Medication weight gain

mandarenee13

I have gained a total of 50 lbs over the last couple years from a mixture of medication, severe depression, bad diet and extremely low energy. I have spent the last year eating and sleeping. It is hard because i cannot afford to gamble on my mental health and stop meds but i HAVE to lose at least 35 lbs. Im 5'3"ish and weigh 162 last weighed. Im 31. My healthy pre med weight was 120. I just want to get down to 130. I saw a pic of myself my daughter took the other day and if i were orange i could be an oompa loompa. I HAVE to stick to eating better and exercising. I got a membership at Planet Fitness and have gone twice so far. I hope to keep it up. I have other medical conditions that make working out hard but im determined. I need people to be there to cheer me on!

88olds

Determination is good.

Have you used MFP to calculate a modest calorie deficit and started a food diary? Lasting weight loss comes from a modest downward trend over time. If you read this board you will quickly see that few people want to allow for time. Think about how you will deal with the time factor. Think about how you will stick with it when discouraged.

Figure out a system for regular weigh ins to check your progress. It's just data that checks the effectiveness of your program. Figure on a couple of months of experimenting and learning to get yourself going. And remember, WL does not happen on a straight line.

You will soon find that to stay within your limits, you need some sort of eating plan. Some people go so far as to pre track their food. I worked from a weekly storyboard. If your plan isn't working, make moderate adjustments until it does. Best plan is one you will actually follow.

Last- exercise isn't really a great WL strategy. But I think research shows it is great for your brain and fights depression.

My heart goes out to you. But I can tell you with certainty that it is possible to successfully fight depression, lose weight and keep it off because I've done those things. Good luck.

tinkerbellang83

mandarenee13 wrote: »

I have gained a total of 50 lbs over the last couple years from a mixture of medication, severe depression, bad diet and extremely low energy. I have spent the last year eating and sleeping. It is hard because i cannot afford to gamble on my mental health and stop meds but i HAVE to lose at least 35 lbs. Im 5'3"ish and weigh 162 last weighed. Im 31. My healthy pre med weight was 120. I just want to get down to 130. I saw a pic of myself my daughter took the other day and if i were orange i could be an oompa loompa. I HAVE to stick to eating better and exercising. I got a membership at Planet Fitness and have gone twice so far. I hope to keep it up. I have other medical conditions that make working out hard but im determined. I need people to be there to cheer me on!

Have you tried discussing your meds with your doctor, you may be able to switch to an alternative which is not increasing your appetite/causing water retention, without risking your mental health. Hopefully you have discussed coming off the meds with them too.

Medication itself doesn't cause fat gain (it is the appetite increase/water retention that does it) so if you're logging your food and sticking with your calorie allowance you will lose weight. Think of exercise as a bonus, it's not necessary for weight loss, your My Fitness Pal calorie allowance does not take into account any exercise, but it is a good thing for your overall health, even if it's just getting out for a walk.

leggup

The good news is that there are loads of people on here with medication that is clinically proven to increase appetite. There's no reason you need to get off the meds if your doc says you need them. I suggest starting with a slight calorie deficit (set it to 1 lb loss per week) and see how you feel.

ladyhusker39

You've listed several reasons you think you're not losing weight. We all have reasons we think this so you're certainly not alone. You have to take the emotion out of is and look at it the facts.

The only way you gain weight is by eating more than you burn off. That's fact. There are certainly things that can make that more challenging but they don't in fact cause weight gain.

Start by looking at what you're eating now without changing anything. Just log everything honestly and objectively. Weigh and measure as best as you can, but the more accurate you are the better.

After a couple of weeks take a look at where you can start to cut back in places that are easiest for you. It may be drinks, dessert, snacking when you're not actually hungry or something else entirely. Just find something you can cut.

Do that for a week or 2 then pick something else you can cut back. Eventually you'll have to look at cutting back portions of certain foods and/or adding other foods to help keep you feeling fuller longer.

Keep going little by little. Ease into it. Who cares if it take a little while to do it. You'll be making progress and that's what counts.

tuolon

I feel your pain. I am in the same boat as you. I was 120 lbs pre-meds and 165 lbs with meds. My doctor says that the meds raise my gloucose levels in my blood thats why i have gained weight. In fact, i have to take a blood sugar test to check for diabetes. I don't have diabetes yet. I disagree with the other posts that meds only increase your appetite. Meds do raise your gloucose levels. So far, i haven't been able to lose weight. I don't know if i am in a losing battle. I'm on mfp to track to see if there is a possibility of losing weight. If not, oh well. I need the meds more than i need to be skinny. I could use mfp to track sugar so i could possibly prevent diabetes. Other than that, if i don't lose weight i am going to accept my path i am on and no longer worry about being 120 lbs again and try to maintain 165 lbs, which seems to have been my weight for 15 years since the meds.

I feel your frustration and i am here to support you and cheer you on. Add me as a friend if you like. If not, i wish you the best of luck on your journey. You can do this.