Okay so first I want to appologize for not being online more often lately...I have been so exhausted lately and really busy with the end of the year school activities with my kids school. So I havent been able to read as many of the posts and respond to them like I normally like to do....That being said I will go ahead with why I am posting tonight, I have been on methotrexate for about 7 months now and Humira for 3 I have seen some major imporovements but I am not back to 100% and maybe I never will be and that is something I have accepted but over the last 3 months I have gained almost 20 pounds I am starting to really become depressed about it and I try to exercise and eat healthier but nothing is working I am curently looking into auto immune diets and diets for people with PsA in particular but Im not coming up with alot my next doctors appointment isnt until the end of June and this is something that I would really want to talk to him in person about so I was hoping maybe someone would have some suggestions for me or ideas that would help me with losing weight anything will be appreciated I am getting desperate!
Thanks! Amanda
also please check into World Autoimmune Arthritis Day on May 20th you can find them on facebook or google thier name!
I wish I had an answer to your dilemma with weight gain. I've been on MTX for a few months myself and have experienced similar weight gains. It is listed as a side effect of MTX, but when I saw my rheumy a couple of weeks ago, she dismissed this as a possible culprit. I've had the major fatigue, too, and she wants to implicate that as a possible cause. Truth is, though, I've never had much trouble dropping a few pounds whenever I wanted to; it's keeping it off that was always my issue. But right now I can't seem to shed even five pounds. I'd love to hear if you get any insight into this! Hope you are feeling well today.
It's frustrating not being able to control your weight. I've tried many things and just can't lose weight. My doctors can't figure it out. For me, I think the weight would come off if I were more mobile, but with my back and hip problems combined with my "new" PsA in my chest, which makes it difficult to breathe ... and the exhaustion ... I haven't been nearly as active as I need to be.
I hope you find something that works for you soon!
While it would seem that a little more exercise and fewer calories or less exercise and even fewer calories would do the trick, it won’t. MTX, and for that matter, most of the drugs we take work our lovers pretty hard. Our liver is also the only measns of burning fat. It is the main determiner of our metabolism.
So those are the facts… Now my theory (which is shared by number of nutritionists) An awful lt of what we eat requires the liver as well. Topping the list artificial sweeteners, complex carbs, trans fats, and most vegetale oils and margarines. Dairy products are also a challene. Cheese, heavy cream, butter, yogurt (not low fat or sweetened) are okay. Milk especially skim is not. Sugar and flour are really tough. Any food which has fat and sugar added (which ismost prepared food and resteraunt food) is killer. Whole grains if they are high in gluten are tough too (thats why flour is so tough)
All that said it not so hard to follow a diet that will delete these items. 20 or fewer mgs carbs will assure it. All whole natural foods are next on your menu. Fresh or good frozen vegies are okay along with lots of fiber. Cooking with butter and either coconut and olive oil.
The diet works. I’ ve lost 150# and I’m immobile a lot. You have to burn over 2000 calories to loose a pound - do you realiz how much exercise that is? Essentially this is the atkins diet with fruits fresh and not too much an d vegetables. There are other versions usually advetized " as its not how much you eat but the combinations" The diet is low carb because the foods I listed (sugar, pasta. flour etc.) are loaded with carbs. If its low carb ( unless the sugar has been relaced with nutra sweet etc.) its prolly okay.
I’m not trivalizing this. I sat on my rear gaining pound after pound saying I can’t exercise because of my disease and I can’t loose weight. All the while it was what I was eating. I know of nobody who has failed to loose with this appraoch. Oh and be careful of supplements they are hard on the liver too. Ther is another benefit to this approac (and it is scientific not my opinion) your meds work better.
My doctors are confused because I consume very little dairy (these days only cheese, butter and yogurt), am gluten-free, eat mainly veggies, some fruits, and some meat. I don't eat anything with preservatives, hfcs, trans fats, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils (I use mostly coconut oil or olive oil), and rarely eat refined sugar. For that matter, I rarely eat processed food. I do have liver issues, and to help resolve my liver issues I need to lose weight, but can't lose weight due to my liver issues. LOL I just can't win.
Ah...the weight issue. I sympathize as I'm having similar issues. I think my weight gain was indicitive of the arrival of my PsA. Weight has been creeping on for the past 2 years inexplicably. I'd been exercising more, eating wisely, to no avail. This is one of the reasons I went to see my doc. in Nov because I was bewildered. I thought I had thyroid or cortisol problems. Long story short, once I was finally dx'd with the PsA, the doc did say that weight is often a problem with systemic inflammatory disease. However, don't let this cause you to give up. I'm with tntlamb on this. I've gone gluten free, red-meat free, dairy free (for the most part) and I guess my diet could be considered a cross between Atkins and Meditteranean (sans alcohol of course). I've only dropped 4 lbs in 4 weeks, but I consider it a victory nonetheless. I will never be model thin again (I was a size 6) and now sport between a 14 and 16. My goal is to be healthier and reduce my pain and inflammation so I can be a better mom and wife. If I lose some pounds in the process, that will be a bonus. I'm bummed that Mtx can cause weight gain, but I imagine that if I hadn't made the dietary changes, my weight would have been much worse. I've only been on the Mtx for about 6 weeks now. Most of my weight gain is attributed to the PsA. I agree with tntlamb on the liver aspect of this disease and weight gain. Liver health is key. I use dandelion root tea as a gentle liver detox. Other liver loving foods are things such as beets, any cuciferous veggies, lemon and grapefruit, eggs (in moderation)...to name a few. I'm also going to dig out my old psoriasis "cure" diet which was also very liver conscious. I used this about 12 years ago before the arthritis component because my psoriasis patches were huge. The lesions went away, and lo and behold, I lost 35 pounds. In addition to the dietary measures, this program suggested "red clover combination" as a supplement, and pressure point therapies directed towards liver health. The diet was not easy, and I think that I'd only be able to do it again if I modified it. It was quite strict on carbs (much like Atkins). I don't believe in eliminating all carbs. I prefer complex carbs along with fiber which helps to smooth out blood sugar, thus is easier on....you guessed it, the liver. Anyway, I'm not taking this laying down (ha ha) at least not all the time! I encourage you to try. I can't exercise like I used to, but I am going to the pool 2-3x weekly. Good luck.
As far as diet goes-I follow the approach of a friend and mentor of mine named John Davies. He refers to it as “simplicity”. It’s exactly what it sounds like: simple. I’ll see if I can find a link for it. Basically, you avoid anything processed whenever possible-fresh is the way to go. Cook it yourself, with your family. Then, take time to enjoy your food (again, with your family). Then, get up from the table without being “full”. Another thing that is really helpful for me is that I do not eat anything for three to four hours before bed. I also will frequently get up in the morning, have a cup of coffee, and then go for a walk before breakfast. Exercise also helps, and I know it can be hard to workout-especially at a gym. Again, I follow John’s advice. Take the “work” out of your workout. Walk to the grocery store (or better yet, local farmers’ market) instead of driving as long as your feet/knees/hips/back are up to it that day. If you have young kids, playing with them for an hour or two is a great workout. Ride your bike, kick a soccer ball around with some friends, go for a swim, now your lawn with a push mower, anything you enjoy that doesn’t involve sitting still or lying down is a workout in my book. Lastly, appreciate yourself as the beautiful creature you are. My wife is five foot, seven inches and is 169lbs. As far as I’m concerned she is gorgeous
A pound a week is about right DEmarajade, you have better chance of keeping it off. Who knows Nym, with your liver not at peak. If you weren’t doing what you are doing, what it might be like.
Yeah, it's a scary thought, isn't it? They sent me to a nutritionist who decided that the way I'm eating is healthier than the plan she had written up for me and sent me home without paying her for our ten minute chat. LOL
Thank you everyone for commenting....I believe after all of my research and you comments (which were very helpful) I am going to start eating even more healthy tommorow removing gluten and most if not all carbs from my diet....I will keep everyone posted....I believe I am going to start a diet blog on this site to help keep me motivated and moving in the right direction.....again thank you to everyone who posted and gave me advice!
I have been on and off Methotrexate for the past 25 years. I am not sure it has ever fully worked for me but I imagine that it could have been worse without it. I have always struggled with weight but I am not sure Methotrexate is a heavy hitter like high doses of prednisone for long periods of time. I can gain weight just looking at prednisone.
