Is it possible to lose 10 Kg By New Year's while having Risperdal & Cipralex?

TimeToReduceFat

My wedding is in January & I'm fat esp. around my waist. I am a 35 yr old female weighing 86Kg with a height of 158cm.
I'm not able to restrict my calories a lot as I go hungry. I have started C25K programme this week. That's all the exercise I have. I have Cipralex & Risperdal medicines which I have heard are notorious for weight gain.
I feel so miserable. What do I do?

tinkerbellang83

Medications that affect weight do so either through water retention or through increased appetite, as long as you manage your calorie intake you can try to combat any weight gain through increased appetite.

Starting C25K may also cause temporary weight gain if you're not used to running, as you may find you retain water through the new exercise. You may also see an increase in appetite from the exercise.

To lose 10kg you'd need to be losing 1kg per week to hit that target, which if you're relying on exercise as your deficit is pretty unlikely as you'll need a deficit of 1100 calories per day.

Why not just set yourself a smaller deficit until you've had time to adjust to your new meds, bulk out your meals with more filling foods and take it slower? You can lose 0.5kg per week on around 1600 calories + your exercise calories and start doing some strength training, it can do wonders for your shape and will help you maintain your muscle whilst losing fat.

steveko89

To be perfectly honest, you need to either comes to terms with how you look or get used to "going hungry" as you put. You won't be able to lose that amount of weight in that time frame (or any weight, for that matter) without a caloric deficit; and the most reliable way to accomplish that is through manipulating your diet. Try eating different foods within the context of your deficit to find what keeps you most satisfied.

malika1976

The meds are really hard. I've just come off Risperdal and some other similar medications (5 in total), and it is so, so much easier to lose weight. I've been lucky enough to start on a new medication which works without any effect on appetite but most people with these health issues aren't that lucky. Please don't beat yourself up if you struggle to lose the weight - you're swimming against the tide in a way that is difficult to imagine unless you've been on the meds yourself. When I was on the meds I tried to concentrate on eating healthy foods, even if I was eating a lot too much. This way at least you get vitamins etc and your weight gain should be minimised. You also lower the risk of getting obesity related diseases like diabetes.

If you're really wanting to lose weight, I would try to find a dietitian who understood the meds you're on.

Exercise, even if it doesn't lead to weight loss, will improve your physical and mental health, both good goals in themselves. I suspect you'll find, though, as you get fitter, the exercise will help you lose weight and also it seems to make people want to eat healthier food.

Good luck. Feel free to send me a friend request if you think it might be helpful.

Again, the most important thing is to be encouraging towards yourself, which at times may mean ignoring people who mean well, but just don't get it (my GP was in this category but he's now done a 180).

TimeToReduceFat

Thanks everyone for the response.

TimeToReduceFat

malika1976 wrote: »

The meds are really hard. I've just come off Risperdal and some other similar medications (5 in total), and it is so, so much easier to lose weight. I've been lucky enough to start on a new medication which works without any effect on appetite but most people with these health issues aren't that lucky. Please don't beat yourself up if you struggle to lose the weight - you're swimming against the tide in a way that is difficult to imagine unless you've been on the meds yourself. When I was on the meds I tried to concentrate on eating healthy foods, even if I was eating a lot too much. This way at least you get vitamins etc and your weight gain should be minimised. You also lower the risk of getting obesity related diseases like diabetes.

If you're really wanting to lose weight, I would try to find a dietitian who understood the meds you're on.

Exercise, even if it doesn't lead to weight loss, will improve your physical and mental health, both good goals in themselves. I suspect you'll find, though, as you get fitter, the exercise will help you lose weight and also it seems to make people want to eat healthier food.

Good luck. Feel free to send me a friend request if you think it might be helpful.

Again, the most important thing is to be encouraging towards yourself, which at times may mean ignoring people who mean well, but just don't get it (my GP was in this category but he's now done a 180).

Thanks for your response. It means a lot to me. I am having the medicines for quite some time & have had mixed responses. I lost weight on Cipralex only in the beginning. But gained it back when I started having the medicine in the morning too because I was very hungry always. 1st time I had Risperdal, made me gain weight. 2nd time helped me lose 10 Kg without much effort, but I was really depressed then & not hungry.
Now, I'm very hungry if I try to reduce calories consumed. I'm fine if I eat maintenance calories, but not lower. And I don't seem to have the energy & will power to workout long. Had been the case with Risperdal. Doctor has started tapering the medicines. It's going to be slow. I hope I lose the excess fat & have energy once I stop the medications. The good part is that I'm no longer depressed.
How is your weight loss after stopping the medicines? What exercise & diet do you follow?

malika1976

Hi I wasn't sure whether to say, because it's different for everyone. Since stopping the meds 11 weeks ago, I've lost 24.2 kg (54.2 lbs), so very fast, but I started a lot heavier than you (BMI has gone from 37.2 to 29.6). I was also on more meds with the weight side effect including one unusual one for migraines (my migraines are not what you would typically think of as migraines explaining the weird med).

I'm exercising a lot - at least 18 000 steps a day, with over half of those being from running. I'm also eating very healthily, I saw a dietitian who made some suggestions.

I hope thins go well for you.