[secretgalaxy]

As you can tell from my signature I am on a high dose of meds. Because of this I gained roughly 15 pounds. I have lost 4 of them, but my weight won't budge anymore. I am doing 2-3 workout videos (the kind that leaves you breathless and dripping sweat), eating as healthy as I can (with small snacks in between), and biking 8-12 miles a day. I am trying really hard to go back to where I was before meds and trying hard not to gain the usual 50-70 pounds on Seroquel, but it seems impossible. Anyone else having the same problem? Will my weight go back if I stop my meds? (not without NP's order)

[faerie_moon_x]

I'm sorry you're having this issue. I wish I knew a way to help.

I'm having the same problem except mine isn't med related. In 2013 I started gaining 1.8 pounds per week steadily despite many changes to my diet and exercising daily. Lowered my carbs, increased lean protein, added more high fiber vegetables, cut out soda, but the weight just kept coming. In the end I've gained 50 lbs. Doctors check my thyroid and say I'm fine then make suggestions of things I've already changed. (Several of my aunts have Hasimoto's Thyroiditis.)

I also have worked in a dietitian office for almost 8 years, I've followed along to every piece of advice.

Just last week I lost 3 pounds after starting lithium. That's the most weight I've lost in years.

[*Laurie*]

Yep. I actually sold my car, when I was on a fairly high dose of Seroquel, and bicycled everywhere...to work...everywhere. Did that for 6 months. I was normally very thin. I had gained nearly 100lbs on Seroquel. All that intensive bicycling and I never lost a pound.

I am now taking only 50mg Seroquel...I might have lost 2 lbs.

from what i can remember reading (plz dont quote me)... an above average loss rate is 2lb per week... anything higher is bordering on the dangerous side... if u check ur weight daily, you may see ups and downs frequently, like a pound or three up, then down, then up again... thats food, water, clothing, etc, weight being distributed... as well as considering that the scale weight is not ur real weight, u may very well be thinner, so keep that in mind too...

i was on medication for months at the beginning fo the year, and tried weight loss to keep myself stable... i did notice i kept on the same weight for a while, but that depended on many things...

first of all, i didnt see any decrease for about a month, which i believe is because i hadnt exercised since August 2014, so i suppose my body had to get used to the energy expenditure.... very low metabolism, ESPECIALLY because of my medication... so that reduced my ability to both lose my weight AND to exercise harder... not to mention the amount of stress id been under, which really debilitated me for a while...

secondly... i was neither working on my dieting nor was i working as hard as i could have.... the body has a weird way of handling obstacles... i notice that, as unhealthy as i have been, i learned to become more determined in my workouts than i used to be years ago... mostly thanks to music, but i can keep up a very strong pace (usually on the treadmill) without giving into my minds message to "stop please"... the only times i ever stop is when my body is starting to give out (ie, my lungs are taking in less oxygen, any sort of sharp pain, or maybe even a wedgie that hurts too much)... the idea is to work at least 30 minutes at 60-70% of your maximum output for weight loss...

my dieting was horrible back then... its culturally ingrained to overeat, or eat less than healthy foods, or eat the wrong portions of certain foods... what i did was cut my portions to a decent amount, which took some serious getting used to, its absolute pure willpower and commitment, knowing which you want more (to keep ur commitment, or to have one more spoonful)... seriously, even now, i still fight my mind when i feel hungry... every ONCE in a very blue moon, ill give myself something, but i balance it out the next time by denying myself that same indulgence if my stomach asks. my own particular diet is... a tiny bit unorthodox, but its worked for months so far. breakfast is strong and great, but i control the rest of the day. ive been alternating between fasting and eating lunch/dinner. i eat lunch/dinner only on workout days, and control myself on fasting days. lots of water, good chewing gum, things to occupy my mind like hobbies... and thats that... but the overall important things are appropriate portion control, commitment, healthy foods...

i empathize... its hard because its like, wtf, ive done all of this and yet here i still am... before 2014, i hadnt lost weight in years... not entirely due to inactivity. i was at a very stable weight for a long time, and it bothered me. so, going through trials and tribulations helped me find what worked best for my particular body... the first few weeks were a little hard on me, but after a while, it became so easy, i dont even notice it...

i think the most important thing to keep in mind though... is... this is supposed to be a lifestyle, not a one-time trophy... envision losing weight, whats to keep u from coming back?... one has to feel the commitment to making this change in their life for good... be happy to work ur butt off. smile when u feel ur body burning, because it means ur alive and experiencing the moment. workouts can be amazing even when they are the most difficult... work ur butt off.

love to u all...

[Christopher1990]

Depakote made me gain about 25lbs. I don't know much about Serequel. It sounds like your doing all the right things. I would try to find a different medication. When I got off the pills that made me gain weight it came off quickly. I walk and play basketball sometimes, but that's about it. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables and staying away from meats and sodas is what keeps my weight down.

I am on saphris and lamictal. 2 of which of the only pills which don't seem to cause weight gain. I know what being overweight does to your confidence, again my advice is to find an alternative medication

[DysphoricManicMom]

I dont know why you wouldnt be losing weight if you're doing exactly what you said, that must be really frustrating. My pdoc told me and I have also read that seroquel does not make you gain weight, it just increases your appetite because it numbs the nerve endings in your stomach that would normally make you feel full. And also the sedating effects would make you less active but if you're busting your *** and still nothing maybe there's a different reason?

[DysphoricManicMom]

Do you drink soda or other sugary drinks? I dropped 5 lbs by doing nothing else except drinking water instead of sodas. Even diet sodas keep the weight on because your body doesnt recognize the artificial sweeteners in them and just stores it in your fat cells anyway.

[secretgalaxy]

My family has no sodas or juices in the house, so all I have is water, and I don't drink coffee or soda often, like once or twice a month. Last year, I was doing half of what I am doing now and i was 20 pounds lighter than I am now. I am not trying to lose weight fast, just a pound a week or two will be nice. I have heard of Seroquel slowing the metabolism along with increased appetite. I haven't had too much of an increase because my pdoc gave me benzotropine to help with the side effects and it works. I eat fruits, but not veggies, take vitamins and eat a lot of protein. My snacks are not above 100 calories and i only allow 1-2. My meals are proportioned and I am able to control my appetite. I eat around 1500 and burn about 500-700 in exercise.

I remember I stopped taking my pills when I got really manic and lost 10 pounds in 4 days that I was off of it.

[secretgalaxy]

Thankfully I am not near being overweight, like I could gain another 20 and still be in the healthy range, but I like myself on the slim side of healthy, but I don't think that is possible with Seroquel.

I also try to weight myself only once a week so that I don't get fixated on the weight.

Thanks everyone for the advice and sharing what your meds have done to you. It makes me feel a little bit better.

[99 FAIRIES]

My pdoc told me that seroquel actually slows your metabolism way down. So you can be doing all the right things and still gain.... Or stay where you are.

Originally Posted by secretgalaxy

My family has no sodas or juices in the house, so all I have is water, and I don't drink coffee or soda often, like once or twice a month. Last year, I was doing half of what I am doing now and i was 20 pounds lighter than I am now. I am not trying to lose weight fast, just a pound a week or two will be nice. I have heard of Seroquel slowing the metabolism along with increased appetite. I haven't had too much of an increase because my pdoc gave me benzotropine to help with the side effects and it works. I eat fruits, but not veggies, take vitamins and eat a lot of protein. My snacks are not above 100 calories and i only allow 1-2. My meals are proportioned and I am able to control my appetite. I eat around 1500 and burn about 500-700 in exercise.

I remember I stopped taking my pills when I got really manic and lost 10 pounds in 4 days that I was off of it.

i can see why it may concern u... funny, thats about the same for me, 20lbs too... it doesnt sound like neither diet nor meds could be the problem (if ur meds are countering side effects for metabolism too)... so maybe it could be the workouts themselves. if ur doing an all-body workout, chances are u could have slower gains because ur using more muscles, which means ur tiring them less... meaning less energy required to recover... this is why workout videos tend to be so intense...

u sound like ur fit already, so it may also be the overall intensity of the workout relative to individual parts... for example, an all-body workout video may make u feel worked out completely, but who is to say that its only because u have weaker muscles on certain parts than others?... so then, ur weakest area limits u to that much, making u feel exhausted, and then ur done... so check to see if u actually do feel completely worked out after the exercises, or if its just a certain part of ur body that quit... maybe its ur lungs, ur heart, ur legs, ur arms, ur head, combinations, etc... then isolate that part, and work on it... like legs lungs and heart can be treadmill...

otherwise, it sounds like ur doing fine, and may just be the amount of time... everyone is different, definitely... i still feel like im not losing as much as i could be lol... but i know that if i went a little more, id be at a dangerous path...

[secretgalaxy]

Originally Posted by vendide

i can see why it may concern u... funny, thats about the same for me, 20lbs too... it doesnt sound like neither diet nor meds could be the problem (if ur meds are countering side effects for metabolism too)... so maybe it could be the workouts themselves. if ur doing an all-body workout, chances are u could have slower gains because ur using more muscles, which means ur tiring them less... meaning less energy required to recover... this is why workout videos tend to be so intense...

u sound like ur fit already, so it may also be the overall intensity of the workout relative to individual parts... for example, an all-body workout video may make u feel worked out completely, but who is to say that its only because u have weaker muscles on certain parts than others?... so then, ur weakest area limits u to that much, making u feel exhausted, and then ur done... so check to see if u actually do feel completely worked out after the exercises, or if its just a certain part of ur body that quit... maybe its ur lungs, ur heart, ur legs, ur arms, ur head, combinations, etc... then isolate that part, and work on it... like legs lungs and heart can be treadmill...

otherwise, it sounds like ur doing fine, and may just be the amount of time... everyone is different, definitely... i still feel like im not losing as much as i could be lol... but i know that if i went a little more, id be at a dangerous path...

The morning workout I do has become pretty easy now, as I have strengthen all the muscles I can with that one, but the other workouts (one aimed for abs, the other is a total body, and the other is upper arms only) have me beat after doing them. All my muscles burn by the end of them. My legs are very strong because of biking, so it takes a little bit more for them to burn, but my arms and abs are dying after my any of the workouts, especially the specific ones. I try to mix them daily so that it is interesting and so that I don't workout the same part the next day. My endurance is great and I have decent strength.

The only reason that this is worrying me is because I was able to lose weight very easily last summer and was a great weight, and now I can't. I know that if I stopped Seroquel, the weight will come off like crazy (lost 10 pounds in 4 days that last time I stopped my pills), but without it I am manic.

[tipper1492]

One of my 4 meds is Depakote, & it must be adding pounds. Trying now to eat better, & just started 3 days ago walking 35 - 45 min 5 days each week. Hope it's enough. Was not diagnosed until age 61, & 64 now. Meds are working for my BP II. Loved to eat out, but wife & I intend to share foods. Also eat healthier. I assume most people here are younger than 35 maybe. I'm 5' 11" & 200 lbs.