Serotonin Diet? Losing weight on Ads
Replies
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Grael, that's interesting. I've decided I am going to wean off them and keep my mood topped up with lots of exercise and very healthy foods. If it doesn't work, I can always return to them. Have you tried breathing meditation or affirmations, Grael, for anger? They might help.
Mitch, thanks for the suggestion of Jessamyne Stanley. I'll look her up. Well, I've just come back from a long walk in the fresh air and what a surprise, it improved my mood!
I'm going to:
Log food
Walk 10k steps a day
Eat 8-10 portions fresh veg a day
drink 8 glasses water a day
Can't rid the house of snacks, as I live with a 6'2" man and two teen boys who eat like horses. I never buy snacks, but they do, and if I ask them not to, they don't for a day or two then 'forget'. The house has permanent multipacks of crisps and biscuits. But I can ask them to buy stuff I dislike because I'd never knowingly eat an Oreo or a HobNob after tasting them once.3 -
Grael, that's interesting. I've decided I am going to wean off them and keep my mood topped up with lots of exercise and very healthy foods. If it doesn't work, I can always return to them. Have you tried breathing meditation or affirmations, Grael, for anger? They might help.
Mitch, thanks for the suggestion of Jessamyne Stanley. I'll look her up. Well, I've just come back from a long walk in the fresh air and what a surprise, it improved my mood!
I'm going to:
Log food
Walk 10k steps a day
Eat 8-10 portions fresh veg a day
drink 8 glasses water a day
Can't rid the house of snacks, as I live with a 6'2" man and two teen boys who eat like horses. I never buy snacks, but they do, and if I ask them not to, they don't for a day or two then 'forget'. The house has permanent multipacks of crisps and biscuits. But I can ask them to buy stuff I dislike because I'd never knowingly eat an Oreo or a HobNob after tasting them once.
My husband is a crazy snacker too, but we’ve hit a good balance with him avoiding keeping my particular binge foods in the house - potato chips in particular. He likes chips, but he likes Oreos and ice cream too, which I have no trouble avoiding, so he keeps those in the house and eats chips at work. Figuring out healthier snacks we both like has helped too - for me, cheese and fruit are great snacks I rarely overeat halthough I know lots of people have issues with cheese, sadly).
I’m sorry you’re struggling so much right now. I’ve been on anti-depressants since adolescence but luckily never experienced increased appetite as a side effect. A couple of people have mentioned logging calories as a goal in and of itself, and the sense of control it provides even when you’re still eating more than you like. I have absolutely experienced this. I logged for several months before I got the kick in the butt to start losing weight, and being able to look back at that data and really understand why I was gaining weight was a huge help. Plus, it taught me how to weigh food and estimate when you can’t weigh, and those can be tricky skills at first! Good luck!1 -
I 've been on a 5 or 6 different AD 's over last two years in addition being hypothyroid and taking another type of Ad's for pain management.
I 've been recently put on antipsychotic Seroquel as I 've been diagnosed with Bipolar affective disorder.
Over last few years I have gained and lost weight regardless of what medication I'm on.
I have lost 7kg just using MFP so no ,they don't make you gain weight but you have to log everything and be honest with yourself.
I am currently doubling my dose of Seroquel to 100 mg and feel like crap,lethargic ,nausea ,exhausted...my tip is to do what you can.
Whenever I can I go for a hike on the weekends so even if I miss few workouts I know I ve done something good for myself.
Believe me I know how rubbish meds can make you feel but don't blame them for weight gain.
Whenever I tried really hard I 've lost weight .
I don't have a huge deficit,I still have treats and I am losing slowly but I'm fine with that.0 -
That’s interesting. I follow a diet like that, and it really does make me feel happier. I do it for the ‘most nutrition per calorie’ reason, but I also struggle with feeling sad and anxious. I do get horrible anxiety and feel sad if I don’t eat right and work out regularly. I’ve eaten this way for years. Working out makes an enormous difference for me also, and helps me to cut back on booze, which I tend to self medicate with.0
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Mega, it's really interesting that you found logging your food helped even when you were still overeating. I'm going to try that. I tend to slope way from the logging in if I start overeating. Biut you're right. It would show the pattern of when and what. The triggers.
Passenger, I'm impressed you have the fight and self discipline in you, with all those meds, to still exercise. I have a lot of calls on my time - son and elderly parents all with health problems, self-employed so quite isolated working from home and very sedentary (though I love my job).
Sunnybrooke - what diet do you follow - wasn't sure what you referred to and want to know what diet makes you feel happier.1 -
Mega, it's really interesting that you found logging your food helped even when you were still overeating. I'm going to try that. I tend to slope way from the logging in if I start overeating. Biut you're right. It would show the pattern of when and what. The triggers.
Passenger, I'm impressed you have the fight and self discipline in you, with all those meds, to still exercise. I have a lot of calls on my time - son and elderly parents all with health problems, self-employed so quite isolated working from home and very sedentary (though I love my job).
Sunnybrooke - what diet do you follow - wasn't sure what you referred to and want to know what diet makes you feel happier.
I admit that logging without trying to lose seems silly, but I felt like it was something I could actually DO at a time when I didn't feel prepared to actual try for a deficit, and now that I'm losing, I'm really glad that I did. I think a lot of people slip up on logging when they eat at a surplus for whatever reason, but I find that maintaining the discipline to track as accurately as possible makes me feel better - it puts overeating into perspective. And yeah, I was pretty sure where my triggers were, but seeing it set down in calorie form really helped me get to a place to cut back.3 -
Logging the overeating days is key for me. It tends to stop its continuing in its tracks.2
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Grael, that's interesting. I've decided I am going to wean off them and keep my mood topped up with lots of exercise and very healthy foods. If it doesn't work, I can always return to them. Have you tried breathing meditation or affirmations, Grael, for anger? They might help.
Mitch, thanks for the suggestion of Jessamyne Stanley. I'll look her up. Well, I've just come back from a long walk in the fresh air and what a surprise, it improved my mood!
I'm going to:
Log food
Walk 10k steps a day
Eat 8-10 portions fresh veg a day
drink 8 glasses water a day
Can't rid the house of snacks, as I live with a 6'2" man and two teen boys who eat like horses. I never buy snacks, but they do, and if I ask them not to, they don't for a day or two then 'forget'. The house has permanent multipacks of crisps and biscuits. But I can ask them to buy stuff I dislike because I'd never knowingly eat an Oreo or a HobNob after tasting them once.
It never ceases to amaze me how much better I can feel just getting out for a walk.
Please don't come off the meds without talking to your doctor. They can be tricky beasts, even when you're tapering carefully.3 -
I'm bipolar, so I know the antidepressant and anti-psychotic struggle very well! When I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder I said I'd rather be fat and happy than thin and crazy (not that I was ever thin).
But that was just an excuse not to buckle down and take control of my weight. Yes, I gained fifty pounds on my meds, but that was because I ate enough to gain fifty pounds, NOT because my meds made me gain weight. They didn't even increase my cravings, but they did make me tired. Sleeping too much is a problem for me, and I can't hold down a job because of my mental illness.
I'm on two antidepressants (one, the Cymbalta is at the highest dose allowed and also does double duty for chronic pain from fibromyalgia), one anti-psychotic, and an appetite suppresent (Topamax) AND Vyvanse for ADHD (a very small percentage of the population has bipolar disorder, but a fairly large percentage of the people with bipolar disorder also have ADHD) which helps suppress the appetite too. But, I was on Topamax for six months before I started back here on MFP, and only lost four pounds.
As of today I've lost 50 pounds just by counting calories. I have recently started riding a stationary bike every day for 20 minutes, but that only burns a couple hundred calories, and does nothing to improve my moods Not even much to improve my alertness most days, it's just something I make myself do every day, just like taking my meds, because it's good for me (and gives me a little more to eat, but mostly because it's good for my heart and lungs).
Every pound I've lost has been lost because I count my calories, I track my food, even on the many days I go way over, or forget to take my pills. I take deficit breaks every few months, because I get tired of staying so on track for so long, and start to go over my calorie limit anyway. I figure if I start planning to take a break every few months, I'll be able to stick to my deficit better. I also figure I'll have to take breaks like that for the rest of my life.
It's incredibly freeing to know that it's all in my control, even with the cravings for junk food (which are strong, and I have a hard time saying no to), and the excessive sleeping (some days I spend 20 hours out of 24 asleep and I HATE IT), and the mood swings that even medicine can't always control.
What I eat and how much I eat I CAN control, and when you're mentally ill any bit of control you can grasp really helps. I urge you to start tracking for a while, even if you don't reduce your calories at all. Eventually, I think you'll find yourself reducing your calories too, then add in a bit of exercise here and there (weight loss is all about calorie deficit, exercise is mostly for health because it doesn't burn THAT many calories, especially as you lose weight).
I think you'll start to feel better as you gain control over this aspect of your life, because as you know, you can't control your mental illness.5 -
edited because I was too slow to post and the conversation moved on.
I've been on the anti-depressant merrygoround for over 25 years, thankfully seroquel and lamictal have been the right combo for the last 7 years. I've gained weight and lost it while taking the various meds. I can tell you that in my case the hunger issues were less noticiable over time and when I've gained it's been because of losing focus over stress rather than because of the meds. I've successfully lost almost 40 lbs over the last 18 months and am able to keep it off without constant hunger or cravings. Hopefully my experience will be of some help
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I'm on a fairly high dose of cymbalta (it might be the highest you should go) for migraine management and also a very high dose of Topomax for the same.
I wouldn't come off any meds without my doctor's okay and don't think you should either cherys. One interesting thing about exercise besides regulating mood is that it can regulate appetite. If you are thinking that you want to wean off your anti because it will help you regulate your appetite, maybe wait to see if increasing your exercise has an appetite suppressing effect first.
I used to take other antis for depression and different meds for anxiety and can be prone to bouts of both every now and then. Regular exercise is key to keeping my moods stable and my appetite in check!2 -
Good point about the appetite suppressing aspect of exercise for some people. Not so much now but at my biggest it was hugely true for me. Couldn't even think about eating for a few hours after a good sweaty workout.0
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If you have a 6' 2" husband and teen boys, you can designate a top shelf for their snacks. Easy for them to reach, not so much for you.4
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Thank you all. It's really heartening to read of all the people who have lost by counting calories, as I'd read a lot of stuff online (I know!) that suggested it's almost impossible and once you gain on anti-depressants, you can starve yourself and not lose. I need to lose 30lbs. I've gained about 3lb per year for 10 years.1
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Thank you all. It's really heartening to read of all the people who have lost by counting calories, as I'd read a lot of stuff online (I know!) that suggested it's almost impossible and once you gain on anti-depressants, you can starve yourself and not lose. I need to lose 30lbs. I've gained about 3lb per year for 10 years.
If it helps you to know, I'm 55 years old with a bad thyroid, and I've lost 90 pounds while taking anti depressants with all those factors going on by simply counting calories. And I lost weight at exactly the rate expected.5 -
I take 500 mg of seroquil, pretty much the highest dose you can take. 300 before bed, and 200 xr during the day. That's on top of the Lyrica and Valproate. All of them put weight on a person. Seroquil is absolutely horrible for this. Not only does it create a metabolic syndrome, it drops your blood sugar, which leads to carb cravings.
If I can lose weight, and try and maintain a healthy weight on all these meds I really believe it can be done.
Also, I take a tonne of fish oil and other supplements, those might help your brain function better. I don't eat animals, but I have given a pass to the fish oil since it's the only thing that works.
Because even with all the meds, I'm not well, although most people can't tell. But I manage to function and although I sleep about 9 hours a night, I don't sleep for 20 hours out of the day. I have energy to work and exercise. If you are sleeping for 20 hours a day, your meds need to be looked at. Either they aren't working, or they are too high. Or the wrong med.
So, if I can do it, I honestly can't help but believe others can lose weight.2 -
Thank you all. It's really heartening to read of all the people who have lost by counting calories, as I'd read a lot of stuff online (I know!) that suggested it's almost impossible and once you gain on anti-depressants, you can starve yourself and not lose. I need to lose 30lbs. I've gained about 3lb per year for 10 years.
It might be true for that person and that medication that you have to cut calories really low to lose. Calories in > Calories out is always true for weight loss. Always. But with the right meds you should have no more trouble losing weight than the average person.
Long, personal theory with no science to back it up (if you know of any please let me know, or if you have science that says I'm full of *kitten* share that too), and ancedotes ahead. Ahoy!
We can calculate calories in pretty accuratly. But we can't always calculate calories out as accurately. We're not machines and everyone is chemically different. We reaspond to the same drugs in different ways.
It's very possible that these pysch drugs affect the calories out side of the equation, and that would make it harder to lose weight. But it's still not impossible.
In other antidepressant weight loss threads people have said they gained a ton of weight on Cymbalta. I've lost 70 pounds on it once before, and 50 pounds in three times the dose of the time when I lost 70 pounds.
I was on Abilify. I went back to Weight Watchers, because I lost 70 pounds on it when I was only on Cymbalta before being diagnosed with bipolar disorder instead of just depression. I stayed in my points, I tracked my food, I did everything right for two months.
I lost and regained two pounds. Total loss before giving up? Nothing. If my flat is correct the Abilify affected how many calories I was burning, so when I was eating at what I though was a deficit, I was really eating at maintanence.
If I'd been here and posted on the forums (aside from being asked if I was weighing my food, I wasn't, but I didn't weigh when I lost 70 pounds, and I haven't weighed food much this time either, I've got so much weight to lose right now that I don't need to be super accurate yet), I probably would have been told to cut my calories down another 250 or so since I was nowhere near 1200 and see what happened.
Now I'm on Geodon. Not only does it work better for my mood swings, but I've dropped 50 pounds in less than a year, and MFP UNDERestimates how many calories I can eat a day by a couple hundred. If I don't eat back every one of my exercise calories i lose two quickly right now.0 -
Thank you all. It's really heartening to read of all the people who have lost by counting calories, as I'd read a lot of stuff online (I know!) that suggested it's almost impossible and once you gain on anti-depressants, you can starve yourself and not lose. I need to lose 30lbs. I've gained about 3lb per year for 10 years.
Well the good news there is that you're only eating just over maintenance - ie, it's not going to take much of a calorie reduction for you to start losing weight. Even if you kept your calorie intake the same for now, and increased your exercise, you would create enough of a deficit to lose. An increase in exercise and a small reduction in calories and you're golden!
Last time I was on meds I packed on around 9-10 kg in a matter of months. I flat out did not care enough to even try not to, until I saw some photos and went 'omg, enough!'. Just checked my health records, and I started tapering off the meds about a week after I started working on my weight. I tapered really slowly, so my first month at least I still had meds in the mix, didn't have any issues once I'd made that decision to kick my butt into gear.0 -
I get how you feel. I was put on an extremely high dose of one of the old tricyclic anti depressants to help my migraines, and to help me sleep, because I have horrible insomnia. I was probably on that for 7 years, and I gained almost 90 lbs. Before that, I was between a size 0-2.
It was not as easy for me as it has been for other people. I did the calorie counting on here while I was on it. I'm not sure if I was so hungry I was eating more than I thought, but no matter what I did, it just wasn't working. I had to come off that medication. The good news is that I'm now losing weight since being off the med.1 -
Thank you all. It's really heartening to read of all the people who have lost by counting calories, as I'd read a lot of stuff online (I know!) that suggested it's almost impossible and once you gain on anti-depressants, you can starve yourself and not lose. I need to lose 30lbs. I've gained about 3lb per year for 10 years.
That 3lbs per year is actually a pretty normal weight creep among the general population. We tend to not down regulate our intake in line with a natural reduction in activity and lean mass or never lose the holiday weight and so put on another couple of pounds the following festive season etc. As Nony says, that's a teeny tiny daily surplus and probably entirely unrelated to the ADs. So take that for empowerment that this is all totally within your control.2 -
I gained a good 60lbs in a few months on anti depressant meds and I know it's 100% because I was sleeping all day and when I wasn't sleeping I would binge. I was so upset I blamed the meds and my GP and went off them and continued to have more issue and gain more weight. I even started drinking again, getting down a bottle every 1-2 days and landed over 250lbs before i realised how bad i had gotten.
Thanks to the help of a new GP and MFP I'm back on my medication but I'm counting calories and forcing myself to move. I make sure I go for a 30min walk every day or I try to reach 8000steps. So far so good. I've stopped gaining and I'm slowly losing again
Hang in there. I would definitely talk to your doctor about your medications and you now counting calories. I'm sure they'll support you and you've got the forums here when you're feeling lost or need a little encouragement.
Don't give up!4 -
DanishFeta wrote: »I gained a good 60lbs in a few months on anti depressant meds and I know it's 100% because I was sleeping all day and when I wasn't sleeping I would binge. I was so upset I blamed the meds and my GP and went off them and continued to have more issue and gain more weight.
Yep. I'm sure the sleeping all day is what has made me gain. I never had any weight creep before taking meds. I was a stable weight for 25 years of adult life. I know as you get older you put on, but I never expected to put on quite so much. 7lb of middle-aged spread maybe, but 30!
Nony, I had that moment of 'enough!' the other day. Bumped into someone I was at college with and she was really slim and looked gorgeous. Then I caught sight of my reflection in the glass beside her, and I wasn't just 'plump' I looked like I'd wrapped a duvet round my waist before getting dressed. I weigh more now than I did when pregnant with twins. I just got very down about it yesterday. But everyone says that have that 'Enough!' low point and I think yesterday was mine.
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