Late last summer, I'd just kicked off a personal weight loss campaign when I suffered a surprisingly stubborn bout of asthma. Prescribed a tapering dose of prednisone for what ended up being two months, my doctor advised me to keep moving forward with diet and exercise, but warned that I might not lose a pound. "Maintaining your weight on this drug is a feat in and of itself," he said.

I lost 20 pounds.

It wasn't easy ... in fact, it was darn hard. Prednisone plays with blood sugar levels in the body, and it makes me feel hungry even when my brain tells me I've eaten enough. Loren Berlin writes about her own struggles with prednisone-related weight gain after she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis:

"Initially I got angry. It seemed unfair that I should have to lose my hard-earned shape to regain my health. These weren't the terms I wanted to negotiate. But my gastroenterologist and my blood tests told me that what I wanted and what I needed were at odds, and needs trumped wants."

And that right there is the rub. Sometimes, despite your best efforts to live a healthy lifestyle, illness happens. Some medications, like prednisone, can cause unwanted weight gain. But there are things you can do to keep extra weight to a minimum.

Dr. Stanley J. Szefler, head of Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology at National Jewish Health, tells That's Fit that prednisone use should really be kept to a minimum, especially when there are other drugs with fewer side effects that can do the job. But when a drug that causes weight gain is prescribed, he recommends the following:

• Get regular exercise. "That not only helps to control weight, but also helps to strengthen bones," says Dr. Szefler, who says osteoporosis is a risk with long-term use of prednisone.
• Make an appointment with a nutritionist. Good nutrition will help off-set negative side effects, but a specialist can also help you make good food choices and set calorie limits.
• Weigh yourself frequently. "Following weight on a regular basis can also keep excessive weight gain in check," says Dr. Szefler.

Have you ever had to deal with medication-related weight gain? Share your stories, tips and ideas with us.