Losing weight during chronic steroid use

I’ve been on corticosteroids on and off for approximately 10 years for an autoimmune condition which has worsened over the last year. I’m currently dependent on them (when I taper, I relapse) and I’m currently on a low dose of 10mg although every few weeks I have to raise it up again.

I currently weigh 140kg (308lb ~) and trying desperately to lose weight. I gained about 30 kg in the last year or so due to hospitalisation and lots of steroid use. I’ve reduced my intake of carbs to below 25g a day and also monitor my calories. I weigh and log every single thing I eat down to the amount of almonds I eat. Most days I’m under 1500 calories and more often than not, I can easily only eat 1300 calories. Despite this, I’m struggling to lose weight, or it’s going very very slowly.

I have mental health issues, on their own and also related to food (binge eating disorder). I mentally struggle every time I’m on a diet anyway because food has become the only comfort in my life, and when I have weeks when I haven’t lost any weight, I get easily discouraged and overeat. The constant hunger and cravings due to the steroids themselves don’t help. My weight is a significant cause of distress for me, I’m suicidal because of it. I feel like everyone tells me to focus on my health, but when my health does not seem to get better and my weight keeps increasing, something has to be done about it. I can’t just sit there and keep gaining weight and just being this weight is a disability in itself because I have chronic pain and breathlessness because of it. I can’t participate in normal life because I can’t wear any normal clothes, I isolate myself from everyone because I’m embarrassed about my appearance and I’m currently in lockdown with a family all of who are slim and eat whatever they want.

My question really is how do patients on chronic steroids lose weight? Do you have to be off them to actually see the weight come off or are there ways to lose weight while being on them? I am so desperate and can’t find any information from others in my situation about how to lose weight while still on steroids.

submitted by /u/Ankarette
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/hl4alt/losing_weight_during_chronic_steroid_use/