Belviq. Rants, raves, and opinions!

jessielaude

Hi Everyone. I have never posted on here before but I have some questions I'd like help with. So I have hypothyroidism and PCOS. I am currently going through diagnostic testing for Lupus. Losing weight is very, very necessary at this point. I went to the doctors on Monday and was prescribed Belviq. Yes I have dieted and yes I exercise but the weight hasn't budged. I plan to start the Belviq tomorrow and see how things go. I would like to know if anyone has used Belviq and how it affected you. I know this isn't a magical cure. I just need the jump start and I am currently working on the lifestyle changes necessary to keep whatever weight I lose, off. Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you!

mommazach

PCOS sucks, but can get better! Get a scale and weigh EVERYTHING you eat. This made the biggest difference in my life. Also... Take a before picture now! You want those before photos. I have not taken Belviq, but was on another one a few years ago that only produced short term help. So... here's my 3 best ideas for you.

1. Drop Wheat. All Wheat. You will see the difference within 10 days.
2. Drink a gallon of water a day. Seriously stay hydrated.
3. Don't drink with meals. I don't drink with meals AT ALL. I stop drinking liquids about 10-15 minutes prior to eating, then drink about 20 minutes after a meal. Theory behind all of this is that when the top of your stomach fills up, then your mind tells you that you are full. When you are drinking fluids with meals, the liquid forces the food to the bottom of your stomach so I takes longer to hit the Full point.

CattOfTheGarage

These seem like extreme measures. Why not wheat? Is this specific to PCOS? No offence meant, but it is extremely fashionable just now to cut wheat out of your diet for no good reason. It is harmless unless you have coeliac disease or a specific intolerance, and both are rare. So unless you have a good source for wheat being a bad thing for PCOS, it is a very extreme, inconvenient and socially awkward change which I wouldn't be recommending.

No issue with hydration, it's important, but a gallon a day is a lot unless you live somewhere very hot.

I really want to see a source for the, again, extreme recommendation to never drink water with meals. Water is important to digestion and if you're not drinking it with meals I don't know how you're going to force down a gallon in a day! The explanation you give for not drinking with meals seems unconvincing to me.

Sorry, OP, I don't have much to offer for your specific situation except encouragement. I've seen a few people on here with PCOS, hopefully there will be some specific help soon! I agree with the previous poster about weighing and tracking, though.

quatermore

Hello and welcome. I'm insulin resistant and have been following low carb/high fat for a while now. I strive for <50 grams of carbs daily and it is working for me. I track both carbs and calories here on My Fitness Pal. Along with keeping to your caloric goals, the weight will budge when you follow a low carbohydrate diet. There is a low carb group here you can join which has a lot of helpful, informative people. Good luck.

bellaa_x0

mommazach wrote: »

PCOS sucks, but can get better! Get a scale and weigh EVERYTHING you eat. This made the biggest difference in my life. Also... Take a before picture now! You want those before photos. I have not taken Belviq, but was on another one a few years ago that only produced short term help. So... here's my 3 best ideas for you.

1. Drop Wheat. All Wheat. You will see the difference within 10 days.
2. Drink a gallon of water a day. Seriously stay hydrated.
3. Don't drink with meals. I don't drink with meals AT ALL. I stop drinking liquids about 10-15 minutes prior to eating, then drink about 20 minutes after a meal. Theory behind all of this is that when the top of your stomach fills up, then your mind tells you that you are full. When you are drinking fluids with meals, the liquid forces the food to the bottom of your stomach so I takes longer to hit the Full point.

sorry i disagree with the wheat comment... unless OP has some allergy/intolerance to wheat there is no reason to cut it out. i have PCOS and hypothyroidism and have lost 25+ lbs and counting - i haven't cut out any food or food groups.

quatermore

CattOfTheGarage wrote: »

These seem like extreme measures. Why not wheat? Is this specific to PCOS? No offence meant, but it is extremely fashionable just now to cut wheat out of your diet for no good reason. It is harmless unless you have coeliac disease or a specific intolerance, and both are rare. So unless you have a good source for wheat being a bad thing for PCOS, it is a very extreme, inconvenient and socially awkward change which I wouldn't be recommending.

No issue with hydration, it's important, but a gallon a day is a lot unless you live somewhere very hot.

I really want to see a source for the, again, extreme recommendation to never drink water with meals. Water is important to digestion and if you're not drinking it with meals I don't know how you're going to force down a gallon in a day! The explanation you give for not drinking with meals seems unconvincing to me.

Sorry, OP, I don't have much to offer for your specific situation except encouragement. I've seen a few people on here with PCOS, hopefully there will be some specific help soon! I agree with the previous poster about weighing and tracking, though.

For those of us who are insulin-resistant, grains are not harmless. We not only need to limit ALL types of carbohydrate, including fruits, starchy vegetables, added sugar and refined carbohydrates, but grains ( including whole grain) and beans. I could include some wheat in my diet (I don't have celiac disease) but it would severely cut into my carb count for the day. Also, as it does for many of us who are insulin resistant, I get a high glucose reading after consuming it.
CatOfTheGar...I would love to be able to consume the breads, cereals and pastas that I used to eat, but right now, I can’t. Doctors orders. (family and cardiologist)
It is possible if I lose the excess weight and stay on the low carb diet I may be able to reverse the insulin resistance. If that happens, I might be able to enjoy grains again in moderation. Maybe.

CattOfTheGarage

Sorry to hear about the carb limit, that's rough.

However, I wasn't talking about needing to limit grains in your diet for good medical reasons. That sucks, but it's necessary. I was talking about the blanket recommendation to cut out wheat, specifically, and for no good reason.

If OP's doctor recommends a severe limit on carbs on general or grains in particular, well, that's doctor's orders. But a voluntary wheat ban for no medical reason is unnecessary and, like all unnecessary rules, just makes your eating plan harder to stick to.

quatermore

CattOfTheGarage wrote: »

Sorry to hear about the carb limit, that's rough.

However, I wasn't talking about needing to limit grains in your diet for good medical reasons. That sucks, but it's necessary. I was talking about the blanket recommendation to cut out wheat, specifically, and for no good reason.

If OP's doctor recommends a severe limit on carbs on general or grains in particular, well, that's doctor's orders. But a voluntary wheat ban for no medical reason is unnecessary and, like all unnecessary rules, just makes your eating plan harder to stick to.

You’re right, bans on foods groups do make it harder to be successful. Most people here on My Fitness Pal should do fine on a healthy, balanced calorie restricted diet. However, as we get older, our sensitivity to insulin gets worse. Getting older truly is not for the faint of heart, for so many reasons. I wish you well on your weight loss journey!

emmylootwo

I have not used belviq, but if I were to use any sort of weight loss pill, it would be this one or qysmia. FDA-approved, only available through prescription, has actual studies that you can read on it... And, as far as I know, it's not solely recommended by that quack Dr. Oz...

Tried30UserNames

I don't know if you've tried the Belviq yet, but I recently started on it. The first 3 days were full of miserable side effects, all of them expected. I had tingling in my upper body a few hours after taking the first pill. It lasted about half a day. Then I had an agonizing headache the first night followed by a minor headache the next two days. I was extremely thirsty. And the first morning, I couldn't seem to wake up properly. I did expect the side effects to last a week or two, so only 3 days until returning to normal was a dream come true.

It seems to be working effectively. I can eat a normal meal and feel full. I've rarely experienced that before. I'm the type of person who finishes Thanksgiving dinner and is immediately looking for another snack or meal. Now, I'm eating until I feel full and then I can stop even if there is still food on my plate. This is revolutionary for me. Even the first night, I'd made my planned out dinner of about 500 calories and I ate 2/3 of it before realizing I was full and didn't want any more. I always want more.

My understanding of Belviq is that you're either a responder or you aren't. It targets a certain part of the brain that may or may not be an issue for you. You are supposed to take it to see if you are a responder and if you haven't lost 10% of your weight in 3 months, you're considered to be not a responder and should stop it. I'd guess from my immediate response that I am a responder.

Also regarding the above discussion of wheat, I see from your post that you have hypothyroidism. If you have Hashimoto's (and from the PCOS and Lupus, I'd guess you do), you may be able to drastically lower or eliminate your antibodies by going on a gluten free diet, according to my doctor. My TPO are down about 1000 and TgAb down about half that from eating gf, but I haven't been able to eliminate them completely. However, cutting carbs down too low may exacerbate hypo symptoms.