I'm a 48 year old woman who is 5'3" and weighs 230. It's all med weight. Before i went on serious meds when i was 30 i was thin and fit and trim and sexy. I went on four diets last year. I wound up fatter.

I can't tolerate my life. I would turn to drink but i have a dog to take care of and be sober for. Likewise drugs.

My life is empty. I don't work. I have no friends or family. They don't want to know me. I can't make friends. I don't like socializing. I've tried volunteering many times and something always goes wrong. Therapy makes things quite a bit worse. I am too weak to exercise. I've tried clubs and classes. There's just nothing left to try. In despair today i went down to a drop-in i attended years ago and it's all bums now.

I play online Scrabble, take care of my dog, watch TV and go to a halfway-decent drop-in Monday to Thursday afternoons. Sometimes it makes me feels worse with all the shabby people there. Sometimes someone is so slovenly they stink. This is my life.

I can't seem to stop eating. I know i am gaining weight. My clothes are starting to feel like sausage wrap. I have to shop in the plus size section and there is hardly anything there.

I'm beginning to think it's inevitable that i will get really, really fat. None of the things women my age turn to for solace appeal to me. I live in a condo building and some women turn to busybodying. Some women take up romance with yucky men. Some woman turn to being a 'painter' or other type of 'artiste.'

It's getting hard to move. I had to wrestle myself out of the cab i took home. I take the elevator even one floor. I'm always gasping for breath and people ask me what's wrong. Some rude women ask me if i am pregnant! How insulting!

I like my meds where they are. I got thru the Winter without a suicide attempt and it looks like i'll get thru Spring without mania.

I don't know. Is getting really, really fat THAT bad? I'm not a drunk or a junkie, i'm not promiscuous, i'm relatively good with money, i'm organized and responsible, i'm kind and well intentioned... What does it matter if i'm fat?

Romance makes me crazy so being too fat to attract a partner is not an issue. It's better for my health if i stay single. It's been two years since my last romantic fiasco which ended in me being rejected and shaving my head.

I spend all my money on food. I eat out at least once every day. It's an expensive habit, but again, not as expensive as heroin. I don't have to use a cane, or a walker, or a wheelchair or a scooter. My knees are fine.

My only hope is that i will be a senior in seven years and i will be able to attend seniors' centers. We have a terrific one downtown, with activities all the live-long day.

I don't really want to get super fat, but that's where i'm headed. Can anyone think of how i could avoid this sad fate?

Stop eating. I know that sounds sarcastic, but that is all i can say. I eat very little and still am chubby. I try to exercise when I can, which is not enough. Eating less, exercising more.

I am in the same boat. I am single and alone and getting older by the minute. I am very down right now, so I will stop talking.

If you are comfortable at your weight than that is great. You only have to be happy with yourself. I am not comfortable being overweight.

Dont lose weight for society, please yourself.

[LastQuestion]

I was 280 lbs, now I'm 198. Sleep, diet, and exercise are paramount. I gave up junk food. I stopped eating out except for Chinese at a place that goes light on sodium and oil, and even then kept that once a week or biweekly depending on my activity level.

I'm going to be brutally honest with you about diet. It's more about what one eats as opposed to how much. I pile in food like crazy, but what I'm eating is full of fiber and promotes weight loss with goods fats, quality protein, and carbohydrates that don't cause significant spikes in insulin: brown rice, oatmeal, vegatables, coconut, fresh fruit, salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, nuts, legumes. I have made these changes in gradual steps over the course of years, mostly because i had and still yet have no one in my life who knew bettter. At this point I have almost completely removed refined sugars from my dietary intake, but before that I resolved to avoid high fructose corn-syrup like the plague it is by substituting with foods using sugar or honey.

While taking medications there will likely be weight that won't come off. That ravenous apetite might continue regardless of how much is consumed, but what one chooses to address those hunger pangs with is entirely under ones own control; impulse control ultimately comes down to Willpower and that takes time and effort to build.

Bad diet can lead to weight gain, but it also can lead to poor mental health due to nutrient deficiencies, insulin spikes, hormonal imbalances, toxins, and many other factors directly and indirectly influencing mood and energy. You are what you eat is a literal truth - if you want to determine who you are then exert control over what you ingest. I grew weary of forfeiting control of mind and body to a disorderly mood and took action to change both; I have been successful, more so than medication alone ever was.

[raspberrytorte]

I don't know. I'm 32, normal weight, and avoiding taking my seroquel because I don't want to get fat! I don't know what to say. I feel like my choice right now is to be sane or fat.

[Blue_Bird]

I am currently trying to lose weight using Weight Watchers, usually I give up on diets fast but this is much more reasonable and more of a lifestyle change and making better choices than being on a strict diet where you can't eat certain foods.

Maybe look into that, I know if you drop some weight you'll feel a lot better mentally and physically. I hate the feeling of being out of breath just walking to my mailbox or up a flight of stairs. Do it for your health

I found a course that is new and different from everything i've ever taken in the past: playreading for adults! All the fun of theater with none of the nerves. Yay!

[cashart10]

It is hard for me to give advice because I'm 31 and I have started gaining weight. For me, I had to take lithium in my third trimester with my last pregnancy and then, because of the lithium I was unable to nurse and therefore did not lose my pregnancy weight naturally. My husband and my mom have been on me about getting healthy again. I think the meds will just make me continue to make me gain if I don't draw a line in the sand.

The previous poster gave great ideas. The goal should be an alternative healthy lifestyle, not dieting. My husband rarely eats carbs and he has lost quite a bit of weight. He feels much better also. Giving up fast foods and processed sugars and drinking the required amount of daily water are hugely important. You can still have those things, they should just be consumed as they are intended, as treats. Anyway, I SO hope I don't sound too preachy because, trust me, I am eating my words as we speak.

[~Christina]

I will come from a different angle..

I have Anorexia and have been in and outta remission all my life , I am now 48 and I have just recently been able to get my weight back up to a " healthy level"

Denying myself food is an eating disorder but its also a self harm, yes I have self harmed myself for years because I have a lot of baggage and self imagine and also that lovely bit called Self esteem.

If your just eating and eating you could easily be dealing with a eating disorder and its a form of punishment/self harm.

Yes most all psych meds do cause weight gain, There are ways of dealing with it through lifestyle changes .. Diet is a filthy word that needs to been done away with. Diets fail damn near every time, healthy eating by making life style changes will help you not gain weight but the healthy foods your eating even if your over eating them , its healthier than over eating junk foods.

If your okay with your weight .. then no need to change things , but your post reads of needing help , feeling lost, searching for acceptance, looking for something to grasps onto. I'm sorry your in some way hurting in such a way. Your furry friend needs you to be in good enough shape to care for he/she, and you deserve a big dose of happiness

Take care of you

[RisuNeko]

I demand to be put on weight neutral drugs only to my pdoc. Geodon has been weight neutral for me and I've been able to lose 49 lbs in the past two months. Metformin has also helped.