steroid weight gain - HELP - need info

WLS 5+ years ago.  maintaining just fine & dandy.

got REALLY sick about a month ago.  finally went to DR last week.  got diagnosed w/ bad upper respiratory infection & put on antibiotics, nasal spray & 5 day taper-down steriod pack. 

put on 5 lbs in less than a week.  suspect steriods are to blame because i can FEEL the fluid retention in my lower legs & feet, etc.

also still log every single calorie i eat, so know i didnt just suddenly start eating more, etc.  only change to my diet in the last week is going to replacing one meal w/ liquids (lipton cup of soups to be precise) because 1 - more fluids is usually always better when trying to get well & 2 - being sick with all that drainage going down the back of my throat isnt really condusive to the thought of putting food in my belly especially since i never get physically hungry. 

so my ? --- for those of u that have taken steriods, how long did it take after stopping (this morning was my last pill) to get the fluid to leave?  seeing that # on the scale freaked me out - most i have weighed in years.  even though i KNOW it's just fluid, still freaks me out anyway & i want it gone. 

Could the Lipton Cup of Soups have more sodium than you are use to getting?

I had to use Slim Jim's while working for two weeks...the sodium there added a lb that came right back off when the Slim Jim's stopped.

I do know steriods add weight but you need them to get rid of the infection...jus****ch your sodium and once done, get back to basics.

Good luck.

i HAVE to keep my sodium intake high because i cannot tolerate the salt tablets my DR would prefer i take for my chronically (& sometimes dangerously) low blood pressure. 

High yes, but maybe it added too much? Just a thought.

Liz

Two things steroids do is make you hungry and make you retain water.  If you know you've eaten no differently and gained just because of the water retention of the steroids, then it should go back down when they cycle through your system.  I wouldn't be too concerned.  

easier said than done not to worry.  hard not to considering i have a paranoia of regain like i guess a lot of us do.

n yes i know my overall calorie intake has not changed - as i said, only difference is replacing 1 meal w/ fluids instead of solids - but overall daily calorie intake is same.

i can actually feel my legs & feet swollen to the point of being tingly though which i hate.  thinking about even elevating them to try to at least MOVE some of the fluid around. 

I have taken the steroid 5 pack on two occasions and have not gained.  I think that is one of the reasons why they make it a short term dose.  Of course, it is possible that your weight gain has something to do with it but once you are of of it for a few weeks, hopefully you will see a difference.  I think you might be retaining fluids based on your consumption of the soup which is notoriously high in sodium.

Hope you find the answer.

i never gained b4 (though ive only been on steriods a couple of times). 

but this time, from my knees down (actually a little ABOVE my knees) are just puffed out w/ fluid.  i wonder if elevating them would help at least MOVE the fluid around?

My doctor tells me to drink more fluids if I think I'm retaining fluid. Not sure why but it works for me.

I take steroids all the time for my lung disease and if your legs are swelling that badly you should call your doc and see if HE thinks it's ok or if something needs to be done. Yes elevation them should help some. I usually gain a few lbs on the steroids but I've also retrained myself to ignore alot of the hunger they bring on, I have to remind myself I'm not really hungry it's just the drugs. Even when I gain I find it comes off with in a week or so after I get off them so don't panic you should be back to normal or close to it in a week or so. Good luck to you!