You all are my witness

Kellyerin222 · Post by **Kellyerin222** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 3:46 pm

I stepped on the scale today and OMG

I gained 21 pounds on Prednisone!! Luckily I will be off of it Saturday (WHOO HOOO!!!).

I think with that number, seeing the health documentary last night and all of this stuff I thought-- ok no more. I am so fatigued and my body aches, but this is nuts--- SOOOO starting today I am so going to do some dramatic lifestyle changes. I should see the new physician next week and will talk to her about the body aches and fatigue, but for right now I am going to push through it and make myself exercise and eat very healthy.

Luckily this Pred. did work and I am not having as much diarrhea

-- has been manageable and I do fear if I stress myself out too much I could throw myself back into a flare, so crossing my fingers on that one.

So starting immediately I am going to drink 70 ounces of water per day-- cut out all soda (ok I might have to break down with a diet coke every once in a while)--- drink tea (antioxidant!). No eating out, no processed foods, only will allow myself an occasional sweet to cure my "absolute need" moments. And starting today I am going to make my butt get on the treadmill and walk. I will start out at 30 minutes on the treadmill and want to work up to an hour. I don't know how I am going do to it with my body aching-- but I am going to do it, lol.
I will look into the gluten free diet and see if I will be able to handle it, but I may need to start slow.

I called and made a hair appointment to get my hair cut, colored and styled this Saturday. I will schedule at least 20 minutes a day "me" time to meditate, take a hot bath and just "me" time for stress relieving activities. Tomorrow I am going to the store to purchase stuff for salads because that will be my lunch for the next few weeks. I honestly feel like an exhausted over stuffed balloon that pops and cracks

--- myself confidence and self esteem has gone done a little with everything going on and I need to get back to where I feel comfortable in my own skin.

So I will record my weight tomorrow and next Friday I will jump on the scale and see if I see a difference. --- keeping my fingers crossed!

Now--- I am off to wipe off the treadmill and challenge myself to make it happen!!

Kel

Post by **tex** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 3:56 pm

Damn! That sounds so inspiring that I may have to join you. It certainly wouldn't hurt me to lose a few pounds.

Tex

ErinD · Post by **ErinD** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 4:41 pm

Kelly,
Good for you for putting such a well thought out plan together for your health! It is very hard to do let alone being sick and trying to accomplish it as well.
I hope being off the prednisone makes you feel somewhat better.
I was the same as you about the gluten free diet, but it really isn't bad once you get the hang of things. You will definitely go through a trial and error of what tastes good to you or not.
The only thing of your plan that i could never do is eat salads, veggies just kill me, no matter what they are

Good luck and i know with your will power you will do it!

barbaranoela · Post by **barbaranoela** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 4:43 pm

KEL

Ill eat the Xtra left over chocolate for U

slow and easy Kel-----

Luve Barbara :bigbighug:

mini · Post by **mini** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 5:02 pm

I think I will join you Kelly, today was due to be day 1 of my new programme however hmm........I will say no more. Gosh 21lbs how long have you been on Pred? Since I have been on steriods there has been an increase of around 3lbs but, heck I have almost put a sticky plaster on my mouth lol.

Good luck!

Dee · Post by **Dee** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 5:26 pm

Hi Kelly!!!
Good Luck on the goals that you are setting!!

Hope you find that it makes you feel better and your health improves!!
Keeping my

for you!!!

Love
Dee~~~~

starfire · Post by **starfire** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:07 pm

I know exactly how you feel, Kel. I gained 40 lbs in 3 months on pred. Funny how it affects some people that way and others it doesn't seem to bother.

I honestly believe that the pred (or somthing) changed my body somehow (maybe metabolism) because I just didn't lose the appetite or the weight. It goes on soooooo easy now. I am more than twice your age so that is a plus for you.

I truly wish you Good Luck with you goal.

Love, Shirley

Kellyerin222 · Post by **Kellyerin222** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:43 pm

Thank you all for your support--- I dusted off my treadmill and did a fast pace walk for 1 mile. My bones creaked just about as much as the dusty treadmill, haha. One mile is a start, lol. I sat down tonight and wrote down all of my goals (the old psych thing of writing them down you make more of a contract with yourself, lol) and I want to start out with 1 mile and going to graually increase that over the next several weeks to where I can (hopefully) get to 5 miles in a day. It might kill me some days, but I refuse to let this illness get the best of me. I start started thinking about it and this is my health-- I only have 1 body in this lifetime and I am the only one that can change this.

Tex: LOL, you are welcome to join me-- you have a head start with the gluten free diet

Erin: Thank you, I am researching more into the gluten. A little afraid of people saying you go through gluten withdrawls and so hoping it is not that bad. I am going to do a huge happy dance when I take my last pred, lol.

Barb: You can have all my left over chocolate-- though you might have to fight my daughter for it, lol.

Mini: You are welcome to join me. I know what you mean about plaster on the mouth-- I am not joking when I was on 60 mg, I wanted to eat everything in the fridge and then the fridge itself! It has been 2 months that I have been on Pred. I did start on a high dose (60 as above) and I am not sure if the higher doses can cause you to gain more weight? You all would not have wanted to know me when I was on 60mg of Pred, lol. It was horrible that I could bite your head off, chew it and spit it back out at you before you could exhale your first breath. I felt like I had hundreds of marbles going off in my body and could not sit still and was so edgy. I am a firm believer of not misdirecting my emotions, so on 60mg I would literally have my husband watch the kids and I would go and hide in our bedroom to reframe myself from lashing out at people who had not done anything wrong. Then the Dr at that time finally saw what it was doing to me and prescribed me a few Xanax for the high doses (he does not know how many people's lives he saved during that time by prescribing me that-- especially the innocent people's behinds at the grocery store when they would just stop unexpectedly in front of me

)

Dee: Thank you

Shirley: It is amazing how some people are able to tolerate it and others are not. I have noticed (but I am still on a small dose at the moment) that I sporatically have that extra appitite. It could be just weird because before the Pred. I was not able to eat much of anything and now that the Pred. did bring me out of things I am able to eat. During Christmas when I was on it (ohhh worst time with all the goodies) I can remember Christmas Day I said to myself "I have not been able to eat in so long and I am going to make up for it!"-- boy did I huh, lmao. I just pray I do not have to go back on this medication again. I know there are different steriods that may not be as bad and if this happens again I think I am going to tell the Doc no Pred and try something else. But, hoping that does not happen

Thank you!

Post by **tex** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:21 pm

Kel,

No, I don't believe I have a head start. The GF diet is not necessarily a low-cal diet. I'm gonna have to cut out a lot of calories, if I'm going to accomplish anything.

Tex

sunny · Post by **sunny** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:59 pm

Good for you!! I'm pulling for you!!

I have lost 60 pounds following a low-carb diet so I know it can be quite effective. And when you make this kind of resolve...that is the beginning of good things....

MaggieRedwings · Post by **MaggieRedwings** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 6:35 am

Morning Kelly,

Good for you and sorry about the weight gain on Pred. You have set very definitive goals for yourself but please do not overdo. As tex said, I would not say the GF diet is a low cal one but it surely is a much better way to eat and live than most others. May take a while but it will make a difference in your health.

Good Luck and Love, Maggie

Kellyerin222 · Post by **Kellyerin222** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 8:28 am

Tex: This is true about the gluten not being a low cal diet, so I will gladly say you are right. But, I can tell from your posts you are an intelligent man with a strong will

so that is going to go for you!!

Sunny: Thank you. I was always told woman who have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome should follow a low carb diet, but never gave it a go. Though the people I have talked to and with your post say that when they did follow the low carb they did lose a lot of weight-- so this is inspiring to me- thank you!

Maggie: Good morning and thank you for your support. Yea, the Pred was very much a double edge sword for me, but the good thing is I am almost off and that so pleases me. You are right about taking it slow and I will be careful not to completely stress and throw myself into a rage, then only to hit a high stress point and buckle under the pressure. I just need to make sure that I can push past those cravings and force myself to exercise

I did do very well this morning. I went to the grocery store and only put good stuff in my cart. I did look at those cookies for a few minutes and then told myself it was not needed and if it is not in my house, then I will not eat it. I already drank 32 oz. of water so far this morning, so almost half to my goal for the day. I do have some errands to get accomplished today, so I will schedule my exercise for mid-day. Husband asked me to come and see him for lunch and I said yes on the condition that we go someplace with good salads. So looking forward to getting my hair done tomorrow-- it has been too long and the white hairs are creeping up everywhere on my head. I just sold my tanning bed that I purchased several years ago (wanted to be safe on my health), but I hear a local tanning salon has a new spray tanning bed and I am thinking about getting a small package. Don't wish to tan in a tanning bed, but might try the spray tan. Also going to go to Borders today and get a book on health supplements/vitamins/natural stuff (also the "You" instruction manual one), thinking about taking fish oil. So making some changes, but feeling very good about them and I know I will reach bumps in the road and times I will probably wants to shed some tears or stomp my feet, but I have been through worse and in the end it will all be worth it!

Kel

Dee · Post by **Dee** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 9:01 am

Hi Kelly!!
I read your post about the spray tanning bed (booth) and it really brought back a hilarious experience..
My sister came down from Michigan and this is when the spray tanning booths had just started to surface.
Soooo, the two of us decided to try it!!!
My sister went in the booth first. It only took a couple of minutes.
She came out and they have you take a towel and dab yourself off.
I went in, and was had no idea that I in for a shocker!!!
The spray was like being sprayed with ice water! Every time it did it's cycle, it took your breath because it was so cold. So, it was breathe, GASP, breathe, GASP!!!
I got out and said to my sister, WHOA!!! Was your spray cold???
By that time we were laughing so hard, we couldn't even talk and I know that the girl that was managing the place had to think that we were 2 NUTSO'S....... Needless to say, I haven't gone to another sunless tanning booth.
I wouldn't mind trying the salons that offer the airbrush if I could actually see someone after they've had it done on them..
Now, I'm gonna laugh every time I think about this today!!

Dee~~~~~~

Kellyerin222 · Post by **Kellyerin222** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 9:25 am

Dee,

LOL!! That was hilarous-- and do thank you for warning me. I am going to give it a try, but if it ice cold as you said-- not sure how long I will continue, lol. You have to tell me though if it worked and if you noticed some color from it? They said it is for those you want to get "seriously dark seriously fast" and I just want that little boast right now in my self esteem and to not look like a complete white pale chicken, lol. I think 3 session here are $40.00 and that does seem high compared to a regular bed, but again just sold my tanning bed and really not wanting to do that again and look out for my health. My mother has a long time friend that she recently saw when she was here with me visiting and this lady always used a tanning bed in her young years and it was kinda sad to see that you could see so much damage from it.
They do have a product called "Fake Bake" which is actually pretty good stuff and what some of the stars use, doesn't get you "orange", but that means I would have to sit in the bathroom applying this stuff (and my patience is not the best) lol.

Thanks for the laugh-- I was cracking up!

Kel

Dee · Post by **Dee** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 10:56 am

The sunless tanning booths do work, but you will have to go all of the time if you want to keep somewhat of a tan ..
It will wash off.
You have to watch because it is sprayed on and it will leave streaks from the mist running.
I have a suggestion that you may want to try since you're like me, not wanting to have to smear sunless tanning lotions on all of the time.
I use a product called the tantowel. I get them at our beauty supply store, like Sally's... Or you can order them online. One towel is all that I have to use at a time. Very convenient for me since I have a fair complexion.

Dee~~~~~~~