How to stop losing weight?

thelittlebluebox

I know that a lot of people wouldn't consider this to be much of a problem, but I was wondering if anyone had any advise about how to stop losing weight. I've been steadily losing weight for the last year and I've finally hit my goal weight, about which I am thrilled. Here's the problem (and I know that it's one that will probably earn me some shoes thrown at my head): I have not been actively trying to lose weight. A side effect of one of my prescriptions is appetite suppression. I'm just not hungry and, as a result, I'm not eating. Like I said, this was great for a while, but now it's starting to get a little tricky. I'm only a few pounds away from being underweight, and, health-wise, that's as much of a problem as being overweight.

I am very aware that it's important that I maintain a healthy weight and, frankly, I'm getting a little concerned about my weight loss. I don't want to wind up becoming an involuntary/unintentional anorexic. I was wondering if anyone else has been in this situation. Has anyone else had problems with appetite-suppressing medication? I know that the obvious solution is "just eat more!" The problem is that I don't want to eat more. My body isn't telling me when it's hungry and, when I do eat, it doesn't take much food for me to feel "full." If anyone else has had a similar problem, I'd love to learn how they handled it.

xraychick77

do you know your bmr? you need to eat at maintenance. try eating foods higher in calories, since you dont feel hungry, when you do you need to pack in as much punch as possible.

there are weight gain supps out there that pack massive cals..even up to 1000 cals for one 'shake' or drink. cheese, pastas, beans, bananas and nuts pack mucho cals in small packages. try googling more.

DrBorkBork

Set your MFP calories to "maintain" and aim to eat that daily. You don't have to eat a lot of food to reach the goal. You can do it on healthy, calorie-dense foods like steak, sweet potatoes, bananas, coconut oil, etc.

cobracars

Discuss it with your Doctor. See if there's a different medication you can take.
Some prescriptions side affects are worse than the ailment they were prescribed for.

srp2011

Try snacking or "grazing" on healthy but high cal foods like cheese, nuts, avocados - keep some around to nibble on throughout the day, rather than trying to force yourself to eat until you feel 'stuffed' at mealtime.

NoAdditives

I agree that you should talk to your doctor about your medication.

Also, whether or not your appetite is suppressed from medication, hunger cues are subjective. Your body adjusts to the amount of food you eat. So if you consistently eat less than you need your body won't send hunger signals as often, and conversely, if you are used to eating much more than you need you will feel hungry all the time once you cut back on calories. Sometimes we need to retrain our hunger signals. Try adding some healthy calorie dense foods to your diet (nuts, avocado, olive oil, etc.) and also add a little more food to each meal and try to get in 2-3 snacks. Don't force yourself to the point that you feel sick, just add a few more bites, one more small piece, etc. You should be able to add a little more food each day so that in a week or two you're eating your maintenance calories (plus exercise calories, if you're getting any).

muelle71

Definitely an issue to take up with your doctor. If you are getting thin by simply not eating, you aren't getting the proper nutrition to keep your metabolism up, and you'll pack the weight back on as soon as you're off the medication. Good luck!

LoveDLady

I'm on Diamox which also suppresses my appetite. For me however I had a good amount of weight to lose so I got to sit back and reap the benefits for a while. However I was losing a pound every 2 days for quite some time and my Dr was concerned with how fast the weight was falling off. He told me to slowly up my calorie intake by just 50-75 calories a day. And while I totally understand the not wanting to eat and fulling almost instantly full when you start eating, it's amazing how quickly your body does remember. Your body wants to be nurished. So I would very slowly add on some calories each day and you can help remind your stomach how much it likes food! That's what I had to do, and sadly yes I did have the sickly full feeling for the first, probably, week. But it's worth it to stay healthy!