Saxenda and friends

airuhka2006
airuhka2006 Posts: 26 Member
in Getting Started
Has anyone else tried and had success with Saxenda? I am currently using it, but I have a hard time connecting with anyone else that is using it... Doesn't seem as common as I had hoped. I'm 31, 265lbs and I'm trying to lose 65lbs. I have tried phentermine which worked for a bit but then it just kept me up at night. I'm basically starting this journey again after major surgery that had me laid up for a month and a half. I am basically just looking for new friends that can be supportive.

Replies

  • Danp
    Danp Posts: 1,561 Member
    edited October 2019
    I considered all that years ago but decided it was a terrible idea.

    Mainly just couldn't bring myself to committing to a lifetime of taking some kind of medication. The thought of the cost of decades of taking pills is just something I couldn't bring myself to do.
  • iheartmyyorkie
    iheartmyyorkie Posts: 163 Member
    There's not much group support in the MFP boards for diet pills and injections. Especially when Saxenda causes an elevated risk of pancreatitis and thyroid cancer. But you might try going to the groups section and starting your own group. Good luck!
  • Mic72022
    Mic72022 Posts: 1 Member
    I know nothing about Saxenda (honestly have never even heard of it). I just stopped in to say CLEVE-LAND!! Here we go Brownies, here we go!! Lol
  • beka184
    beka184 Posts: 5 Member
    Hi. I am actually just about to start Saxenda tomorrow morning. After looking into it a lot, I’m going to give it a go and also track my calories and activity on here. I am aiming for 1400 cal per day and 20,000 steps before having surgery to repair my ankle in a couple weeks. Then I will continue with meal tracking and Saxenda until I’m good to walk again. Feel free to add me for support.
  • kellyarw95
    kellyarw95 Posts: 7 Member
    I'm on saxenda. The Facebook group is huge.
  • kellyarw95
    kellyarw95 Posts: 7 Member
    You can add me.ive been on it for months. It really does help for some people. There is a trick to it though for some. Not everyone. Everyone is different of course. I love it. But I feel it really does only last only so long so use it while you can. Then switch to another med in the same class in what most of us do. Go in the Facebook group. It's great.
  • annasanders69
    annasanders69 Posts: 2 Member
    I started on Saxenda on Sept '19, 2019, was on 0.6 mg for a week, then increased it by 0.6 mg every week until I had worked myself up to 3.0 mg daily.
    I lost 30 lbs pretty effortlessly (without making any major changes to my diet, except eating a lot less because the drug seemed to suppress my appetite). However, since then, I have hit a weight loss plateau and Saxenda no longer seems to have any effect on me. My cravings are back with a vengeance, and sometimes I give in to them as I cannot resist them.
    I am scheduled to have labs in the coming weeks (I have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, with fasting blood sugar levels of 110 (ref 70-105) and insulin of 18 (should ideally be <5, according to doctor).
    Has anyone else experienced this; that is, that Saxenda first does a great job at suppressing your appetite, only to stop working as well or not at all???
    I have been wondering lately if my blood sugar may have fallen too low, causing cravings, and if 1.8 ml daily would be more appropriate...? Of course, I'd need labs to confirm it, but I guess low blood sugar can cause cravings as well.
    Some recommend combining Saxenda with Metformin. I am not too crazy about the idea, given the potential side effects, but there is Berberine, known to be as effective as Metformin if taken with each meal. I have been considering giving it a try to boost the weight loss, but think I should wait to get my lab results back before adding another blood sugar lowering substance.
  • precius
    precius Posts: 2 Member
    Hello i been it since may and lost 78 lbs im just wondering my weight has stalled is there anything you may know that can help me reset my body with this medication i need 48 lbs to go to be at my comfortable weight any ideas would be helpful to me
  • kellyarw95
    kellyarw95 Posts: 7 Member
    manderson27 wrote: »
    kellyarw95 wrote: »
    You can add me.ive been on it for months. It really does help for some people. There is a trick to it though for some. Not everyone. Everyone is different of course. I love it. But I feel it really does only last only so long so use it while you can. Then switch to another med in the same class in what most of us do. Go in the Facebook group. It's great.

    I don't mean this to be in any way disrespectful about your choices but this really concerns me.

    What I would like to know is if it stops working then you change to another diet pill, (see bolded) what happens if that one stops working? Do you just keep changing the medications? And what happens when you get to your goal weight, you can't keep taking these pills forever. You would need to learn how to eat at maintainance calories at some point. How are you teaching yourself to do that. Because if you don't learn now you will be much more likely to gain back everything you have lost. Then you are on a cycle of diet pills, lose weight, stop the pills, gain weight, back on the pills.

    The reason there is not much support on this forum for any kind of diet pills/injections/ fad diets/etc is that most of us have tried some, if not all of these and they just don't work long term because they don't teach you how to eat a nutritionally balanced diet within a certain calorie range that either helps you to lose or maintain your weight in a healthy way.

    I was told there's no medical reason for ever having to come off saxenda. I can stay on it forever.
  • Darlow70
    Darlow70 Posts: 19 Member
    manderson27 wrote: »
    kellyarw95 wrote: »
    You can add me.ive been on it for months. It really does help for some people. There is a trick to it though for some. Not everyone. Everyone is different of course. I love it. But I feel it really does only last only so long so use it while you can. Then switch to another med in the same class in what most of us do. Go in the Facebook group. It's great.

    I don't mean this to be in any way disrespectful about your choices but this really concerns me.

    What I would like to know is if it stops working then you change to another diet pill, (see bolded) what happens if that one stops working? Do you just keep changing the medications? And what happens when you get to your goal weight, you can't keep taking these pills forever. You would need to learn how to eat at maintainance calories at some point. How are you teaching yourself to do that. Because if you don't learn now you will be much more likely to gain back everything you have lost. Then you are on a cycle of diet pills, lose weight, stop the pills, gain weight, back on the pills.

    The reason there is not much support on this forum for any kind of diet pills/injections/ fad diets/etc is that most of us have tried some, if not all of these and they just don't work long term because they don't teach you how to eat a nutritionally balanced diet within a certain calorie range that either helps you to lose or maintain your weight in a healthy way.

    Saying "you need to learn how to eat" is such a loaded statement! Knowing and doing are two different things. If we HAD willpower and just "need to eat a nutritionally balanced diet" why in the world would we need to lose weight in the first place?? Why are you even here? LOL!!! Give me a break... really.
  • mauigalrn
    mauigalrn Posts: 1 Member
    Hi manderson27. Hope you are having a great day. I just wanted to give you a little perspective on your comments. They are seen by some as not helpful due to the fact that the user asked the community for support. Instead of support, you told her "There is not much support for diet pills or injections here. MFP is more focused on losing weight in a healthy, sustainable manner." For some, using a weight loss medication that they have discussed with their doctor is a healthy and sustainable option. You then went on to tell her she had already failed once (no one wants to hear someone tell them they have failed), and advise her how to go about losing weight. She has likely already tried that advice and is still struggling with her weight. You may not have had the same experience with your other chosen methods of weight loss and therefore have found something that works for you. That is great and I am glad you are having success with your methods. Not everyone's experience is the same as yours. You continued on another's post to tell her you were concerned about her, then posed a series of questions to her that seemed very judgmental. You may not have meant to be judgmental, but nonetheless, that is how your questions came across. You again told this user "The reason there is not much support on this forum for any kind of diet pills/injections/ fad diets/etc is that most of us have tried some, if not all of these and they just don't work long term because they don't teach you how to eat a nutritionally balanced diet within a certain calorie range that either helps you to lose or maintain your weight in a healthy way." Again, what works for you may not work for others and a blanket statement that they just don't work may be true for you, but not for others. Your statements can seem very judgmental and I can see why some people think they might not be helpful to others who are looking for support. Most of us are looking for support and camaraderie, not someone who tells them how to eat and what they should be doing to lose weight. I personally thought your comments were not necessary or helpful to the discussion when someone asked for support. Yes, you have a right to your comments and opinions, but the rest of us also have a right to be offended by your comments under the guise of "concern" and "others could also benefit". We could actually benefit from support from the community. I'll end with what you said earlier, "I feel it is worth pointing out" and "I don't mean this to be in any way disrespectful," but I hope you can kindly see where some are offended by your comments. Thank you in advance for your kind understanding.
  • sibylle79
    sibylle79 Posts: 3 Member
    Hi @manderson27 This is exactly what I asked my doctor 2 weeks ago when he prescribed Saxenda. His answer is that if you take Saxenda for a year the body gets used to smaller quantities of food. Plus we teach the pancreas to use sugar and fat better.

    I'm a big believer in CICO and I had great success in the past. 1.5 years ago it stopped working and I thought I had just become lazy and have to reduce further and track better. No success. I am now working with a specialty doctor for metabolism and obesity.

    Blood sugar is in the optimal range, thyroid is fine, basal metabolic rate is increased (at 2110 kcal), I have a good amount of muscle mass and they are well trained, apart from vitamin D no vitamin deficiencies.

    First 2 months I had the following plan: 3 meals a day with a 5 hour break in between and 12 hours after dinner, 11k steps a day (plus my usual fitness program), and 6 days a week the dinner is low carb. In these 2 months I have eaten on average 1500-2000 kcal a day given that with my base rate plus the movement I was closer to 3000 kcal that I was supposed to burn. Not only have I not lost a single pound, I was hungry the whole time, dizzy, had a constant headache and nausea (on workout days I sometimes even got up at night to vomit because hunger made me feel so sick).

    I have asked my doctor because I thought that I was doing something wrong and his answer was that calories are a good indicator but that I also have to understand that the metabolism is quite a complex system and if mathematics would be the single key to it I wouldn't sit in his office (have I already mentioned that I have a degree in STEMS?). And this is why I use Saxenda - I am healthy and pain free, practice in regular Ballet classes with slim women, go jogging and do functional weight training, but I have too much body fat and don't want that this will be a health issue at some point. Plus I want to avoid weight loss surgery. The medication is here to help me with the action I take - it's not a miracle cure.
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
    Hi @sibylle79

    I would comment but as you can see by the above posters after being on MFP for 12years, losing 60lbs and maintaining for 4years I do not know what I am talking about and my legitimate questions regarding Saxenda are deemed to be offensive so probably best if I bow out of this one.

    But I wish you all the best in your endeavours :)
  • sibylle79
    sibylle79 Posts: 3 Member
    Hi @manderson27 I totally understand. I thought I give you the information I have because nobody was answering your question and I had the same issue when my doctor prescribed me the med. :-)

    Great job and yes, this way is definitely the gold standard to lose the weight and keep it off. Sometimes people just need a little help, but the end goal is always to live an active life and have a healthy diet keeping a good energy balance.

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