I’m going on vacation in 2 weeks, I’ve been off Prednisone for a full year, and I’m renewed in my focus to maintain decent eating habits.
I’ve gone about 3 weeks now with only one day of significant binging, but it was a planned day off because people were going to be over the house. Otherwise, I’ve lowered my body fat by about 3%, also lost about 4 lbs over the same time, and I”m liking the changes.
This will be on hold again during my vacation, but mostly because of the booze, not food. Truth be told, I typically lose weight – even with all-you-can-eat options.
CynicalMe's Life List
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1. Beat ITP
1 person -
2. Rethink my priorities
1 person -
3. get a puppy
1 entry . 2 cheers1,379 people -
4. control my anger
1 entry . 3 cheers510 people -
5. Organize my life
2 cheers982 people -
6. stop procrastinating
1 cheer30,362 people -
7. be more spontaneous
1 cheer1,227 people -
8. think less and do more
1 entry . 2 cheers297 people -
9. maintain financial stability
1 entry . 1 cheer3 people -
10. have a net worth of $1M before age 40
1 entry . 1 cheer1 person -
11. teach
1 cheer834 people -
12. write
1,598 people -
13. read one book per month
1 cheer149 people -
14. face my fears
1 cheer290 people -
15. do an open-mic/perform standup
1 person -
16. get an MBA
1 entry . 1 cheer668 people -
17. start my own business
1 cheer9,334 people -
18. learn Japanese, Spanish, Italian & French
1 entry . 1 cheer1 person -
19. learn to write right-handed
4 people -
20. get ancestral/genealogical information
1 person -
21. get along with my brothers
4 people -
22. vacation with my brothers
1 cheer2 people -
23. ski out west
13 people -
24. rent a winter ski house
1 cheer1 person -
25. take an active/adventure vacation
1 person -
26. take a mancation with my friends
1 cheer1 person -
27. throw an incredible party
1 cheer1 person -
28. control my diet/eating habits
2 entries . 1 cheer1 person -
29. get down to sub-10% body fat
2 entries . 1 cheer1 person -
30. be more social
5,415 people -
31. reconnect with my childhood friends
1 cheer1 person -
32. be better at small talk
94 people -
33. speak more concisely
1 person -
34. be (known as) an expert in something
1 person -
35. become a better programmer
1 cheer903 people -
36. become (locally/relatively) famous
1 cheer1 person -
37. donate to my alma maters & fraternity
1 person -
38. analyze my cash flow & set up a budget
1 person
How I did it: My condition improved (I had an auto-immune blood disorder) and my doctor slowly reduced my dosage from 80mg/day down to 60,40,20,10,5,2.5 and then 2.5 every other day. I followed the doctor's instructions to the letter and was quite thrilled when I didn't have to swallow my batch of pills each day. I ended up with some secondary problems due to my extended use of prednisone (mild osteoporosis and some kidney stones) but they … Read how I did it…
So I’ve got this auto-immune disorder where my body is attacking itself for no good reason. The treatment for it includes Prednisone, which is a steroid that does all kinds of fun things to the body. Among them, it creates what’s known as moon face, neck rolls, and buffalo hump. I’m not kidding – look it up. Well they just lowered my dosage a bit, but my face is getting fatter. I can look forward to it getting bigger for the next few months as they ween me off it. My choices are either stop taking Prednisone (not really an option, sudden withdrawal can be fatal) and let my body kill itself on its own, or suffer through the side effects as my body resets itself with drugs and look like a lollipop for the next months. Vanity be damned!
What was once common for me is now out of reach for a while. My meds have the potential side effects of “moon face, buffalo hump, and excessive weight gain, especially in the neck.” Additionally, Prednisone causes lethargy, muscle atrophy and bone loss. When the dosage is tapered enough that my moods aren’t swinging, I’ll reassert myself toward this one.

