[(JD)]

On top of everything ... I've gained weight. I hate this! Of course part of it is the cortisol (stresssssssssssssss) from the hurricane... and the other parts are that I can't eat like I'm used to as the restaurant is closed due to no electricity...and that I have been opening and eating canned soup which is NOT good for me ugh... I'm back up to 194 lbs! I can't continue fat. Life is tough enough but to be fat also??? It has too many complications for me... including a deficit in self esteem.

Sky, I sympathize. I, too, have been gaining weight. And this is after I had lost a good amount. My med, depakote, is really working against me. I am going to the Pdoc, Thursday, and we are going to discuss changing the med to something else. I'm sick about this weight. I've run out of clothes. I will not go out, because I refuse to allow people see me like this. eeeeeeeeeeeeee.

[bonaire]

Hopefully, the following post I am copying in here will be of some help. I posted this yesterday to another forum I frequent. The issue that I point out is that you have to do something to make your brain know you're getting nutrients. If anything, supplementing your diet with some vitamins will help both energy levels and proper chemical levels in your brain/body.
- John

OK, gotta gloat a little bit.

Came back from the doctors today after having a follow-up pertaining to this year's weight loss program I put myself on. Mainly, he wanted to re-check my Lipid Panel (cholesterol stuff).
After years of having high triglycerides, in the 280-390 range, and being somewhat overweight, my number today was -- 80! 80 is pretty low and the doctor was pretty happy. A number below 150 is where you want to be.

- 80 Triglycerides (down from 283 and 396 last few years)
- had a 10-point rise in HDL (good) but it's still low (from 24 to 36, should be 40+)
- had a slight rise in LDL (bad) 141 but should be below 130.

Looked into Triglycerides a bit. As this points out, the issue people gain weight is that they eat a lot of starches, carbs and block the body's natural ability to think it's getting fed - and your cravings and calories go up. Well, duh. This is the centerpiece of all diets out there these days. To raise the good cholesterol, I'm working on taking alot of those Omega-3 supplements (fish and flax oils) and trying to eat a bit more fish. Weight numbers for this year are pretty good - down from 235+ lbs (sustained over the last few years) to 200 and that's been my goal for some time now. Doc says go for 190 now and that would be good to stay at.

http://www.reducetriglycerides.com/A.htm

The thing that stands out in there is:

>> Researchers from Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Missouri have found that high triglycerides block leptin - a hormone secreted by our fat cells - from getting into the brain by impairing its transportation system (Diabetes, 2004: May).

As a result, leptin cannot do its work in turning off feeding and burning calories.

In other words, high triglycerides make the brain "think" the body is starving so we keep eating and... gaining weight. This is probably one of the reasons why so many people are becoming obese.

By lowering triglycerides then, we could help the body's own leptin to work better so we could get skinnier avoiding heart problems, cancer and diabetes - common chronic diseases linked to obesity.
<<

i haven't changed the way i eat. my lifestyle hasn't changed. my meds did change. the depakote is causing my weight gain.

[bonaire]

I definitely understand the weight gain due to the meds. I'm sure it's somewhat common.

I don't at all want to suggest any change to meds - however, I just read about Depakote and the side effects seen with it. With what I found using Google, it looks like weight gain is part of the side effects. One person said they gained 70 lbs on it. Later, they switched meds and lost 60 lbs from there. I won't post the actual URLs but did find it with a Google search of "effects of depakote weight gain".

Good luck - you've probably done the research so I'm preaching to the choir.

bonaire, i have an appt. manana, at 8 a.m. hopefully, we'll change the meds. i really can't take much more of this. especially, since i've always watched my weight so carefully and eaten a very healthy diet. (never mind the fact, that i hate being "fat")

[eskielover]

The two AD's I went on that caused major weight loss were Prozac & Wellbutrin. Unfortunately I got down to a very unhealthy low weight before anything was done...then I kinda liked being thin....so continued on even though I was constantly in the hospital with central line IV nutrition for over a year before I got more stable.

I seem to have the opposite problem with stress & cortisol.....that causes me to loose weight also.....especially when the stress is prolonged over several months.....I always get nausea & can't eat.....thus weight loss rather than gain......my body always seems to react the opposite to that of others.......

I have always been basackwards,
Debbie