Tips for managing weight gain

For many of us on this crazy drug we have encountered a very frustrating side effect called weight gain. Weight gain in people taking high doses of Prednisone is different from normal weight gain in a variety of ways. This weight gain is caused by numerous factors, edema (fluid build up), increased hunger (think cookie monster when he sees cookies, except for us it's every food!), and unavoidable strange fat distribution (neck and shoulders known as "buffalo hump", face and neck known as "moonface" and tummy). Needless to say it can change the way you look for sure especially on higher doses.

But never fear guys and gals, there are a number of us who have had to deal with Prednisone time and time again and we've come up with some good ways to combat this annoying side effect!

Moonface (facial swelling)

 - Reduce salt intake

- Wear your hair so that it slims your face (find hair styles for people with round faces) Create lines for your face since the pred. is making it round, uneven, choppy cuts are good. Try to keep your hair at a medium to long length but give it some lift. You don’t want your hair to be plastered to your face that will accentuate your roundness. Textured blended styles to take extra bulk out of your hair. If you wear you hair up, create more volume at the top, it’s key but keep extra hair away from the sides of your face that can make it worse. Don’t wear your hair slicked back but rather with loose, waves or wearing your hair half up which elongates the face. Layers that hit the cheek to create a more oval face (these are LONG layers) Side swept bangs can help create angles for your face (my personal favorite) Avoid overly short or chin length hair, this will widen the look of your face by drawing out the eye.

- Wear makeup that contours your face.

 How do you do this? A bronzer is key since it’s a couple shades darker than your skin, apply diag. under your cheekbones or parallel to your jaw line (this is helping to create an illusion of a cheekbone, Apply on the sides of your nose and straight down the center of you nose (it appears longer and thinner make sure to blend well!), Apply on your jaw line and under your chin( any that you have). Apply blush right above the bronzer on your cheeks remember diag. The biggest trick in the book is a makeup highlighter. This adds a pop to your face. Dab a bit to the upper and bottom of your lips to make them pop and give them more shape ( making some of your facial features bigger (eyes, and lips) will make your cheeks look smaller) Dab some on the small bump on the tip of your nose, apply to your brow bones to create a larger looking eye and you can even add the highlighter above your blush to create even more of a more oval shape.

- This sounds crazy but try to lay equally on your left and right side of your face when you sleep instead of all on one side

- Wear some awesome glasses if you need them

- Drink lots and lots of water

Buffalo hump (Back Edema)

- Reduce salt intake

- Wear a hoodie or something that isn’t super snug that way you don’t accentuate it. In the summer wear a nice tee shirt that is higher in the back.

- Wear your hair down. That nice beautiful hair of yours can help hide that little extra back there!

General Weight gain

- Try to limit your food intake by eating smaller meals more often

- Again, Eat healthy with less salt

- Exercise however you can

- For edema and water retention weight gain talk to your doctor about taking a diuretic that can rid you of all that extra water.

- Get rid of your addiction to pop! Single biggest factor of fluid retention, you can guarantee less weight if you rid yourself of that pop!

- Wear clothes that shape your body but don’t cling to it but also avoid really puffy or baggy clothes that can make you appear bigger.

Weight gain can be a very uncomfortable side effect of Prednisone but it's important to remember to love yourself even when you are enduring these physical changes. Remember to stay as positive as you can and to keep looking at all the beautiful features you have that the Prednisone can't touch - your beautiful eyes for example. Most of all remember that Prednisone is only temporary. It might be something that you endure more than what you would like (to put it lightly) because of a chronic illness or condition. I've sure been there! But it certainly didn't last forever for me and it won't for you either. Just keep your hope and your head high! You'll get through this!