I've gained a bunch of weight over the past year first because of Risperdal and now because of Clozaril. I have to buy new clothes (and snowshoes) which is a pain. I'll bring it up with my doc as I've heard metformin can help, but what kind of exercise or diet can I try in the meantime?

[Wild Coyote]

I have lost the most weight by counting calories, keeping the daily total below my BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). BMR calculators are available online.

A calorie is a calorie, as "they" say!

WC

I agree with WildCoyote. The best/easiest way is to simply count calories. Find out your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). If you eat 500 calories less than your TDEE, you should lose about a pound a week. If you have a kitchen scale, even better!

I think the best exercise is the one you are motivated to do consistently. A little bit of work done consistently is better than a grand effort that you rarely do.

[SorryShaped]

I workout almost every day and twice a day several days a week. Watching what I eat helps too

[Christopher1990]

Unfortunately we have to work at this harder than normal people. For me doing some type of exercise at least 5 times a week. And being super conscious of what we put on our bodies. No soda, few carbs, water, little to know in healthy snacks. I find that eating hard boiled eggs is a quick way to lose a few pounds.

[Movingon69]

I lost a lot of weight on 5:2 diet. Two days a week you limit your intake to 500 calories and eat normally the other 5 days. I also exercise regularly. The 5:2 diet even helps my Chron's and my doctor is ok with it because he says it "gives my digestive system a chance to rest". I've been doing this for 1-1/2 years. I like it because I can have A treat now and then and it doesn't limit any certain food (carbs). You can't go crazy on the 5 days because, in the end, it is still about how many calories do you consume in that week. But, it is better than trying to limit calories every day.

[Blueberrybook]

I don't know about the 5: 2 diet. The days you stick to 500 calories are not the best for you. When you have an eating disorder, you learn a lot either by searching the web or listening to therapists, psychiatrists, doctors (primary care), and group leaders. I've always heard diets should be around 1200 calories (I think this may be for women, a higher number of calories for men) and exercising 30 min to 1 hr. around 5 days a week.

Not saying I did that to lose weight as obviously I have an eating disorder. But this was general information repeated to me by many professionals and even a nutritionist. I could ask my youngest sister (she double majored in nutrition and physical therapy) the best mode of losing weight, but I am pretty sure it would be a 1200 calorie diet with 30 to 60 min. exercise 5 days weekly. Oh, and that you should make sure a certain percentage of the calories (and I forget what the percentage is) should come from healthy protein & healthy fats: sources like nuts, avocado, natural peanut butter, egg whites, fish, etc. and not from fatty sources, especially not red meat (though maybe that is OK if it is lean ground, but I don't know. That is the safest method of weight loss.

Oh, and if you undereat calories (not talking about a 5:2 diet here) but like you intentionally restrict your calories much below 1200 daily, you actually slow your metabolism.

[Movingon69]

I know it's controversial but I feel fantastic, lost 35 lbs 1-1/2 ago and keeping it off, and haven't had a flare from my crohn's at all since starting it. So, it works for me. It is probably not for everyone but even my GI agrees it works for me.

One step to take, if you can, is to get on as many weight friendly medications as possible. There are more of them out there than people realize, and sometimes a medication that is not weight friendly for one person is weight neutral for another. It also concerns me when some people demonize a medication because of weight gain. I fully understand people being upset in those cases, but I fear it prevents some people from trying the medication, when it might be extremely helpful and, for them, weight neutral. Lithium was always weight neutral for me, while it isn't for others. Seroquel XR is somewhat weight neutral for me.

I know that if I want to lose weight consistently I must track my eating and know what it consists of. I must stay within eating goals at least most of the time, and when I go over, I try not to go over exceedingly or let occasional binges knock me completely off track.

I confess that I have not been combining enough exercise with my dieting as I should. I can still lose weight without the dieting, but I know that extra calorie burning helps. I know it helps burn calories faster, make my body leaner looking, and increases my metabolism a bit more than without exercise. Also, when I spend adequate time exercising, I spend less time within quick reach of the fridge or pantry.

Support in weight loss is so important to me. I can't do it 100% alone. I don't go to any kind of in-person meeting, but I do participate on online weight loss forums. I know that with dieting and/or exercising, having a buddy helps. The time I lost a lot of weight pretty quickly, I was walking long distances a few times per week with my old friend, and chatting about diet friendly cooking the whole while.

I have to keep junk out of the house. Or if I want a "regular" sweet, I try to only have access to one serving of it, max. Or if I do bake something (I love to bake), I bake a "lightened" version of a dessert, or a low-fat low calorie dessert that's naturally so.

Throughout the years, I have found that when I get hungry in between meals, that fat free dairy fills me up. That's my personal secret. Fat free milk and low or no sugar cappuccinos, lattes, frapucchinos, yogurts, or cottage cheese, are my go-tos. They help me reach my daily recommended allowance of calcium, too.

I must be held accountable when dieting. It's not good if I stop weighing myself every week. I have to know what is happening so I don't become complicit about overeating. Tracking my weight is important for me. Telling someone how much I lost/gained (but not necessarily my weight itself), is helpful. I have a "Friday Fitness and Weight Loss Update" blog post series that includes my weight changes, reflections, and interim goals. When I reach/achieve an interim goal, I reward myself with something small or large, if I've reached a significant one.

[99fairies]

When I eat , I eat fruit, veggies and lean protein. I have quite a few black olives a day as well for healthy fats.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

I've lost 25 lbs that mostly were gained on clozaril. I am on metformin but mostly that stopped me from gaining further weight after I gained 15 or 20 lbs in the first 8 months. A year ago I got serious about it, set a date and started a low glycemic index diet. I don't have to track what I eat in great detail with this, I just pay attention that I'm sticking to low and moderate GI foods and I lose weight. Not as easily as if I weren't on clozaril but I have lost 27 lbs in a year and that includes a few months I backed off and a few months that my diet was really weird because my gallbladder failed and I was very sick. I'm trying to lose 10 more lbs in the next month or 2 so that fall clothes from the past fit. I'm down 1.5 lbs this week so I'm on track again.

I also try to exercise 3-5 times per week, either a strenuous walk or low impact aerobics DVDs. That helps too.

[Pookyl]

I use Optifast a VLCD protein shake intermittently with the blessing of my dr’s.