Diet Pills

[wdwlover54]

Thanks for the congrats. It means alot.

To qualify for GB you need to have a BMI of 40 or more. They will also approve if BMI is 35 with comorbitities such as sleep apnea, diabetes, joint problems, etc. If you are short you don't have to be 100 lbs overweight to be considered morbidly obese. I know little about Lap Band as it wouldn't have given me the malabsorption I need. In other words, it does make your stomach smaller but you can still eat junk. Much more will power involved.

 

[skjuls]

I am so glad to see someone else who has the same problem as I do. I have tried everything, and nothing ever works. I exercise, and walk on the treadmil at least once daily, and still the wieght is there....the bad days are when I actually gain a pound. Oh how I wish I could figure out what to do....any suggestions

Actually, I gained two more pounds. It might be stress as well.

I exercise and blah. Last time I lost weight I was on Jenny Craig 5 years ago and I lost 25 pounds and I kept the weight off for a year but then I got preggers!!!

Even though I weigh 200 I wear size 14 and size 16. It's weird. Most of my weight is sticking to my belly which isn't good!!

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

 

[skjuls]

I'm surprised by the people who think that just because a Dr. prescribes it to you it is safe. Remember Phen Phen, Vioxx, etc. Unfortunately the pharmaceutical industry has huge power in this country, and your Dr. doesn't have time to research each drug coming out. He has to rely on the FDA, and I'm sorry, they just don't have our backs. There may be pills you have to take, why take pills you don't have to? If you can't make the lifestyle changes pre drug, why do you think you could after you are taken off of a drug that creates an addiction?
An ex co-worker almost died because of diet pills. It was prescribed (sorry, don't remember which one) and considered safe. Well it reduced her appetite and the combination of lower caloric intake, speed like effects of the drug, and lack of sleep (another side effect) caused her to pass out in the kitchen, hit her head, & brake a rib which punctured a lung. She would have bled to death had her husband not been home. Sorry, these pills are not worth the risk.

There are a lot of things in the world that isn't safe.

My aunt was upset about Vioxx because that indeed did help her.

I'm sorry but some of us have made lifestyle changes predrug and we are NOT seeing any results.

In fact, it's our choice. I'm sure everyone who is even considering taking any diet pills on this board will look at the pros or cons.

When you just start gaining weight for no reason, there may be a problem. I'm going to get a physical and discuss with my doctor what issues I have been having. There might be another underlying problem.

You may not agree with diet pills but I'm sure there are others who swear by them. I don't think many drugs are 100% safe there is always that small percentage.

Talk of about scary drugs: I took Accutane when I was in college. It causes birth defects if you become pregnant. I had to get blood tests constantly and take a pregnancy test before I started taking it. Now, they say that you can become suicidal when using it. I didn't have those side effects.

 

[dkostel]

When you just start gaining weight for no reason, there may be a problem. I'm going to get a physical and discuss with my doctor what issues I have been having. There might be another underlying problem.

I absolutely agree with this statement, but I seriously doubt that the problem is that someone is Phenwhatever deficient. Could be thyroid, could be other things, but diet drugs don't have a good rep for a reason.
There are plenty of doctors who are behind weight loss surgery these days, but I haven't seen any shows on Discovery Health featuring reputable Drs espousing the virtues of the latest diet pill.

 

[skjuls]

I absolutely agree with this statement, but I seriously doubt that the problem is that someone is Phenwhatever deficient. Could be thyroid, could be other things, but diet drugs don't have a good rep for a reason. QUOTE]


Of course that wouldn't be the problem. Sheesh!!

For some, diet pills work for them. For some, diet pills have bad side effects. I won't know unless my doctor and I DECIDE that is the option that I should go.

Yes, it could be thyroid but some people need extra help if it isn't.

 

[jennifer293]

Thanks for the congrats. It means alot.

To qualify for GB you need to have a BMI of 40 or more. They will also approve if BMI is 35 with comorbitities such as sleep apnea, diabetes, joint problems, etc. If you are short you don't have to be 100 lbs overweight to be considered morbidly obese. I know little about Lap Band as it wouldn't have given me the malabsorption I need. In other words, it does make your stomach smaller but you can still eat junk. Much more will power involved.

SO does the GB make you not want the junk or does the junk make you sick if you eat it? I know with the shot I am on right now for diabetes if I eat sugar or anything greasy I get awful sick to my stomach and well the end result is exactly that it comes out the end.. so I just know not to touch that food.

 

[wdwlover54]

It's actually a little of both. GB patients are advised to avoid fats and sugars so they don't "dump". Once you have gotten sick like that, you avoid it on your own. Lap Band patients don't dump.

 

[PaulDavid's mom]

Well I went to my Dr. this afternoon and we talked about the pill. We weighed the pros and cons and decided that we will try it for one month. If I'm doing okay we will decide what to do from there. I feel very comfortable with my dr. and she has always helped me do what is best for myself. She has been my dr. for years. She knows my history. She knows ME. So we will see how it goes. i will start them tomorrow.
For those of you taking it right now, how much are you exercising a week? I'm going to try to get an extra day in somewhere.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

It's actually a little of both. GB patients are advised to avoid fats and sugars so they don't "dump". Once you have gotten sick like that, you avoid it on your own. Lap Band patients don't dump.

Not entirely true. My friend had lap band surgery and she vomits when she eats certain foods. She simply cannot get them down. I also have another friend who had GB and she eats more junk than anyone I have ever seen. I don't know why she even bothered having surgery. I haven't read all the responses and I do think you have to do what's right for you, but eating healthy and excercising works for everyone. If it doesn't work for you either you are not following the diet and excercising and insisting that you are or you have a health problem. GB is not without risk as another friend of mine died from the surgery. She did however lose 100lbs prior to having surgery and gained it back. That is why she wanted the surgery. She was able to lose the weight but didn't have the willpower or want to keep up a healthy lifestyle. It ended up killing her. I amnot putting anyone down fro getting the surgery, but I think you really need to get to the source of why you are eating the way you do. Otherwise surgery is only a temporary fix. I would also like to add that I am not a naturally skinny person. I have to work at it really hard to keep in shape. I wish everyone the best in their choice.

 

[TENIA66]

Having my gastric bypass was the best thing I ever did for myself. I now eat like a normal human being. My triggers were always sweets and now I don't even crave them. I am far healthier now. So please don't knock it. For some people it's life saving. By the way I am 8 months out and have lost 115 lbs. with only to 14 more to go. I am VERY happy.

so glad for you....however things become possible to bring joy is a good thing.............congrats!!!

 

[skjuls]

Well I went to my Dr. this afternoon and we talked about the pill. We weighed the pros and cons and decided that we will try it for one month. If I'm doing okay we will decide what to do from there. I feel very comfortable with my dr. and she has always helped me do what is best for myself. She has been my dr. for years. She knows my history. She knows ME. So we will see how it goes. i will start them tomorrow.
For those of you taking it right now, how much are you exercising a week? I'm going to try to get an extra day in somewhere.

that's great you discussed the pros and cons and are on a trial basis. At least you know what you're getting into.

Let us know how it goes!

 

[kaysmommie]

Don't you have to be at least 100 lbs overweight to even be considered for Gastric Bypass? For those of us who need to lose less than that it is not really an option is it? What about the lapband surgery, anybody know the restrictions on it??

All I know is once I lose the weight I want to my butt is gonna be the first one in the surgery room having a TUMMY TUCK..40 lbs overweight and 2 kids later my mid section looks like a big ol' bowl of JELLY!!!

Mine too! Maybe we could get a group rate .

 

[kaysmommie]

Well I went to my Dr. this afternoon and we talked about the pill. We weighed the pros and cons and decided that we will try it for one month. If I'm doing okay we will decide what to do from there. I feel very comfortable with my dr. and she has always helped me do what is best for myself. She has been my dr. for years. She knows my history. She knows ME. So we will see how it goes. i will start them tomorrow.
For those of you taking it right now, how much are you exercising a week? I'm going to try to get an extra day in somewhere.

I'm with you and am picking the script up this afternoon. I plan on starting tommorow. I'm hoping not to have nasty side effects. What type did she suggest for you? My DR. gave info on all lf the weight lose drugs. I'm thinking of Meridia or Phentermine because they seem to work the best. I will continue diet and exercise and hope this does the trick.

 

[PaulDavid's mom]

I'm with you and am picking the script up this afternoon. I plan on starting tommorow. I'm hoping not to have nasty side effects. What type did she suggest for you? My DR. gave info on all lf the weight lose drugs. I'm thinking of Meridia or Phentermine because they seem to work the best. I will continue diet and exercise and hope this does the trick.

I'm on the Phentermine 30mg. I took one when I woke up this morning. I felt fine other than I had a seriously dry mouth. That's okay though because it got me drinking lots of water.

 

[PrincessPatty]

I just need motivation-- I feel big and unattractive (although I know im not big or unattractive)-- and I just cant get motivated to exercise-- although I see beautiful attractive thin ppl all the time and think "gosh-- i really need to get my butt in gear"-- but for some reason it isnt motivation enough for me.

That is how I feel too, in fact for summer 'motivation' I put pictures on my mirror of Victoria's Secret bathing suit models for motivation...but I just look at them and think...hmm I should be doing something other than sitting here

 

[mermaid86]

That is how I feel too, in fact for summer 'motivation' I put pictures on my mirror of Victoria's Secret bathing suit models for motivation...but I just look at them and think...hmm I should be doing something other than sitting here

I have contemplated that myself! haha. I am not in need of losing a signifigant amount of weight, I'm about 5'6" and 137 lbs. i know, i know... most of you are saying thats a fine weight, I just want to loose some of the arm jiggle and tummy roll, (plus my thigh/butt area could use a little tone down as well)

I have been doing some major sit up and noticing my tummy getting flatter, I just need to lose the fat in it. I've also been lifting some small weights for my arms to gain muscle and going to the eliptical and tread mill 20 min each a couple times a week. so far... no sign of any weight loss

I've been eating the special K cereal, but find myself eating cereal all the time, which is no fun with the little variety in a days worth of meals, and hungry inbetween.

I get like this every summer when its time to break out the bikini... but I am determined to get into good shape before vacation.

..nothing like seducing mickey mouse in a sexy swim suit

 

[kate0305]

You sound alot like me after my second child I just could not lose no matter what I eat or not or how much I exercise. I do have some thyroid issues though I'm borderline so meds are not really necessary for me. I weighed 108 lbs. when I got pregnant with DD and after DS (will be 3 in May) I weigh 140 lbs. and I'm 5'2". That is 20-30 pounds over what I should be. I would be happy with 120 lbs. Also most of my weight is belly and I love when rude people ask if your expecting just because you have a pouchy tummy. So my Dr. offered me the pills and I 'm considering trying them or seeing if I can tolerate them. If they make me irritable and my heart race or insomnia then I will have to quit.

As far losing and gaining it back, I don't plan on letting that happen. I'm sure I will love fitting back into my clothes.

ARE WE SHARING A BRAIN?!?!?! And don't even know each other?!?!
I too have hypothyroidism after my DS was born, and do have to take daily meds. Pouchy stomach- oh yeah. Women asking me when I was due in front of perky skinny hostesses at restaraunt-oh yeah (and let me just add I was holding my DD who was less than one year old at the time).

My doctor gave me a 30 day prescription for tenuate dospan, because I had done weight watchers for 3 months and lost 3 pounds. He said that it would jump start me and then I would be motivated to exercise. So I took it, it worked well, but now that I have stopped, the weight loss has stopped too. Even though I am eating less and better food choices.

Enough of a rant. . .OP, talk to your doctor, have your thyroid checked, and do what feels right to you. If pills work for you great, if you do diet and exercise only, good too. Just become the healthiest you can be!

 

[CinRell]

Has anyone who's looking to lose weight talked to a nutritionist? They could figure out exactly why nothing's worked so far. My endochrinologist had me see a nutritionist to monitor my treatment every other month. A nutritionist would probably know if something else was going on too... the nutritionist I went to helped treat my PCOS and I lost 50 lbs in 4 mos.. I did gain most of it back because I stopped the treatment. Just keep in mind you can't stay on pills forever... even if it gives you a boost now, pills usually fill your stomachand give you a false sense of well being along with an energy boost.. when you stop taking those pills, the weight comes back on.

Remember metabolife? A girl I usedto wrk with was on them so long she was up to about 15-20 pills a DAY because her immunity kept building. that's scary I think...

 

[ksloane]

Many have mentioned it and I was going to do some quotes but there are too many.

I too have wanted to lose weight for a while...simulate a plan...never follow through...put on another pound or two...BUT for New Years I decided to change. I developed a plan ON PAPER. For some reason, having it down on paper and looking at it and charting my progress seems to help.

I am making very small changes at a time though. I know that in the past major changes where too major and I didn't stick to it at all! So this is sorta my plan:

One thing was decreasing the cokes and increasing the water so I started off with the goal of drinking no more than 2 cans of coke a day and at least 2 bottles of water....Once successfull at that, I went to 1 coke or glass of tea a day and at least 4 bottles of water...I enjoy cokes/tea so I'm not going to decrease it to less than the one, but I am now to the point of drinking only one of them once a day consistently and I drink at least 6 bottles of water a day. I teach...and found that every time I felt hungry or snacky (besides lunch) I open a bottle of water and see if I'm still hungry after the bottle of water (usually I'm not). I also order water at restaurants and think of it as a way to save money too (water is almost always free). Again this was a slow process, I didn't wake up January 1st and say no more cokes/tea and 8 bottles of water a day...I tried to make my changes about every two weeks.

The second thing I looked at was eating habits. I don't eat a lot, but it's almost all unhealthy (or at least not healthy). So I made a conscious decision that starting January 1, I would eat at least one "healthy" lunch a week and 1 "healthy" dinner. Also I stopped buying almost ALL snack food/dessert type stuff and I buy fruit and keep it handy at school and home. If it's not in the house I can't eat it. I'm now up to making 2 lunch choices (lunch is the hardest for me since I am not home) and 3 dinner choices. I still don't go crazy on the other days, but again this is in writing and I record my healthy decisions.

I also realized that I frequently wasn't eating until AT LEAST 8. I had read numerous times about how that was not good so I worked on times too. In January, I had to be done eating by 7. In February I moved it to 6:30, and this month I rarely eat after 6. (of course there are always exceptions, but they are happening less and less). And I write it down every day that I meet my goal.

Finally was exercise. This is the hardest for me as I seem like I"m just so busy that I can't fit it in. I'm a single mom. I am at work by 7:15 and rarely leave campus until at least 5. But after analyzing my schedule I realized that my daughter was taking dance and twirling on Monday and Wednesday so in January I parked the car when she went in and I walked around town for the 45 minutes during the class ONE of the days and reserved one for grocery shopping/errand running. My daughter also received Mario: DDR for Christmas and I play on that at least 2 nights a week for 30 minutes. Last month I started doing both days every other week and increased the intensity of the Mario DDR and try to do 45 minutes instead of 30. This month she started softball practice also (and it's at my school where we have a track) so I have now added walking on the track for the hour and a half or so that they are practicing (at least 2 of the 3 days)!

I'm so excited. I can't tell you how much weight I've lost as I refuse to step on a scale as I do not want that to be about that. I want it to be about being healty and active. However, I can tell you that at the New Years, my size 10's were very snug and uncomfortable. I couldn't weight to get home in the evenings to clothes with elastic. They now fit correctlly and are not uncomfortable at all. I can't weight until they are too big and I can buy new clothes.

Also, I have found I am gaining more energy. I actually have had energy to play outside with my daughter (which seemed to never be a fact before) in the afternoons. I am teaching her to play horseshoes. We play kickball and I practice softball with her at home.

I guess this has turned into a very long explanation of what I'm doing, but I wanted to reinforce that if you can't make yourself get started, maybe the writing it down - having a plan and seeing yourself doing it (or not for a couple days and knowing you need to get back on track)...and taking small steps may be the answer instead of pills. I'm not saying no one should take pills. I know everyone is different, but wanted to share my story as so far it seems to be working.

 

[PaulDavid's mom]

Okay here's an update if anyone is interested:

Yesterday had a very dry mouth all day and night.
I woke up about 1:30am and couldn't sleep. I felt like I needed to be running around doing something (but not in a "i can't keep still" way) I just had energy. So I just layed in bed and I think the last time I remember looking at the clock was about 3:30am.
I took the pill again at 7am today and feel fine. Very dry mouth but I'm drinking lots of water.
All in all, I'm not hungry.