Using Multiple Plans to Lose Weight (shh even meds)

grinogirl

I would LOVE to get off Zoloft. I have been on some type of anti-depressant since I was 16, I am now 38. If I go off of it within a week I get weepy, cry, and have a feeling of hopelessness. I remember getting off a few times and just would sit on my bed staring out the window, really just not happy with life. It runs on my Mothers side of the family. I have recently lowered my dose from 150mg a day to 100mg and eventually hope to go back down to 50mg a day. I believe I am one of those people with a chemical imbalance, which is why I think I will have to take it forever. I have tried so many different meds for it, and it takes almost a month to find out if the new one will work. It's a lot of time and it effects not only me, but my family too. I bet this has a lot to do with it being hard to lose.
On another note, I am in the middle of updating my kitchen cabinets, so things are chaotic, but when it's all done, I already bought a food scale. I have never used one so I will give that a try too. Thanks for the responses.

QuietBloom

Not sure about others, but I can eat at a deficit and not lose weight. I don't know if it's my anti-depression med that I have to stay on for the rest of my life, or not. I have gone and done thyroid tests twice, and the doctor says it's normal. I have tried so many things, adding a pill will just be another tool to help me lose, along with calorie counting, exercise, etc. I am looking into the FitBit.

Back to Belviq. Anybody taking this have fatigue ? I am only on my 3rd day and have fatigue that i'm hoping will subside. Aside from that I haven't had any other side effects yet, which is good.

Anti-depressants are notorious for weight gain. I took them for anxiety and gained 111 lbs over 3 years because of the meds. If I were you, I would talk to your doctor about getting off of them and instead using exercise as "medication." Anti-depressants mess with your metabolism and most of them increase hunger. Taking the medications was the biggest mistake I ever made.

I don't take Belviq but fatigue is a side effect. Along with headaches, dizziness, and nausea.

Anti-depressants are NOT notorious for weight gain. In some people they may increase appetite, but they do not 'mess with your metabolism'.

Through the years I have been through all of the SSRI inhibitors, and none caused any weight gain in my case.

I just love a good drug fear mongering thread. :ohwell:

QuietBloom

Not sure about others, but I can eat at a deficit and not lose weight. I don't know if it's my anti-depression med that I have to stay on for the rest of my life, or not. I have gone and done thyroid tests twice, and the doctor says it's normal. I have tried so many things, adding a pill will just be another tool to help me lose, along with calorie counting, exercise, etc. I am looking into the FitBit.

Back to Belviq. Anybody taking this have fatigue ? I am only on my 3rd day and have fatigue that i'm hoping will subside. Aside from that I haven't had any other side effects yet, which is good.

You do not have to take anti depression medication for the rest of your life. If your doctor told you that you need to find a new doctor. You should be working with a therapist on your issues with the goal of getting off the medication. People accomplish this every single day and so can you!

You are misinformed. Sometimes depression is situational, sometimes it is physiological. In the latter case, medication must be used to maintain normal brain chemistry levels indefinitely.

jenmom2myboys

You lost weight but once you stopped tracking you gained it back. The same will happen with the meds. Once you stop taking them you will gain the weight back. Why not continue tracking calories at a maintence level once you lose it?

Like Texsox, I am having a hrd time losing it in the first place. I just got prescribed Belviq and am on my 3rd day. I believe this thread was created due to the fact that I asked in another thread if there were a supportive place to discuss Belviq, without getting ridiculed by the anti-pill people.

I realize this is a public forum, but as you can see from this thread, we are looking for ONE thread where more than half the comments are by like minded people looking for support.

We all have beliefs / opinions about weight loss pills, but please, if your not supportive of us, why even come in here and give your 2 cents ? just do your own thing, and leave me alone.

Thanks.

I was just asking a question. I didn't tell anybody to do anything. You are the one attacking me.

QuietBloom

I would LOVE to get off Zoloft. I have been on some type of anti-depressant since I was 16, I am now 38. If I go off of it within a week I get weepy, cry, and have a feeling of hopelessness. I remember getting off a few times and just would sit on my bed staring out the window, really just not happy with life. It runs on my Mothers side of the family. I have recently lowered my dose from 150mg a day to 100mg and eventually hope to go back down to 50mg a day. I believe I am one of those people with a chemical imbalance, which is why I think I will have to take it forever. I have tried so many different meds for it, and it takes almost a month to find out if the new one will work. It's a lot of time and it effects not only me, but my family too. I bet this has a lot to do with it being hard to lose.
On another note, I am in the middle of updating my kitchen cabinets, so things are chaotic, but when it's all done, I already bought a food scale. I have never used one so I will give that a try too. Thanks for the responses.

I highly doubt the Zoloft is making it for difficult for you to lose weight. And please don't feel bad about needing to be on it, or that you must decrease your dosage. Mental health and physical health go hand in hand. Best. :flowerforyou:

_HeartsOnFire_

I would LOVE to get off Zoloft. I have been on some type of anti-depressant since I was 16, I am now 38. If I go off of it within a week I get weepy, cry, and have a feeling of hopelessness. I remember getting off a few times and just would sit on my bed staring out the window, really just not happy with life. It runs on my Mothers side of the family. I have recently lowered my dose from 150mg a day to 100mg and eventually hope to go back down to 50mg a day. I believe I am one of those people with a chemical imbalance, which is why I think I will have to take it forever. I have tried so many different meds for it, and it takes almost a month to find out if the new one will work. It's a lot of time and it effects not only me, but my family too. I bet this has a lot to do with it being hard to lose.
On another note, I am in the middle of updating my kitchen cabinets, so things are chaotic, but when it's all done, I already bought a food scale. I have never used one so I will give that a try too. Thanks for the responses.

Awesome on the food scale. It was an eye opener for me. Good luck!

OnlyMissy

You do not have to take anti depression medication for the rest of your life. If your doctor told you that you need to find a new doctor.

Not true. Some individuals with chronic depression will require antidepressants forever, because all the exercise endorphins and cognitive behavioural therapy in the world won't alter their faulty brain chemistry.

^ exactly. I have been on Lexapro for years and will probably be on it the rest of my life. Its just the way it is. I can't stand people who don't suffer with depression/anxiety issues to tell me "oh just exercise!" its the best anti depressant there is! not true..when you have chronic depression issues.

FatFreeFrolicking

Not sure about others, but I can eat at a deficit and not lose weight. I don't know if it's my anti-depression med that I have to stay on for the rest of my life, or not. I have gone and done thyroid tests twice, and the doctor says it's normal. I have tried so many things, adding a pill will just be another tool to help me lose, along with calorie counting, exercise, etc. I am looking into the FitBit.

Back to Belviq. Anybody taking this have fatigue ? I am only on my 3rd day and have fatigue that i'm hoping will subside. Aside from that I haven't had any other side effects yet, which is good.

Anti-depressants are notorious for weight gain. I took them for anxiety and gained 111 lbs over 3 years because of the meds. If I were you, I would talk to your doctor about getting off of them and instead using exercise as "medication." Anti-depressants mess with your metabolism and most of them increase hunger. Taking the medications was the biggest mistake I ever made.

I don't take Belviq but fatigue is a side effect. Along with headaches, dizziness, and nausea.

Anti-depressants are NOT notorious for weight gain. In some people they may increase appetite, but they do not 'mess with your metabolism'.

Through the years I have been through all of the SSRI inhibitors, and none caused any weight gain in my case.

I just love a good drug fear mongering thread. :ohwell:

Uh, what planet do you live on? Anyone who has done their research knows anti-depressants are notorious for weight gain. Talk to any doctor. They will tell you that anti-depressants slow the metabolism and inhibit specific enzymes in the liver that allow the metabolism to function correctly. No, they don't cause weight gain in everyone but in most people they do.

I have been on all of the SSRI's AND SNRI's and they all caused me to weight gain.

SLLRunner

I started posting in October 2010. I have failed at using just MFP. Weight control is the one area of my life that I have not been successful at. I'm trying this only after my doctor and I tried everything else. Sadly, that means ridicule and dire warnings from the doctors here who have studied Belviq and my specific health issues.

Again, clearly I am not welcome here. I wish y'all success however you are achieving your personal goals.

No, you are as welcome as anyone else here, but you set yourself up with your original posting.

If you put a topic out in an open forum, you will get all kinds of opinions, experiences, etc. However, if you set up a group in the groups section, you will most likely get responses from people whose opinion is closest to yours (support, in other words). At least you could kick anyone out who comes in an violates the very clear terms of your group.

Why are you bothering with us when you could be creating your own group in the group section?

As for having to take diet pills for the rest of your life, I advise you rethink that because you are no different than anyone else. If you are losing weight, it is because you have created a calorie deficit not because you are taking the pills. Sure, the pills suppress your appetite, but you can do that without them.

I wish you all the best.

Texsox

You lost weight but once you stopped tracking you gained it back. The same will happen with the meds. Once you stop taking them you will gain the weight back. Why not continue tracking calories at a maintence level once you lose it?

That is why I, and many of the Belviq users are here. I intend to log for the rest of my life.

People don't just come in to these threads to "ridicule" you (which no one has, we advise against this because it's not sustainable for your lifetime).

You begin Belviq with the understanding that it is a long term weight management drug. It is designed and was approved for lifetime use. It is unlike every other weight loss drug that has ever been on the market. I understand that some people do not believe that there can be advances in modern medicine. That all the cures have been found, all the viable medications have already been discovered. We've never cured the common cold and we never will. I reject that hypothesis. Which is why I donate to cancer research and talk to my doctor about breakthroughs that may make my life better.

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People come into these threads for the following reasons:
1) Some have been there and done that and are trying to save you time, energy and frustration when you possibly gain the weight back.
2) It's not just about you. It's also to make sure newbies and the lurkers who read it get BOTH sides of it. They should be as educated as possible, and yes, they could do the research, but if they just come on here and see 20 people preaching how it worked for them (at that time). These posts never come up a couple years down the line showing whether the weight stayed off or not. Most likely not, because people don't have a plan after they reach their goal weight.
3) There is no jump start, there is no quick fix, there is no magic pill. It takes hard work, dedication, a food scale, moderation not deprivation, and realizing it has to be a lifestyle change.

If you are having a hard time losing weight, I'd ask the following:
1) Do you own a food scale? If so, are you weighing everything you eat.
2) What is your calorie goal? What are you netting?
3) Are you exercising?

If you aren't losing weight, you aren't in a deficit.
If you are gaining weight, you are in a surplus.
If you are maintaining, then welcome to maintenance - eat less to lose weight.

Then depending on how much you have to lose, you have to set your goals correctly:
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

If you have 30 lbs to lose and are trying to lose 2 lbs a week, that's too aggressive and you probably aren't eating enough.

Do you check every thread to make certain that happens? How come I never see welcoming threads warning new comers that if they stop logging calories they will gain back the weight?

Using your scale then Belviq is extremely unproductive. Belviq's recommended weight loss is 5% of your total body weight in 3 months and 10% in a year.

MFP is my primary weight loss tool and Belviq is my secondary. I am carefully tracking my calories and activity so that if a couple years down the road my doctor and I decide to readjust my medications I will be in the best position to be successful. Perhaps then folks around here will be more friendly and supportive.

And because we are so concerned about seeing all sides to every weight loss issue. Do not take nutritional or weight loss advice from a posting on an internet message board. Consult your doctor, in my case he has been my primary health professional for almost 20 years. The decide, internet medical advice or your doctor.

GeordieGirl80s

There is another thread where everyone who hates weight loss medications has jumped in. There were a couple posters who are using MFP and asking for a place to support each other. It clearly is not on this site.

I've been studying Belviq along with my doctor for over a year, and extensively the past three months. I appreciate all the friendly advice from people who have no idea how Belviq is intended to be used or how it works. Because I have read so much, before beginning a medication that I may be taking for the rest of my life (as it is prescribed and intended), I am being accused of being a shill for the company. Interestingly if I entered this blindly and ignorantly I would be much less suspicions. LOL

So it seems that the consensus here is if your doctor recommends Belviq, do not post on MFP. I get it.

I wish you all the best.

Well the rule here is if you post on this forum expect to hear peoples opinions. That happens to be the rule on any internet forum.

My opinion is no matter how safe or how perfectly it works I do not support the taking of diet pills for weight loss. Why? Perhaps not for the reasons you might think.

If you want to lose weight and keep it off you have to adopt new behaviors in your day to day life that result in weight loss and eventual maintenance at healthy weight. To have those behaviors stick after your "diet" ends so that you remain healthy you have to practice those behaviors over and over and over and over for years until they become a part of you. To truly learn how to eat in a way that maintains your health you have to practice these behaviors in the environment in which you are going to live your life.

By taking an appetite suppressent or some other sort of diet pill you are changing your body in an artificial way so that it responds differently to food than it naturally would. Any behaviors you learn during this time are learnt in respect to the way your body responds to food under that medication. As soon as you come off that medication, which you will eventually have to, those learned behaviors will no longer apply. You will find your body responding to food differently and that your routine will no longer work for you. That means the time you spent on the medication was wasted time for learning the behaviors that will set you up for a lifetime of being at a healthy weight.

You may lose weight when you are on the pill but the behaviors you learn during that time will not support you keeping that weight from coming right back on when you come off the pill. As a result you are setting yourself up for a yo-yo and wasting your time. I seriously would recommend you consider just starting on a diet and exercise plan slowly, easing into it, where you do not supplement with an artificial appetite suppressant. Your results may not come as quickly but you will be learning in a way that the weight will stay off.

You, I like!