Dieting with Obstacles - does taking alot of meds hinder weight loss

i am on so many meds i wonder if they have hindered me in weight loss i am on gluocohage, insulin, actos, paxil,diovan, dipentium, aspirin regimen
i do take alot of vitamins too for joint, heart, bone and hair support
so what are ur thoughts on this
i have been on ww since june of this year and have only lost 20lbs so far i am not giving up but am beginning to wonder
thanks

The actos can make you gain weight, I have a diabetic friend whose doctor put her on actos, and she gained about 2 pounds a month (she was dieting and exercising). You may want to ask your doctor about this.

You have lost 20 pounds in 3 months, that is great, loosing slowly will help you body maintain and shrink with the weight loss. Your skin has a chance to shrink, so no baggy skin.

I have been a Type 2 diabetic for 2 1/2 years, lost 45 pounds the first 1 1/2 years (totally portion control and some exercise). Have maintained the weight for the last year, and am now trying to lose another 15 pounds. Have gone from 210 to 161, from size 26 jeans to 16. I look good but feel great. It is all worth it in the end. I want to be a healthy grandma. Am 54 years old, and I want to be healthy for the last years of my life.

Stick with the program, remember you are doing this for your own health, feeling food is what it is all about

thanks chris i have been a type II since i had my son 12yrs ago he was a big baby with problems and then that same time my dad was diagnoised with cancer and from the stress i got diabetes to come out of me its funny no one on either side of my family has it but me what a bummer
we are the same age and i want to lose weight so badly i want to get off all these meds if i can i am going to the heart spec, today and to the colon doc later on today so i will have a good look at me today lol
i will mention the actos to my doc cause that is the next med i want off of i also had heard paxil hinders weight loss too so we will see thanks again

I, too, have type II diabetes, am on insulin, glucophage, actos and some blood pressure meds. I am going to turn 50 in the Spring. I had maintained my weight at about 225 for about 6 years... and then I started taking the glucophage... and then actos. That's when the weight gain started. I was up to about 250 a year ago, when I went on insulin. Two weeks ago I weighed 285. And I have not really changed the way I eat since I weighed 225! It's been very depressing. I rejoined TOPS two weeks ago (and my husband joined with me which helps a lot). I have been very careful about what I eat and I did have a very good weight loss the first week. I'll be interested in seeing if the weight loss continues. All these meds that have the side effect of "weight gain" have me worried a little!

u know i really think that the meds we are on does a number on our weight i eat less than most of my girlfriends who are at a normal weight it really amazes me well i joined ww 16 weeks ago and i have only lost 17lbs since then i thought i would have been down 30 by now and it is a little depressing... but i am hanging in there this time and i am going to do it one thing i do not do and i know i should is to exercise
well keep in touch with me and lets do it together ok

Keep hanging in there, Marlene. You are doing the right thing! Look at it this way, if you hadn't taken charge of your eating habits 16 weeks ago, not only would you probably have NOT lost the 17 lbs you lost... you might have continued to gain! I have to agree with you though... to look at me, you'd think that all I do is graze my way through the day and nothing could be further from the trust. Although I don't make the best choices many times, I certainly don't eat near as much as many of my friends that do not have the weigth problem I have.

well i will keep u up to date and u do the same and maybe cause we know each other is out there it will make us feel better when times are tough with our weight......we can do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What you eat as well as your meds can also have a bearing on weight loss. I hope you have been to a nutritionist and worked out a healthy plan incorporating your favorite foods.

I have osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia and I know that meds help you to gain weight - along with no exercise.

I was on ww from Feb until June - stuck strictly to the points and lost just 10 pounds!!!!!! I was so frusterated by this. Last week, I started on the Atkins Diet, and have lost 6 pounds in less than a week, don't feel sluggish (I have great fatigue from the FM) because the carbs are not affecting me. By the way, everyone thinks it is not a good diet, however, my Dr. told me to give it a try. It had worked well for him. Dr. Atkins is a Heart Specialist.

Quilter is very right when she says it is what you eat!

well i tried eating quite a bit less than what ww allowed me at my current weight and i lost 2 1/2lbs last week now this weekend was my birthday weekend and i did cheat but i also did alot of walking so i go tonight to get weighed and i will see what eating did to me..............thanks for commenting i like hearing different opinions

I have been to the nutritionist and am not being more careful than ever regarding the number of calories/fats/carbs I eat. I have also started walking daily - right now am doing 40-45 minutes a day. It's early. I hade a wonderful first week weight loss. We'll see what I do at tomorrow's weigh-in! (OH... and I am keeping an extra watch on my glucose levels since I am trying to lose weight).

good for u now keep it up may i ask how old u are? i am 54 and find things a bit harder for me as i had a full knee replacement done last summer so jogging is out, and alot of knee bends and things are out so i do some walking until it hurts me for days afterwards ..so i am trying too and hopefully i do make it to my goal by next year....

Hi Marlene, Nice to meet you! I am 49. I am attempting to lose 50 lbs by my 50th birthday this spring. I have a lot more to lose, but that seemed like a reasonable goal to start with. So far, I am doing very well. My first two weeks have given me a 16.75 pound loss. I joined TOPS, but am basically following the WW point system at the moment. I am also walking.

284.75/268/175

WOW Joyce that is very good it has been 17weeks on ww and i have lost that much i am at a plateau and can't seem to get below 250 i wanted to have lost 40 by now since i started 6/1 but that hasn't worked out for me..i don't exercise so i know that is one of my problems but other people lose weight and don't exercise why can't i get a way with it but i was at my doctor's yesterday and she agreed that with the meds i am on are hindering my weight loss i am paying close attention to my portions this week and hopefully next tues it will pay off.. u know what is funny at my ww meeting tues nite i gained 3lbs from last week but it was my birthday weekend so i understand but then yesterday i went to the doc's at noon time and i lost those 3lbs how could that be???????:?:
this weight loss is driving me nuts
i am sticking to it though as i am determined to get below 200lbs by the spring time i just hope i make it
keep on keeping on

Metabolism has a lot to do with weight loss. Those of us with slow metabolisms (like me and you) have problems losing weight if we don't exercise. It's the exercise that help speed up the metabolism. People with faster metabolisms, don't require as much of the extra help, so they can probably lose easier without as much physical exercise. Could your doctor recommend any exercises for you to do that mostly involved upper body instead of your knees?

It certainly IS possible to fluctuate in weight from day to day like you did. Water retention, hormones, lots of things can cause you to go up and down. That's one of the strongest reasons that many people say that it is not a good idea to weigh yourself more than once a week - too easy to get discouraged. Still others say that's an important reason to weigh yourself every day -- what happens if your once a week weigh in happens on a heavy day - then you spend the whole next week thinking all your hard work was for nothing! Still others (see Griller's journal) believe that if you are following your diet plan and exercising, you should NEVER weigh yourself. Let your clothes tell you how you are doing. As you can see, there are many philosophies! Bottom line - you do what you feel is best for you.

You sound like you are doing great on your diet plan. Keep up the good work and sooner or later it will pay off!

thank you for the encouraging words i need to hear good stuff once in a while my clothes are defintely looser than they were and that makes me feel good going to ww meetings and paying the money just to get weighed is taking a toll on us so i asked my husband if he would be my moderator and let me know when i am straying and to keep me on track so he has agreed and i will see how this works out i know i will need all the support i can get from u guys on the internet so stay in touch with me please i really want to lose this weight by next spring and to be beautiful on the outside as i am on the inside. STAY IN TOUCH WITH ME PLEASE

WW is an expense! That's why I joined TOPS. :; It cost me $20 to join my local chapter and $1/week in dues. They are nonprofit, so they don't have to charge as much. I can follow any diet that my doctor and I feel is proper. I still get "in person" support. And I still have to face that scale once a week!

However, I do know a number of people who are being very successful on their own: with the help of their families, friends and the folks here. I am sure that you can be successful, too!

Hi, I am new here. Also have type 2 diabetes. Been going to ww for 13 weeks now have lost 33 pounds. Last week I gained .4 pounds, Leader said not to get discouraged. But My losses have been good one week and then lower the next. I also take glucophage, I also have underactive thyroid so I take synthroid.

Welcome to 3FC! Sounds like your leader is giving you good advice. You are doing great!

Have your blood sugars changed at all since losing 33 lbs.? As you lose weight, you may find that you have to reduce the amount of medication you need to take to control your diabetes (Oh happy day!). I haven't lost enough for that to happen, yet. But, at 22 lbs. and counting, I am hoping that I will see some results soon.

My blood sugars three months ago were over 7, when I went three weeks ago they were 4.6. My cholesterol also went down but now my bad cholesterol is to low so he cut my meds again. Hopefully in three months when I go back he can take me off of it. He said hopefully he can start cutting my diabetes meds. I sure hope so.

That sounds wonderful, Bambi! Keep up the good work and you will reap more than weight loss, you will have much better health!

oh Joyce, i am still struggling one week i exercised like crazy and watched my diet and didn't lose any weight so the next week i got mad and ate and ate and ate no exercised and guess what i weighed the same as i did the week before i am going nuts i have weighed this weight for 3 months now and can't get lower than 250 i need someone to come over my house and stay with me all week and just give me food on a plate when it is time to eat and that is it then maybe i might lose a pound i am so disappointed and could use some encouragement
i hope u are doing better than me.

Hi Marlene,

I understand your frustration. As difficult as it seems, I think you need to stay strong. Sometimes, even though you have been very good and have done everything you are supposed to do, the weight loss just doesn't show up right away. Other times, you don't do anything you are supposed to do (diet and exercise wise) and you don't seem to gain (at least for THAT week!). You need to be patient and not give up. Sometimes it just takes a few weeks. Sometimes you might just be on a plateau and it takes a while for your body to catch up.

I know what you are feeling. My co-worker is going through the same thing. She has been trying very hard and has not seen a weight loss in 3 weeks. She is starting to get discouraged. Even I am starting to waiver just a little. I find myself not being as good as I was when I started and that is not a good thing.

Hang in there, Marlene. I know it is frustrating to not lose the weight as quickly as you want to lose it, but look at it this way... you are not sliding in the wrong direction! You still weigh less than when you started. And that is a good thing.

Good luck!
Joyce

well i am thankful that i have lost some weight but then i read about how well bambi is doing and here i am stuck with only half of that weight loss pooh hoo
what diet do u follow at tops can u let me know?
i am not giving up but i have slacked off as i am so frustrated
what bothers me alot is that is the am i am 3 to 4 lbs less than at night time i am thinking of switching to saturday meeting they are in the am i am really wishing i had a friend here with me pushing me everyday....but then i would be spoiled
oh well
keep on keeping on

I go to TOPS, but I am following the Weight Watcher points plan. That seems to be working for me at the moment.

Marlene - are you on a diuretic? Do you drink plenty of water during the day? Do you drink diet coke or other diet cola? I have been on a diuretic for years because I retain so much fluid. Could it be that you are retaining fluid during the day? Also, I am making sure that I drink plenty of water. I also heard that diet coke can actually make you retain water, so I (the Diet Coke Queen of NH) gave it up! I have an occasional can (maybe one or two a week), but generally, I still to water now. Maybe it's all in my head, but it seems to work!

Another big thing that I have learned the hard way is that it does no good to eat too little. That is one of the good things about the WW point plan. They let you know how many points you should be eating depending on your current weight. They strongly recommend that you do NOT eat LESS than your assigned points. That way, your body never goes into "starvation" mode. When you eat too few calories, your body holds on to every calorie it can hold on to, so you actually stop losing weight!

I hope some of this helps....

Joyce

Joyce, i am the biggest diet coke drinker around i can really put it away i am so addicted to it that if i don't have it i get headaches and yes i eat below my points so i do think that is a combination i should think about cutting back on diet coke but i love it so i have been drinking diet sodas since they came out in the early 70's with TAB and haven't stopped in fact i am drinking one now this early in the morning 24oz at work i make it last me most of the morning but i do drink it everyday and then when i go home a 2 liter is nothing i will drink that too and yes i think i retain water i also drink about 80ozs of water a day too so i do drink alot and feel like my stomach is sticking out until i walk around a little
could it be if i stopped drinking diet coke i might lose some weight???? what a thought!!!
thanks for the tip write me again

Joyce, one more question if i may....when it is the day of ur weighin do u drink alot of water that day?? alot of people tell me not to drink that day i was wondering ur opinion/

Hi Marlene,

I try not to alter the way I eat or drink even on weigh-in days. I used to do that the first time I belonged to TOPS, many years ago. It got to be a vicious cycle. First I wouldn't eat or drink past noon. Then I wouldn't eat or drink after breafast. Then it started the day before!! Now I generally don't drink a bunch of water after 2:00, but I eat and drink normally right up until that moment. By doing things the same way each week, I get a more honest weight - not one I manipulate by trying to dehydrate myself! (Because, you know, if you lose weight by dehydration, that weight goes right back on with the first sip of liquid you take!)

Have a great evening!
Joyce

thanks Joyce, well i am on my way to ww and will post when i can either tonight or in the am i am staying for the meeting so we will see ........

well i gained 3/4 of a pound i am so disgusted totally disgusted
but i am mad enough that starting tomorrow i am going to act as though it is my first day on my diet and take it from there
will let u know
night all:mad: :(

I am sorry about the weight gain, but you have the right attitude!

I missed your post on diet coke and just read it this morning. I, too, was the biggest diet coke drinker! It was all I drank. You'd hardly see me without one within reach. It was difficult to give up because I really do like it - but I did it slowly. First, I just cut back. Eventually I only had one bottle in the morning. Two months ago I stopped the one bottle in the morning. I did have a low-grade headache for a couple of days, but they only lasted a couple of days. Now I'm fine.

I hope this helps!

Don't give up!!

Thanks for responding i am starting to look forward to ur replies
i am starting fresh today so wish me luck and i am going to cut down on diet coke or pepsi...i do drink the flavored water so i guess i better cut back on that too and just drink plain water
i am going to have an egg, toast, for breakfast this am and since i am going on a school trip with my son i am making us pbj sandwiches, water and a small pack of pretzels then when i get home i will have an apple and then for dinner i am making chicken, veggie, salad and maybe rice then i am going to go to bed early so i don't eat at night.... i hope i can lose weight this week talk to u soon have a nice day!!!!!!

Sounds like you have a good plan going!

I have slipped a little this week. I haven't exercised in almost two weeks and that is very very bad! I don't get to weigh in tonight and I am not very happy about that even though I was expecting a gain. I think I am going to have to find a larger TOPS group - one that doesn't cancel its meetings at the drop of a hat!

my son's school is starting a exercise program twice a week and it is only 2.00 a time and u don't have to join so i think that once it gets rollin i will go and see if i can last a class ......lol
i did good yesterday and hope to do the same today and i will know if i am doing good by next tues
i don't even know if they have a tops here i am going to look online later and see i might join that too even though i already paid for ww for the next 20 meetings if i don't start losing alot i am not going to go back to ww
i wish i could afford to get my stomach tucked or something i am so desperate to lose weight that is the only place i have fat my arms and legs are thin, no back side (flat) it is all in my front i hate that
well have a good morning and talk to u soon Joyce
;)

Exercise is a good thing! I have got to get back to my walking. The trouble is, it is getting so cold that I don't like doing it outside!

i know it is cold here too....and sometimes it takes ur breathe away do u work Joyce? i work part time as "the office" for a small machine shop so i work only from 7am to noon every day which makes it nice but then again i wished i worked in the afternoon too so i wouldn't eat that is my worse time.. have a good evening

Good morning, Marlene,

Yes, I do work. I am the Medicaid financial eligibility specialist for the State of NH. (Yep, there's only one of me!) I work from 8 - 4 M-F and you are right, during the work day I haven't had any trouble staying on program. I used to "graze" my way through the day (there is always junk food hanging around), but now I ignore the junk and keep my mind on work!

I see that you are from Philadelphia, PA. My husband and I went to Philadelphia a couple of years ago when I attended a National Medicaid Eligibility Conference there. We took the train down and had a wonderful time.

Have a great day. Wish me luck this weekend. I am making the appetizers for my best friend's in-laws' 50 wedding anniversary tomorrow. My family is having "Chinese at home" on Sunday. I am making my homemade egg rolls. Danger, danger!!

Joyce, well i wish u luck..i know that when u make something u might be able to control urself once their made but the tasting while ur making something is what counts ....we all taste things and we must mark those things down in our journals too..i know i will be making pizelles soon for the holidays and how am i going to not taste the batter.... i too cook thanksgiving so that will be a challenge..i am not a big eater of what i cook on holidays but i sure do like the sweets. but this year i am planning lowfat desserts and everyone will have to like them...lol well have a great weekend, my husband and I will be cleaning our rugs in the house so i know i will get my exercise for sure
thanks so much for writing me daily i really look forward to it no matter how short or long it is
thank you:)

Well Marlene, it was a terrible diet weekend! Not one shred of willpower was found anywhere. Oh, well. Will start fresh this morning.

I have decided that diet coke really IS evil for me! I had at least 4 cans on Saturday... at least. You should have seen my ankles on Sunday. Talk about water retention! I haven't had any since then and my ankles are normal sized this morning. Whew.

I hope you had a better weekend than I did!
Joyce

Joyce, oh i went on calorieking.com yesterday and joined up for their diet plan and after putting in all the personal stuff they came back and said i should be on a 1300 calorie a day diet and gave me a food plan to follow per meal per week i love it and started it today then on next monday nite they have a meeting where everyone chats and then they give u ur menu for that week and so on So i printed out my menu for the week and will work with what i have at home until i go shopping but it sounds more like what i wanted I go to ww tonight to get weighed i don't think i lost from last week at all but next week look out
have a great day and stay away from diet coke

Hi Marlene,
Sounds like you have found a plan you like! Good luck this week! I have had a good day so far. And no diet coke!!

Joyce

well Joyce, i am proud of u and i found a article too about how diet coke can make u gain weight so i am cutting way back also and trying to drink only 3 a day instead of 12 then maybe i will cut it to once a day and then out of my life......i have to get my son off of it too he is hooked too ......yes i am going to try this program and will let u know ok
talk to u later

Hi Marlene,

You found an article about it! That is very cool. Could you tell me what magazine, etc. you found it in? I would love to read it.

I was good last night until supper. Then we finished up the eggrolls and fried rice. Way too much fat and carbs. But they are gone. Now I can truly be good!

Weigh-in tonight. The truth will be known!

Hope you are doing well.
Joyce

Joyce, go to shakeoffsugar.net scroll down to article about diet coke pretty interesting

i haven't had any yet today which is good for me but i did drink an extra cup of coffee in the afternoon i am going to drink green tea infusion i get it from avon which i sell but they have some good tasting teas in there and have been trying to be a bit healthier they have articles in that site about kids lunch boxes as well pretty neat site
let me know how u make out

Good job staying away from diet coke! I know it is difficult. I love the stuff, too! It certainly doesn't love me, though. Thanks for the website. I am going there now.

BTW... I didn't lose tonight, but I didn't gain either. In TOPS lingo, I had a turtle!!

well that is good about ur weight another site is www.fitday.com
i had a ball in there have a good nite and i will touch base with u tomorrow

i just thought i would say hi. i am definitely one for whom a lot of meds has hindered my weight loss. i have ms and am on a lot of meds. for the symptoms, as well as betaseron injections every other night as ms treatment. i had been on ww and did that faithfully, but still hardly lost much weight, plus it was very slow. i had never had this kind of trouble losing weight before in my life and was so frustrated. i thought i must be the only person in the world on ww who wasn't losing much weight. now, i am doing it the old-fashioned way by counting cals., and eating a well-balanced diet with lots of fruits and veggies, plus still drinking my water regularly and i am doing much better. i have continued to do the same exercising i was previously also. now, i am finally losing weight more consistently- very slowly, but at least losing, and i am glad about that. i had to experiment with number of cals/day until i could come up with the right combination/amt. for me but it was worth it! i also am losing slower than i ever had previously (and i always have been a slow loser in the past- though not like it was while i was still on ww) because i am not able to do the same type/amt. of exercising i could in the past. (now i use a wheelchair at times, while others i am able to use a cane or walker-due to ms.) i also got tips from my physical therapist on what exercises i can do and have been sticking to that regimen, which i believe is also helping now too. i was beginning to think my body would never cooperate and until i finally talked with my doctor, i had been feeling very discouraged about all my hard efforts. now i realize that my body will just lose slowly, but will at least lose weight as long as i stick to the changes i have now made in my diet and exercise plans. all the trial and error was rough, but it is finally paying off now. i hope things are going well for you, notlookingback. well, take care. all the best.

It sounds like you are doing great. One of the things that I have learned is that we are all so different (between individual metabolisms and medications, etc.) that each persons weight loss rate is individual, too. One just has to find what works best for them and stick with it! My husband is losing excrutiatingly slow, too. He is lucky to lose a pound a week (usually, it is more like 1/2 a pound a week). He is a cardiac/COPD patient and takes over 22 different prescriptions on an ongoing basis. His ability to exercise is almost non-existent, but he does what he can. We follow a modified WW diet and that seems to work. My husband has also cut out salt and that helps a lot with his water retention problem.

Keep up the good work! I wish you much success in your journey to lose weight.

Joyce