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#21
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I can assure you that the anti-depressant is strictly for my
depression. However, I have been on prozac for a very long time and in the last couple of months the doc wanted to switch me on Wellbutrin because she did say it could help me with weight loss. I, however, am not taking it for that reason and I don't think it helps that anyway. Personally, I don't think it works near as well as the prozac! My next appointment is next week, I am going to ask that I be put back on Prozac. I am sick of feeling this way! And after this long of being on Wellbutrin, I should be feeling the full effect. Not crying myself to sleep a couple of nights a week. I hate this. |
#22
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Nuclear Girl- (sorry, I don't know how to quote, but will copy and
paste what I want to reply to) Evaluation is a good thing. And no medicine will help if the person is not ready to be helped. Regardless of the mediciation or reason for it, if she isn't ready to "try and respond" to whatever kind of thearpy, it won't do any good. I do agree with this, but I also believe that in many people simply getting a medication such as prozac into your system will help you make the steps you need to make in order to live a healthier lifestyle. I can tell you that I wouldn't have gotten SO depressed and hide in my house all those years if I would have stayed on an anti-depressant. Personally, I struggled for 20+ years to buck it up and not take medication, because "I should be able to do this on my own". Well, maybe others could, but I had a totally miserable existance and I couldn't. It's a miracle that I survived. I just didn't want someone who needed help to not try and get it. I totally can relate to this as I did the same thing! And even suggesting someone that truly needs help to stop taking medication is like sentencing them to hell. It's hard with or without the pills. Absolutely! Just taking pills does not do everything, it just takes the edge off. Makes it POSSIBLE for ME to do it! Really looking at yourself is hard and painfull. Yes, it definitely is! And when you finally take a good look at yourself it comes as a shock to you. I believe I finally took that good look in the mirror recently and I don't mean JUST my weight, I mean ME! To really want to change something about yourself that you have blamed for all your troubles for x years is scary I don't know how to get past that. But, I am not saying *I* am not responsible because I know it was my own doing. I know what I need to do to become healthy. I am just afraid of it. I am afraid of failing AGAIN. I am so afraid of losing weight and then gaining it back and then some, I have done this countless times in my life. And many for years have hidden in panic, pain, lonliness, fear of being found to have a "mental illness". The public perception of MI is right up there with the nasty looks you get for being obese. It's a stigma, not unlike a scarlet letter that people fear will be waved in their face, till they refuse to even consider they might (I said Might) need help of some kind. While in that all consuming vortex of self-pity, self-loathing, self-abuse, cycle of MIs, it's a little difficult to get out of the box that is your world. Oh, you can look at someone elses box and see what they need, but for the person to see it for themselves takes an introspective analysis that the majority aren't ready to handle....with or without medication. I don't know very many people that could handle analysing theirself, problems, personalities, etc. Who really wants to see what they're really like and then deal with it? This entire paragraph made such perfect sense and is very true. In my case, as well. Doesn't mean the OP should just give up and say "woe is me. I can't be fixed". Just that it takes a hericalean effort to realize it, then another to even try and do something about it. And there are times, that pulling yourself up by your own boot straps and exercising (yes, that god of weight loss) just isn't the right formula to fix the world/problem. Endorphines are great, but they are not eternal. I believe I have come a very long way. However, I know I have a very long way to go too. I get discouraged. I worry of the "what ifs". I started my journey back to "me" with the basic stuff, the stuff that seemed most important to me and maybe trivial to people like Joni. And that was just taking a step outside of my house! Slowly, slowly taking one more step and one more step until I could finally go out in public. Then it was building up the courage to go to the doctor and ask for help. Oh boy, was that hard! It was so hard to actually tell a doctor what was going on with me. It was hard to face it. So, no, I have never expected a pill to just do it for me. I don't think there is a pill out there that just "fixes" a person, anyway. I don't mind hard work, I have struggled my entire life! But something that feels "impossible" to me, is more than just a struggle. Okay, I'm going to jump off my soap box and try not to land in a hole now. Sorry, but this is a sensitive topic that print doesn't relate well. |
#23
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Hi, wsherry. Ok, here goes nothing. This is MY personal outlook on diet
drugs. I have seen people use the combo phen-fen (the fenfluramine is no longer prescribed) and lose tons of weight. I have also seen them gain it back and then some. Two of my family members got very, very thin while taking it and today are more overweight than they were when they started taking it. When they heard it was being taken off the market they both panicked, which goes to show how dependent they were on the pills. They thought they 'needed' them to stay thin. All I can say is do NOT get into that mindset while taking the pills. Use them to give you extra help while you learn new behaviors, like portion control and healthy eating. If the phentermine helps you make progress, great, but realize you cannot take them forever. JMO. Wendy |
#24
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"wsherry72" wrote in message oups.com... I have been struggling with weight my entire life. I am so sick and tired of being this way. I am fatter than I ever dreamed I would be. I absolutely despise what I see in the mirror and often wonder why my husband stays with me. I have a lot of health issues. Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, overactive thyroid, sleep apnea, enlarged heart, fatty liver and I am sure there are more but haven't been figured out yet. Oh yeah, did I mention depression? lol It seems the weight is what has caused every single one of my health issues. I am 36 years and female. I am currently on a ton of meds, but have recently been switched from fluoxetine to wellbutrin. I am on my 3rd month of this switch and I find that the wellbutrin doesn't help at all. I am so miserable and wasn't feeling this way on fluoxetine. My doc says that fluoxetine and phentermine can't be taken together. I finally get the doc to prescribe me this drug and I have to go off the one drug that makes my quality of life feel so much better. Yeah, I have lost 36 lbs in the last 2 months, wonderful. Wish I felt like I have lost weight, I still see the same ugly person in the mirror. Is it even possible to lose a lot of weight and keep it off without surgery? I have lost and gained sooo much weight in my life, over and over again and always gain it back plus some. Is there anyway I can lose weight this time and not gain it back? Am I destined to be bed-bound because I am just to fat to move around? sigh, hope someone has something good to say to me. I don't know much about phentermine, ok, I know nothing about it. What do you think of this drug? I told my doctors to take a flying leap, though not in so many words, when they wanted to put me on drugs for high bp and cholesterol without trying exercise and diet as recommended by the American Heart Association web site for my numbers. I did it myself -- got my butt off the chair and in 2 1/2 months my numbers were normal. It took weight off too. It treats depression and diabetes and sleep apnea, prevents the top two killer cancers plus osteoporosis plus dementia. I would have been spending $1500 a year on drugs and instead I spent $100 a year on cross trainers. Can't beat that with a stick. |
#25
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Right Wendy. This was a concern of mine too. However, I am very aware
that I can only be on them short-term. You see, I woudln't even consider it, nor would my doctor, but I am so overweight that I could have a stroke any day. She and I both weighed out the pros and cons and then decided which risks were more risky. And quite frankly, being so overweight is more of a threat to me right now than the drugs. She basically wants me to take off a chunk of weight quickly so that I can get out of that very high risk category. My concern is gaining weight back and then some. I have done this more times in my life than I can count. I think I was 12 the first time I went on a diet. I was probably 20 lbs over weight but thought I was HUGE! I lost all the weight and then some. Then I gained it back and ended up 30 lbs over weight and I went from there to more diets, losing more weight and gaining it back, over and over again. But, the difference is this..... Every time I went on a "diet", I kept the same mind set. And that was "I am only on this diet long enough to lose weight, then I can eat "normal" again" and "once I am thin, then I won't have to diet anymore". Well, now I know this is not true. I know that most people gain their weight back and then some and the reason for that is because they keep this mindset. They think they can go back to their old way of eating. And this is not the case. I am using these pills to help me get into the right habits. To try to shrink my stomach enough that it won't feel hungry all the time. To try to make new habits and realize that I can actually live my entire life this way. I don't HAVE to have all the high calorie and fat foods. And exercise. I know this has to be a daily routine. Every single day for the rest of my life I need to get enough activity to stay healthy. See, in the past, I could do all these things and I did them well! Yep, I have lost 20 lbs, 40 lbs, 50 lbs, 75 lbs, 100 lbs and more many times over. I have done it so many times and just ended up gaining the weight back so many times that I am fearful. I have been afraid to lose weight for the fear of ending up even bigger! So, some of the changes I have made in my life, I have made slowly. And I have made realistically. Changes I can tolerate for the rest of my life. Some simple ones... quitting the regular pop. (ok, so this wasn't simple at all because I hate diet colas, but found that there are some diet drinks that I do like, finally, for the first time, I have quit pop and switched to diet and stuck to it, it has been about 10 months since I have had a sugar-filled pop! and I used to drink 4-6 cans a coke every single day!) I have increased my water intake. And because I get grossed out by so many things, I can only drink bottled water, which makes it harder because it is more expensive to drink a large amount of water. So, I am trying so hard to drink tap water. I wish it didn't gross me out so much! I can't even eat ice from a freezer because that grosses me out too. Only ice from bags of ice work for me. But then, what can I put in with the ice if I can't tolerate tap water? Anyway, that is something I am working on. I have switched from whole and 2% milk to fat-free milk. I made this switch for my entire family, so the whole family will benifit from this. Although, I am the only one over weight in my family. I have always made sure my kids eat healthy and stayed active in sports, etc, because I didn't want htem to go through what I have. Other changes are going from white bread to wheat, instead of margarine we eat the low fat stuff. I have gone from regular mayonnaise to the fat-free stuff. Other fat-free changes I have made are yogurts, cream cheese, sour cream. I stock pile on the healthy choice type frozen dinners so that I have a lunch ready for me everyday. I have found that if I have to search around for something to eat during the day, I am more likely to choose something that is quick and easy but higher in calories/fat/carbs. Plus, so many foods gross me out, especially something that has sat in the fridge more than a day or two. I know the food is ok, but I can't choke it down. Some things that vary from that are mayonnaise and dressings, etc. However, if they are anywhere near the expiration date or if I find a bit of food that has fallen into the jars, I am done for with that item. Anyway, other changes I have made are making sure I have a large salad with both lunch and dinner. I always eat the salad first. I just can't change my dressing, which I hope I can at some point. I have bought the low fat and fat free bleu cheese dressing and it is so yucky. I have been using about 1 tablespoon (sometimes less) of regular bleu cheese since it is the only one I like. (If anyone has any other ideas of what is good and low cal, let me know! For now, I have like 10 different salad dressings in my fridge I have bought and tried and hated!!) I have definitely added more veggies to my diet, although, we always have eaten a lot of them. I am so much more conscience of how I prepare meals. No sense in adding that extra blob of margarine or chug of whole milk. I make my food more low fat than my husbands and kids because they can handle more fat and I think restricting them too much could cause problems later on. I have been eating more things like cream of wheat and oatmeal. I changed from regular sugar to splenda. I make sure I trim any piece of meat before cooking it. I buy lean meats and try to eat mostly chicken. I wish I liked fish. I keep trying different kinds hoping I will find the one I like. But to date, the only ones I find that I enjoy are the battered and deep fried stuff and well, that kinda takes the healthy reason out of eating the stuff I like halibut, but don't like the fresh stuff you cook. I need to figure out a good way to cook it, I think. We go on nightly walks, the entire family. I have an exercise machine sitting my living room. I can watch a tv program while I exercise. This works out well. There are, of course, many other changes, but these are some of the main ones I have made and believe I can live with! So, basically, this is waht I am doing... finding ways of changing things a little at a time. I try different products till I find the one that I can live with. I intend on keeping this up. I know I feel so much better and have even cut down to almost no diabetes meds! My blood sugars have been outstanding. My blood pressure is very good also, but I am on medication for that. Anyway, this is me rambling. Can you imagine what it must be like talking to me in person? lol Well, I just wanted to try to explain my mindset. I truly am not a big fat person that sits on the couch eating doritos and chugging down the pop. I have never been like that. Although I was a coke drinking, I wasn't a sit on the couch and eat all day type a person. I am not lazy. Although people equate fat with lazy. This is not the case. I have to eat less than the average joe to maintain weight. If I eat as much as my thin neighbor does, I will get fatter and fatter. I hope that I can find a way to speed up my metabolism. I have found that eating less carbs (stuff like sweets, breads, pasta, rice, etc) I don't feel as hungry as I did before. I only took half a phentermine pill today in the hopes of seeing my appetite being lessened, but it doesn't seem to be, so i guess I will keep taking a full pill for awhile longer. I really hope I can decrease my appetite with reducing my food intake on these pills so I can do it on my own after I am no longer taking the pills. If anyone has any ideas, I would love to read about them. Thanks and sorry for this epic post! |
#26
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Jake,
I can't go on a "diet" or I will fail. So, I will never "diet" again. However, changing my eating habits could work (yeah, I guess they are essentially the same thing, but I just can't word it that way. I have to do it differently this time.) And you are SO right about "dieting" and depression. Who can even consider what is healthy for them when they are so far in the dumps that they can't see out. I must say, however, today I feel much better than I did yesterday or the day before. This may be a little too much info, but being very overweight, as I am, messes with a womans menstral cycle and so I never know when it will start. Sometimes twice a month, sometimes twice a year.. anyway, I discovered today that that could be the reason I have been so freaky the last few days PMS and me is not a good mix! I get crazy! And it is hard for me to even tell the difference in me having PMS and my regular crappy depression because I am just not myself at all. I am always relieved when I start my period though, cuz I know the emotion crap is over. And by the way, because of this, I feel maybe the wellbutrin is working better. I have felt the last few days it wasn't working at all, but it could just not be enough to help me through PMS?? Who knows! But, feel sorry for my husband! LOL I am so lucky because he is so patient and kind to me, no matter what! |
#27
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When I was first diagnosed with high bp, diabetes, etc, The doctors had
me try diet and exercise and it worked at first, but gradually got to where it wasn't enough. |
#28
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"wsherry72" wrote in message oups.com... Nuclear Girl- (sorry, I don't know how to quote, but will copy and paste what I want to reply to) First the useful stuff: To quote, rather than clicking on the "reply" option on the bottom you need to click on "show options" at the top of the post. Then click on the "reply" option that appears. Now for my rant, stop reading now if you like: Stop bitching about the way you look. You've lost 36 pounds in 2 months; that is fabulous success. If you are like everyone else in the world your weight loss is going to be much slower as time goes by. Yes weight lose and maintenance is possible without surgery but it requires patience and persistence. Joni has made some rather ignorant posts but they don't justify you're passive aggressive behavior towards her. She is not the reason you are fat or depressed. As you posted earlier, you are fat because you "have obviously not been eating and exercising the way I should be." You have to make changes in the way you are eating and the way you are living and they must be permanent. Don't overlook exercise. If you believe yourself to be "too fat to move around" you will no doubt become bed bound. Do whatever exercise you can. Aerobic exercise especially can be mood enhancing for many people. Perhaps you can start with walking. With consistency you will almost certainly make improvements. Continue seeking support from all the sources you can. I look forward to read of your CONTINUING success. Matthew |
#29
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Stop bitching about the way you look. I was having a bad day. I thought that venting was a good thing? So, it is better to just keep those feelings stuffed up inside? You've lost 36 pounds in 2 months; that is fabulous success. If you are like everyone else in the world your weight loss is going to be much slower as time goes by. Yes weight lose and maintenance is possible without surgery but it requires patience and persistence. I asked this question in the hopes of finding others that have been in my shoes. I hoped to hear some positive stories. Joni has made some rather ignorant posts but they don't justify you're passive aggressive behavior towards her. They don't justify it to you, but they do to me. It sure sounded to me as if she was snubbing her nose at me. I mean, come on, someone tells someone that is on an anti-depressant medication to basically stop taking the medication, buck up and do it on my own? I think she was very ignorant and rude in making that comment. There are many people that snub their nose at fat people. This is exactly what she was doing! She is not the reason you are fat or depressed. Ok, now you lost me. Where did I indicate that it was Joni's fault? That is rediculous to even say. lol As you posted earlier, you are fat because you "have obviously not been eating and exercising the way I should be." Yes I did. I also posted the HUGE changes I have made over the last 2 years. I have come a very long way. You have to make changes in the way you are eating and the way you are living and they must be permanent. I am sure working on it, can't do more than that. As I said, I came here in the hopes of hearing some success stories. Something to give me encouragment. I hoped to use this forum as a tool in my life change journey. Don't overlook exercise. As I sad, I have been exercising everyday. You know, I even said in my OP that I have lost weight over and over in my life. I know how to lose weight. I know how to exercise. And I know what you need to do to lose weight. I am certainly far from a newbie to this. I also know I must do something different this time in order to keep this weight off. However, I also need to know it is possible! That others have been succesful! Not that only 1 in a million over weight people have been succesful. If I feel this is fruitless, then I will lack motivation. I came here hoping to find motivation by those that have been there before me. If you believe yourself to be "too fat to move around" you will no doubt become bed bound. I didn't say that. I explained my fear in continueing losing weight. As I said, I have lost a lot of weight in the past. I have been dieting all my life. Each time I lose weight, I gain in back and then some. This is how I have creeped up to my current weight. I fear history repeating itself, only this time, if I am much fatter, I would be too fat to move around. Do whatever exercise you can. Aerobic exercise especially can be mood enhancing for many people. Perhaps you can start with walking. With consistency you will almost certainly make improvements. As I said, I have been walking. I walk every night with my entire family. We have been doing this for the past 2 years, however, there were gaps of time in between that I would skip a day here or there. Continue seeking support from all the sources you can. Another reason I am here. I am not here to bitch or complain. Vent, yeah, I guess so. I was having a rough few days, I mean really rough! I haven't been that down in probably a year or more. I look forward to read of your CONTINUING success. And I look forward to continue reading your ranting You know, I am and have always been a "say it as I see it type of person." I felt Joni was mocking me, if you will, and I found it insulting. There is just nothing worse than someone that has never had a weight problem, some 110 lb perfect body woman telling ME how easy it would be to take off some of those dreaded pounds. (certainly not saying Joni is a skinny minnie, but she did jump in here and decided to judge my situation based on her medication beliefs without even knowing much about me. It was rediculous and frankly, I am still annoyed but it.) Oh, and thanks for the lesson on quoting Sherry |
#30
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Ignoramus29808 wrote: I am highly doubtful that phentermine would do anything in the long run. It can happen, that would be great, but it is unlikely. It does not permanently solve your problem, specifically that you want to eat a lot more than you need to eat to be a person at a sensible weight. Check out http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q..._uids=15251779 You would see that phentermine does produce some good weight loss, and then weight loss stops at still high weight (average BMI goes down from 45 to 37 in the first year, rises back to 38 in the second year). The dropout rate is 42% in the first year, and 68% in the second year. Besides phentermine, I would also give gastric bypass a serious consideration. Not an option. We would have to pay 100% for it and we sure don't have it. Otherwise I woulda had one already If I was in your position, from a decision making standpoint, I would probably do the following. 1. Skip phentermine, go on a low carb/eat less diet, and do at least some minimum of exercise . I would try to do it in a very "focused" manner. (focused being an euphemism of "obsessive", that is, paying dieting a lot of attention and making it a highest priority) This is something I have done so many times and I know it isn't succesful for me. I get obsessed with it and then I lose tons of weight, too fast. I need to just make small changes with adding exercise, like I have been doing. The phen helps me stay focused. I am hoping that I can get a good start with the phen, then continue once I am off the drug. If that does not work, I would 2. do a gastric bypass. People will say how dangerous it is, because of complications, but complications from serious overeating are even worse. If there is a better alternative like actually losing weight through diet, great, if dieting does not work, it is better to do a GB. This is how I see taking the phen. Yes, the medication isn't the best thing to be putting in your body, but complications of being overweight are worse. And I wouldn't go as far as saying "seriously overeating." Overeating, yes, but not like TONS of food. Heck, my 15 year old could out eat me on my best day and he is a very lean kid. I would also try to simultaneously seek some endocrinologist, perhaps some highly recommended specialist, to see if they can find something that might be causing your problems. Not just some guy in a suburban mall who is mostly interested in billing insurance companies. It is possible that there is some undiagnosed condition that is the cause of all your various problems. It is worth exploring this, without postponing trying to lose weight. Oh my. I love my doctor. She really cares about my success. She has helped me tons, I couldnt' even consider finding a new doc. |
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