Fighting medications...

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AmySchmitt68
AmySchmitt68 Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
hello! Wondering if anyone else is battling weight due to medications they are on. I am not able to get off the meds just yet - due to just beating cancer!! YEAH!! And, diagnosis of Chron's.

However, I am working my butt off in the gym and eating as cleanly as possible. Anyone else with experience and some tips on how I can maybe get the scale and inches to budge while on meds that cause weight gain/no loss??

Replies

  • starwhisperer6
    starwhisperer6 Posts: 402 Member
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    From what I have read meds don't "cause" the weight gain. they can possibly jack with your calorie output some and you will have to play around with that. What lots of them do is make you want to eat more thus messing up your calorie input. Being in a deficit will cause weight loss no matter what, but creating that deficit can be more of a challenge with certain meds. How many calories are you consuming a day? And congratulations on beating cancer!!
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
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    dont blame the meds. Everyone struggles with weight loss and wants to find a reason to think that its harder for them than others, but truth is its hard for everyone. Just follow the same guidelines and have strong willpower to stay on track.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    AmySchmitt68 wrote: »
    hello! Wondering if anyone else is battling weight due to medications they are on. I am not able to get off the meds just yet - due to just beating cancer!! YEAH!! And, diagnosis of Chron's.

    However, I am working my butt off in the gym and eating as cleanly as possible. Anyone else with experience and some tips on how I can maybe get the scale and inches to budge while on meds that cause weight gain/no loss??

    Eating lean has nothing to do with it. You have to eat less than you burn.
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
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    SonyaCele wrote: »
    dont blame the meds. Everyone struggles with weight loss and wants to find a reason to think that its harder for them than others, but truth is its hard for everyone. Just follow the same guidelines and have strong willpower to stay on track.

    i did everything i could to lose and all i could see were the side effects of my medicine(anxiety med) and it causes weight gain. You gain weight no matter what. So i dont think its just an excuse but an actual fact.


    here are a couple of meds that cause weight gain
    health.com/health/gallery/0,,20545602_13,00.html
  • Shells918
    Shells918 Posts: 1,070 Member
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    SonyaCele wrote: »
    dont blame the meds. Everyone struggles with weight loss and wants to find a reason to think that its harder for them than others, but truth is its hard for everyone. Just follow the same guidelines and have strong willpower to stay on track.

    Sorry but I disagree. Some medications DO factor into weight gain, and increase the struggle of Weightloss. It has taken me from July till now, 7 months, to lose 16 pounds. 2.2 pounds a month. That's with weighing and measuring, and 6 days a week of exercise. I lose this slowly because I am on a medication that is a known "weight gainer" that causes metabolic syndrome, that's so serious that the drug company has a class action lawsuit against them for not mentioning it as a side effect. It also causes people to become ravenously hungry at night. I know everyone gets night munchies, but ask anyone who's taken this drug and they'll tell you.

    http://seroquellawsuitblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/south-carolina-attorney-general-reaches.html?m=1

    http://mentalhealthdaily.com/2015/01/27/seroquel-and-weight-gain-what-are-the-causes/

    Yes, everybody struggles with losing weight. Some of us have more struggles than others.

  • Naaer
    Naaer Posts: 212 Member
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    I am, also, on several medications, one of which is notorious for weight gain...This med is so bad that my doc is thinking of switching me to something else...The kicker with this particular med is that it does the job it's supposed to do Perfectly, BUT that weight gain is a known side effect...I agree that weight loss is tough no matter what, but some meds seriously DO make it more difficult to lose weight...
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
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    darlswife wrote: »
    SonyaCele wrote: »
    dont blame the meds. Everyone struggles with weight loss and wants to find a reason to think that its harder for them than others, but truth is its hard for everyone. Just follow the same guidelines and have strong willpower to stay on track.

    Sorry but I disagree. Some medications DO factor into weight gain, and increase the struggle of Weightloss. It has taken me from July till now, 7 months, to lose 16 pounds. 2.2 pounds a month. That's with weighing and measuring, and 6 days a week of exercise. I lose this slowly because I am on a medication that is a known "weight gainer" that causes metabolic syndrome, that's so serious that the drug company has a class action lawsuit against them for not mentioning it as a side effect. It also causes people to become ravenously hungry at night. I know everyone gets night munchies, but ask anyone who's taken this drug and they'll tell you.

    http://seroquellawsuitblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/south-carolina-attorney-general-reaches.html?m=1

    http://mentalhealthdaily.com/2015/01/27/seroquel-and-weight-gain-what-are-the-causes/

    Yes, everybody struggles with losing weight. Some of us have more struggles than others.


    that, (what i bolded) is not losing slowly , thats how its done, measuring and exercising and being diligent . 1/2 - 1 lb a week is the healthy average which you are right on track for average weight loss.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
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    and i never said meds dont cause weight gain. Lots of things cause weight gain, meds are one of them, sitting at a desk all day and snacking all day is another one. We all have a reason we have extra weight and we all have a hard time losing it and if we try and blame something then we lose track of the fact that we CAN lose the weight if we are diligent and dont let excuses get in the way.
  • hekla90
    hekla90 Posts: 595 Member
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    SonyaCele wrote: »
    and i never said meds dont cause weight gain. Lots of things cause weight gain, meds are one of them, sitting at a desk all day and snacking all day is another one. We all have a reason we have extra weight and we all have a hard time losing it and if we try and blame something then we lose track of the fact that we CAN lose the weight if we are diligent and dont let excuses get in the way.

    Outside of a few lbs of water weight, possibly a small drop in metabolism, a caloric intake greater than needs is the only way to gain weight. No medication fabricates energy out of nothing. It's... Not possible.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    edited March 2016
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    raven56706 wrote: »
    SonyaCele wrote: »
    dont blame the meds. Everyone struggles with weight loss and wants to find a reason to think that its harder for them than others, but truth is its hard for everyone. Just follow the same guidelines and have strong willpower to stay on track.

    i did everything i could to lose and all i could see were the side effects of my medicine(anxiety med) and it causes weight gain. You gain weight no matter what. So i dont think its just an excuse but an actual fact.


    here are a couple of meds that cause weight gain
    health.com/health/gallery/0,,20545602_13,00.html

    sorry - no. Weight gain as a side effect of medication can OCCASIONALLY RARELY be "caused" by the medication actually decreasing your metabolism, but in most cases the medications just mess up your appetite and cravings and willpower.

    Plain and simple, you are in control of you calories in - calories out model. If a medication has decreased your metabolism and you don't compensate for that by decreasing your calories in, you'll gain, but you can't blame that on the meds it still boils down to the fact that you're eating too much for your new metabolic rate.

    If it is a matter of the meds increasing your appetite, causing cravings, etc. then it boils down to self control. YOU control what you put in your mouth, and if it is more calories than you need to maintain your weight, you'll gain. But again, you can't blame that on the meds. It always, always, always boils down to "am I eating more calories than I need to maintain my weight or to lose weight?" If the answer is yes, no matter what contributing medications or circumstances exist, you'll not lose weight. If the answer is no, then no matter what contributing medications or circumstances exist, you'll still lose weight.

    Calories in versus calories out is the ONLY correct answer, in 100% of cases.
  • floridagirl7264
    floridagirl7264 Posts: 318 Member
    edited March 2016
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    AmySchmitt68 wrote: »
    hello! Wondering if anyone else is battling weight due to medications they are on. I am not able to get off the meds just yet - due to just beating cancer!! YEAH!! And, diagnosis of Chron's.

    However, I am working my butt off in the gym and eating as cleanly as possible. Anyone else with experience and some tips on how I can maybe get the scale and inches to budge while on meds that cause weight gain/no loss??

    How long have you been working at losing weight? If it's been a couple of weeks and the scale isn't budging, then you need to adjust your calorie intake. Are you using a heart rate monitor? It's important to determine if you're within fat burning range. Are you weighing your food? If not, then you aren't getting a realistic amount of calories consumed. Is it possible that the meds are messing with your thyroid? Ask your doctor about that. Request a thyroid (or TSH) test to determine if your thyroid hormones are off.

    I'm really happy you've beat cancer! <3
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    raven56706 wrote: »
    SonyaCele wrote: »
    dont blame the meds. Everyone struggles with weight loss and wants to find a reason to think that its harder for them than others, but truth is its hard for everyone. Just follow the same guidelines and have strong willpower to stay on track.

    i did everything i could to lose and all i could see were the side effects of my medicine(anxiety med) and it causes weight gain. You gain weight no matter what. So i dont think its just an excuse but an actual fact.


    here are a couple of meds that cause weight gain
    health.com/health/gallery/0,,20545602_13,00.html

    I didn't gain any weight on Prednisone which notoriously makes you ravenous and I was on high dose for 4 months
  • mandyrene21
    mandyrene21 Posts: 215 Member
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    First off, congratulations on beating cancer! You must be one strong lady :smile:

    I was on medications known for weight gain for a short time. I definitely put on weight, about 5-10 lbs. I was so tired all the time so drank soda for the caffeine (I dislike coffee). I would grab a handful of chocolate for a snack. The worst thing was I never felt full on the medication. Once I realized what was going on I made some changes. I switched to tea for the caffeine (but I'm trying to limit that as well). I brought fruit to work for the sweetness instead of getting chocolate. The hardest was handling the lack of full feeling...so I planned all my meals to have the right macro ratio (or close to) and calories and stopped eating once I finished the serving. Even if I didn't feel full. I drank a glass of water after each meal to help. Truth is, I wasn't hungry anymore, I just wasn't receiving the full signal.

    I'm not cutting calories a ton (goal is 1820), I eat back most of my exercise calories synced from my fitbit, so I know I'm getting enough food. It's a mental game mostly!

    You can do it!

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