Do Steroids Make You Gain Weight? Plus How to Avoid It

Corticosteroids are synthetically made Cortisol, it does the same work as normal Cortisol that is to treat inflammation in the body. Steroids are different than normal anabolic steroids used by bodybuilders and athletes. They don’t necessarily cure wounds but can cure stiffness, inflammation, swelling, and pain. Inflammation after a cut can cause the extra discharge of fluids in the body by the immune system which can cause swelling, redness, and also pain. Steroids help to fight the bacterias that cause this inflammation and swelling and help in decreasing the intensity.

Since you now know what Steroids are, you should also know that it may have side effects with it that can have real adverse effects on you. One of them being weight gain.

Weight Gain from Steroids:

Research says that continuous use of steroids can have some serious side effects. Out of these side effects, weight gain is said to be the most common of them all and occurs in most patients. Steroids tend to change the metabolism rate of the body together with the electrolyte balance. It increases your appetite, meaning you’ll be more hungry. It increases fluid retention in your body, so fluid levels stay high lastly, it can change the spots in your body where fat gets stored. Places like the face, neck, and abdomen generally have more fat while someone is taking doses of steroids. There are other factors as well that define the severity of the side effect and how prevalent it is. These factors are the type of dosage, the intensity of the dosage, doses, and the duration you take the doses for. Weight gain is normally only caused by steroids that you take as tablets. Steroids come in different forms. Also, it is very likely that the longer you keep taking steroids and the amount you take will play a big role in increasing your weight. Studies have shown that normally it would take a regular minimal dosage of 7.5 mg to be taken for 2 months to have side effects like weight gain take action. Normally, short time dosages that last a few days to a week have no effect on the body and do not cause any harmful side effects. Weight gain from steroids isn’t permanent at all, and once the doses are removed from the daily intake of a patient weight will start to go down over time.

How to avoid weight gain from steroids?

Weight gain from steroids may not be avoided entirely in most cases. But weight can be maintained by following the few methods listed below. 

Consult your doctor: If you see any side effects from taking steroids, including weight gain, the first thing you should do is talk to your doctor and try to get dosages for different timings. Your doctor may also give you a different form of steroid that you don’t need to take orally. As mentioned before oral steroids may cause more weight gain compared to gel-based steroids, inhaled steroids, or eyedrop steroids. Steroids medication should not be stopped abruptly without consulting the doctor. No matter what side effects you may be facing, try not to skip your doses as it can cause severe health complications resulting in more harm than the side effects can have. Your doctor can also prescribe you medications, like Vitamin-D or calcium supplements, together with steroids which help in reducing weight gain side effects.

Managing weight: Weight gain from steroids is just like normal weight gain and can be controlled by a proper diet plan and some physical activities being done daily. Here is a 5 step plan to help you manage your weight while you are taking steroids. 

Step 1: Calculate your calories,

It is very important that you keep an eye on the number of calories you take in. When you know how many calories you are taking in daily. It will help you to plan out your food properly and also it will help you know when to not eat extra if you see that you’re exceeding the threshold. 

Step 2: Eating healthy,

When you take steroids, your metabolism rate increases a lot. That results in an increase in appetite as well. This means you will be more hungry and always looking for food. You shouldn’t eat less at all but you should change your meals to something that has low calories but more nutrition. Eat more fruits and vegetables, and fat-free meat for protein.

Step 3: Avoid Sugar at all costs,

Sugar is the body’s biggest enemy when it comes to fighting weight gain. If you wish to maintain your weight, you would need to skip all kinds of food that might be rich in sugar including sweets, sugary drinks, chocolate e.t.c. Sugar causes fat deposition in the body and promotes weight gain by a lot. 

Step 4: Water,

Water helps in maintaining the weight of your body, so make sure that you drink a lot of water while you continue with your efforts to lose weight. It will also help to detox your body from any toxins that you might have and will help in healing you faster as the toxins are later urinated by you.

Step 5: Working out,

It’s easy math when you burn more calories than you eat, you will be on your way to losing weight. You can try out exercises that are not so difficult for you in case you have a physical injury. Workouts like walking, jogging, swimming, yoga, or aerobics can help you lose a significant amount of weight and help you avoid unwanted weight gain from steroids. 

Steroids should be avoided unless really necessary and after a calculation that the side effects have a lesser impact on the patient compared to the injury they have. Make sure that you buy medications from a legal dealer, as illegal suppliers may sell you expired medications which can cause you serious harm. If you do not know where to find Legal steroids, then Check here. Hope this article helps you to answer all the questions you might have and also to help you control your weight gain caused by steroids.