[M1ND1]

I'm glad to have finally joined, I've been lurking for a little while.

I've always been kind of on the edge of healthy and overweight but gradually my weight kept getting higher. I'm on two medications that increase appetite and lethargy - Paxil and Haldol and it's been very difficult but I'm wanting to try to lose some.

I don't expect miracles, I would be very content just to get back down to 180 which is where I used to hover before the medications. Although that is technically a little overweight for my height, I'm very comfortable with it.

I'm planning to roughly watch my calories and want to stay within the 1600-1800 range to start. More than that I want to commit to eating mindfully because my therapist says that's important. I am happy to get support and also to give support. I don't go out much but I love meeting people online and interacting.

Take care everyone and thank you for having me in your community!

[Jacqui_D]

Hi M1ND1! Good to have you! Years ago, meds initially caused me to pack on pounds also. I wished I had been warned to watch out for that, but I wasn't. In fact, my doctor at the time told me they really didn't cause weight gain, even though all the research I've read since then says they absolutely do! That doesn't mean weight loss is impossible though! It just means you have to be extra vigilant because your body will be sending you strong false signals that you are hungry. So just take a few precautions. Don't be too restrictive with your calories (1600-1800 looks good). Always make sure you are getting enough to eat. In fact, you might want to check out the volumetrics thread: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/gene...followers.html. It might help. Drink plenty of water. And come up with things to do instead of eat--work, exercise, hobbies, 3FC, etc. This is a wonderful, supportive community, and people here will do their best to advise and support you, so please become active! One forum you might also want to check out here is "Depression and Weight Issues" http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/depr...ght-issues-76/ since there are members in that forum who also are dealing with meds like paxil. I wish you the best! You can do this!