Losing Weight While on Celexa

I started taking Celexa recently, so am jumping on here just to see what anyone else says. I've taken it in the past without noticing a difference each way, but this is the first time I've started taking it while trying in a focused and consistent way to lose weight.

Honestly, get the idea that your medication can hurt your progress out of your head. Use your energy to count calories accurately and keep going. I take medication that some people will claim hurt their progress or made them gain, but it comes down to discipline in my opinion. My meds gave me headaches, which made me want to eat for comfort but I just chose not to. My BC pill helps me be super hormonal once a month and I want to eat candy and macaroni and cheese for days- but I don't because I'm the boss of my choices not my medications.

Most of the time, when someone says their medication made them gain weight, what actually happened is their medication increased their appetite and they ate more calories than they burned. Last time I checked, scientists were doing research to see if medications can lower your metabolism. I haven't seen any new research in a while but what was proposed would have been a very slight decline in calories burned. It would NOT mean that you could not lose weight even if they proved it did lower your metabolism because, again, it wasn't a dramatic difference. Chances are, if you are not losing weight, you are eating more than you think you are.

do you weigh your food using a food scale? How long have you been working and not losing?

You can always talk to your doctor about it but it's unlikely, even though the timing seems to match up, that it is the SSRI unless it's making you hungrier and you are eating more. Measuring cups can be extremely off. I tried losing weight with them and got no where. People told me the same thing I'm telling you--that I was eating more than I thought and measuring cups were not accurate. I didn't believe them. I finally got so fed up with people saying it that I bought a food scale to prove them wrong...but then I started losing weight. I know you lost last year with measuring cups but obviously it's not working for you this time around. It will make sense to you to blame the SSRI but last time I checked, the research just isn't there to indicate that it would lower your metabolic rate enough to be to blame.

Well it sounds like you've already decided it's the SSRI's fault so I don't know what you want us to tell you... I have taken the gamut of psychiatric meds, ate my way to a 100-lb gain, woke up and lost 115, and am maintaining that loss in spite of the meds (which have along the way included a number of SSRIs, even Celexa and Lexapro at different times). It can definitely be done. If you're eating an estimated 1400-1500 calories a day (and it is an estimate because measure cups/spoons is miserably poor for accuracy) and not losing - you're eating too much. Either more than you think, or maybe, and this is unlikely, the Celexa has borked your metabolism - but it always, always comes down to Calories In < Calories Out. Accept that your CICO equation is different now than it was a year ago, and adjust accordingly. Or don't, and continue to be frustrated. Bluntly, it really is that simple.

I disagree with the people saying it is not your medication. I went through the same dilemma. I have never been overweight or even close to being overweight growing up. I was 5ft8 135lbs and gained 45lbs on celexa while working out 6 days a week and counting calories. It seemed like the harder i worked the more weight i gained. Celexa has been studied and it does slow down your metabolism. You can lose weight but you basically have to get extremely strict and reduce your calories even more.
I believe the medication is a contributor. when i research wellbutrin there are so many claims of weight loss; however celexa has so many claims of weight gain or inability to lose weight. I actually spoke to a nutritionist and psychologist that both agree celexa is known to cause weight gain because of its effects on your metabolism and hormones. Not saying weight loss is impossible, but you are pretty much going to have to starve yourself (eat less than 1200 calories a day and exercise which according to nutritionist put you in starvation mode) to lose any weight.
I couldn't take the weight gain and having to work out everyday for 1.5 hours without losing an ounce. I was only eating 1300 calories per day. I switched to wellbutrin. I can give updates later. I have only been on it for 2 weeks.

thunderthighsandlightning wrote: »

Is anyone here on Celexa? I lost 70 lbs last spring semester (6 months... yikes) before I went on Celexa. I used an old MFP to achieve that, as well as exercise. Now, I'm wanting to lose more weight, and I'm doing everything that I used to do--while working out MORE. However, I'm not losing weight and I'm even gaining a tiny bit more!

I'm eating 1,500 average calories and I don't eat back my exercise calories. I'm working out 4-5 days a week, and taking 10,000+ steps each day. Anyone have a success story or a similar experience?

Congrats on losing 70 pounds last spring! How many pounds do you have left to lose? The first four months, I lost weight easily, and since then it's been more difficult.

Did you have your activity tracker last year? Were you doing the same amount of steps?