Fasting, Medication, Dieting, Weight Gain

[mercygate]

I deliberately placed this topic on “spirituality” as a spinoff of a current thread on fasting.

My question is a technical/medical one.

Does anyone have information on what medical conditions cause obesity, or at least make it difficult to maintain a healthy body weight?

Does anyone have information on what medications cause people to gain weight or make it more difficult to lose weight?

I’m one of those people for whom gaining and losing weight are directly related to what I put in my mouth, so I have NO CLUE about what else contributes to carrying around unhealthy body weight.

Thanks for your help.

 

[CarrieH]

This article should answer some of your questions. Page down to the “causes of obesity” section.

win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/understanding.htm

 

[mercygate]

This article should answer some of your questions. Page down to the “causes of obesity” section.

win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/understanding.htm

Thank you very much. Did you have that “in your pocket” or did you find it in response to my question?

I am asking because I would like to pursue the subject to figure out what percent of the population has these obesity-causing or obesity-perpetuating conditions.

E.g., when placed on steroids, how much weight gain can a person expect? Is there an upper limit? Is it from fluid retention or from a reduction in metabolism or is it from other causes?

I suppose with the drug-induced weight gain/retention, the package insert would tell? Or would it?

 

[CarrieH]

Thank you very much. Did you have that “in your pocket” or did you find it in response to my question?

I am asking because I would like to pursue the subject to figure out what percent of the population has these obesity-causing or obesity-perpetuating conditions.

E.g., when placed on steroids, how much weight gain can a person expect? Is there an upper limit? Is it from fluid retention or from a reduction in metabolism or is it from other causes?

I suppose with the drug-induced weight gain/retention, the package insert would tell? Or would it?

You’re welcome; I googled it. As far as upper limits, etc., each person is has their own unique set of circumstances, so it would be nearly impossible to predict specific numbers. Besides, the cost of running studies to analyze this would be prohibitive, considering the limited usefulness of the data obtained. (I work in pharmaceutical research, so take my word on that!). The package insert or PDR would only say “weight gain” in the list of adverse effects, or maybe “signficant weight gain” if people really tend to pile on the pounds.

Medscape (www.medscape.com) has a wealth of information about obesity, but it is written for medical professionals. If you have the knowledge base to understand it, you might want to check it out. You have to register for a free account to access the articles. Good luck and God bless.

 

[mercygate]

You’re welcome; I googled it. As far as upper limits, etc., each person is has their own unique set of circumstances, so it would be nearly impossible to predict specific numbers. Besides, the cost of running studies to analyze this would be prohibitive, considering the limited usefulness of the data obtained. (I work in pharmaceutical research, so take my word on that!). The package insert or PDR would only say “weight gain” in the list of adverse effects, or maybe “signficant weight gain” if people really tend to pile on the pounds.

Medscape (www.medscape.com) has a wealth of information about obesity, but it is written for medical professionals. If you have the knowledge base to understand it, you might want to check it out. You have to register for a free account to access the articles. Good luck and God bless.

Thank you so much.

 

[baltobetsy]

E.g., when placed on steroids, how much weight gain can a person expect? Is there an upper limit? Is it from fluid retention or from a reduction in metabolism or is it from other causes?

I can tell you from sad experience that steroids cause an incredible increase in appetite. A full meal provides as much satisfaction as an appetizer. And there’s an energy and compulsion that characterize the person on steroids that make it nearly impossible, except for the *most disciplined *person, to resist the urge to eat. As you may have guessed, I do not have that degree of discipline!

Betsy

 

[mercygate]

I can tell you from sad experience that steroids cause an incredible increase in appetite. A full meal provides as much satisfaction as an appetizer. And there’s an energy and compulsion that characterize the person on steroids that make it nearly impossible, except for the *most disciplined *person, to resist the urge to eat. As you may have guessed, I do not have that degree of discipline!

Betsy

Betsy, thank you very much. I have NEVER heard this before. I know many people on steroids, who lament about the abrupt and hefty weight gain. But nobody has ever shared this important piece of information with me.

Is there also a fluid retention component with steroids?

Would fasting for religious discipline be contraindicated for a person taking steroids – barring other contraindications?

 

[brigid12]

Betsy, thank you very much. I have NEVER heard this before. I know many people on steroids, who lament about the abrupt and hefty weight gain. But nobody has ever shared this important piece of information with me.

Is there also a fluid retention component with steroids?

Would fasting for religious discipline be contraindicated for a person taking steroids – barring other contraindications?

It wouldn’t be safe to answer these questions on an internet forum, since there is variation between individuals (age, past med. history, not being able to actually see you, family medical history, etc.). I do understand your concern! My **very strong ** recommendation (for your own wellbeing) is to call your doctor and ask these questions.

 

[baltobetsy]

Betsy, thank you very much. I have NEVER heard this before. I know many people on steroids, who lament about the abrupt and hefty weight gain. But nobody has ever shared this important piece of information with me.

Is there also a fluid retention component with steroids?

Would fasting for religious discipline be contraindicated for a person taking steroids – barring other contraindications?

People develop a characteristic “moon face” when taking steroids long-term, but I cannot remember much about fluid retention - it’s been a long time since I’ve taken any.

I think fasting should get ***double credit ***for a person on steroids. I don’t think you really need all that food - you just want it really badly. I am not a skinny person, and when I have been given steroids to take, the doctors have warned me to avoid weight gain, presumably by not giving in to the appetite increase. I agree that a quick question to the doctor would be in order about actual fasting. Perhaps (seriously now) normal eating without an increase could be the equivalent of a fast for a normal person.

I fondly remember my first days taking them. The first day feels like the best day of your life. You have boundless energy, nothing is too much trouble, everything is fun and fast - it’s a little touch of mania. Friends of mine have reported cleaning and cooking frenzies. One time, I bought shoulder pads for every one of my knit tops and sewed them all in place. When I was back to normal, I marveled at having done that. Normally, I would buy the supplies but not finish the project. After a day or two, the mania wears off, and all that’s left is the ravenous hunger.

Betsy

 

[puzzleannie]

I deliberately placed this topic on “spirituality” as a spinoff of a current thread on fasting.

My question is a technical/medical one.

Does anyone have information on what medical conditions cause obesity, or at least make it difficult to maintain a healthy body weight?

Does anyone have information on what medications cause people to gain weight or make it more difficult to lose weight?

Thanks for your help.

I do but I would not offer it on this forum since it is against forum rules, It is also widely available on the internet. start with health links on your brower. and most obviously, see your doctor.

 

[mercygate]

It wouldn’t be safe to answer these questions on an internet forum, since there is variation between individuals (age, past med. history, not being able to actually see you, family medical history, etc.). I do understand your concern! My **very strong **recommendation (for your own wellbeing) is to call your doctor and ask these questions.

Yes, yes! I understand that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to my questions.

I am looking for a general picture of how different things affect people who cannot peel off pounds. The query goes to how prevalent are physical predispositions, medical conditions, or medication provoked weight-gains in the overall profile of obesity in America.

I tend to think that most people who carry around >20% of their healthy body weight are just eating too much, as I was when I was 30 pounds heavier than I should be. But to get a fair idea of the extent of this idea, I would like to get a better picture of the prevalence of the purely physical (as opposed to emotional or psychological factors) conditions that lead to intractable obesity.

I agree: people who find themselves unable to maintain a healthy body weight need to check it out with a doctor. They might find that the “bad news” is actually “good news”: an underying medical condition that should be treated. Or the “good news” would be that they just eat too much, don’t exercise enough, and need to deal with reality and stop whining!

 

[mercygate]

People develop a characteristic “moon face” when taking steroids long-term, but I cannot remember much about fluid retention - it’s been a long time since I’ve taken any.

I think fasting should get ***double credit ***for a person on steroids. I don’t think you really need all that food - you just want it really badly. I am not a skinny person, and when I have been given steroids to take, the doctors have warned me to avoid weight gain, presumably by not giving in to the appetite increase. I agree that a quick question to the doctor would be in order about actual fasting. Perhaps (seriously now) normal eating without an increase could be the equivalent of a fast for a normal person.

I fondly remember my first days taking them. The first day feels like the best day of your life. You have boundless energy, nothing is too much trouble, everything is fun and fast - it’s a little touch of mania. Friends of mine have reported cleaning and cooking frenzies. One time, I bought shoulder pads for every one of my knit tops and sewed them all in place. When I was back to normal, I marveled at having done that. Normally, I would buy the supplies but not finish the project. After a day or two, the mania wears off, and all that’s left is the ravenous hunger.

Betsy

Again, stuff I NEVER knew! Fascinating. Gosh! I wish I could get some of that mania! Oh, wait! Last night I washed the bathroom ceiling. No steroids, though.

 

[mercygate]

I just had time to track down the prevalence rates for the main causes of obesity mentioned in the article CarrieH linked from the NIH. Polycystic ovary syndrome =>5%, Hypothyroidism = 0.5%, Cushing’s syndrome = 0.000001%

Now, this only means that this is how many people are diagnosed and being treated. Haven’t discovered the percent of the population using steroids for medical conditions.

 

[Catherine_Grant]

Solicitation or offering of advice as to the diagnosis of disease, the effectiveness of medications, or the efficacy of various therapeutic interventions, modalities, and regimens is not permitted on the forums. While generally well-intentioned, it can have potentially serious reprecussions.

Whether the matter at issue involves recognized, experimental, or unproven therapeutic modalities, matters relative to diagnosis and treatment of both physical and emotional disorders are very individualized and cannot be safely generalized to a description on the internet of an individual’s symptoms, circumstances, or situation. Additionally, there is a clear-cut risk involved in accepting, relying, or acting on the expressed opinions of those who either lack relevant professional qualifications and credentials, or whose claims to such cannot be validated. Similarly, the experience or response of others in what appears to be a similar or identical set of circumstances is not an accurate measure of its applicability to someone else’s situation.

Effectively monitoring such threads is neither practical nor realistic. Tolerating them could cause a poster, relying on proferred advice, to take steps that might mitigate symptomatology, rather than seek out a diagnostician and validate the presence or absence of treatable pathology. That risk is both legally and morally unacceptable.

Persons in need of medical or psychiatric advice are advised to consult their primary care provider, or another reputable practitioner in the appropriate specialty, and work with them to establish a diagnosis and plan of treatment.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

This thread is now closed.