Metformin for Weight Loss?

[ashmarie06]

I know there are a ton of threads on here about metformin. I am curious as to what people have experienced with weight loss with it.

My Gyno perscribed it to me after dx me with PCOS. I only have 1 or 2 of the PCOS symptoms. I also expressed interest in weight loss, since I am not losing on my own following a diet/exercise plan. He said the metformin would help.

He gave me a 500mg one time a day dose. I haven't started it yet, because of the side effects.

If i thought that it would be worth enduring the side effects, to jumpstart the weight loss, I would start it in a heartbeat.


Has anyone had success with weight loss on Metformin? What kind of plan did you stick to?

I am just looking for help, I don't want to be huge for my august trip.

 

[MIGrandma]

I was diagnosed with diabetes almost 9 years ago (in September). I started out on 500mg. At that time I also started a walking program and watched what I ate. I was walking 2-5 miles 3-5 times/week and being very, very careful of my food intake. I lost 40 pounds in about 6 months.

I don't know if I would have lost weight simply by being on the medication though, not without the diet and exercise too.

 

[MIGrandma]

Oops, wrong thread, sorry!

 

[BearcatsFan]

I know there are a ton of threads on here about metformin. I am curious as to what people have experienced with weight loss with it.

My Gyno perscribed it to me after dx me with PCOS. I only have 1 or 2 of the PCOS symptoms. I also expressed interest in weight loss, since I am not losing on my own following a diet/exercise plan. He said the metformin would help.

He gave me a 500mg one time a day dose. I haven't started it yet, because of the side effects.

If i thought that it would be worth enduring the side effects, to jumpstart the weight loss, I would start it in a heartbeat.


Has anyone had success with weight loss on Metformin? What kind of plan did you stick to?

I am just looking for help, I don't want to be huge for my august trip.

Hello fellow Cincinnatian!

I also have PCOS. Was diagnosed many, many years ago. Put on Metformin, 500mg per day to start ... eventually went to 1500mg per day. I'm not going to lie to you - the side effects for me were absolutely horrible. When I wasn't using the bathroom (sorry if TMI), I was throwing up. Nauseated all the time. Sure, sure, I lost weight ... because I never felt like eating ... and what I did eat didn't stay in very long. Eventually I begged and pleaded and got off the Met. I hated it so much and I felt bad for so long, it just wasn't worth it.

Fast forward a few years. I have diabetes now. I'm back on Metformin ... but the EXTENDED RELEASE version. Much, much different this time. NO side effects for me whatsoever. No nausea, no throwing up either.

My best advice for you? Follow a portion/calorie controlled diet. It has worked wonders for me. I did low-carb for several years - lost a ton of weight too - but fell off the wagon and boy did the weight come back on fast ... and I gained more than I lost to start with. Be smart, follow a good eating plan (I very much stick with the "diabetic diet" 1200 - 1400 calories per day) ... and learn to love exercise

HTH - if you ever want to talk (about PCOS or whatever), please feel free to PM me anytime.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

I lost 50 pounds while taking Metformin for Type 2 Diabetes. I exercised and ate low carb. I had zero side effects. My doctor suggested taking the once daily dose at night with the bedtime snack. Worked great for me. Of course, it was coupled with eat less, move more...

 

[manning]

I lost 50 pounds while taking Metformin for Type 2 Diabetes. I exercised and ate low carb. I had zero side effects. My doctor suggested taking the once daily dose at night with the bedtime snack. Worked great for me. Of course, it was coupled with eat less, move more...

Here's the key.....move more and eat less. Period.

 

[ashmarie06]

I have been following weight watchers for 5 months now, and i work out 1.5 hours a day 5 days a week. I'm at a loss of what else i can do. I have lupus, so working out every day is out of the picture. I need 2 days off to rest.

 

[SaraJayne]

Here's the key.....move more and eat less. Period.

If only it were that simple with PCOS.

OP, I stopped taking Metformin (ER) because the side effects were too much for me.

I took it at bedtime, in the morning, mid-afternoon ~ time of day didn't do anything to alleviate the side effects.

 

[BearcatsFan]

If only it were that simple with PCOS.

OP, I stopped taking Metformin (ER) because the side effects were too much for me.

I took it at bedtime, in the morning, mid-afternoon ~ time of day didn't do anything to alleviate the side effects.

I agree! It is terrible trying to lose weight with PCOS. Those who don't have it ... there's just no making some people understand that yes, some people do have physical/hormonal reasons for being overweight. It isn't always just "too much food".

When I took the regular Met didn't seem to matter, either. My doctor kept preaching, "Eat more protein with it, that will help with the nausea." It didn't though. Nothing helped. Not time of day, not amount/type of food. Nada.

So glad to be on the XR stuff now though - much, much better as far as side effects go. OP, if you're worried about it, the only way to know is to try. My mom takes regular Met without problems - seems YMMV. If you do have yucky side effects from it, ask to switch to the XR - it may work out better for you like it did for me.

 

[kwelch10377]

What kinds of foods are you eating on WW?

I really wanted to avoid going on Metformin because of the side effects that can go along with it. My doctor suggested that I look into the Insulin Resistant Diet (there is a book with this name). The simplest explanation is that you do need to watch your carbs, however when you do eat a serving of carbs, make sure that you eat a serving of protein to basically help counter the effects that the carbs will have on your body. I followed this for 6 months (along with exercise) and lost about 25 pounds and my insulin serum level got a lot closer to a normal level. The thing that I liked most of about this "diet" is that is really isn't a diet, after a few weeks I got use to making sure that if I was eating carbs, it was matched with a protein and I didn't even think twice about it.

Also take a look at what type of exercise you are doing, look at quality over quantity. For example are you doing 30 mins on the treadmill at the same speed/incline or are you doing more an interval training? Doing interval for a shorter amount of time can have the same, if not more of an effect than doing the same speed/incline for longer.

 

[ashmarie06]

I actually eat very healthy. A lot of protien, fish, and fruit and veggies. I'm at a loss of what to do.

 

[HsvTeacher]

Here's the key.....move more and eat less. Period.

Like others have said, it's not always that easy. What works for you may not work for everyone.

After recording everything I ate/drank for a month, I was told by my endocrinologist that I was not eating enough. I also take 1000mg of Metformin daily for PCOS, and unfortunately, it makes me so nauseous that I don't want to eat. I have to force myself to eat, especially in the morning.

 

[mrsklamc]

Give it a shot, I'm on 1500mg of the XR and I have very little side effects. It's different for everyone but I'm guessing if you are to the point of having metformin prescribed it's because you've tried other things and they aren't working.

And, you do have to continue counting calories, exercising, etc. It's not a magic little pill that makes the weight fall off, unfortunately.

I only have one or two symptoms too.

 

[Sadie22]

Here's the key.....move more and eat less. Period.

This is not true for those of use with diabetes. In fact, as someone with out-of-control blood glucose gets it under control. that person can gain weight.

I have had no adverse symptoms from Metformin. I have improved my blood glucose numbers, am eating the way I need to for my health, and am exercising, but the weight is not falling off.

 

[mrsklamc]

Here's the key.....move more and eat less. Period.

If she were able to do that, her doctor would not have prescribed the metformin.

 

[Coconut36]

If she were able to do that, her doctor would not have prescribed the metformin.

She is being Rx metformin for PCOS not diabetes. There is a difference although with a diabetic DH I will argue that metformin Rx does not mean you are unable to eat right and exercise...quite the contrary..if you are an adult Type 2 you NEED to eat well and exercise. My DH managed to modify his eating and start exercising and lost over 60lbs resulting in him no longer needing the meds anymore. The metformin is not the reason he lost weight at all...it was the result of changing his eating habits and starting to exercise regularly.

IMO metformin alone will not result in weight loss. If you want to see weight loss you need to eat right and exercise (and from my DH's experience early on with metformin..when he wasn't eating right he suffered side effects from the metformin..when he ate well he didn't or they were minimal).

 

[mrsklamc]

She is being Rx metformin for PCOS not diabetes. There is a difference although with a diabetic DH I will argue that metformin Rx does not mean you are unable to eat right and exercise...quite the contrary..if you are an adult Type 2 you NEED to eat well and exercise.

I know it's for PCOS. I did not mean she was unable to eat right and exercise, I meant that if she were able to eat right and exercise and therefore lose weight, her doctor wouldn't have prescribed it.

 

[BearcatsFan]

I know it's for PCOS. I did not mean she was unable to eat right and exercise, I meant that if she were able to eat right and exercise and therefore lose weight, her doctor wouldn't have prescribed it.

Not necessarily true. Metformin also helps with other symptoms of PCOS ... not just aid in weight loss / help get sugars under control to (hopefully) prevent diabetes.

 

[shmoogrrrl]

If i thought that it would be worth enduring the side effects, to jumpstart the weight loss, I would start it in a heartbeat.


Has anyone had success with weight loss on Metformin? What kind of plan did you stick to?

I am a diabetic also with PCOS, and am on Metformin. I just wanted to tell you that I didn't have ANY side effects when I started. Maybe I am just one of the lucky ones, but there is hope.

I have been on Metformin for something like 10 years off and on (I was on insulin while pregnant with my kids, and while doing fertility treatments for my second) and have lost weight. Not just by doing nothing but just taking the pills, but by exercising and watching what I eat. I do believe that Metformin helped.

 

[mrsklamc]

Not necessarily true. Metformin also helps with other symptoms of PCOS ... not just aid in weight loss / help get sugars under control to (hopefully) prevent diabetes.

Yes, I know. OP specifically stated that she has tried a diet and exercise regiment and it has not worked, though. My point was that the poster who said 'eat less, move more, period.' didn't know what they were talking about, and OP's doctor would not have prescribed metformin if it were that simple for her.