Please help... medication vs diet

frostyswife

About a month ago i decided to cut my calories to just under 1400 (mfp worked out for me) the first week i lost 2lbs the week after i lost another 1lb the 3rd week i went out for a ladies night had kebab etc so knew id gain but id been planning it for months...that week i gained 6lbs!! Around the 1st week my dr had started me on new medication and last week hes upped the dose a side effect is increased appetite and weight gain and my god i cant stop eating... anyway ive been sticking to my calories a odd day or so ive had a bad day but the 4th week id lost 2lb of the 6 id gained... ive just weighed again and not only have i gained back the 2lb id lost id also gained again making me 8lb gain!!!i no my diet isnt what it could be but ive still cut back a whole lot of calories b4 i started i was eating double what i am now. I suffer from ibs too so some days i been bloated.. so is it me is what im doing wrong or do u think its the tablets gaining and im against a losing battle. Im 5'7 and atm im 12st 8lb (was 12st 2lb when i started) most of weight is my belly and thighs and last night i got asked if i was pregnant i was mortified i feel like giving up cos im eating salad and cutting back on crap n still gaining....

TehLaughingDog

Well first off someone asking if you're pregnant is rude of them.

Okay. Now looking at what you've said you're saying you gained 6lbs from a single night. One pound of fat is 3,500 calories. So to gain six pounds in one night you would have had to have eaten 21,000 calories in that night (which I believe is nearly impossible). So I think you didn't gain weight there but it's possibly the IBS and maybe water intake (since eating out tends to have a lot of salt).

I have IBS as well and it's not uncommon for me to fluctuate 10lbs on the scale between days depending on what I eat due to the IBS. So I really have to watch what I eat. Sugars without fiber make me bloat, while milk and breads make me super bloat, and I avoid alcohol generally otherwise I pay for it the next day with stomach upset. I can't eat very unhealthy foods or I deal with bloat again as well. Really the IBS keeps me eating fairly okay foods. I do well upping my fiber and drinking 10cups of water per day while avoiding those foods to try and combat the IBS. I think you should find out what your problem foods are.

Also because I have such bad fluctuation and IBS issues I take my weight when I'm eating well the day before, drinking all my water, and I'm low. I can never follow the weekly weigh day stuff people like to say here - it's just impractical for me. If you're logging your food religiously then you know if you're not eating an excess of 3500 calories a day beyond what you need to function metabolicly then there is no way you could gain a pound in one day and it must be the IBS.

Okay. So now looking at the medication side of things. Medications suck at making you need to eat more, gain weight, etc. and are actually the reason I ballooned up to my size I am now. I recommend you keep eating within your calorie limit, learn about what works for you or doesn't with the IBS, and let the medication influence your system for a couple months to let you adjust. Medications do a bunch of funky things to you when you begin taking them and it might just take some dicipline and letting be yourself get accustomed to it to just adapt to it. If it's unbareable talk to your doctor about an alternative that might not have such large side effects. And maybe you're getting hungry because the medication is telling your system that you need more water - so upping your water can always be beneficial when taking meds in my opinion.