Please help... medication vs diet

frostyswife
frostyswife Posts: 32 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
About a month ago i decided to cut my calories to just under 1400 (mfp worked out for me) the first week i lost 2lbs the week after i lost another 1lb the 3rd week i went out for a ladies night had kebab etc so knew id gain but id been planning it for months...that week i gained 6lbs!! Around the 1st week my dr had started me on new medication and last week hes upped the dose a side effect is increased appetite and weight gain and my god i cant stop eating... anyway ive been sticking to my calories a odd day or so ive had a bad day but the 4th week id lost 2lb of the 6 id gained... ive just weighed again and not only have i gained back the 2lb id lost id also gained again making me 8lb gain!!!i no my diet isnt what it could be but ive still cut back a whole lot of calories b4 i started i was eating double what i am now. I suffer from ibs too so some days i been bloated.. so is it me is what im doing wrong or do u think its the tablets gaining and im against a losing battle. Im 5'7 and atm im 12st 8lb (was 12st 2lb when i started) most of weight is my belly and thighs and last night i got asked if i was pregnant i was mortified i feel like giving up cos im eating salad and cutting back on crap and im still gaining :(

Replies

  • Azuriaz
    Azuriaz Posts: 785 Member
    You were told this medication might make you gain weight. The human mind is annoyingly susceptible to suggestion sometimes. So just be sure it isn't your expectation of hunger and weight gain causing it. It probably isn't, but it could be.

    If you can't get your eating under control, maybe see if your doctor will refer you to a licensed dietician that can help you set up an eating program to minimize your extra hunger.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    If you're staying within your calories and all your numbers are correct, then that gain is just water retention. That could be caused by the medication.
    Water retention is annoying if it's a lot at once but it's not "real" weight gain. If you keep staying in your calories (are you weighing your foods etc.?), you'll lose overall as time goes by.
  • frostyswife
    frostyswife Posts: 32 Member
    I did this diet this way last yr and i lost and lost week after week..unfornetly it didnt last but i dont get why this time its not apart from that. Had a odd day ive gone over but nothing major.x
  • frostyswife
    frostyswife Posts: 32 Member
    No i wasnt told i was reading through the side effects and i read it think it was about 3rd week in u kept getting headaches and was checking that...thats when i read it x
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Are you eating back all of the calories you earn from exercise? Many posters here suggest you eat back no more than 50% of your exercise calories because the burns are inflated.

    I eat and eat and eat when I have too many carbs in relationship to protein. Try upping protein and decreasing carbs and see if that helps you stay full longer. See also http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html

    Are you skipping breakfast many days because you are dieting? If you are truly not hungry at breakfast, that's fine. But if skipping breakfast makes you ravenous and overeat at lunch, try eating breakfast. And experiment to see if breakfast that are higher in protein, like eggs, keep you fuller longer.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Are you weighing your food on a digital scale?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    WBB55 wrote: »
    Are you weighing your food on a digital scale?

    @frostyswife - I see that while you do have weights for some of your foods, others just have the calorie counts and no macro information. This means they are user-generated entries of questionable accuracy. Macros matter!
  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
    I don't hit the "flag" button very often, but felt compelled to do so for one of the most irresponsible comments I've ever read here. I'm not quoting it because if the mods delete it, it will live on in my post. But you all know which one I'm talking about.

    OP, talk to your doctor about the effect your medication is having on you. And perhaps see a registered dietitian who can help you with losing weight with your medical condition and the medications you take for it.
  • frostyswife
    frostyswife Posts: 32 Member
    I dont agree with just stoping meds i would never say that to any1. My meds are mirtazapine for anxiety and depression and they help me sleep..wish it was as simple as just stopping.in reply to ither poster yes i do have a tendancy of eating back what i excersise of some days i use them all some days i use half. Will try using only half see if that helps.i dont ear breakfast i never really have eating early in morning makes me feel sick and im not hungry tbh. I try make myself eat a cereal bar ( a good 1) now and then x
  • toki18
    toki18 Posts: 13 Member
    I was also put on this med by my doctor. I gained 2 stone in a month! I have never had major weight gain issues until I started this medication. I didn't know the mirtazapine caused weight gain and couldn't understand my lack of control.

    I didn't find out the cause for 3 months as my doctor was on annual leave. In fact I was told by my doctor that mirtrazapine is given to anorexics to make them eat! I am here trying to lose the weight I gained on the meds.

    I would never condone giving up your meds especially as there are withdrawal side effects but I would go back to your doctor and ask for an alternative if the weight gain really starts to get to you. For me the effects of the weight gain on my mental health was worse than the anxiety and the lack of sleep that the meds were supposed to treat. Good luck, hope you learn to control the effects of the meds better than i did or your doctor can find you an alternative.
  • frostyswife
    frostyswife Posts: 32 Member
    So far I've gained around 8lbs and I went on a diet to lose it and now I'm gaining more its defo not helping my mood..going to ring him and see what he says esp as he's upped my doseage last week.. X
  • krithsai
    krithsai Posts: 668 Member
    To rule out water weight, try this: cut out all salt one day - I have IBS too and know that raw foods can set you off. What I do is to roast my vegetables in the oven with a tsp of olive oil, garlic and italian seasoning. This cooks the veggies and flavors them without the added salt. Also, carbs are going to have to go. Simple carbs make you retain water too. Cutting that out will help as well.
  • toki18
    toki18 Posts: 13 Member
    I would not necessarily cut out all carbs or all of any type of foods but I worked with a dietician who recommended the fodmap diet - this didn't help with the weight gain caused by the medication (I was already on the diet when I started the meds) but it did help with the symptoms of ibs. Everyone is different and not intolerant of the same foods.
  • Artemiris
    Artemiris Posts: 189 Member
    Hi, I understand you, because I have also just recently started again to take my medication and the worst side effect is that I always gain weight.

    Usually I keep it under control, but this past year (due to moving to a new country and... stuff) I didn't use MFP and gained 15 kg.
    Anyway, I had to start taking meds again 3/4 weeks ago, because it's unbearable without. The hunger has increased, as always. But I'm losing weight regularly. My solution to fight this hunger is Intermittent Fasting, I get to eat all my calories in a 6 hours window and this means I only have to resist the hunger a few hours in the morning, but I do it with a positive attitude because I know I will eat soon. Hope this helps, good luck.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    stevencloser wrote: »
    If you're staying within your calories and all your numbers are correct, then that gain is just water retention. That could be caused by the medication.
    Water retention is annoying if it's a lot at once but it's not "real" weight gain. If you keep staying in your calories (are you weighing your foods etc.?), you'll lose overall as time goes by.

    i wish that were true. I have a medicine that just keeps me bloated all the time. and it does not go away. but as for losing weight, eventually even with the bloatedness, you can lose underlying weight
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