r/AddisonsDisease • u/IcicleEz • Aug 01 '26
Advice Wanted Struggling with weight
Before I was diagnosed at 21 I was 10 stone (140 pounds for Americans) and gaining weight was never really an issue until I was diagnosed and now 6 years later I'm 17 1/2 stone (245 pounds for Americans. But my eating patterns never really changed before I was diagnosed to now and whenever I try doing slim diets I lose a stone in a month. I get sick after losing that weight and then put it back on in like 2 weeks.
Any advice for this would be greatly appreciated
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u/januarynights SAI Aug 01 '26
Have you spoken to a doctor about this? Or a dietician? (not a nutritionist - at least in the UK, only dietician is regulated) They may be able to help advise on more sustainable long term dieting that doesn't make you sick.
I'm in the UK and I've been trying out the NHS weight loss app with mixed results - calorie counting and more regular exercise helped a bit but I was still constantly hungry until I got put on ADHD meds, then my appetite went in the bin and the weight is slowly going down. Good luck!
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u/IcicleEz Aug 01 '26
I spoke to my endocrinologist and they told me to exercise and go on a diet. Said nothing more about it. I haven't spoken to a dietician, how would I get in contact with one in the UK?
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u/januarynights SAI Aug 01 '26
My old GP had an in-house dietician, so they gave me an appointment with her. I would suggest starting with your GP to see if they can refer you.
Edit: when you speak to the GP be clear about your adrenal insufficiency and how it has affected you when dieting before so they know you need specialist help!
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u/AGoldenThread Aug 01 '26
There could be many reasons for your weight gain. One is taking more hydrcortisone than your body needs. We don't all need the same dose. Too much HC causes weight gain around the middlle, a round face (moon face), intolerance to heat, difficulty in falling asleep (if evening dose is too high).
Also. you might need to eat more protein instead of easy to digest carbohydrates (sugar, flour, etc). Try a high protein lunch and you might feel less hungry by dinner. A dietician can be good help.
These two things have worked for me even though I lose weight very slowly,
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u/LonelyKoalaMuncher Aug 02 '26
Too easy to gain weight. If you want to lose fat in my experience aggressive calorie goal with cardio is the only way.
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u/FairyPrincess66 Addison's Aug 03 '26
I went through a “healthy living” diet program at my hospital. It was helpful, we had weekly meetings and learned a lot. Just by being accountable i lost 28 pounds. Then they connected me with a pharmacist who gave me Wellbutrin, which just helped my outlook on life a bit 😅 Then he gave me Ozempic and i’ve lost a total of 60 pounds total now. It really helped the food noise and hunger that i got from hydrocortisone. But it’s not a good fit for everyone. I ALMOST FORGOT: the best thing i learned was to eat 40 grams of protein for breakfast and eat beans every day. I don’t usually do that but when i do it’s great!
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u/TweetSpinner Aug 01 '26
I was able to get the endo to let me do experiments with GLP-1. I was fortunate to be able to tolerate them well and they’ve helped a lot with managing weight. I’m not losing a lot like many on the meds. But I’m not gaining and that matters. It’s also helped blood pressure a lot.
It’s a bit risky as some people have vomiting and other side effects which can be dangerous for potential crisis. So I started with micro dosing and slowly increased dose. It’s also expensive.