Phentermine as a weight loss aid?

DarciSpangler
DarciSpangler Posts: 1
edited September 22 in Success Stories
so my doctor put me on phentermine as an aid to lose weight after having struggled for years to lose weight. (not to mention that i had a baby in april) . anyways i started taking phentermine on dec 23 and i've already lost 10 lbs. i'm on a 1200 calorie diet but i usually only eat about 700. i also work out on wii fit for 90 min every night. i am really excited and i feel like even when i stop taking the pill i will keep working out and maintaining my diet because it really pushes me to work hard. i was just wondering what everyone's thought was on pills as an aid to lose weight?

Replies

  • wyze
    wyze Posts: 248
    I have never used a weightloss pill before and i am glad ur seeing results. The only thing i will say is 700 calories is low, but then again i dont know how much you have to lose. But pay attention to how much you eat, cos you have just one body, treat it right and eat enough to feed it

    Good luck and all the best
  • I too am taking this as i also have had many unsuccessful weight loss attempts. I had taken this in the past without really modifying my diet. Needless to say I since gained back the weight. This time around Im doing it totally different. I eat a 1200 calorie a day diet but do try best to stay very close to this mark when possible because I have read that your body will go into starvation mode and store unneeded calories. I make sure to work out regularly and drink plenty of water. I too feel that I will now do well since i am modifying my life more than just taking a pill and calling it a day.
    It is all in a persons willingness to acheive their goal. I now have my mind set on the long run and not just the weight loss. It seems like you do as well! I think we will both do great!
  • I also have never used any "diet" pills, but I would encourage you to consult with your physician if you are only eating 700 calories... that is not enough to support your basal metabolic needs which puts you at risk for numerous health problems, and actual malnourishment. You may be feeling great, but I would warn against losing too much too fast... no matter how much you have to lose! You might simply be more sensitive to the pills than others, and might need a lower dose to begin with. Your off to a good start, you should really try to eat a little more, keep in touch with your doctor and continue your exercise. Just remember that this drug has effects on the body like amphetamines, and you need to pay attention to your body. As you level off and build tolerance to it, you should be able to eat a little more, and lose weight at a safe rate. Congrats on the birth of your child and good luck with the weight loss!
  • NikkisNewStart
    NikkisNewStart Posts: 1,075 Member
    I had my 5th child in July. I also took Phentermine for 1 month to AIDE in my lifestyle change. It helped with my mindless snacking and helped keep those phantom cravings at bay while I totally changed my relationship with food. You are not eating enough! I am proof that you must eat to lose weight and keep it off. Exercise is key also. Phen can be phenomenal in helping you adjust to a new way of thinking and using food. Take advantage of the help by educating yourself about food portions, food labels, and nutritional content. That way, when you are ready to be off of Phen and tackle things without the help of the suppressant, you will be ready. Trust me, the journey is difficult but it will be sooooo much easier for you if eat more and educate yourself about food now while you have the help of the Phen. I have been off since September and now everything is just habit. It helped me take back control and for that I am grateful. But please eat more or you will be so disappointed. If I (and countless others) on here can have babies, jobs, Grad school, etc and lose weight- so can you! No more excuses! You can do it- but up your calories and take advantage while you have the aide of Phen to transition into a healthy lifestyle.
  • forthefab5
    forthefab5 Posts: 187 Member
    Hi, i used a prescription which contained phen a few years ago and it was great in helping me to lose weight. I think it was something like 6 kilos in 1 month... unfortunately, it didn't last. I put that weight back and more! Then in 2008, I decided to try to change the way I ate and exercised. Well, that worked really well! I lost between 12 to 14 kilos in about 4 months and I was proud for doing it in a way that was a lifestyle change. Then I found out I was pregnant with twins and all my hard work went out the door. Now is my second time trying it out the 'slow' way but I am really hopeful that this will definitely be it. I have lost about 4 kilos so far. I have also just found out that the pill I was prescribed before was banned (as it caused heart attacks in some patients). I guess what I am saying is that you should be careful putting things into your body that could hurt rather than help you. I agree, if the pill is making you feel full after only eating about 700cals a day, then maybe you shouldn't prolong its use. Rather use it until you feel you are making the right food/exercise decisions and wean yourself off. Good luck with it all!
  • cjusticeg
    cjusticeg Posts: 90 Member
    i recently saw on a documentary that this could work very well to aid in weight loss. however keep in mind that it is an AID, and along with helping you to lose the weight, there must be a lifestyle change. please be careful when taking supplements such as this, as they can come this risky side-effects. fen-fen which was taken off the market in the 90's(as I recall) was used as a weight loss supplement and was linked to heart problems.
  • cjusticeg
    cjusticeg Posts: 90 Member
    so my doctor put me on phentermine as an aid to lose weight after having struggled for years to lose weight. (not to mention that i had a baby in april) . anyways i started taking phentermine on dec 23 and i've already lost 10 lbs. i'm on a 1200 calorie diet but i usually only eat about 700. i also work out on wii fit for 90 min every night. i am really excited and i feel like even when i stop taking the pill i will keep working out and maintaining my diet because it really pushes me to work hard. i was just wondering what everyone's thought was on pills as an aid to lose weight?

    I do agree that 700 calories is low. you are starving your body of nutrients. in order to maintain a steady metabolism you need to eat approximately every 4 hours. 1200 calories is the absolute lowest you can eat and still get all of your nutrients. please consider this as you are doing more harm to your body when you put it into this starvation mode, and you will be unable to maintain a weight loss with this lifestyle. I apologize in advance if my words come across harshly, I do not mean it that way.
  • I used Phentermine after my doc prescribed it to me. I HAD to make myself eat while on it. It totally killed my appetite yet my energy level remained the same. Of course, after I came off the pill I regained the weight. It's definitely meant to help get you into a better lifestyle but you must eat adequately & exercise as well to keep the weight off. Good luck!!!
  • carolynbe
    carolynbe Posts: 8 Member
    I asked my doctor for a prescription for phentermine about 4 years ago. It was great at killing my appetite - at first. I lost 50 lb in 6 months without journalling on a regular basis. I also went to the gym 3-4x a week. I loved the euphoric feeling and energy boost I got from it. My house was never cleaner - lol. The phentermine really boosted the cardio high I used to get from the elliptical and spin and I am came to crave that feeling. (Now I get it naturally) However, my hair fell out like you wouldn't believe and it wasn't because I was eating 700 calories a day. I was probably eating 1200-1400 (I'm in my 40s, 65", and weighed around 230 lb). It got to where I could see my scalp clearly at my temples and the top of my head. I had the hair of a 90 year old woman. It's taken a good 3 years for it to come back in (I have thin, fine hair anyway so it was a real blow to loose it more than I naturally was). My blood pressure also started to rise, another side effect of the drug, and the doctor wanted me to take me bp medicine while I was on the phentermine. I also started getting weird heart pangs, like little stabbing feelings in my chest. It could have been muscle strain from weight lifting and the doctor did an ecg but I've read that valve issues can be a side effect so I got freaked out by it. Anyway, the drug started to have less and less effect so you have to up your dosage and it still wasn't as powerful as when I first started it. I weaned myself off it and then had major boomerang where I regained about 20 lb right away and then slowly regained nearly all the rest over the past three years. I would have regained it faster but I've kept going to the gym at least twice a week so that helped slow it down but I was still overeating. I'm about 15 lb lower than where I started back then and have recently decided to buckle down and get back into all the clothes I bought for myself when I was 50 lb lighter.

    My advice is not to use it and try to loose 100% naturally with journalling your food and exercise. I totally understand where you are at that you want to try it. I did, too. I was desperate and felt out of control of my appetite. A few months ago I bought the Belly Fat Diet book by Jorge Cruise where he talks about watching sugar and carbs. He advises getting your sugar intake down to 15g and carbs to about 120 g for the (5g sugar/40g carb per meal). That has helped me tremendously, more than any diet or eating plan I have ever used before. I used to have awful eating binges where my appetite would be out of control for 3 or 4 weeks straight. Nothing truly awful - just a foot long sub at a meal a few times a week instead of half of that but enough so that I'd gain 10lb in one month and this would happen a couple of times a year. I'd also try Weight Watchers every now and then or journalling my food and just become obsessed with food and points once I restricted my calories and eventually fall off the wagon and regain the weight I'd lost. Cutting the sugar has really helped to inhibit cravings and keep from overeating. (Oh yes, it also got rid of my heartburn. I was starting to need major antacids every day to fight it) However, I wasn't really counting calories and exercising much so I didn't see a huge loss - just small losses and no gains, which is a victory in itself because I have been in a slow upward climb for the last 15 years. I have recently rededicated myself to loosing weight and started faithfully jornalling my food in MFP. I am also going to the gym and hadn't really seen much progress until I upped my exercise to 5-6x a week from 2x a week. I am older now so I needed to get my metabolism going. It's only been 10 days but I am down 4.5 lbs from when I started MFP. One thing I do to keep motivated is download new music to my ipod and buy myself pretty gym clothes. My current obsession is Lululemon Athletica. My husband was the one to turn me on to MFP. He was recently diagnosed with type II diabetes and has lost 25 lb and has been doing cardio like a fiend. It definitely helps if your spouse/husband is on board. We got fat together and now we are going to get thin together.

    Good luck to you!
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