Help me? I drink a lot of water, but can't eat enough.

Lizchan

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE POST BEFORE REPLYING! Thank you so much.

I have made a few posts here. Some have concerned some members. I made a quote from a member from another topic I made and then pasted my reply.

I have been to a gynecologist (because Depo Provera shot birth control was what caused my weight gain in the first place, possibly severe water retention), neurologist (did a study to rule out sleep apnea, do not have it, I wake up from being too stressed), ear/nose/throat doctor (due to nasal dripping in my throat, wondering if it was from allergies and if that could cause weight gain), endocrinologist (checking for endocrine issues, like maybe adrenal fatigue, thyroid disorder), allergist, nutritionist (referred to one by a doctor), plastic surgeon (hoping he could help to tell me if it is fat, water, both or what and if he could do anything to help me), therapists (so that I do not end up developing an eating disorder because it is VERY hard to eat if I am depressed and I feel that I am too fat to eat as well as to help me with some family issues) and general practitioners and registered nurses for referrals to more doctors and for their opinions on what I should do or take. I am doing things. I am doing as much as I possibly can to lose weight and to see if there is a problem. I have even been to the hospital and had an MRI, EKG (ultrasound of heart and a few other things), some CT scans and everything. This has cost me a crazy amount of money even with insurance.

They can't really find anything wrong. 'cept for one crucial thing. Not enough B12 production to explain my low energy levels. I know my energy took a serious fall over Depo Provera. That lack of energy has caused me to be messed up. Having the pills makes (diet pills: phentermine 37.5) me not worry nearly as much and the depression has nearly completely vanished immediately. That gives me even more reason to believe that everything wrong is to do with the energy levels being horribly low. Not sure how to fix that. I need to go to the follow-up with the endocrinologist.

Do not accuse me of not seeing doctors and trying therapy. I am doing both. I see a few doctors each month about my weight situation. I did not accept diet pills at first. I said no many times because I wanted to lose it on my own, but that didn't happen. At first, they thought maybe my thyroid. But it is normal size and all levels are fine. Please, people, do not accuse me of things when you don't know what I am doing when I am trying as hard as I can to get well.

I don't eat when I am horribly depressed. I have been trying very hard to eat since starting the diet pills because the doctor said to eat 1,200 - 1,500 calories a day. Even before this, I did not feel hungry. So I didn't eat.

My food diary is public for anyone who is curious. I haven't finished putting my water in for the day.

What should I do, should I just eat junk food? I don't know how to get these calories in. My stomach feels like I am going to pop if I eat a lot.

I *think* it is because I drink A LOT of water. I drink 10+ glasses of water every day. When I drink water, I feel very full. I drink water a lot because it helps me feel better.

So what do I do? Water fills me up pretty well for whatever reason. I feel bloated and like I just ate loads and loads of food. But the water keeps my skin clear and my hair and nails healthy.

I started drinking water like this only about a month ago and since I have started drinking water like that, I feel a lot healthier. I haven't lost much weight. My bones don't ache as much as they used to, either. I do not eat sugar because it makes me feel sick for whatever reason, maybe I do not like the taste. I ate some meat today, but I typically don't eat meat because I hate the taste of it most of the time. I don't mind prunes, so I eat a lot of those. They help me feel a bit better as well. I take vitamins because I don't want to be lacking with those. I take the Centrum vitamins for adult women. I didn't do that until a month ago. But I take them every single day so that I can at least get vitamins in since I have trouble eating.

I am asking here because I am also trying to lose weight, so I am worried about eating more, too. You guys are here to lose weight and stay fit, so I'm pretty confident that someone will have an answer for me, if not many of you. I have gotten to know a few of you a little bit and I do say that I like this community even though a few have accused me of not doing the things that I need to in order to get better. I forget to mention the eating thing quite often. I didn't think it was a problem until coming here. I saw others asking about it and that's when I started wondering what to do and thinking that maybe the way I eat isn't normal.

One more thing. For those of you who are saying I am not obese or whatever, that's not what the standarized BMI chart says. I will give you my stats and tell you what the BMI chart. (From http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ )

Height: 5'1" | Weight: 196 | BMI: 37.0
Underweight = <18.5 | Normal weight = 18.5–24.9 | Overweight = 25–29.9 | Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

For those of you who actually read all of this before answering, thank you! That means a lot to me.

drog2323

read your post...from what i understand, I will try to reply.

- have you tried a b-complex vitamin?
- to get your cals up, you don't need to eat junk food - that's gonna make you feel worse. try nutrient dense foods like: peanut butter, nut butters (like almond butter), avacado's, nuts (almonds, walnuts etc).
-Lean proteins
- good healthy carbs

not sure if that helped answer your question.

mrsfoose

Have you been checked for diabetes?? I had it when I was pregnant and it took literally 2 years for my blood sugar to even out. Constant thirst is a sign. As for your low energy, BC does terrible things to me too. Severe swelling and mood swings to depression on some. It again takes time for it all to work its way out of your system. You can try taking some vitamin D supplements, also I'm not a fan of diet pills. Not to preach but they are pretty terrible for your body and as soon as you get off them you start to gain weight back. This could also be playing into your constant thirst, they are a diuretic. When meeting your calorie goals, A. don't stress there are plenty of days I don't eat them all. Do not eat junk. If you want calories eat avocados, or nuts, or another calorie dense food that won't clog you up with chemicals and assorted junk. It's fine as a treat, eating to much of it can leave you feeling tired and depleted as well. Hope some of this is helpful!

MB_Positif

I read through one of your posts earlier today and commented there as well. It sounds like you have covered a lot of bases seeing different types of professionals to try and figure out what is going on with you. The only advice I can give you (which someone mentioned in the other thread) is to try eating higher calorie healthy foods. Do some research on this to find things that you like. If you don't like meat, you'll want to get protein from other sources, like beans, nuts, eggs, etc. Please do not resort to eating junk food just to get your calories up. I am reading a book right now called "Made to Crave," and one of my favorite lines from the book is something she says to herself before eating something (especially junk food). She says, "Is this permissible, or beneficial?" In your case, since you are staying below your calorie goal, it is permissible to eat junk food to get your calories up, but is it beneficial? See what you can do to find some healthy high calorie foods that you like, ok

Victoriav99

read your post...from what i understand, I will try to reply.

- have you tried a b-complex vitamin?
- to get your cals up, you don't need to eat junk food - that's gonna make you feel worse. try nutrient dense foods like: peanut butter, nut butters (like almond butter), avacado's, nuts (almonds, walnuts etc).
-Lean proteins
- good healthy carbs

not sure if that helped answer your question.

I agree with this. Good luck

Lizchan

read your post...from what i understand, I will try to reply.

- have you tried a b-complex vitamin?
- to get your cals up, you don't need to eat junk food - that's gonna make you feel worse. try nutrient dense foods like: peanut butter, nut butters (like almond butter), avacado's, nuts (almonds, walnuts etc).
-Lean proteins
- good healthy carbs

not sure if that helped answer your question.

I dislike peanut butter. But I guess I could try to eat more of it. I think they have Goober PB'n'J. I'd eat that.

Lizchan

read your post...from what i understand, I will try to reply.

- have you tried a b-complex vitamin?
- to get your cals up, you don't need to eat junk food - that's gonna make you feel worse. try nutrient dense foods like: peanut butter, nut butters (like almond butter), avacado's, nuts (almonds, walnuts etc).
-Lean proteins
- good healthy carbs

not sure if that helped answer your question.

I agree with this. Good luck

They want to try the phentermine to get me jumpstarted. I could try the B vitamins next.

Lizchan

I read through one of your posts earlier today and commented there as well. It sounds like you have covered a lot of bases seeing different types of professionals to try and figure out what is going on with you. The only advice I can give you (which someone mentioned in the other thread) is to try eating higher calorie healthy foods. Do some research on this to find things that you like. If you don't like meat, you'll want to get protein from other sources, like beans, nuts, eggs, etc. Please do not resort to eating junk food just to get your calories up. I am reading a book right now called "Made to Crave," and one of my favorite lines from the book is something she says to herself before eating something (especially junk food). She says, "Is this permissible, or beneficial?" In your case, since you are staying below your calorie goal, it is permissible to eat junk food to get your calories up, but is it beneficial? See what you can do to find some healthy high calorie foods that you like, ok

I will do my best.
I will probably have plenty of beans and turnip greens tomorrow. The turnip greens will have a little bit of meat to flavor them. I like eggs and sometimes nuts. I could try to eat more of them. The only thing about eggs is that I am living with my family at the moment... and if there are eggs here, a 12-count package could be devoured in a day!

MB_Positif

I read through one of your posts earlier today and commented there as well. It sounds like you have covered a lot of bases seeing different types of professionals to try and figure out what is going on with you. The only advice I can give you (which someone mentioned in the other thread) is to try eating higher calorie healthy foods. Do some research on this to find things that you like. If you don't like meat, you'll want to get protein from other sources, like beans, nuts, eggs, etc. Please do not resort to eating junk food just to get your calories up. I am reading a book right now called "Made to Crave," and one of my favorite lines from the book is something she says to herself before eating something (especially junk food). She says, "Is this permissible, or beneficial?" In your case, since you are staying below your calorie goal, it is permissible to eat junk food to get your calories up, but is it beneficial? See what you can do to find some healthy high calorie foods that you like, ok

I will do my best.
I will probably have plenty of beans and turnip greens tomorrow. The turnip greens will have a little bit of meat to flavor them. I like eggs and sometimes nuts. I could try to eat more of them. The only thing about eggs is that I am living with my family at the moment... and if there are eggs here, a 12-count package could be devoured in a day!

Haha, you have to snag some of those eggs quickly! I like to hard boil some eggs to keep in the refrigerator and just pop one for a snack here and there

Lizchan

Have you been checked for diabetes?? I had it when I was pregnant and it took literally 2 years for my blood sugar to even out. Constant thirst is a sign. As for your low energy, BC does terrible things to me too. Severe swelling and mood swings to depression on some. It again takes time for it all to work its way out of your system. You can try taking some vitamin D supplements, also I'm not a fan of diet pills. Not to preach but they are pretty terrible for your body and as soon as you get off them you start to gain weight back. This could also be playing into your constant thirst, they are a diuretic. When meeting your calorie goals, A. don't stress there are plenty of days I don't eat them all. Do not eat junk. If you want calories eat avocados, or nuts, or another calorie dense food that won't clog you up with chemicals and assorted junk. It's fine as a treat, eating to much of it can leave you feeling tired and depleted as well. Hope some of this is helpful!

Diabetes is one of the very first things they checked for. I do not have it. They did check my metabolic rate. It's actually quite high. They are pretty puzzled to what could be going on. The only thing they can gather is that I am not producing enough natural energy, which could lead to weight gain, being excessively tired all the time, loss of muscle mass, severe depression and anxiety. Many other things, too, I'm sure, but this is what they've told me they think is wrong. You need energy to exercise and to lose weight and to maintain a healthy weight. They also think I have ADHD. The diet pills make me feel like I did before I got incredibly sick from taking Depo Provera. Not completely, but it makes it feel like my energy is coming back and I can get out of bed in the mornings without fighting myself. I can make it through the day without taking a nap or two.

Lizchan

I read through one of your posts earlier today and commented there as well. It sounds like you have covered a lot of bases seeing different types of professionals to try and figure out what is going on with you. The only advice I can give you (which someone mentioned in the other thread) is to try eating higher calorie healthy foods. Do some research on this to find things that you like. If you don't like meat, you'll want to get protein from other sources, like beans, nuts, eggs, etc. Please do not resort to eating junk food just to get your calories up. I am reading a book right now called "Made to Crave," and one of my favorite lines from the book is something she says to herself before eating something (especially junk food). She says, "Is this permissible, or beneficial?" In your case, since you are staying below your calorie goal, it is permissible to eat junk food to get your calories up, but is it beneficial? See what you can do to find some healthy high calorie foods that you like, ok

I will do my best.
I will probably have plenty of beans and turnip greens tomorrow. The turnip greens will have a little bit of meat to flavor them. I like eggs and sometimes nuts. I could try to eat more of them. The only thing about eggs is that I am living with my family at the moment... and if there are eggs here, a 12-count package could be devoured in a day!

Haha, you have to snag some of those eggs quickly! I like to hard boil some eggs to keep in the refrigerator and just pop one for a snack here and there

I will try. But that's why the eggs disappear. Everyone loves to hard boil them and eat them. The thing is, they are crazy with them and put all kinds of toppings and seasonings on them. I like them just as they are. I cut them in half and eat them up.

NKINLAW2011

They all seem to be spot on about nutrition....more dense food is what I would also suggest. Could you have seasonal depression? I hope you and the doctors are able to figure it out...good luck! Keep us posted!

BTW, that's horrible that people you don't know would judge you....strange world we live in:(

Lizchan

They all seem to be spot on about nutrition....more dense food is what I would also suggest. Could you have seasonal depression? I hope you and the doctors are able to figure it out...good luck! Keep us posted!

BTW, that's horrible that people you don't know would judge you....strange world we live in:(

It is fine. You can view my other posts to see some of the things that they've assumed. I'm not really angry about it. I just don't know why they would think I haven't tried. Then again, this problem isn't one that you see every day, someone weighing nearly 200 pounds and unable to eat. The only time I can recall someone being like that is if they have had gastric bypass...

It's not seasonal depression. It's just from my life and health being completely ruined by Depo Provera. I stopped taking it about a year ago, but it it had already ran its course and did the damage it was going to do... I stopped it and the weight gain stopped. But nothing is getting rid of the weight gained through Depo Provera. Diet pills are making me pee a lot. But that could possibly be from drinking even more water with them.

auntiebabs

I"ve struggle with weight y whole life, but it sounds nothing like what you are going through. I feel for you.

Both my sister and my sister-in-law were on depo and had weight issues because of it.

MY SISTER went on it after her first child and went off it when hoping for her second child.
She was off it quite a while and still did not conceive, eventually the doctor ended up giving her some sort of anti-depo thingy. And while it wasn't right away she did get pregnant. It was over 12 years ago so I don't remember all the details about what the anti-depo thingy was.

Anyway since the kids she's complained that she can't get down to the weight she'd like to be, but she is a healthy weight and it's really just a matter of vanity pounds she gets to blame on the kids.

MY SISTER-IN-LAW, who was prone to weight gain to begin with, got really big to the point where it was dangerous to her health and she worked with a doctor to lose weight. I'll ask her more next time I see her and PM you if she's got anything helpful for you.

I was going to suggest that you track your sugar, (because there is a lot of sugar hiding in things disguised as "real food") but you already seem to be aware that sugar is an issue because it increases your appetite (as do artificial sweeteners) .

Other than that I can only tell you what has worked for me, which MAY or MAY NOT work for you.

I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE.
I've become a bit of a zealot.

My big thing was small victories so that I could feel successful, no matter how slow I went. I only had 1 lb to lose, the next one, because if I thought of all of the weight I got overwhelmed and it felt impossible. I was about to give up until i figured out #5.

Here's how I started:

1) tracking for a couple of weeks without I worrying about losing. After all stress prevents weight loss.

2) looking to see where I could make small changes on things that weren't that important to me.
(Don't even think of taking chocolate out of my diet!!!)
--Reducing quantities where I won't notice it so much
--Swapping out things instead of eliminating them.

3) Look at my diary and STARTED ADDING FOODS THAT HAD POSITIVE HEALTHY EFFECTS specifically for the health issue in my family. Focusing on what I could eat instead of what I couldn't eat.

I found most of the things I "should" add were really yummy too! salmon, avocado, oatmeal, mango, red grapes....
(Sort of think of food as medicine to deal with family history of various health issue oatmeal is good for heart health, mango and red grapes lower cholesterol, tumeric and cinnamon good for arthritis)

4) every couple of weeks I see where I can make another couple of small changes.
If you completely revamp your diet, it's way easy to revert to old ways in times of stress. (and who doesn't have stress?)
If you make a series of small changes, food still offers you some sense of comfort.
sort of a comfort continuum, and after a while the first small changes will seem comforting in themselves.
You don't have to be perfect you just have to do better.

5) also rather than being uberstrict with the target MFP set for me I did the math to find out the calories needed to maintain my goal weight and my current weight and

I gave myself a range:
---1200 cal. as my rock bottom,
---lose X lb/wk calories as my target and
---maintain my goal weight as the top of my range.

As long as I kept within in this range I had slow progress. I tend to naturally zig zag my calories 3-4 at very close to my target and then a higher calorie day closer to the top of my range. (I don't know why the zig zagging thing works, but it seems to work for me)

As long as I stayed under maintain my current weight calories I shouldn't gain. So no need to throw in the towel, just pick-up where I left off.

Once I found ways to lessen the stress, It was way easier to focus on the process and let the results follow. (It's what worked for me some people need the stress to get them motivated.)

I try to remember that Food is not the enemy.
Oddly enough on my journey here I've reduced guilt over food.
I have the occassional treat and I fully enjoy it with no guilt involved.
The thing is, since I'm not eating crap all the time the occassional treat is just that a TREAT it's special and I enjoy it so much more than when I was unconsciously shoveling junk food into my face.

This may not be what you are looking for, but I'm afraid it's all I've got.

Good Luck

auntiebabs

Oh yeah, I went to a nutritionist years ago she said: one 8 oz. glass of water for every 25 lbs of body weight is fine.

Lots and lots of people here are on the lots of water band wagon, but she thought that there was no need to stress over forcing down all that water. (especially if it's make you feel full and don't eat enough)

veganbaum

I don't have any specific answers for you, but I find it odd that you were found to be very low in B12 and you weren't given a B12 shot? If you are really very low, you may only be able to get it up with shots. If you're only lower than normal, you might be able to take sublingual B12, and could probably take it with your Phentermine, but you should definitely ask your doctor next time. B12 is very important for your health. Also, peanut butter isn't the only nut butter, or the most beneficial. If you don't like it there are other nut butters you can try - almond, walnut, cashew, sunflower seed butter, tahini.

Maybe you should try a naturopathic doctor, since typical Western medicine doesn't seem to have an answer for you.

Lizchan

I"ve struggle with weight y whole life, but it sounds nothing like what you are going through. I feel for you.

Both my sister and my sister-in-law were on depo and had weight issues because of it.

MY SISTER went on it after her first child and went off it when hoping for her second child.
She was off it quite a while and still did not conceive, eventually the doctor ended up giving her some sort of anti-depo thingy. And while it wasn't right away she did get pregnant. It was over 12 years ago so I don't remember all the details about what the anti-depo thingy was.

Anyway since the kids she's complained that she can't get down to the weight she'd like to be, but she is a healthy weight and it's really just a matter of vanity pounds she gets to blame on the kids.

MY SISTER-IN-LAW, who was prone to weight gain to begin with, got really big to the point where it was dangerous to her health and she worked with a doctor to lose weight. I'll ask her more next time I see her and PM you if she's got anything helpful for you.

I was going to suggest that you track your sugar, (because there is a lot of sugar hiding in things disguised as "real food") but you already seem to be aware that sugar is an issue because it increases your appetite (as do artificial sweeteners) .

Other than that I can only tell you what has worked for me, which MAY or MAY NOT work for you.

I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE.
I've become a bit of a zealot.

My big thing was small victories so that I could feel successful, no matter how slow I went. I only had 1 lb to lose, the next one, because if I thought of all of the weight I got overwhelmed and it felt impossible. I was about to give up until i figured out #5.

Here's how I started:

1) tracking for a couple of weeks without I worrying about losing. After all stress prevents weight loss.

2) looking to see where I could make small changes on things that weren't that important to me.
(Don't even think of taking chocolate out of my diet!!!)
--Reducing quantities where I won't notice it so much
--Swapping out things instead of eliminating them.

3) Look at my diary and STARTED ADDING FOODS THAT HAD POSITIVE HEALTHY EFFECTS specifically for the health issue in my family. Focusing on what I could eat instead of what I couldn't eat.

I found most of the things I "should" add were really yummy too! salmon, avocado, oatmeal, mango, red grapes....
(Sort of think of food as medicine to deal with family history of various health issue oatmeal is good for heart health, mango and red grapes lower cholesterol, tumeric and cinnamon good for arthritis)

4) every couple of weeks I see where I can make another couple of small changes.
If you completely revamp your diet, it's way easy to revert to old ways in times of stress. (and who doesn't have stress?)
If you make a series of small changes, food still offers you some sense of comfort.
sort of a comfort continuum, and after a while the first small changes will seem comforting in themselves.
You don't have to be perfect you just have to do better.

5) also rather than being uberstrict with the target MFP set for me I did the math to find out the calories needed to maintain my goal weight and my current weight and

I gave myself a range:
---1200 cal. as my rock bottom,
---lose X lb/wk calories as my target and
---maintain my goal weight as the top of my range.

As long as I kept within in this range I had slow progress. I tend to naturally zig zag my calories 3-4 at very close to my target and then a higher calorie day closer to the top of my range. (I don't know why the zig zagging thing works, but it seems to work for me)

As long as I stayed under maintain my current weight calories I shouldn't gain. So no need to throw in the towel, just pick-up where I left off.

Once I found ways to lessen the stress, It was way easier to focus on the process and let the results follow. (It's what worked for me some people need the stress to get them motivated.)

I try to remember that Food is not the enemy.
Oddly enough on my journey here I've reduced guilt over food.
I have the occassional treat and I fully enjoy it with no guilt involved.
The thing is, since I'm not eating crap all the time the occassional treat is just that a TREAT it's special and I enjoy it so much more than when I was unconsciously shoveling junk food into my face.

This may not be what you are looking for, but I'm afraid it's all I've got.

Good Luck

It is fine. Thank you so much for taking your time to respond to me. It means so much. I am sorry about your sister and sister-in-law's Depo experience.

Lizchan

I don't have any specific answers for you, but I find it odd that you were found to be very low in B12 and you weren't given a B12 shot? If you are really very low, you may only be able to get it up with shots. If you're only lower than normal, you might be able to take sublingual B12, and could probably take it with your Phentermine, but you should definitely ask your doctor next time. B12 is very important for your health. Also, peanut butter isn't the only nut butter, or the most beneficial. If you don't like it there are other nut butters you can try - almond, walnut, cashew, sunflower seed butter, tahini.

Maybe you should try a naturopathic doctor, since typical Western medicine doesn't seem to have an answer for you.

Thank you. So far, the phentermine is doing very well. At least... I feel a million times better. But could this be because I need the B12? I said I wanted whatever would work quickest, too. That would be the pills. The B12 is next... I don't like the thought of it. Needles... with the way they would want to give it to me... I hate needles. I could look for vitamins or ask about vitamins containing B12.

Pebble321

It sounds like you are trying really hard to find a solution and it clearly isn't easy.
I don't know if this is helpful, but if it was me, I would be tempted to bail out, step away from all the medical stuff and stop trying to find an "answer".

Choose a simple path - eat healthy foods, not too much, and exercise - regularly but not to excess.
Back away from everyone's suggestions, choose a way of eating that makes you feel good. Don't read up about 500 different diet plans that is just confusing - for everyone. Back away from the internet and weight loss forums and solutions (yes, even MFP!)
Pick a calorie amount that would be a moderate deficit for the average woman - maybe1500 cals a day, log your food, stay around this number but don't sweat it if you are over or under by a couple of hundred cals.

I'm not trying to insult you by suggesting something so simple, but when I read your posts, I get the feeling that you are trying sooooo hard to find the RIGHT answer and it's making you incredibly stressed and that isn't going to help. If there was an easy solution to what is going on in your body, someone would have picked it up already. Hence my suggestion of bailing out of all the tests and supplements and diets and programs. Eat healthy, exercise and don't weigh yourself for at least a month.

(BTW, I'm not telling you to ignore any medication or specific advice from a medical professional, but don't listen to random advice, including mine, if you don't think its good!).

darlilama

Oh, Lizchan, I feel so terrible for you! I'm glad to see you posted again with a lot of explanation about what you have already done. I had replied to one of your earlier posts. I tried to not make assumptions, but tried to say "if you haven't already…". After reading through everything you are doing, at least I think you can feel confident in that you are taking control as much as you can. I don't have any advice not already given… that is, for more calories, try calorie-dense foods that are also nutritious. Tough one.

Hopefully you'll also find some nuggets of information from the others here that will lead you to your answer and maybe something you can share with your doctors that will trigger something in one of their brains!

Best of luck… I'll be thinking about you! Keep us posted on your journey! :flowerforyou:

Pebble321

Oh, and I meant to say - if you don't like peanut butter, look out for almond butter or almond/brazil/cashew butter - yummo!

Lizchan

Oh, and I meant to say - if you don't like peanut butter, look out for almond butter or almond/brazil/cashew butter - yummo!

Maybe the almond one would be better. Peanuts taste too salty to me.

anicamarie323

Hey hun,
I've read through most of the replies on here to try not to duplicate my "possibility"... Have you been tested for PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome)? I know that not only does this problem cause people problems with fertility and hormonal problems, but can also cause women to gain weight. Usually the doctors try to lessen the problems associated with PCOS by putting you on a birth control hormone to stabilize the hormones that you are producing, which in turn can help with the weight situation.
The Phentermine does work great, but be aware that once you stop taking it and if your not careful, the recently lost weight can easily creep its way back on. And the Phentermine, one of the side effects of this medication is increased thirst, which in return cause you to urinate more frequently. It can also cause you to have difficulty sleeping if you are having any problems with that.
B12-can be given either in pill or injection form. But, the injection would work far better. This injection doesn't hurt at all, its a shot that goes in your deltoid muscle of your arm, and typically it's only one injection per month depending on your levels.

Just a few ideas... hope it helps, and much luck!!