How do I lose weight on Wellbutrin?

im2lexi4myshirt

Hi! I was recently put on Welbutrin a few months ago and heard that it causes weight gain. I had gained about 20 lbs. from Lexapro a few months prior. I am 5'7, 150 lbs., and only 18 years old. I am training for a marathon so I plan on eating my exercise calories back. Will this hinder my weight loss bc of the medication?? Or should I not eat back my exercise cals?

Mokey41

You only gain weight if you eat more than you should which can be a result of drugs that increase your appetite. Eat at a deficit and you'll lose. You can eat back exercise just be cautious that you really are burning those calories. It's usually a good idea not to eat back 100% just for the sake of errors.

laserturkey

I'm surprised to hear Wellbutrin is supposed to cause weight gain. I thought it was the least likely of anti-depressants to do that. I've been taking Wellbutrin for years without a problem in that regard. As long as you count calories, you should be okay. I don't think it sounds wise to train for a marathon without eating at least some exercise calories back. Your body is going to need plenty of fuel for that training.

QuietBloom

As everyone already said, as long as you count your calories and stay in a deficit, you will continue to lose weight.

As far as marathon training, you burn a *kitten* load of calories running, upwards of 2,000 or more on your 20 mile training runs. Definitely eat back your exercise calories. Make sure you are getting plenty of protein and carbs. The trick for eating back calorie burns is to estimate them as correctly as possible. If you have a heart rate monitor, use it, and then shapesense.com has a great online HRM calorie burn estimator. My Timex HRM does a calorie burn estimation, but it always comes out much higher than the one on shapesense does.

Good luck! Make sure you get properly fitted for shoes, including a gait analysis to avoid injuries.

usmcmp

I didn't gain weight on it. Log your food and stay active. Some people have increased appetite and they eat more. That's why they gain.