Hate to ask this, but ...

Leigh14
Leigh14 Posts: 871 Member
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
Here's the deal. I've lost around 60 pounds (from 58 to 62 on any given day) by working out and eating right. For the past three months, I've been stuck, never going below 218 pounds. I began this journey at 280.

I have done all the textbook plateau breakers - eat more, eat less, exercise more, exercise less, take a break from exercising, etc. Nothing. I fluctuate in weight but, again, my lowest ever is 218. I haven't seen that number in the past few weeks.

I had my blood taken through our nurse practitioner at work. My cholesterol was a little elevated, as was my blood sugar. Not enough for alarm, but they're definitely not going in the direction I'd like them to. My Vitamin D was also low - no idea why.

I visited my doctor this past week to just have a one-on-one chat about my weight loss. I was hoping for maybe a new blood panel with even more detailed information. Can they measure metabolism? But, all he did was look at me and say I was on a plateau and my body is trying to hold onto the weight. I told him I've tried to break it, but he had no explanation. At the end of our chat, he handed me a 2-week prescription for Adipex, which I found out is Phenteramine. Um... doesn't that cause heart problems?! Ugh. Really?!

So ... I am still unsure of what I should do. I'm disappointed in my doctor's lack of real care and providing me with a prescription for a dangerous pill. I just want to break this plateau - do they really go on this long? Gr. :grumble:

Replies

  • CharityD
    CharityD Posts: 193
    Adipex wasn't the "dangerous" part of the phen-phen diet. It was the other one, fenfluramine, that caused the heart problems.
  • mictur
    mictur Posts: 175 Member
    Have you taken your measurements and do a body composition? Sometimes we are less than we think because of the body composition numbers. I have 152 lbs. of lean muscle mass but the scale doesn't go down. I was told to keep changing things up and it will follow. :flowerforyou:
  • kellygirl5538
    kellygirl5538 Posts: 597 Member
    Why are u worried, you need to keep doing what you are doing and you will loose. Weightloss is very slow. Like my quote on my profile says.........You can get anywhere walking if you take your time!!
  • bellanean
    bellanean Posts: 220
    I tried everything to break threw a plateau finally i got fed up and stopped working out for a week and eating whatever I wanted for that week, not going crazy but I didnt care at that point. After a week I got back to working out and keeping my calories pretty low and I already lost 3 pounds in 3 days. I finally broke threw the plateau and i was so excited. I cant offer much about the drug u were given but if you havent tried just taking a break for a week maybe its something worth trying. Hope all goes well.
  • Danielle_81
    Danielle_81 Posts: 166
    I say just keep up with it. Plateaus usually last about 3-4 months, sometimes longer (from what I've read). You've lost a huge amount of weight. Let your body reset and then it'll follow. One of the girls in the group I am in just went through this and she just started seeing the scale move again.

    And all that drug will do for 2 weeks is keep your heart rate up which in "theory" would kick start your metabolism.
  • ChristieisReady
    ChristieisReady Posts: 708 Member
    It's only dangerous when taken OUTSIDE of medical supervision, this is under medical supervision. And it's only for two weeks, so it's unlikely to do any real harm in that time frame.

    Have you tried a different type of exercise? It could be a mental block causing this prolonged plateau. And excellent work!
  • suziblues2000
    suziblues2000 Posts: 515 Member
    Gosh, I don't know, but I've been on one of those plateaus now for about 2 months. I"ve lost about 25 lbs in about 3 months and now I'm just staying the same weight, week after week. My food needs lots of improvement though. I have a horrible sweet tooth and eat lots of junk. I stay under my calorie most days, but I see my calories are lots of fat ones lol (what I mean is that sweet stuff makes up for a lot of my calories I don't know if it matters, I think it does).

    I'm hanging in there. I had to stop cardio exercising (walking fast) for a while due to personal issues at home, but that only lasted a week or so and I'm back exercising now.

    I sure hope this plateau breaks pretty soon for you and for me.
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
    If you are worried about side effects from the phentermine start with just half of what he told you to take. If after a few days once your body adjusts try the whole amount he prescribed. Maybe your body will only tolerate half. Medications of all sorts have odd effects on me, so that is what I have learned to do when prescribed anything.
  • fitterpat
    fitterpat Posts: 13 Member
    THe only thing that kind of got me thinking was the elevated blood sugar. I have the same thing and while I've been told it's not
    diabetes, it's a precursor - Insulin Resistance. It means my body processes sugar differently than normal. The only thing I can think is maybe switch up your diet a little. Maybe at this point, it isn't so much the calories holding you up, maybe more your specific body chemistry. I'm not suggesting that you have IR, but I figure if you're balancing to 30 carb/40 protein/30 fat (or something), switching to 50 carb/30 fat/20 protein might get things jump started.

    Also, something I've learned is that doctors aren't perfect. If you aren't happy with the prescription, maybe a referral to a nutritionist would help. Find someone specializing in people who have lost a lot of weight.

    I also think that letting your body reset is a good idea. It how we were designed to function. Let me know how it goes. My last plateau broke me and I put it all back on. :( I wasn't getting good advice and I just gave up.
  • sajar_06
    sajar_06 Posts: 173 Member
    Plateaus, nasty things. Yes, they can last a while did with me 3 different times. The body maybe trying to reset itself and recalculate for metabolism. Thyroid can be checked to see if it is functioning properly by your doctor. If you are doing a lot of resistence training you could be building muscle and that weighs; a pound of muscle equal a pound of fat that would keep scales from going down. Now, what I did was stopped the resistence training and upped the cardio for weight loss. Cardio, burns fat without building muscle mass. Hang in there it will start again. God Bless, brenda:smile:
  • lambocj
    lambocj Posts: 27 Member
    I know how you feel about being stuck...been there and just now starting to break thru to another level...just come out of the 190's into the 180's...I was feeling pretty discouraged because I am exercising and I journal my food etc., but wasn't losing. I was whining to my son one day and he suggested I change up my exercise....try something different that was a little more challenging so I did! I started going to Zumba class couple times a wk---fun way to exercise and the hr. is over before you realize it!! The next wk after I started that class I had a loss. I think our bodies get used to our routine and ajust to that or something...but it is tuff knowing you do what you should and not losing......hang in there, if you are doing what you should.....eventually the weight will come off! Also, I knew couple people that tried the Adipex and lost weight, but when they quit taking it, they gained their weight back. I had called and asked my doctor about trying the Adipex, but he refused to prescribe it...didn't think it was good to take it.
    Set yourself a goal to reach by Thanksgiving and then one for Christmas.....that always helps me....I've set my goal to have 30lbs. off by Christmas....Hang in there ---you'll start losing again!!! Good Luck!!
  • kspeach
    kspeach Posts: 179 Member
    For me, Phentermine killed my appetite and I was able to stick to a diet when I took it and lost 20 pounds 5 years ago. I gained it back when my scrip ran out and she wouldn't re-up it.

    I tried it again, and within a week, probably coincidence, but I was in the ER by week's end with excessively high heart rate. It turns out that I had a undiagnosed heart defect. I didn't ever get an answer whether or not Phen exposed it or made it worse, but I'm not going to chance it again, myself. Even though I had surgery for the heart defect to fix it, not going to chance it again.

    It may be fine for someone else. Just not for me, even though I'd taken it for 3 months before and had NO issues.
  • second_1
    second_1 Posts: 45 Member
    I agree about the Adipex not being a good idea- most people that take those type of drugs will gain back what they lost. And why put something unnatural into your body?
    I know that our bodies adjust to what we are doing and we have to keep it guessing by changing up what we are doing. Be sure that you are getting enough calories to not put yourself into starvation mode-because if thats the case your body will hang onto every calorie for dear life.Drink water, water and more water -this will help to flush out the toxins and the fat. Sleep is important too-this is when our bodies heal themselves.
    Has this been a previous weight point for you in the past? Sometimes we can get stuck at those points for awhile. Just keep going and eventually your body will push past it.
    In short, change up your exercise, eat enough calories, drink lots of water and get your rest- the weight should follow if you stick it out.
    Oh and find a doctor who can really listen and care- not just throw a prescription at you and tell you what you already know. He took the easy way out....
  • hplvt
    hplvt Posts: 62
    Ugh! So frustrating! Especially if you feel like your Dr just wanted to hand you a piece of paper and send you on your way. I would do 2 things, 1st make a drastic change to you workout plan- in the form of change what you do, not the intensity necessarily. If you've been walking/running- try zumba, swimming, or cycling. Also I think someone mentioned having your thyroid checked. Being hypothyroid can cause all kinds of issues, weight gain, dull hair, tired, depression, lots of things you wouldn't always think of.
    Sadly if there isn't much to do, best to just keep your nose to the grindstone. Eating badly or not working out will be a step in the wrong direction no matter what! You've done great so far, maybe let the scale go for a month and just keep up the healthy lifestyle- you can do it!!:happy:
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
    For me, Phentermine killed my appetite and I was able to stick to a diet when I took it and lost 20 pounds 5 years ago. I gained it back when my scrip ran out and she wouldn't re-up it.

    I tried it again, and within a week, probably coincidence, but I was in the ER by week's end with excessively high heart rate. It turns out that I had a undiagnosed heart defect. I didn't ever get an answer whether or not Phen exposed it or made it worse, but I'm not going to chance it again, myself. Even though I had surgery for the heart defect to fix it, not going to chance it again.

    It may be fine for someone else. Just not for me, even though I'd taken it for 3 months before and had NO issues.
    Really...exactly why you want to just tear up that prescription and toss it away, some docs simply don't know what to do with overweight patients so they figure pills are the only answer, some docs take more time and send you to a dietician that can work with you on your food/workout plan (does your insurance cover that?).

    Do you mind sharing your diary so we can take a look and perhaps that might help us see if we can pinpoint anything that you might be missing? If you don't feel comfy doing that, no problem. :) Just a thought:flowerforyou:

    Are you changing up your foods, that helps alot, same with your workouts, could be your body needs a mini workout break. Could be a little zigzaging on your cals might help. Might be something simple as adding more water, spreading your meals out over 5-6 per day (mini meals). I didn't have time to read everyone's ideas, I apologize if I'm repeating here but just tossing some thoughts out.:drinker:

    Just now glanced up and saw someone mentioned sleep, wow after reading so much on the importance of sleep and health and weight maintance/loss I've learned how it's just as important to get our bodies enough sleep as it is to eat healthy food and get plenty of excercise.

    All the best:drinker:
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
    OH! Ah, and Congrats on the huge weight loss and all the hard work you've put into taking that weight off, Kudos to you, you should be so very proud of yourself Hon!:flowerforyou: :heart:
  • canstey
    canstey Posts: 118
    Let's start with the basics.

    1. Have you recalculated your BMR+lifestyle now that you have lost 60 lbs? That much less weight will have reduced your normal daily BMR+lifestyle needs and you need to readjust your calories-in to maintain a deficit.
    2. Have you updated with your new weight whatever you are using to compute exercise calories? If you are doing the same exercise, say walking 3 miles a day, you will now be burning less calories at 218 than 278 because you don't have to move an extra 60 lbs. Congratulations by the way.

    From all of my research into real studies on weight loss, I am a firm believer in calories-in calories-out and that metabolism cannot be slowed except as natural from having less weight to move around unless the person is already underweight and trying to lose more. Therefore if a person is stuck at the same weight for 4+ weeks then the calories-in and calories-out need to be reexamined because they are currently more or less equal. Less than 4 weeks could be explained by the body retaining more water than previously usual and masking off the real weight loss that is still happening.
  • Leigh14
    Leigh14 Posts: 871 Member
    Thanks for all the great responses guys!

    I've opened up my food diary if anybody is interested in checking it out and can offer any feedback. This week is a little out of the norm and it is showing up as under 1200 each day - but I am unsure of how many workouts I'll get in this week, so I'm leaving myself a little wiggle room to add more calories.

    I have updated my heart rate monitor with my weight loss information. I've checked to make sure everything is updated on MFP. I've changed my exercise routine - I started going to a bootcamp class, Zumba, C25K and strength training twice a week. In addition, I mow my yard, my neighbor's yard and my friend's grandmother's yard. Mowing my yard and my neighbors yard burns around 800 calories. Mowing the other yard burns around 500 calories. Bootcamp burns anywhere from 400 to 600 calories - sometimes more. Zumba burns around 300 calories. C25K also burns around 300 calories. Strength training burns around 200 (I do a circuit and try to keep my heart rate up).

    When I began my weight loss journey, I did about 15-20 minutes on the treadmill. Then I moved to the elliptical and could only do five minutes. I worked up to 30 minutes and brought in strength training. Then I started looking outside the box and began a 5 mile walk twice a week on a local trail, along with elliptical and strength training. I added in the mowing. Within the past few months the bootcamp, Zumba and C25K have came into play while I was looking for something to change my routine.

    I've found that if I overeat one evening - even by a couple hundred calories - my weight goes up the next day. After a weekend of leisurely eating (still healthy foods, just more than normal), the scale has went up as many as 11 pounds. Eleven. Yeah.

    I drink lots of water. I have a 32-oz. nalgene bottle at my desk that is getting refilled as much as possible throughout the day. During my workouts, I drink a full 32-oz., and then some more afterward.

    I take a multivitamin, fish oil and calcium. Yet ... my hair has gotten very brittle; it breaks and falls out at a rate higher than normal. I have teeny hairs all over my head that stick out from being broken off. Gah. Really works on your self esteem. On the opposite end of that, my nails grow like wildfire.

    So ... it's frustrating. I've came a long way, but I have a long way to go.
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