Weight loss methods

[Gazpacho]

I'm on medications that cause weight gain both by screwing up your metabolism and increasing your appetite. Simply telling me to exercise and eat less won't work. The meds are doing things to my body. I need something more.

I'm so upset and frustrated. I thought about surgery but I'm not obese enough for surgery.

Has anyone tried any of these methods?

Lipotropic injections
Activated charcoal
Hcg injections without the diet; I can't have that kind of calorie restriction due to my medications
Prescription drugs; the ones I'm eligibile for according to my doctor are Contrave and Saxenda.
Gastric balloon (the only surgery I qualify for)

Anything else?

I'm almost thinking about purposely gaining more weight in order to qualify for surgery. I hope I can avoid that.

 

[Aceon6]

I don't have personal experience, but my cousin was very happy with the balloon. She was able to get it removed when her meds changed and she didn't need it anymore.

 

[Gazpacho]

I don't have personal experience, but my cousin was very happy with the balloon. She was able to get it removed when her meds changed and she didn't need it anymore.

Thanks a lot. Did she have problems with vomiting and bad smelling burps?

 

[vesperholly]

I'm almost thinking about purposely gaining more weight in order to qualify for surgery. I hope I can avoid that.

Don't a lot of weight loss surgeries require you to lose a bit of weight first, to show you're committed?

I have no advice, only empathy. I'm on thyroid replacements for life and it seems like my weight is completely frozen no matter what I do in terms of diet or exercise. Great that I don't gain, frustrating that I don't lose.

Is this medication one you will stop eventually or is it ongoing?

 

[Aceon6]

Thanks a lot. Did she have problems with vomiting and bad smelling burps?

I don't recall her mentioning anything severe. I'll ask.

 

[skatemommy]

I know people that have gained the weight to meet the "obese" category so insurance and their doctor will do the surgery. I also have patients at a chiropractor's office that will go off their meds so that the car insurance company evaluators will deem them sick enough to continue treatment with us. Sad. That being said, I have been through treatment for breast cancer this past year; 14 rounds chemo, surgery and 20 radiation tx. I can't put weight back on and would never wish this on anyone but Satan himself.

 

[ballettmaus]

I don't know how you eat, obviously, but there are a lot of hidden sugars in our food (ketchup, sodas, cereals etc). Would it help if you did research on that and then cut back accordingly?
Nutritionists also recommend eating a proper breakfast then eat lunch depending on what you've done until then and will do afterwards (for example, an office worker isn't recommended to eat a hearty meat lunch since it's said to weigh you down and it's something that your body doesn't need) and then eat a salad for dinner.

Unfortunately, the two friends I know who suffer from weight gain due to medication have more or less arranged themselves with it. They watch what they eat but don't seem to think there's much more they can do.

Hope you find something that works for you though! Good luck.

 

[agalisgv]

How are you doing now, @skatemommy?

 

[skatemommy]

Thanks for asking @agalisgv. I'm done with treatment and now we watch and wait. Next mammogram in July and corresponding PET, CAT and MRI scans. My insurance was charged $450,000 last year but I am considered cancer free. Still some soreness where they took the lymph nodes out and the radiation burns. No yoga planks for me just yet You are a dear for asking. (ps my hair looks like hell, even though the eyelashes and eyebrows have come back!)

 

[agalisgv]

You're amazing---hang in there, and hope you remain cancer-free for decades to come

 

[Spun Silver]

@skatemommy, more good wishes to you. So sorry you had to go through all that and I hope all is finally clear now.

FWIW, I have a friend who is at the tail end of treatment for a bad case of BC. She swears by milk and (to a lesser degree) cheese to maintain Vitamin D levels and says that doctors erroneously tell patients to avoid those things. She drank Ovaltine regularly and found herself needing to lose weight, if anything. She also says paying attention to food allergies is important. Just passing it on -- she was talking about this stuff just yesterday so it's fresh in my mind.

 

[Japanfan]

I too have gained weight due to medications, and I too find it frustrating and upsetting. I'm not prepared to buy a new set of clothes and most of the clothes I have don't fit. Since a work at home I don't have to deal with dressing for work, and I have exercise wear for going to the gym. But going out for a social occasion is a challenge - so much so that I'm not particularly inclined to go out if I can't wear my old comfy gym attire.

I think the only thing that can be done is to stop taking the medication that causes the weight gain, or find an alternative.

 

[skatemommy]

@Spun Silver thanks for the good thoughts! My problem was/is with Magnesium and Potassium. Many of my chemos were cancelled due to low Mag levels. So I would take it and it would just make me sick. I'm still not 100% internally. I have topical oil of Mag that seems to help. Sorry at @Gazpacho didn't mean to hijack your thread; I'll be praying for you.

 

[Angelskates]

@skatemommy - hope it continues to be good news for you!

@Gazpacho and @Japanfan - what do your doctors say? I have gained weight and lost weight a million times due to medications, and my team have been awesome with advice and strategies (which have included medication changes in some cases). Weight is a major issue for my mental health, so it's really important that it's taken seriously, even though I'm not close to obese.

 

[MacMadame]

I'm almost thinking about purposely gaining more weight in order to qualify for surgery. I hope I can avoid that.

Don't do it. The reason is that, if your weight gain is related to a medical condition and/or the meds you take to treat it, most likely weight loss surgery will not be that successful for you.

I know a ton of people, including myself, who have had WLS and the ones with underlying medical conditions rarely lost a ton of weight. The reason being that the medical condition/medicine causing the weight gain is usually stronger than what the surgery does for you. Obviously there are exceptions, but given that being on the medicine is mostly likely temporary, a more temporary solution like the gastric balloon is probably a better option.

As for HGC, it's quackery. There is no scientific evidence that anything about hGC would cause weight loss by itself. It all comes from the 500 calorie diet, not the hormone.

 

[judiz]

I started Belviq last April and am very happy with the results. It is an appetite suppressant, taken twice a day, prescription only. Last April I was 172 and today I am 144. The pill curbs your appetite so you eat smaller portions with less or no temptation to snack inbetween. It is still up to you to eat healthy and not gobble down fattening foods.

Like all medicines there are side effects and some are annoying but so far I've managed to deal with all of them.

 

[Gazpacho]

Thanks a lot for all your responses!

Is this medication one you will stop eventually or is it ongoing?

Unknown. No end in sight as of now. It's more than one medication. So even if I stop one, I still have the others causing weight gain

I too have gained weight due to medications, and I too find it frustrating and upsetting. I'm not prepared to buy a new set of clothes and most of the clothes I have don't fit. Since a work at home I don't have to deal with dressing for work, and I have exercise wear for going to the gym. But going out for a social occasion is a challenge - so much so that I'm not particularly inclined to go out if I can't wear my old comfy gym attire.

I think the only thing that can be done is to stop taking the medication that causes the weight gain, or find an alternative.

Yeah, that's been hard to accept, seeing your clothing size go up and up and up and up and up. It doesn't end. Also taking out a piece of clothing you haven't worn in a few months and it doesn't fit. I had to have clothes delivered overnight because my old one didn't fit, and I didn't know that until the day before I needed to wear it.

I refuse to have photos taken of myself now because I'm so ashamed of how I look.

@skatemommy - hope it continues to be good news for you!

@Gazpacho and @Japanfan - what do your doctors say? I have gained weight and lost weight a million times due to medications, and my team have been awesome with advice and strategies (which have included medication changes in some cases). Weight is a major issue for my mental health, so it's really important that it's taken seriously, even though I'm not close to obese.

It's a major issue for my mental health too. One of the drugs that causes weight gain is an antidepressant that's worked pretty well in controlling my symptoms, better than previous ones. But the weight gain is making me depressed, and I feel so tempted to stop taking it.

The doctors had a nonchalant attitude toward it. They see much larger people and much worse cases of weight gain.

Don't do it. The reason is that, if your weight gain is related to a medical condition and/or the meds you take to treat it, most likely weight loss surgery will not be that successful for you.

I know a ton of people, including myself, who have had WLS and the ones with underlying medical conditions rarely lost a ton of weight. The reason being that the medical condition/medicine causing the weight gain is usually stronger than what the surgery does for you. Obviously there are exceptions, but given that being on the medicine is mostly likely temporary, a more temporary solution like the gastric balloon is probably a better option.

As for HGC, it's quackery. There is no scientific evidence that anything about hGC would cause weight loss by itself. It all comes from the 500 calorie diet, not the hormone.

That's the most frustrating thing, that I'm gaining weight without doing the classic things that make people gain weight, and I can't lose weight by doing the things that normally make me lose weight. That's out of my control now. The only aspect I have control over is whether to take the medications.

Yeah, I figured that if HCG worked, they wouldn't need to put people on a 500 calorie diet! I called a weight clinic the other day and they were trying to sell me on HGH (human growth hormone) treatment for weight loss. That's the first I had ever heard of it. Not going to do it because I don't think it will work. I'm kind of ashamed to say that if I thought it would work, I'd do it despite the risks.

I started Belviq last April and am very happy with the results. It is an appetite suppressant, taken twice a day, prescription only. Last April I was 172 and today I am 144. The pill curbs your appetite so you eat smaller portions with less or no temptation to snack inbetween. It is still up to you to eat healthy and not gobble down fattening foods.

Like all medicines there are side effects and some are annoying but so far I've managed to deal with all of them.

Interesting. What type of doctor prescribed it?

 

[TheGirlCanSkate]

For me, if I give up bread, rice, bamed goods etc, I can drop weight pretty quickly, even if I eat a baked potato or steel cut oats in it's place.

 

[Japanfan]

@skatemommy@Gazpacho and @Japanfan - what do your doctors say?

Unfortunately, they say it comes with the medication. Obviously, diet and exercise will help some, but I am particularly dedicated to either. I'd actually like to just come off that medication.

 

[judiz]

@Gazpacho Belviq was prescribed to me by my PCP. I belong to a Facebook group for people who are on it and the majority are losing
2-4 pounds a month. However, the side effects can be nasty and uncomfortable. I over ate yesterday due to stress and paid the price this morning by waking up with horrible nausea.