How do you handle hunger AND pain at the same time?
I took prednisone for a year, and gained 50lbs... because I discovered that while I can diet just fine when I am healthy, I have a really hard time not eating when I'm hungry if there's also pain.
I've been off prednisone for 6 months, lost 25lbs, and now I'm hungry again. I started Xeljanz about 6 weeks ago, but didn't see weight gain in the side effects. Certainly haven't noticed an abatement of pain/fatigue. So generally I feel lousy all the time plus very hungry. I've gained back 5lbs and I'm at my wit's end.
How can I endure constant pain, and fatigue, AND hunger? it's like my brain says - well, at least you can solve THAT problem, eat something!!! (lol). I used to *lose* weight just eating the way I do now, low-carb, but now I literally can't lose/maintain weight unless I severely cut calories, which isn't a problem normally, I'm not hungry much... But dadgum medication HUNGER kills me!!!! Sorry for the long rant, I'm just at a loss. Thanks very much!
Hi again
!!! Nice to 'see' you here. I'm hopeful folks will chime in with any insight or thoughts on this for you if they have any to get you some answers around this! Hope your week's going well 😀 -Alesandra (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team) Hi
. I'm sorry that you have to experience this pain. I know exactly how you feel and am in a similar boat with constant pain and fatigue, which makes me stressed and anxious, and then I binge eat pretty much anything I can get my hands on. And this can be especially difficult and frustrating when trying to eat/get healthy.
Here are some things that I have found work the best(although they are not the perfect solution that we all hope for):
-surround yourself with healthy foods that you actually enjoy(for me that was hiding the chocolate bag and getting fresh fruit or nuts)
-try to keep yourself busy by doing things you love even when you feel fatigued. Doing things that we enjoy makes easier to shut out the hunger and the pain(plus it gets us away from the fridge)
-listen to your body. Try to differentiate between 'hunger because of pain/stress' and actual hunger. Be conscious of it and find things that can 'replace' the feeling(like activities or drinking tea/diet pop instead of munching)
Unfortunately, much of this is a combination of trial-and-error and perseverance. But don't give up! I'd love to hear from you and I hope this helps. 😀Thank you for your response. I've actually solved it myself, I think. I just have to eat NO carbs at all. As soon as I have a bite of a cracker, I'm starving and could eat the whole grocery store. If I eat a hard boiled egg, I'm fine. Eventually I'll find foods I can eat without getting hungry but for now, this week, I'm content. Stilly achy and exhausted, but at least I'm not hungry.
