Psych meds and weight loss

enhigginbotham13

Hi everybody!
So I've been on psych meds for the past 18 years and have experienced the wonderful weight gain side effects that come with it. Has anybody had any success with certain diets or exercise to help get those extra lbs off?? I'm new here and would love anyone's input! Thank you!!

Love and support,
Emma

cmriverside

Emma, have you tried different meds? Some are worse than others.


With that said, there is a calorie level that will allow you to lose weight, and many people take their psych meds and still lose weight.

Have you logged food as accurately as possible for a couple months and see how you do?

Here: https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032625391-How-does-MyFitnessPal-calculate-my-initial-goals-

...and https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

enhigginbotham13

Thank you for the reply! I have bipolar disorder so I've tried like everything under the sun to try and help. We finally found a good combo a couple years ago. I just started really trying to monitor and make smarter food decisions. I just downloaded this app today so I'm gonna try logging my food and taking a closer look at my calorie intake. I hope this app helps!

SuzanneC1l9zz

Hi Emma, fellow bipolar here. I also tried pretty much everything in the pharmacy before finding what works, and my weight was all over the place. I never found any magic solution to it beyond consistency and patience, I'm afraid. I had my husband hold me accountable for extra snacking when I was taking olanzapine, which was the worst one for me. I was ravenous CONSTANTLY so him pointing out when I was eating beyond what was reasonable was a huge help. But really it's been being mindful of what and how much I'm eating and finding an exercise routine that's both enjoyable and actually practical for my lifestyle that's done it. I'm 5'6" and maintaining around 130 lbs, so it's definitely possible to get there. Pulling for you!

enhigginbotham13

Thank you so much for your reply! Psych meds really are the worst for weight loss aren't they? It's nice to hear that I'm not alone with the weight gain side effects. And its also inspiring to hear that weight loss is possible! I think for a long time I just kinda said screw it and thought i had to just accept the extra weight. But I've finally found some motivation and I'm gonna give it a shot! Just because it might be harder to lose the weight doesn't mean it isn't possible! Thank you so much for the inspiration!

lorib642

I have been on psych meds since 2003 and experienced weight gain. As far as type of diets, keto seems to work best for me, but counting calories, logging food is fine on its own. You can do this. Just don’t compare to others. It may take a little longer.

Ad2031234

Oh boy, yes! High clean protein, adequate carb, low healthy fats and staying within your calorie range for your goal weight. It works but It's hard when you feel like you're starving all the time. I added a nice vanilla pea protein shake with lots of ice and sugar free chocolate syrup. I feel stuffed but it is mostly water and crushed ice and the protein sustains the body and mind.

My regular meds put 20 lbs on me in 2 years but the trade off was worth it to me. Then I was put on steroids with my cancer treatment and I swear I wasn't eating but the scales were going up every day with or without my input!
I was soooo sick, it was horrifying and I was in control of nothing happening to me. I put on another 20 FAST I couldn't even wear the clothes I started my treatments in to my appointments any more. I lived to tell it and found my smoothies and now 44 lbs down and 10 to goal.

I use lots of water and lots of ice and count it as my water intake too. I use trilogy seeds and play with my ingredients for variety but always keep the calories low. One a day sometimes 2 if I am fighting "I can't be hungry" cravings. Meds can mess you up and weight gain is real. Watch yourself and try the trick-your-mind smoothie.
You feel stuffed and only consumed 200 healthy calories. I wish you healthy luck!

Kupla71

I’ve been taking psych meds for 30 years and there have been times where I have been able to take the weight off. It involved a lot of exercise. This time round I’m following a low carb diet and doing just 20 minutes of low impact aerobics a day. So far I have been able to take off about 12 pounds. I find low carb works for me because it decreases my appetite. I have another 30 pounds to lose. It can be done. It just requires consistency with calories and a lot of patience. I wish you the best of luck with it! 😊

mcyoshimi11

This is me as well. I'm a recovering addict with ten years sober. I had to get on methadone for a year, and in just six months I put on 45lbs!! Thank God I was able to get off of that crap. It was SO HARD so I went to a Dr and was prescribed a standard antidepressant, luckily it doesn't cause weight gain. But I could not sleep for the love of god, it was killing me. I tried so many sleep meds til one day they gave me Seraquel, and omg did I sleep, I slept too good! I decided it was worth it. I gained 20lbs and it caused me to late night binge the first year I was on it, it's better now but I still need to loose at least 75lbs. So I can relate. Believe it or not one of the reasons I'm not losing weight is because I have ZERO APPETITE ALL DAY AND NIGHT til my body physically tells me I'm hungry. By then it's late and I grab something quick to eat. I sure wish I could get off all the meds I'm on! I have hypothyroidism as well 🤷‍♀️ It is what it is and we simply make the best of it. IT CAN BE DONE. I think for people like us it just takes a little extra work and time to lose the pounds, and that makes us even stronger!!! I wish you the best of luck in your journey ahead of you! Xo #wecandoit #wewilldoit