Topaz1962....checking in

Topaz1962
Topaz1962 Posts: 7
edited September 19 in Introduce Yourself
Hello,

I've been struggling with being overweight most of my adult life. About a year and a half ago I started taking the weight loss drug, Reductil. I did well on it for a few months, losing around 10-12 lbs. per month. After about 6 months the weight loss slowed to around 5 lbs. a month, and kept slowing down, no matter how hard I tried. My doctor and my nutritionist were non-responsive, and just kept telling me to continue taking the drug.

When my weight loss stopped completely I went off the drug. My weight went up. I went back on the drug. My weight stayed the same. I went off the drug. My weight went up. I went back on the drug. My weight stayed the same. Over this period of time I gained around a total of 20 lbs.

I went back to my doctor, who was once again non-responsive. Very frustrating. I suggested that when I go off the drug that my body has a rebound effect and tries to undo all that the drug did for me. She agreed. Didn't give me any ways to combat this! So I left the doctor's office thinking no one cares and I've really botched up my weight loss efforts this time. I made a decision to stay off the drug completely, and wondered how much damage I did by taking the drug for about a year and a half.

My weight has finally stabilized at 321 lbs. A little over a year ago I weighed 265 lbs. and felt pretty good compared to what I feel like now. I am encouraged by the fact that my weight has at least stabilized and is not continuing to rise. My goal is to lose 10 lbs. a month, for the next 12 months, in order to reach my goal of 200 lbs. in a year.

I found this site during a Google search for a calorie counter. I have visited weight loss forums before, but this is my first time joining one. I'm hoping that through diet and exercise I can meet my goal of losing 10 lbs. per month, and that perhaps the support provided here will be more effective than the support I was getting from my doctor and nutritionist. :bigsmile:

Replies

  • Topaz1962
    Topaz1962 Posts: 7
    Hello,

    I've been struggling with being overweight most of my adult life. About a year and a half ago I started taking the weight loss drug, Reductil. I did well on it for a few months, losing around 10-12 lbs. per month. After about 6 months the weight loss slowed to around 5 lbs. a month, and kept slowing down, no matter how hard I tried. My doctor and my nutritionist were non-responsive, and just kept telling me to continue taking the drug.

    When my weight loss stopped completely I went off the drug. My weight went up. I went back on the drug. My weight stayed the same. I went off the drug. My weight went up. I went back on the drug. My weight stayed the same. Over this period of time I gained around a total of 20 lbs.

    I went back to my doctor, who was once again non-responsive. Very frustrating. I suggested that when I go off the drug that my body has a rebound effect and tries to undo all that the drug did for me. She agreed. Didn't give me any ways to combat this! So I left the doctor's office thinking no one cares and I've really botched up my weight loss efforts this time. I made a decision to stay off the drug completely, and wondered how much damage I did by taking the drug for about a year and a half.

    My weight has finally stabilized at 321 lbs. A little over a year ago I weighed 265 lbs. and felt pretty good compared to what I feel like now. I am encouraged by the fact that my weight has at least stabilized and is not continuing to rise. My goal is to lose 10 lbs. a month, for the next 12 months, in order to reach my goal of 200 lbs. in a year.

    I found this site during a Google search for a calorie counter. I have visited weight loss forums before, but this is my first time joining one. I'm hoping that through diet and exercise I can meet my goal of losing 10 lbs. per month, and that perhaps the support provided here will be more effective than the support I was getting from my doctor and nutritionist. :bigsmile:
  • angelinaz
    angelinaz Posts: 262
    Hello Topaz 1962! Welcome! I have found that no matter how much you have to lose, we all still have to do it one lb at a time and make healthy choices that do lead to that result. I have made a lot of friends here and I am learning a lot. I used to think that one bad day had to lead to a bad "forever", now I am learning to make choices on a daily basis and be kind to myself.:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

    My one most helpful tip is to remember to drink at least a gallon of water a day. I also have a "list" of foods ready that I can eat if I get super hungry. My list includes protein=fage is my favorite followed by egg whites. The next thing is salad with healthy veggies and a lemon olive oil dressing, apples, a protein shake, watermelon. I find that if I have a plan ahead of time, I save myself a lot of heart ache over calories consumed.

    Happy Easter or whatever your holiday of choice is! Good luck and keep posting!
    :heart:
  • stillkristi
    stillkristi Posts: 1,135 Member
    Hi, Topaz! Welcome to MFP!! I joined in February and have been really happy with the results. I hope you will join a couple of threads I frequent - the over 300 club thread http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/42112-the-over-300-club

    and THE Team (THE stands for Try Hard Everyday). Great support and help from those folks. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/48870-t-h-e-team-april-10-16-week-10

    angelina is so right, its about changing our lives, not just about losing the weight. It sounds like you have had a pretty frustrating time, and unfortunately, your health care professionals have not been all that helpful. Not every doctor or nutritionist has the knowledge to help those of us that are considered morbidly obese (MAN, I hate that phrase!) I don't know what other health problems you might have, but it might be helpful to seek out a bariatric physician. You may have some luck checking out the ASBP homepage: http://www.asbp.org/

    Well, anyway, I look forward to getting to know you better! At my heaviest, I weighed 480 lbs. Today, I weigh 445. Its a long way from here to my goal of 195, but one day at a time, one pound at a time, it can be done. I am going to do it, and you can too!
  • MOMOFTWO29
    MOMOFTWO29 Posts: 8,276 Member
    Hello and welcome to MFP, the best website ever. You will love it here. I :heart: this site. It is so motivational, supportive, helpful, and everyone is so nice and friendly here. I just wanted to tell you good luck on your weight loss journey. You can do this.:smile::flowerforyou: :smile: :flowerforyou: :smile: :flowerforyou: :smile: :flowerforyou: :smile: :flowerforyou: :smile: :flowerforyou: :smile:
  • Topaz1962
    Topaz1962 Posts: 7
    Thanks for all the support and encouragement! I have a hard time getting 64 oz. of water in me, I can't imagine drinking a whole gallon a day! But I'll give it a try, see if I can up my water intake a little at a time.

    Here in Scandinavia we have socialized medicine. One of the drawbacks of socialized medicine is that the doctors are not motivated to work for you. Hey, they are getting a paycheck whether their patients are happy or not.

    I used to live in the US and now I can see how doctors in the US are more focused on having a good reputation than doctors over here in Europe. The doctors where I live could care less about patient care. They don't take your blood pressure, weight, temperature, pulse, or any other stats when you go to see them. It seems like the focus of their medicine is to right prescriptions and get you out of the office as quickly as possible.

    I have more stories about the lack of expertise over here, but that's enough for now. ;)

    Thanks for your replies, it is nice to know there's a lively support group here. And I like the "one pound at a time" perspective. I think that attitude will be really helpful.

    Take care!
  • Shadowpaws
    Shadowpaws Posts: 109
    Welcome!

    You'll find more than enough support to help reach your goals here! :smile:

    Good luck!:flowerforyou:
This discussion has been closed.

Categories