[hamster-bamster]

That is what my endocrinologist said. Firmly. "It may be time to accept the new you". I feel numb. At any rate, will post at length later, she said some interesting things, now will go fill her prescription for Metformin, which promises a modest weight loss.

[purpledaisy]

I'm at high risk for developing Diabetes, and I asked my MD for an RX for Metformin a few weeks ago. She said, "Let's get you stabilized mentally first."

Gee, thanks. I'm a walking mental wreck? Why not work on the metformin, too, so I don't balloon any closer to 300 lbs.

What's really frustrating is she prescribed me something with a side effect of weight gain, knowing I was having trouble with my weight, after having lectured me about how it all boils down to eating less and exercising more (as if it's THAT easy), and then she prescribed me something that made me gain 30 lbs. in 3 months.

[Inedible]

Sometimes you just have to start over from the beginning. Throw everything out and start over, without assumptions or previous conclusions. Your attitude is one of the biggest factors that will affect the outcome of your health and once you give up hope of improvement you will stop trying. At the same time you do have to accept where you are to begin with. This just means something to the effect of take a good inventory of where you are so you can map out a path to where you want to go. Without judging. It is even better if you can find things about yourself that you are happy with right now.

And this book helped me to lose 68 pounds without being hungry along the way ... http://www.amazon.com/Feed-Your-Brai.../dp/0615339506

[hamster-bamster]

Thanks, I skimmed Amazon reviews. Glad it helped you. Yes, I can eat more fish and seeds but other than that, I am already doing everything that is recommended. And that is what shocked my doctor: my blood sugar level is 71 out of the normal range 70-100, borderline LOW! This was bloodwork done at another clinic. The doctor stared at me in utter disbelief and even said "maybe the test was wrong" - and started looking at historical readings from bloodwork done at her clinic. Not as low, but still on the low side. She asked me about the diet. I said I eat about 1800 calories; she nodded. She asked about carbs. I said I do not eat pasta or rice, but I do eat rye bread. She asked how much. I said one-two pieces, and it is whole-rye unprocessed German bread (here). She nodded with approval. I said that I sometimes eat oatmeal, it is a carb, but not every day. She nodded again. She asked about exercise. I said that I walk briskly for 45-60 mins a day, sometimes more. She wondered. She asked about genetics. I said "Two out of four grandparents were obese with diabetes". She confirmed that that is one of my problems. Another one is psychoactive drugs - I cannot shake off what I gained on Zyprexa. But the third problem is really sad, because it has nothing to do with genetics, it is something I caused myself - I had an eating disorder in my youth, trying to get thinner than I already was, prompted by my father and his friends and I experimented with all sorts of sickening stuff, such as fasting, rawfoodism, cleansing enemas, and what not. So the doctor explained that people who go through this once then have bodies that hold on to every calorie and it is REALLY difficult to lose anything. You'd think that I would be mad at my father in retrospect, but no, I am numb.

She told me some reasonably encouraging things though. Use elliptical for higher intensity if walking does not provide enough and do not eat fruit alone (I love fruit snacks) - always add protein or fat to avoid sugar spikes. So I have learned something. And she DID prescribe Metformin, just a low dose - lower than she would have prescribed to someone who is pre-diabetic. She was so shocked at the apparent "it does not compute" between my numbers (I also have below normal cholesterol) that I would not be surprised if I am her first patient for whom she prescribed Metformin despite borderline low sugar.

I skimmed online info on Metformin and it promises "modest" weight loss. She said "a few pounds". It is not going to take me from size 14-16 back to 6-8 (and at 6-8 I was unhappy and wishing to lose more).

I will give Metformin a month without changing anything, will continue walking for 45-60 mins to avoid confounding effects - I want to really see what it does. But after that, I will get a bike and start biking to work. Google Maps shows 1 hour for the round trip, but I do not think that, at least in the beginning, I will bike at the average speed assumed by Google Maps, so it will probably be 1 hr 20 mins. That is a lot of exercise. And we will see it it helps. But she is a wise woman, she told me to not get frustrated and continue doing the diet and exercise thing even if I do not lose anything.

[Victoria'smom]

I know how hard it is to jump sizes w. eating issues. I hope that this works for you.

[ChristySpirals]

fat a data dat sucks....so sick of the weight shizzit....

[BipolaRNurse]

I was over 300 lbs. when I started all these meds, and then I gained 35 lbs. in five months. I was diabetic before being dx'd w/ bipolar, and my blood sugars went wild when I was put on Zyprexa. Now that I'm back on Metformin, my sugars aren't great, but at least they're not terrible, and I've lost a few pounds. Who knows where I'll end up........it doesn't look like I can even get off the Vitamin Z at this point.

[BlackPup]

I reached 212 pounds on lithium and effexor and then changed to abilify and tofranil and I'm down to 173 pounds. I eat 1450 calories and walk an hour a day. I mainly walk because it improves my mood but it helps with the weight loss.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by purpledaisy

I'm at high risk for developing Diabetes, and I asked my MD for an RX for Metformin a few weeks ago. She said, "Let's get you stabilized mentally first."

Gee, thanks. I'm a walking mental wreck? Why not work on the metformin, too, so I don't balloon any closer to 300 lbs.

What's really frustrating is she prescribed me something with a side effect of weight gain, knowing I was having trouble with my weight, after having lectured me about how it all boils down to eating less and exercising more (as if it's THAT easy), and then she prescribed me something that made me gain 30 lbs. in 3 months.

I am sorry. I think it is worth looking for another doctor. Was it a GP? Can you see an endocrinologist specialist?

I forgot to add to my post the obvious: yes, my thyroid is normal (thanks to Levoxyl).

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by BlackPup

I reached 212 pounds on lithium and effexor and then changed to abilify and tofranil and I'm down to 173 pounds. I eat 1450 calories and walk an hour a day. I mainly walk because it improves my mood but it helps with the weight loss.

That is quite a decent weight loss! I would like that. I am 187 now and I would love to be 173, really. My mood is greatly improved by walking, too, but no weight loss. Ironically, when I was waiting for the doctor in the lobby yesterday, I picked up a copy of WebMD magazine with an article on... weight loss through walking! But it does not work for me, and I think I am figuring out why: it does not challenge my body. I grew up in a big European city with lots of public transit and lots of walking between transit stations and downtown, and I am used to walking FAST. I have fast legs. I recently placed 7th out of 38 people in a walking competition at the crack of dawn when I could barely move: I was so sleepy. I remember how my mother and I were at a sea resort and in the evening everyone walked in a park, except that everyone walked slowly and peacefully and we zipped through back and forth. Someone even asked us what business prompted us. There was no business - we just could not have a different pace, that is how our legs moved us, and we enjoyed. So I guess my muscles are all used to this activity, and it does not provide a challenge, so I should heed the doctor's advice and add the elliptical and try my own idea of a bike.

NOW THE REALLY GOOD THING is that she said that all things considering, she does not see me getting any heavier.

[peras]

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

That is what my endocrinologist said. Firmly. "It may be time to accept the new you". I feel numb. At any rate, will post at length later, she said some interesting things, now will go fill her prescription for Metformin, which promises a modest weight loss.

i have weight problems 2 and am taking every tablet and tonic i can find but the going is so slow

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by peras

i have weight problems 2 and am taking every tablet and tonic i can find but the going is so slow

My doctor said that besides Metformin there is NOTHING ELSE safe. Everything else is psychoactive or some other issue.

[plumapplepear]

Just a thought I see you take Prozac antidepressant Wellbutrin says it is an appetite loss antidepressant online at least. I take it but just started.

wishing you the best, hamster!

[wing]

I think "You may never be thin again" is a cruel thing to say! How would he know that? I think it would drive me to work extra hard at losing weight, including trying a few med changes, just to prove him wrong.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by landskaperdan

wishing you the best, hamster!

I was thinking of you yesterday... I bought a sports bra to start intermingling jogging with walking on the treadmill. Today will be my first day.

[hamster-bamster]

Another thing I thought of... I have, knock on wood, a very healthy body - all my severe illnesses, MH and migraines, are in my brain, not my body. I v*e*r*y rarely catch a virus or get a stomach upset. Maybe my body just needs really rough treatment, really rough long high intensity workouts. The only exception is urinary stress incontinence which interferes with running - that is a bodily problem, that is not in the brain...

urinary stress incontinence?

I know you are aware, but are you keeping up with your Kegel exercises?

[Zoesmom]

I'm diabetic too. The Metformin tends to make me sick, nausea and diarreah. I was on 1000 mg twice a day now on 500mg. Still sick at times. But he tried me on the Byetta injection that helps make you lose weight. It's helped.

[BNLsMOM]

I have gained, between my psych meds and my hypothyroid, quite a lot of weight. I went from 148 to 215 in the space of two years. I am at the 215 now. I have been posting with a site called Transformation.com. There is also a book by the same name. The guidelines are really healthy, the workouts intense. I haven't seen any movement on the scale, but I am feeling so much better by following the plan. I even have more confidence. I hold the belief that at some point the scale will budge.

There are even a few bipolar folks posting over there.

[thickntired]

Originally Posted by wingin'it

I think "You may never be thin again" is a cruel thing to say! How would he know that? I think it would drive me to work extra hard at losing weight, including trying a few med changes, just to prove him wrong.

I totally agree. Who the hell is he to tell you this! Last year a doctor made a similar sarcastic remark about me quitting smoking. Well, I haven't had a smoke in 4 months AND I was able to lose aprox 40 lbs in the past 2 years.

I'm not there yet, but I'll be damned if someone makes the decision for me as to what I weigh!! What audacity!

[Travelinglady]

That does sound like a rather cruel thing to say!

I have been off and on all sorts of meds for my bipolar disorder. One drug (Remeron) made me go from about a size 12 to a size 18 over the course of a summer! And then it's not that easy to get the weight off, alas.

At one point I mentioned to the pdoc I had at the time that I didn't like my weight. And he said, "Well, I'm trying to balance out the drugs that cause weight gain with the ones that don't!" That said to me, be happy you're stable, anyway!!

I have cut down on my calorie consumption. I take Wellbutrin. And I'm not on all the meds that pdoc had me on. I'm also trying to walk some, even though I have bad foot pain that I've been getting treatment for. I have lost some weight, but I guess at my age (late 50's), I don't expect to be a svelte person again. My identical twin sister weighs about 35 pounds less than I do, but she has had Stage 4 cancer and a problem with digesting fats. (And I don't want to have those experiences!)

At any rate, I say, "Give that weight loss your best shot!"

[PiperLeigh]

Please do be aware that metformin helps lower blood sugar. If you are already on the low end of normal, this is especially important to know because you could end up in a hypoglycemia condition. Especially if you skip meals or exercise too rigorously. The way metformin works is that it reduces glucose absorption and then of course also helps the body be more sensitive to use insulin to move glucose from the bloodstream into individual cells. The drug may reduce your appetite (as a result of side effects like diarrhea and GI discomfort), but the way it works to help most of the people it is prescribed that want to pair it with other drugs to maintain or work towards a healthy weight is by helping to address the blood sugar/insulin sensitivity. I'm not sure why you would go on it if you already have your blood sugar in a state that appears to be healthy, but I am sure your doctor must have some sort of reasoning and will help you monitor what is happening. Good luck!

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

I was thinking of you yesterday... I bought a sports bra to start intermingling jogging with walking on the treadmill. Today will be my first day.

landskaperdan, thank you for your idea - I ran at 3.5 - 4.0 periodically. I walked more than I ran, but I DID run. And the effect on the HR is wonderful: I easily reach my target HR even though the speed is low. I found it amazing! And for the first 40 minutes, my bladder did not say a word!

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by shewheel

urinary stress incontinence?

I know you are aware, but are you keeping up with your Kegel exercises?

That is a sad story. I used to have GREAT Kegel muscles and I used to be able to bring my then husband to orgasm without his moving, by using my muscles alone. All along I had urinary stress incontinence - I am structurally malformed. Then we separated, and I stopped practicing, completely forgetting that these are not just genital, these are URO-genitary muscles. It has been three years. Now I resumed practicing but I cannot squeeze well any more. This makes me very sad.