Medication and weight loss

sista67

Hi everyone. My name is Susan. I take meds that slow down my metabolism and cause weight gain and other side effects that hinder weight loss. Ironically the one that affects me the most is Adderall, because of the appetite suppression. I take it in the am and the loss of appetite kicks right in. And wears off around 5pm. So after eating barely anything all day I am starving when it wears off and overeat, mostly on processed easy food to grab, or snacks. Both not conducive with weight loss and eating healthy. I know what I have to do, eat despite the lack of hunger. Easier said than done. Any suggestions?

StaciInGa

It is ok to eat most of your food in a small window of time - perhaps you can try planning out your meals so they fit your calorie needs, and so that you don't turn to the easy/high calorie food options that don't involve planning?

When I don't plan, it is so easy to turn to 1000+ calorie meals like fast food. So in addition to making a menu or most dinners and doing a bit of repetition for breakfast/lunch, I have a list of easy/fast options that I can turn to from fast food places that also fit my calorie needs. Like a 6" steak n cheese or ham n cheese from Subway. Chickfila has a good grilled sandwich and some good salad options - just opt for one of the lower calorie dressings. I can even make nuggets and a small order of fries work from McDonalds or Wendsy.

PAV8888

You may want to look to certain "tricks" to stem the overeating when you start wanting to eat again.

One is the eat on the clock by pen and paper as you mentioned.

But you could also try eating something "fast acting" as soon as you feel the stirring.

For example (and depending on calories) 20g or 40g of dates with/without in combination with 10g or 20g almonds. Or anywhere from 200g to 400g of apples. On a less healthy front I used to consume a McDonald's vanilla cone on the way back from a long walk in that capacity. It gave me the time to log and prepare a reasonable amount of food without the urgency.

Especially the apples should give you some time to actually prepare and plan a meal and with 20 to 30 minutes to act on you should help cut down on the pressure to over eat beyond what you pre log (or log as you prepare the meal if you dont preplan)

pridesabtch

I agree with others, plan ahead. You can wait until later in the day to eat if you have your calories planned out and food readily available. I often don't eat much during the day and when I get home from work I will grab ANYTHING. You know, because I'm hungry/hangry. If I have planned well during the weekend. I will have some easy healthy snacks available and have a meal planned for the evening. Here's me on a good day...

When I first get home I don't "need" much, maybe a protein bar, some string cheese or some carrots or celery with peanut butter. I sit down and eat it (sitting and eating seems to slow my binging tendency for some reason). Then as long as I know I'm going to eat around 6:00 or 6:30, I'm good.

If I don't have handy snacks and a meal planned, it's game on for junk.

Good luck!

sista67

Thank you everyone for the suggestions 😊

sista67

Good evening. So, its 8:43 in New Hampshire and I still have 790 calories left. Ugh.
I've had 2 small meals today. Better than most days. I'm thinking a roast beef sandwich and broccoli in a little bit.

kshama2001

sista67 wrote: »

Good evening. So, its 8:43 in New Hampshire and I still have 790 calories left. Ugh.
I've had 2 small meals today. Better than most days. I'm thinking a roast beef sandwich and broccoli in a little bit.

That sounds like a good plan! How did it work out for you?

I get more than half my daily calories from 6PM on.

sista67

It worked great!!!!! I'm so proud of myself, lol.

tomcustombuilder

Don’t keep the problem foods in the house if they cause you to go over your target amount. Eating later has no bearing on fat gain provided your weekly calories are in check.

sista67

Thanks Tom. For a long time, when I lived alone, there was no junk food, problem food in my house. About a year ago my fiancé moved in and so much for that.
As great as it was to eliminate those foods from my existence it's not realistic. I have to be able to live in a place where such foods are present and I can control myself. It's not fair to him that I not let him bring snack food and foods that I didn't allow in my house, home for him to enjoy. This is my problem, not his, and it's his house too. It was easier to get sober than it is to loose weight. At least for me. I walked away from booze completely, can't walk away from food cuz we need it to survive. I equate it to me having to drink one drink a day to live. Not possible. But it has to be with food.
So I put a new twist on things, he knows how to eat them in moderation, in a healthy way, where I do not. I can learn from him what this looks like and how it works. Cuz I have no idea. Lol So I started watching from this point of view, I pay attention to portion size, how long it's been since he last ate, how he eats it; speed, pace. How he does what is normal. First lesson : boy am a way off base with this!!!!! Lol Needless to say, I am learning alot! This is very enlightening and very cool. 😃

avatiach

Can you adjust when you take the Adderall?

yirara

if nothing else helps: does your partner have a man cave or other own place in the house? Maybe he can store his snacks there.

sista67

Hello. Unfortunately I can't adjust med time with the adderall, it has to be first in the am.
No, there is no man cave in our house. No extra rooms. I'm doing pretty good. It is what it is.

kshama2001

sista67 wrote: »

Thanks Tom. For a long time, when I lived alone, there was no junk food, problem food in my house. About a year ago my fiancé moved in and so much for that.
As great as it was to eliminate those foods from my existence it's not realistic. I have to be able to live in a place where such foods are present and I can control myself. It's not fair to him that I not let him bring snack food and foods that I didn't allow in my house, home for him to enjoy. This is my problem, not his, and it's his house too. It was easier to get sober than it is to loose weight. At least for me. I walked away from booze completely, can't walk away from food cuz we need it to survive. I equate it to me having to drink one drink a day to live. Not possible. But it has to be with food.
So I put a new twist on things, he knows how to eat them in moderation, in a healthy way, where I do not. I can learn from him what this looks like and how it works. Cuz I have no idea. Lol So I started watching from this point of view, I pay attention to portion size, how long it's been since he last ate, how he eats it; speed, pace. How he does what is normal. First lesson : boy am a way off base with this!!!!! Lol Needless to say, I am learning alot! This is very enlightening and very cool. 😃

Great attitude!

I had a hard time moderating my partner's snack foods when he first started keeping his foods at my place. We've been living together since 2016 and it's no longer an issue, but for the life of me I can't say how long that took. One thing that was helpful was for him to keep it high, which was out of my sight and reach.

My experience with alcohol matches yours - it was much easier for me to walk away from it completely than it is for me to moderate food.