Weight loss on Metformin?
angelajo01
Posts: 67 Member
I keep hearing a lot about weight loss on Metformin, my doctor started me on it and I'm starting week 3, today and I increase to 500mg twice a day. My weight has stayed the same while taking it so far, any thoughts on how long it may take to lose any weight? Are you following any kind of strict diet while taking it? Thanks!
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Metformin never helped me with weight loss (unless you count the few lbs lost when first starting due to the diarrhea, lol - OK, I know, TMI!). When I finally got serious about losing weight it was on a low-cab diet. I don't doubt that w/o the Met my weight loss would be a lot slower but, Met in and of itself will not make you lose weight. It will only regulate your insulin levels, help keep your hormones in balance, and thus help you shed the weight easier while dieting/exercising.
I've been at it for a month now. Week 1 was 8 lbs, week 2 = 6 lbs, week 3 = 1 lb (but, it was Mother's Day and finals week at school so I ate really poorly that week dining out and such), and today's week 4 weigh in = 5 lbs down. Before Met when I'd try and lose weight it was maybe a lb every couple of weeks - very, very frustrating!! I was also just strictly counting calories. When I switched to a low carb diet; it's really started coming off!0 -
I just started taking Metformin on May 2nd, so I guess this would make week 3 for me too. I did drop about 4 lbs since I started Metformin. I kinda stopped working out because I was having side effects and I was nervous that I wasn't absorbing any nutrients from my food. I need to start working out again since the side effects have since gone away, but I haven't gained anything back from what I lost since I started taking it. Good thing we're already buddies! We should keep each other posted!0
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I was put on Metformin (500mg 3x per day) about 3 months ago. My endo also put me on a low carb diet. Its close to Atkins, but not as strict as the induction phase. I have lost about 25lbs so far. I plateaued about 6 weeks ago but I think my thyroid is to blame - it's really messed up and does create issues for me. I dont know if the weight loss is from the Met or the diet or both but I do know that I feel A LOT better!!!0
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When I was first put on Metformin (almost 8 years ago) I dropped about 10 pounds or something like that in the first two weeks, but, that being said, I had a horrible problem with my insulin, so I guess that was mostly water retention, also, after that drop, I stayed the same weight until I started a diet0
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I was on Met for 6 months 500 mg 3 times a day. I didnt lose a single pound the entire time I was on it.0
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With met it may take some time to find the dosage that works for you/your body. It's also not a guarantee of losing weight (despite how they present it to you). It's better as an aid, to help control your insulin levels. I'm on 1000mg twice a day, and it's kept my insulin levels down, but I may have to increase it soon - and with met, because it can cause gastrointestinal symptoms it's best to start out on a low dose and slowly increase.
Once you find the dosage that works for you, you almost certainly have to watch your sugar/carb intake in addition to taking it in order to see any significant weight loss though. Good luck
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I started losing weight immediately after taking metformin. Although it could have been because It makes me sick.0
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I've been on Metformin for almost a year now and I would not attribute any of my weight loss neccessarily with the medicine. I do notice that when I watch my carb and calorie intake I do lose weight quicker than I did before I was on Met, but it's not a magic pill that will make you loose weight withough any effort (like I had dreamed it would be.) It really just makes me more on par with healthy people trying to loose weight, which isn't easy to begin with without the added challeng of being insulin resistant.0
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Thanks everyone! I have been following a healthy diet for sometime now, I had heard it helped with weight loss, so I was curious on what input anyone might have.0
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You are on a relatively low dosage of it...I take 2000mg daily. I go off and on it, mainly due to the stomach issues it causes. Well, I recently learned that you can take Immodium with it, therefore making it no so harsh on your stomach.
I know I didn't answer your question, and for that, I am sorry, but I also know the stomach problems cause many to not take the drug or to stop it, when really it is a great drug for PCOS.
Good luck to ya!0 -
I was on Metformin for supposed insulin resistance. However, I suspect my doctor, was lying to me because I am not diabetic or even borderline. I suspect he put me on it as a weight loss drug along with a protein/chromium pill. I lost about 20 lbs then plateaued. He asked me if I wanted to also take and anti-depressant because it had a side effect of weight loss. I was also very concerned about the diarrhea I was having. It was WAY too frequent. I quit seeing him that day because he told me to take Imodium to help with the diarrhea and that he would diagnose me with depression just so my insurance company woud pay for the anti-depressant. I was not about to take another pill to counter act a side effect of another medication and there is no way on this God given Earth that I was going to allow him to commit insurance fraud. I should have reported him, but I didn't.
The moral of this story is that as soon as I stopped taking the Metformin, I gained all my weight back. I would only take the medication again if I actually became diabetic. Since no one in my family has been diabetic, despite being overweight, I highly doubt I ever will be. NEVER take a medication for it's side effects. ONLY take it for the purpose it was developed and intended for.
BTW, it did absolutely nothing for my PCOS. If anything, it added to my pain because of all the cramping it caused in my intestinal tract.0 -
I've been taking 2000mg of Metformin for about 5 years now. I went from 185 to 135 using Met, low-carb diet and exercise.
I stick to a lower-carb diet these days, mainly because the minute I eat too many carbs, the GI distress starts right away. I consider it to be my barometer of how many carbs I can eat....especially the highly-processed ones.
The Metformin allowed me to be a bit less strict with my low-carb diet than I would have needed to be if I weren't on the medication......but I still had to watch the carb intake pretty carefully.
Moving every day is also very important because of the good effect it has on insulin sensitivity.
I hope that you find your way to success.....there is no one way that is best for everyone.....you have to try stuff.....measure your results and make any tweaks to your plan the next week......measure your results.....tweak your plan again.......ad infinitum.
Best wishes!0 -
I'm seeing a lot of you all having sucess with "low carb" diets, which is great! What is your carb goal like? 50? 100?? To be honest Met kinda freaks me out (because of the possible side effects) but doing a low carb diet doesn't since I've done it before. When I was in high school I did it and lost 30 lbs in 3 months (5-6x a week 2x a day workouts too).0
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I'm seeing a lot of you all having sucess with "low carb" diets, which is great! What is your carb goal like? 50? 100?? To be honest Met kinda freaks me out (because of the possible side effects) but doing a low carb diet doesn't since I've done it before. When I was in high school I did it and lost 30 lbs in 3 months (5-6x a week 2x a day workouts too).
My daily goal is 50 net carbs. I have recently plateaued so I may drop it down to around 35 and see if that helps but I know that I feel much better. Also, the Met side effects were fairly minimal for me and lasted about two weeks. I had nausea and indigestion/heartburn pretty bad but I toughed it out and now I dont have any side effects.0 -
50g?? Golly gee I can do that in one meal!
I'll start off easy and shoot for 100 g and work my way down.
Thanks for the feedback 0 -
I have trouble with compliance. I 'should' be on metformin 500mg twice a day but have yet to get past a 2 month stretch. I only notice weight loss if I am on a low car diet and if not on the metformin I don’t my body wants to do anything weight loss wise.
So all in all for insulin resistant PCOS I think Metformin is very important to succeed with weight loss goals.0 -
It is known to help people loose weight, but not on it's own. You have to be watching your diet (not just calories but eating like a diabetic). You also have to exercise. All three things help regulate the blood sugar spikes that you get with insulin resistance which causes your body to store energy as fat ... I know that I was not able to loose very well before taking it and watching my diet. I had been walking/nicking/ running for years and no weight loss for years. It also helped kick everything back into gear after my first baby and make me more fertile. It also decreased the chance of miscarriage with the second during the first trimester. You are at increased risk for miscarriage with PCOS so always check with OB before stopping a med in case you stop something that's has been shown to improve your chance of carrying to term ... My daughter had a great weight and is a happy 4 month old. After all this it is clear to me that my hormones are really screwed up without it ... So until I loose enough weight I am going to continue taking it.
Diet advice from my co-worker at the hospital who is a registered dietician ... I am a pharmacist who bugs her poor GYN to death about everything that he gives me (especially when I am pregnant). I HATE taking medicine and have been known to refuse to take anything even if I am in pain after surgery since i work so closely with meds, but I do take this.0 -
P.s. if you are having bad side effects from it ask to switch to extended release form ... Still cheap but it helps a lot of people out0
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I have been taking Metformin for over 3 years now and it has not helped me to lose weight. Diet and exercise seems to be the only thing that actually help. It would be nice if it was a miracle weight loss drug lol Best of luck to you!0
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The way my doctor explained it was that if I am on a low carb diet and drinking a ton of water that is where the weight loss will come in. Metformin helps your body deal with excess insulin so that you can lose the weight. I guess insulin makes the fat insoluble. I have been on 1000mg/day for 1 week and have lost 5 lbs with my low carb diet. I have been trying to keep my carbs under 50g/day but am usually closer to 60g. I am struggling with cravings still but I feel so much better already! Way more energy than I have ever had!0
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I took Metformin for like 2 weeks and had to stop because of the side effects. It gave me horrible diarrhea, stomach pains, and I threw up constantly. I didn't notice any weight loss though.0
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hey girls! to echo what the other posters said...metformin is not a weight loss drug, you have to combine it with eating right. i've cut out a lot of processed foods and complex carbs like breads, pastas, etc. and have been taking 1500mg/day and i've lost about 10 pounds this month. my end goal is to lose about 90 more!0
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I have been on Metfromin since June 23rd. I was working out 4 days a week and watching what I ate but everytime I really restricted calories to the 1200 MFP wanted me at I started having blood sugar attacks. So I would eat more and I was starting to gain about a pound a week. And when I say I worked out I mean 5 miles running then 8 miles biking in 90 min. Anywho I was starting to get depressed because I was gaining and having problems with energy levels and heart palps so I went to my doctor whom is new to me. She had put me on regular ortho tri and usually I do better with a low dose. So she gave me met and changed my bc (which I haven't started yet). Since starting met I have had more energy, no so many sugar cravings and working out like my normal self again! And I have dropped about 4 pounds since starting it. To me metformin is my wonder pill!!0
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Metformin worked really well for me. I've tried dieting with and without it. If you're curious I been using it from this site without a prescription trustworthypills.com0
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Hello all, Im new to the site although I signed up a year ago lol.
I was diagnosed with PCOS back in 2005. My Dr. put me on Metformin and I drastically lost 10lbs in ONE WEEK! (Yikes!!), she then changed the dosage, and gave me the generic form of the drug. It made me gain weight. Metformin is not for everyone. My digestive system has never been the same.
Since then I have spoken to other dr's and bottom line is they all recommend metformin for weight loss! sigh0 -
I started on 1500 on metformin yesterday. I started a low carb, quit sugar 4 days ago and I am down 2.6 kilos :-) I have another 24 kilos to lose.0
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Hello, I'm new to the group.I am also 61 and had never heard of PCOS until my niece was diagnosed. That's when my research started and I discovered I had nearly ALL symptoms. Granted, I had a hysterectomy years ago, but the medical conditions still kept adding up. I have never been able to lose weight unless I severely reduce calories and get an excessive amount of riverside - like 10 or more hours a week...... I'd be happy to lose 1 pound per week that way. In March I stopped exercise an d went low carb. Amazing..... lost 20 pounds in 4 months - unheard of for me. I hit a plateau at that point and started exercise.... the next month at 1200-1350 calories a day, exercise 3 days, I was back to my usual self..... I lost half a pound in a month... frustrating. Saw the DR, she agreed with PCOS and put me on half tab500mg Metformin. Diet still the same 1200-1350 a day, low carb, few symptoms, less hungry and have lost 8 pounds in 3 weeks. This is wonderful for me. I have struggled all my adult life with DR s basically calling me a liar because "I have to be eating more than that" or "you can't possibly be exercising that much" to be at my weight (200+) After all these years, I feel fortunate to have found a DR thAt actually listens. I have also since read that Metformin works best on a low carb diet. Maybe that would help those where it is not working thAt well. Hang in there..... low carb, lower calories, exercise, metformin does work..... at least this is the first thing in my life that has....0
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Hello, I'm new to the group.I am also 61 and had never heard of PCOS until my niece was diagnosed. That's when my research started and I discovered I had nearly ALL symptoms. Granted, I had a hysterectomy years ago, but the medical conditions still kept adding up. I have never been able to lose weight unless I severely reduce calories and get an excessive amount of riverside - like 10 or more hours a week...... I'd be happy to lose 1 pound per week that way. In March I stopped exercise an d went low carb. Amazing..... lost 20 pounds in 4 months - unheard of for me. I hit a plateau at that point and started exercise.... the next month at 1200-1350 calories a day, exercise 3 days, I was back to my usual self..... I lost half a pound in a month... frustrating. Saw the DR, she agreed with PCOS and put me on half tab500mg Metformin. Diet still the same 1200-1350 a day, low carb, few symptoms, less hungry and have lost 8 pounds in 3 weeks. This is wonderful for me. I have struggled all my adult life with DR s basically calling me a liar because "I have to be eating more than that" or "you can't possibly be exercising that much" to be at my weight (200+) After all these years, I feel fortunate to have found a DR thAt actually listens. I have also since read that Metformin works best on a low carb diet. Maybe that would help those where it is not working thAt well. Hang in there..... low carb, lower calories, exercise, metformin does work..... at least this is the first thing in my life that has....
Metformin isn't a weight loss drug. If you lose weight on it, it's because it successfully lowered your insulin levels, and your insulin is what was stopping you from losing weight. This gives the illusion that it's good for weight loss, and considering most doctors are pretty damned clueless when it comes to PCOS, you end up with the common misconception that Metformin will help/make you lose weight.
The problem with PCOS is that insulin isn't always the culprit. Sometimes, it's something else (namely estrogen) that's causing the problem, and isn't caused by insulin being high. Other times, you simply don't respond to Metformin (this is an issue Diabetics experience, as well). If either is the case, then Metformin will only have limited, if any, effect on weight loss.0 -
My doctor told me I'd lose weight while on meformin... I gained 50 lbs over the year I was on it, and that was while doing low carb eating... it made me SO sick... I was constantly running to the bathroom with diarrhea (yes, I started on low dosage and worked up). Finally after a year of feeling awful I weaned off it and would never do it again. That's just my experience, and I do tend to be super sensitive to synthetic medications, so... :indifferent:0
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My doctor told me I'd lose weight while on meformin... I gained 50 lbs over the year I was on it, and that was while doing low carb eating... it made me SO sick... I was constantly running to the bathroom with diarrhea (yes, I started on low dosage and worked up). Finally after a year of feeling awful I weaned off it and would never do it again. That's just my experience, and I do tend to be super sensitive to synthetic medications, so... :indifferent:
When I first started on Metformin I was also sick a lot but I was losing weight and figured it's an ok price to pay, eventually I was tired of being sick all the time and stopped taking it and then started gaining weight again. I managed to still lose some weight but it was super slow.
I was recently put on metformin again but from a different pharmaceutical company and I don't have problems with it and I am back to losing weight again.
I don't really see it as a weight loss drug, it just help me lose weight at a "normal" rate like everyone else does0
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