[Vixen Venus]

Hello everyone,
My name is Faline and I'm 22yrs. old. I’m a sufferer of bipolar, depression, anxiety, trichotillomania, hypo-thyroid, PCOS and obesity. I was always a very fit and active child. However, when I was about 12 I started having a lot of problems. I was then put on medication (I'm am currently taking A LOT) and the side effects had a lot to do with my massive weight gain. My problem is that I am unmotivated and have a hard time following through with things. I don't want to spend one more day regretting not being healthy and helping my body. I currently plan on doing Dr. Oz's 2 week weight loss diet. After that I want to continue to eat healthy and follow some of the diets basics, but with more variety. This is going to be a lifestyle change!

[Kitcherella]

[Pattience]

Vixen, i know that many people here will want to shoot me down for this but if you are taking medication for bipolar, you are facing an extra challenge that most of us here are not. i think you are going to have a real hard time losing weight without the assistance of your psychiatrist and a suitable dietician. I mean the meds you would be on set you up to have an appetite. How can could you cope against that. I've seen it first hand in one of my friends.

She was always a skinny little thing, though admittedly she smoked too, then she got schizophrenia and voila, i saw her appetite go crazy before my eyes. And of course she put on weight. I know the meds for bipolar are similar

So if you are taking any of those types of medications - mood stabilisers or antipsychotics, then i think its always going to be a struggle for you. But if on the other hand, you have bipolar 2 and don't need the stronger meds, but only antidepressants, then you should be able to lose weight as easily as the rest of us.

HOwever,whatever the situation, you can at least choose better foods.

Let us know how you get on with Dr Oz.

btw i have had a history of depression but am a lot older now so i've learnt to reduce its incidence and its duration. I know quite a bit about various mental illnesses because as part of my therapy, i found myself reading all about all of it and i frequent a busy depression website where i've spoken to many people with all sorts of disorders. I've also been in support groups where i've had friends all the basic disorders so if you need a bit of extra advice feel free to ask me.

I've also had a motivation issue for most of my life. I"ve recently started to get better with it and its not an issue at all at the moment.

Also check out what i eat on my page. See what strategies i use. I keep a food diary and i would recommend that for everyone trying to lose weight.

good luck.

[Vixen Venus]

Thanks for the reply Pattience,
I am currently on 5 psychiatric medications (if you count my sleep aids). My doctor has been kinda experimenting to try to find something effective that won't stimulate my appetite so much. However, I have to stay on lithium for my bipolar because nothing else works enough. So far I've gotten to the point the last few months were I haven't gained any more weight and have stayed the same. It hard though when the doctors tell you, you need to lose weight and then just send you out the door with a pamphlet. I have labral tears in each hip so its sooo hard to exercise. Yet my doctor doesn't want to do the surgeries until I lose weight? I have also been through tons of doctors trying to find someone who gets this but even after almost 10 years of looking, I've had no luck. The last few days I have been losing so I will take that as a good sign though... all I can do is keep trying.

[Pattience]

Well i guess you can at least use the idea of those surgeries to try to motivate you. Don't put yourself under extra pressure though with deadlines and such. Steady as she goes may win the day here.

Are you keeping a detailed diary of everything that goes on? If you do it will help you. And because there'd be so much going on for you with reactions to medication and stuff as well as less food, a daily diary describing what you eat precisely, what exercise you do precisely, your sleep, your side effect symptoms and your mood as well as daily events , could all be really useful to you in correcting things as you go and making adjustments here and there because you know, our memories are so very fallible.

I know what you mean about doctors. They are not always the most helpful. I guess they think its not their job to guide you through weight loss. Are you able to work with a dietician. They are often found in hospitals but you are in a different country to me so i know what would be available there. Maybe you doctor could point you in the right direction there. You want one that's not going to send you in faddish directions.