Just went off of Phentermine and feel lost...

justinswife

Hey.
I have really never struggled with my weight until last fall when I started college. This only escaladed when I was married in June. In about a year I went from a slim healthy weight of 135-140 to 214!!:( I was disgusted and depressed. I tried several times to diet alone and always overate. Three weeks ago exactly I went on the dreaded P word- Phentermine. I had minimal side effects and tons of energy. In 21 days I lost 21 POUNDS!!! I was thrilled!! Grant it I was tracking my calories and doing an hour or more of cardio a day. Just yesterday my husband approached me and asked me to please go off of it for my health. He is worried about heart problems and we are TTC and he doesn't want problems for the baby. So I did. Now I weighed today and was up 3 pounds!!:( He said it could be sodium or the fact that my period is due. I feel like pigging out because of the gain! I feel like I can not do this alone and that I will gaim because I went off the medication. Will I really gain the 21 back?? Any suggestions? I just want to be thin and healthy again! Thanks in advance!

Mindful_Trent

Just remember - the healthiest weight loss is slow and steady. You didn't gain it overnight, and you won't lose it that way either. While 21 lbs in 21 days feels fantastic, it's not realistic to keep that up, and it's not considered healthy to lose too quickly. Your skin will appreciate you losing it more slowly, too!

You may gain a little back as your body adjusts (I don't know personally - never taken weight loss drugs), but you CAN lose weight without it. Eat a healthy diet of well balanced foods, try to avoid as much processed food as possible, keep up the exercise. Really, 1 to 2 lbs a weeks is the MOST you should expect to lose per week on a reasonable weight loss plan. MFP is a GREAT tool if you use it.

That 3 pounds likely is due to sodium/TOM/water weight, unless you ate 10,500 calories plus all your deficit that MFP builds in! Our bodies can fluctuate quite a big overnight - I've weighed myself in the morning and at night before and I can go up or down as much as 5 lbs! (This is why it's important to weight the same time of the day, and preferably no more than once a week "officially". I sometimes weigh myself on my non-weight in days, but I only count it once a week.)

Shash27

Going off Phentermine was probably a good idea.

I wouldn't sweat a 3lb gain..

Honestly girl..tracking your calories and working out like you have been will help you keep that weight coming off. It won't be super fast but it will come off.

If it's your TOM then that 3lbs could very well be from that..or sodium..also your body is adjusting to being off of that stuff. Phentermine speeds up your heart rate which makes your resting metabolism higher. Your body is adjusting back to normal. Things will level out and you can work from there :-)

Don't get discouraged! You're doing great!! Keep up what you've been doing..tracking, exercising and weigh in next week. I bet you'll see a difference :-)

Do you measure? Measuring helped me stay encouraged when I felt the scale didn't show much of a difference. If you're working out..you're building muscle..which can weigh more than fat but looks better and makes you look smaller. Try taking your measurements once a month..trust me..if you're working out like that you WILL see a difference.

Wolfena

Bad news :frown:

Phentermine slows down your metabolism and most people who take it gain back all of the weight they lost while on it and then some.... even when you develop healthier eating habits and exercise more it's still harder to lose then if you never took the stuff.

I used it before, took about 2 years for my system to get back on track..... but I took it for a few months. Not sure how much damage you may have done in only a 3 weeks, hopefully not too much!

Best thing to do is start fresh, work on those new good habits of healthier eating and exercise and eventually you will get where you want to be - if it really concerns you, ask your doctor.

azlady7

I agree completely with accountant boi and the others!

DancingDreamer

there's a reason that its not recommended to lose weight with a pill: its just a crutch. i'm sure that losing 21 lbs in a month felt great but you need to be honest with yourself about the fact that that was NOT YOU losing the weight in a healthy way, it was a medication doing all the hard work for you. losing weight is not easy, its not going to be easy, it never will be easy. once you suck it up and deal with that fact (i'm talking from experience here) you will be sooo much better off and you'll find a way to be happy with one lb a week and you wont freak out if you gain three lbs....because you know that you CAN burn it off all by yourself, without the crutch of a medicine. i'm sorry to tell you this but you will probably gain all your weight back because your body is going to go back to the normal way it burns calories and you'll still be eating and exercising the way you did while on that pill.

and your husband should be worried....losing weight THAT fast isnt healthy AT ALL. its a good thing you're off it, now you need to accept the fact that you're going to have to do this the hard way just like everyone else. because its the healthy way.

justinswife

Thanks for all the answers and words of advice... I have to admit that I cried like a baby when I read that I would probably gain ALL that weight back!! That seems crazy to me since I burn over 500 calories a day and eat between 1110- 1300 typically. But whatever happens I am ready for it!

rachelblank427

I used to take it. The first time I lost 30 lbs. 150 to 120. I gained it all back. The second time I lost 25 pounds. 150 to 125. I gained it all back. BUT and this a BIG BUT, I didn't change my eating habits. I still at whatever I wanted and how ever much I wanted. Seeing that your tracking calories and exercising you probably won't gain it back, but keep in mind, your weight loss will slow down now that your off of it. Good luck.