Weight Loss Post SSRI

Khovde07

Hey guys!

So I was a very active member of MFP a year or 2 ago and lost a bunch of weight and got myself into much better shape than I was over the course of about a year. But around that time my husband got into a very intense grad school program that required he didn't keep any type of employment and do a decent amount of traveling. I don't make that much so the financial and emotional strain was pretty tough. During this struggle I lost my motivation and went through a rough time. I stopped going to the gym and started eating unhealthy foods because they were cheaper. Obviously, I gained weight.

I was put on meds for anxiety/depression a few months ago and I'm feeling so much better. My motivation is back and I'm ready to get my health back on track. When I spoke with my doctor I mentioned I was concerned about gaining weight after being put on an SSRI so she gave me one that, in her experience, causes the least amount of weight gain. However, I did gain some weight, which is still expected. My questions to all of you is this: for those of you that have been on an SSRI, how do you/did you combat the extra weight gain?

MegaMooseEsq

I did not gain weight when I started taking an SSRI back in April (Prozac). I actually started losing weight faster because I had more energy with my anxiety under control. The SSRI doesn't directly cause you to gain weight, but can have an effect on your appetite and activity in either direction. Just be aware of it and keep to your logging and you'll be fine.

EatingAndKnitting

I'm on a handful of psych meds (bipolar I with psychotic features, whee!), I think I'm an SSNI, not a SSRI, but they all have weight gain as a side effect.

I lost 50 pounds last year (I'm struggling to get started this year, but I'm working on it) counting calories just like everyone else. It's still the same CICO (calories in > calories out) principle that governs everyone.

Your impulse to increase the CI (calories in) side of the equation will be the biggest challenge. The meds cause you to gain weight by increasing your appetite. I am on two appetite suppressants, one prescribed to suppress it, and one drug that has suppression as a side effect.

If you count calories and log your food accuratly (weighing solids, measuring liquids) and sticking to your calories is losing weight, but you're unbearably hungry, talk to your doctor about a suppressant.

These meds might also affect the CO (calories out) side of things, by making you burn less. I don't know. If you stick to your calories, are sure you're logging everything right, and you're not losing at all, you may have to increase your deficit slightly. Give it a couple months first and ask us before you start fiddling, or talk to a registered dietician. Not a nutritionist, anyone can call themselves a nutritionist.

Good luck. You'll probably find that with proper logging and counting calories you'll lose weight just fine. I did, and I expected it to not work. CICO works for everyone, it's a matter of finding the right numbers for you.

melnorwich

I took prozac for 6 months and stopped in january. I'm eating very little but my weight is increasing, when it should be stable. I wish that I'd been aware of this earlier. I'm trying to figure out how to combat it.