Is This Bad?
Find a Conversation
| Sun, 04-25-2004 - 2:49pm |
First of all, I'd like to say that I MISSED YOU ALL these past few weeks. I have gotten so many great peices of advice in here and you guys are all so positive and helpful; so here I have a new dilemma, and I'd like your thoughts on it.
My doc has been after me for a few months about losing weight (he acts like I don't WANT to or something lol!) and I think it's because I had a pregnancy scare a few months ago and at 5'2" and 170lbs with a MAJOR family history of diabetes, he became concerned that I would get pregnant and be plagued with health problems (he's a really great doc and cares so much that sometimes it's aggravating lol). He knows that I exercise on a fairly regular basis and when I am not exercising per se, I am staying active (if I don't do a routine, for example, I try to do some gardening or hiking or whatever I can with the kids in tow). I eat fairly healthy (all things in moderation) and I try to follow the 80/20 rule: I eat VERY healthy 80% of the time and I eat what I want 20% of the time. That has always worked well for me and for the 6 years I owned a health club, I stayed in great shape and was very comfortable in my own skin. That was before I was diagnosed as bipolar. The medicines they gave me, mostly the stabilizers, caused a 60 lb weight gain over the course of only 3 months. Very unhealthy. I was still working out almost 2 hours a day and eating what I always ate, although in increased portions because I felt like I was starving to death all the time. SO, long story short, I have been unable to lose this 60 pounds and it is basically controlling my life right now. I have gone on unhealthy diets, I have tried every "gimmick" out there to try to lose it, and in desperation, I went to my doc and cried and told him that although I don't care about being overweight (as long as I felt good and felt energetic and could still find clothes to fit lol), I feel like I am moving through mud all the time and my apetite is THE reason that my weight has yet to come off. I did something I thought I would never do, being the health nut that I am: I asked for a pill to help me with my apetite!
I am ashamed of myself because I did not have the "willpower" to do it on my own, and I feel like I am being a hypocrite to myself for all the years I told women that these pills were the devil lol! But, on the other hand, since I started them last week, I have noticed a major difference in my apetite and energy levels. I have worked out or done something active with the kids every day since then and I have felt less controlled by food. I find myself not thinking every minute about what I'm going to eat next and when and where my next meal will be. I have lost two pounds and I am drinking tons of water (this med makes you thirsty for some reason) and I feel otherwise a little bit healthier; I am able to make better food choices because I don't feel like I am starving all the time. I am seeing the doc once a week right now because I am bipolar and I think he is nervous that this med could cause a manic or depressive episode so I feel that I am being MORE than closely monitored.
My question, is: Is this bad? Does taking this med mean I am taking the easy way out??? I am not desperate to lose weight to look good (dh loves me the way I am) but I am somewhat desperate to ease the burden of this extra 40-60 lbs on my short frame and to ease the pain of feeling so bloated and heavy all the time. I know that everyone here is so focused on being healthy and that's what I love about all of you lol! Is there a way to use this medicine to help me lose weight while still maintaining my values about health and fitness???
Sorry this post was so long, but I haven't told anyone here about this (just DH who supports me fully as long as I remain committed to exercising and eating healthy and as long as I don't use the pill as a "crutch) and I am interested to hear your input!!
Thanks for Listening, Guys,
Jenn

Pages
When we are thinking every day that tomorrow we will start to diet, or eat healthier and get our health under control we tend to over eat. We eat like it will be our last meal, or our last piece of chocolate, pizza, candy bar, bag of chips, etc. This can go on for a long time, thinking about starting tomorrow. That is why getting fit and eating healthy has to be a life time committment, right? You being a personal trainer and opperator of a gym know that only too well and maybe that is why it is harder for you to get back the control.
As for exercising for 2hrs a day, sometimes we eat back the calories that we have burned off while exercising. The more we exercise the hungrier we can become and often if we have a great workout (I am guilty of this) we think we deserve a treat and eat something high in calories as a treat. The treat should be non food like a nice long cool shower or some meditation or relaxation. Having done a great workout should not require a reward with food. The GREAT workout is the reward!!! This is just my 2cents worth!!!
Hang in there girl, I know you can get back on track!!
Best wishes, KIM
Jenn,
Awww..sweetie!
It’s not a crutch unless you let it be. If you are eating every fatty food in the world and still losing weight because you are taking a pill well then you know in your heart that you’ll just gain the weight back when you go off it because you aren’t learning the right way to eat.
I think its perfectly fine to take something as long as you are also doing the healthy things to get you where you need to be, the eating right, exercising and learning new healthier habits.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s okay to ask for help sometimes.
Hi again Jenn!!!
Jenn- I think the other ladies have all said it to you, but I have to chime in and agree with them- you're not using this pill as a crutch, you're trying to take care of your body, and under the supervision of your doc too! No, I don't think what you're doing is bad! I'm sorry that you have to go this route to help in losing some weight- but do keep a close eye on what you are eating, how you're exercising and your water intake...and if you feel the pill is not working go back to your doctor for another 'consultation'.
Best of luck & keep us posted ~IG
ps. did you find where all the challenge stuff is? (check the 'check-in' folder 2 folders down!)
cl-vi_islandgirl
co cl @Getting Fit In Your 30's
http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-fbfitthirty
_____________________________________________________
![]()
I don’t get the logic of insurance companies.
Pay for zyban now so someone can quit smoking at 115 dollars for one month supply or pay thousands for chemo treatments when they get lung cancer.
Pay for meridia now for someone to help them lose weight at 85 dollars for one month supply or pay 30k for gastric bypass.
LOGICAL??? I THINK NOT!
I so am in agreement with you on that!!
My Doctor prescribed WellButrin for smoking cessation!
All I have to say is.....I hate having to by my Claritin OTC. I liked paying my $10 copay. But nope, they won't cover it. Bleah. I hear ya!
Secondly, I work for a durable medical equipment company and deal with insurance companies all day long; I can't think of anything on this planet that is more time consuming and ridiculous than jumping through all the little hoops they give you in order to get something covered! I have seen some of the most asinine denials come back over the fax lately that I swear I've been saving them so I can one day write a book about it lol! For example, one particularly nasty insurance company denied a bedside commode for a patient that had just had colon surgery, saying it was a convenience item and not medically necessary!!! If that weren't bad enough, they approved a hospital bed and a wheelchair, items totaling over $4K, but wouldn't cover the itty bitty commode, which would have cost them about $57! I could only shake my head when I called to challenge the denial and listened to this woman try to explain to me why the commode was denied. She didn't really even believe the bs that was coming out of her mouth and so every other word was "um" and "I'm not really sure" and "um, let me check"! Talk about frustrating. I agree with the whole zyban thing, too; I mean, it seems that they would rather take care of you when you get lung cancer than to help you quit doing the very thing that causes it lol! My DH and I have repeatedly asked our doc to prescribe it for us and it's like pulling teeth just to get them to give it to you and then you have to turn around and fight with the ins company to try to get them to cover it. RIDICULOUS!!!
Well, now that I've said my peice about it, I want to say again that I really appreciate your heartfelt posts and for taking the time to listen to me vent my feelings, I thank you all.
Jenn
PS: Remember that should you ever find yourself taking phentermine for weight loss, coffee after 3pm is NOT a great idea, as you can see by the time of this post lol!!!
Good Night!
Jenn,
I was going to ask which med you were taking.
Pages