly believe part of it is mental. I know that I am not hungry - I remember what hunger feels like and this is not it. I remember waking up early in the morning and feeling like I had never eaten before - which was all pred. Now I just feel an urge to snack, and I honestly think it is my brain that is telling me that I am hungry. It comes down to choices - I can choose to give in ( which I sometimes do) or fight against it and drink Water or eat just a few bites of something. I do notice that I get these feelings the most during and right after a flare up. For years we gave into the pred hunger because we felt like we were going to starve to death. Now we have this awesome tool that restricts our intake and we know when we are full. However pred messes with everything and mainly the brain.

I don't worry about gaining the weight back. I worked too damn hard to have this fail. I think the key is being honest with ourselves and not allowing our brains to throw temper tantrums. When I get that feeling I try to say to myself am I truly hungry or is it something else.

Not sure if this helps, but I wanted you to know you are not alone in the battle of pred! Send me a message if you want to talk more.

Samantha