Metformin: making me GAIN weight?

JoLMahan

For those of you that have IR and PCOS and have been prescribed Metformin, did you find that when you started it you gained weight at all? I am on the Glumetza brand of metformin, and have been for about a week now. 1300-1400 calories a day, working out 4-5 times a week. However, when i got on the scale this morning after a week, I have GAINED 5 pounds.

Have any of you experienced gaining at first?

saraha789

I haven't noticed if I have. I lost five pounds when I first started taking it and now it's at a stand still. Maybe it's the different brand? I've read that sometimes people can react differently to additives in the generic brands of drugs, but they don't in the trade names.

miranda_mom

2 immediate thoughts -

1 - Has anything changed with your fitness routine since you started? Sometimes when you work out especially hard, you can get some extra weight. Some people will say this is adding muscle - it's actually usually fluid being retained in the muscles while they repair themselves.

2 - Is it possibly hormonal? I gain about five lbs. right before my period. If the Metformin caused your cycle to restart, for example, you might see some water retention.

JoLMahan

Yeah I have been doing Jillian's 30 Day Shred religiously since two days before I started the meds, and wasn't doing that at all before. Hormonal may also be an issue...but my cycles are so all over the place I have no clue when I am going to start and when I'm not.

Sarah, my doctor originally mentioned being on the generic form, but the pharmacy gave me the name brand. I wonder if I should mention to her that they sent the name brand and see if she wants me to switch... Maybe there was a reason she put me on generic?

Lizabelle1212

It's pretty common not to lose much weight at all, and to actually gain a little in the beginning of 30 Day Shred, especially if it's significantly harder than the workout you were doing before. If that's the workout program you're doing, I would suggest going by measurements & photos rather than the scale, because that's a pretty common experience. Metformin is often prescribed to aid in weight loss, so although I'm not a doctor, I would say it's more likely that the weight fluctuation is due to your muscles holding onto water to repair themselves as a result of the workout. I'm on Metformin as well, and never experienced weight gain from it, although everyone is different.

JoLMahan

It's pretty common not to lose much weight at all, and to actually gain a little in the beginning of 30 Day Shred, especially if it's significantly harder than the workout you were doing before. If that's the workout program you're doing, I would suggest going by measurements & photos rather than the scale, because that's a pretty common experience. Metformin is often prescribed to aid in weight loss, so although I'm not a doctor, I would say it's more likely that the weight fluctuation is due to your muscles holding onto water to repair themselves as a result of the workout. I'm on Metformin as well, and never experienced weight gain from it, although everyone is different.

Thank you so much! I am likely just freaking myself out...

If it's holding on to water, could it just be water weight? If so, what's the best remedy for that?

Lizabelle1212

It's pretty common not to lose much weight at all, and to actually gain a little in the beginning of 30 Day Shred, especially if it's significantly harder than the workout you were doing before. If that's the workout program you're doing, I would suggest going by measurements & photos rather than the scale, because that's a pretty common experience. Metformin is often prescribed to aid in weight loss, so although I'm not a doctor, I would say it's more likely that the weight fluctuation is due to your muscles holding onto water to repair themselves as a result of the workout. I'm on Metformin as well, and never experienced weight gain from it, although everyone is different.

Thank you so much! I am likely just freaking myself out...

If it's holding on to water, could it just be water weight? If so, what's the best remedy for that?

Yes, water weight due to your muscles holding onto water/fluid for repair. If you feel sore at all, this is a good indicator that that could be happening. Make sure to drink plenty of water (I like to add fresh squeezed lemon to mine) and just have patience. When the water weight is due to muscle repair, it just takes time for that to regulate itself. But if you are doing progressively harder workouts, like 30 Day Shred (i.e. moving from level 1, to 2, to 3..) then you will likely experience this several times throughout the duration, since your muscles will need to get used to being worked harder each time. I've heard people say that they either gained or didn't lose hardly any during the majority of the 30DS, but then the last week or so, dropped like 5-10lbs because their muscles were finally used to the work and let go of all that extra water (I'm assuming this is the cause - obviously I'm not a doctor or anything lol). I would stay off the scale while doing 30DS and just focus on measurements, photos, and how you look/feel. You'll probably see a bigger difference in those areas than on the scale. Also, be sure you're tracking accurately and weighing/measuring everything that goes into your mouth! :flowerforyou:

JoLMahan

Yes, water weight due to your muscles holding onto water/fluid for repair. If you feel sore at all, this is a good indicator that that could be happening. Make sure to drink plenty of water (I like to add fresh squeezed lemon to mine) and just have patience. When the water weight is due to muscle repair, it just takes time for that to regulate itself. But if you are doing progressively harder workouts, like 30 Day Shred (i.e. moving from level 1, to 2, to 3..) then you will likely experience this several times throughout the duration, since your muscles will need to get used to being worked harder each time. I've heard people say that they either gained or didn't lose hardly any during the majority of the 30DS, but then the last week or so, dropped like 5-10lbs because their muscles were finally used to the work and let go of all that extra water (I'm assuming this is the cause - obviously I'm not a doctor or anything lol). I would stay off the scale while doing 30DS and just focus on measurements, photos, and how you look/feel. You'll probably see a bigger difference in those areas than on the scale. Also, be sure you're tracking accurately and weighing/measuring everything that goes into your mouth! :flowerforyou:

I just saw your reply, so sorry for not getting back! Thank you for this information for sure. I have a 72 oz bubba keg that I carry with me everywhere, and managed to drink almost 3 of them yesterday. That last week to lose 5 lbs is enough to keep pushing me to the finish line! I did measure myself before hand, and took the dreaded before photos, but I doubt I will see much in the photos. Maybe a few inches here and there, but likely nothing drastic. I am hoping to just use 30DS as a jumpstart for me really to get used to working out every day and knowing my limits.

I did invest in a food scale, and a heart rate monitor, so I am being as diligent as possible in correctly measuring not only what goes in but what comes out too!!