Weight Loss Support Thread

[hodge]

Okay, so this is a thread to share tips and strategies and support each other with the goal of losing weight. I started Propranolol in April which has caused me to gain weight. I am afraid to get off it because it cured heart palpitations I had after withdrawing from Ativan. So, time to get serious. Again.

A big part of it has been my own fault. I would normally go swimming every day, usually twice a day in the summer. But I did not get my butt to the city pool at all this summer. I think it's because it's a brand new pool. Which is dumb, right? Who doesn't want to enjoy a brand new pool? Well, I didn't. I wanted the old familiar pool I was comfortable with, in spite of the cracks in the floor and the one rickety ladder. And my symptoms have spiked this summer, which has made it harder than usual for me to push myself to do anything.

My old workout has also turned into a no go due to sciatic pain. So, as far as exercise, I can do moderately long walks. Thus, the main option is to reduce food intake. I've already cut out cashews, candy bars, and ice cream, even though I never had more than a bite or two a day. And I've started grazing on a couple of spoons of fat-free cottage cheese periodically throughout the day, as I used to do. Then have a healthy dinner with lots of vegetables and only about 3 ounces of meat and one serving of carbs. I cook with low-fat and fat-free stuff all the time.

But I am afraid the Propranolol is affecting me as Remeron did. I could not lose weight on that to save my life. I had to wean off it. Then the weight poured off. But then the sleep problems began. Now I'm afraid to get off Propranolol in case the heart palpitations come back. So, I'm going to try everything I can think of to get this weight off without stopping the Prop.

 

[Changing4Best]

I take a different drug for the heart palpitations called Metoprolol Tartrate 25 mg at night. It causes tiredness, so it is best to take it at bed time. To my knowledge, it does not cause weight gain.

As to losing weight, I joined Overeaters Anonymous. I go to online and local face to face meetings too and I am doing the 12 Steps. You can find out more about it at oa.org and they have literature they can send you in the mail and books and all. They base their program on the Alcoholics Anonymous program and book, but replace the idea of alcoholic and alcohol with food addict and food.

I have stopped gaining weight since I joined them 2 months ago. I am also on a medicine that causes weight gain. I dare not go off it, as it is one of my mental health meds and I am allergic to so many meds that to find one I am not allergic to is a blessing.

I am about 4 pounds overweight at this point, and I do hope to lose that and more, but easy does it! I am not going to go on a crazy diet or fasting or any of that. I take meds that require me to eat when I take them, and I take them every 8 hours, so there is no chance of my doing a "crash diet" or anything stupid like that.

The online meetings are great, I so adore some of the folks I have met there. They have them like 6 times a day, for an hour each time. I made some friends already too. That is the best part.

 

[Changing4Best]

PS.

Here is the website for their meetings online:

12 Step 4 COE's

COES stands for Compulsive Overeaters

 

[hodge]

That's great, SheilaKathy! I've never been an overeater, except for a few months when I was 13 (following my first attack by someone). I was diagnosed at 6 with hypoglycemia and there's tons of type 1 diabetes in both sides of my family, so I've always kept to a pretty good healthy diet and exercise and have managed to get into my 50s without developing diabetes, whew. That's no guarantee, though. I had a great aunt who developed type 1 in her 70s and had to get on insulin, the whole shebang. I just am getting affected by this med. And weight gain is scary to me not just because of how it makes me feel, but also because I know it makes me more susceptible to developing diabetes. My psych is very sensitive about this concern. I've always researched meds about weight gain since my experience with Remeron, but getting on the Propranolol was an emergency situation and I was desperate to stop the heart palpitations. I'm going to ask my psych about switching to your med next month, thank you for the tip. And you go girl on that last 4 lbs!! That's awesome!

I'm sure you have learned this, but the hypoglycemic diet is really good for weight loss, because you ideally eat just three small meals and three small snacks a day. The idea is to keep a regular but very moderate intake to keep your blood sugar stable. That's why I gnosh on fat-free cottage cheese for my three small snacks (low-fat protein is essential for maintaining a healthy blood sugar). Also fruit and vegetables. And limited carbs. I've learned from my mom's diabetes doctors that sugars are not considered as bad as bad fats anymore. So I have some avocado occasionally and olives (stuffed with garlic cloves, yum) -- good fats. Pizza, fried foods, fatty meats, and others are bad fats and I almost never have those. Never had much of a sugar tooth, but I do like a few sips of Coke with food.

 

[Changing4Best]

Um, can I be frank? If you are gaining weight, in my opinion you are overeating. Yes, it is the medicine that is CAUSING you to overeat, but a medicine cannot cause you to gain weight without you taking in too many calories per day. You must have changed SOMETHING once you started the med. It might be that some extra exercise would solve the problem, but something has to give. You cannot go on doing the same things and expect different results.

One thing I do know, when we reach age 50, we often do tend to gain a little weight if we are not careful. At the age of 50, we may find that we walk less, take the vehicle more, take the elevator instead of the steps, or something of that nature. Speaking of nature, do you like to take nature walks? That could help not only your weight, but your mental health as well. Take a friend. You get to see more nature that way, as your friend will see things that you miss and vice versa.

 

[hodge]

Thanks, SheilaKathy, I needed that.

I hardly eat during the day, but when I'm up at night, I guess often I eat too much. It doesn't seem like tons, but it's too much sometimes for my slowed-down metabolism. And I'm not getting the exercise to counteract it.

At times in my life when I've started to gain, I've learned to actually like the feeling of my stomach growling. It assures me I'm doing something right and that it's shrinking. I just have to get back into that mode. It's okay once I get used to it, just have to get there again!

 

[intothelight]

Its tough to lose weight after 50 and whether it is meds, menopause or physical inactivity that causes the gain, it takes its toll in a lot of ways, energy, self esteem, pain management, etc. I put on an extra ten pounds after I pulled a muscle in my back since the swimming, weight lifting and biking were curtailed until it healed up. Yes, I was eating the same amount of calories so the gain was no surprise. Just keep the focus on health and the weight will fall in line. It just sucks that it comes off a lot slower than it comes on! :eek:

 

[Changing4Best]

Right about that! I gained 60 pounds in 4 months and it took me 6 years to lose it! However, some of the methods I tried were worthless. I still swear by Overeaters Anonymous, because it handles the physical, yes, but also the mental and the spiritual! You need to work on all 3 of these things for the weight to come off and STAY OFF.

 

[Lola Nocheprieta]

Hi, Hodge! Great thread to start! I'm starting to think that my weight -- not just the number but whether I'm gaining, losing or maintaining -- might be a good marker for self-care. I lost about 40 lbs, *almost* achieving goal weight -- I was doing Weight Watchers at Work -- over an 18-month period, and was maintaining that for about 3-6 months. In the last year I've gained half of it back, and it's been a HELL of a year. With a huge resurgence of PTSD symptoms, MDD and GAD coming out of remission, I just can't seem to get back to the planning, shopping, cooking and prepping food for the week like I was doing. Fortunately, I've managed to hold onto most of the regular walking exercise I was doing before, so I'm maintaining now at 20 lbs overweight.

For me, after never, ever having a weight problem growing up, my metabolism changed at 21 and it's been a hard battle ever since. I'm not even trying to get back to that weight. I just want to get back to pre-getting-hit-by-drunk-driver weight (almost 20 years ago!) I hate having to choose between weight management and psychotropic meds! For me, weight is a big health issue, but depression and PTSD are life-threatening.

It sounds like you know yourself, have a well-thought out and healthy eating plan, but the meds and maybe insomnia (?) or at least eating at night/before bedtime is f*cking with you. I know that my insomnia hugely influences my diet/weight. But you've inspired me to recommit! Keep up the good work, and just make whatever small, manageable adjustments you can sustain over the long haul.

That said, I'm going to go wake up wifey to get ready for an early AM walk in the park with two friends (one human, one canine.) Yay, me! Don't forget to celebrate small victories, everyone!