C'mon girls this is getting a bit mushy I love it!! Thanks for the compliment SusanB you are a great asset to 3FC, I don't know how many times you've been here to start up weekly threads and discussions...

Allison, you DO have a "je ne sais quoi" polish about you...

Today's plan is to stay on plan ... I'm tired of this ... I can't get even with myself I'll get mad ... Later girls I'm off to the gym

I feel warm and mushy today. There was just too much negativity in our extended family yesterday and I totally lost focus on all that is good. Today I'm gonna appreciate how amazingly blessed I am!

Susan your family is lucky to have you. Especially during a difficult time.

I am running out the door to take my kids to play but I wanted to pop in to say hi.

And yes Allison, me too (hand waving) I definately have you as the tall slender sophisticated lady from the south. Its your own fault for being so photogenic.

OK gotta run. Go eat small amounts of good food, move around and lift heavy things ladies.

I think I ought to do a full body shot to show you I'm not all that slender (or photogenic!!). LOL Thanks, though.

Allison ~ seeing your daily posts encourages me to stick with my exercises. If I don’t do it EVERY SINGLE DAY, then I slip 2-3-4 days and never get back into it. So having to post to this forum has been a great motivator.

Blue to Blue ~ I’m amazed you only missed 2 days of exercising while you were sick. That’s commendable!

Great Choice ~ how do you like Curves? I stopped by the local one yesterday only long enough to eyeball the place and learn the initiation fee and month fees. It didn’t seem that you could add extra weights to the machines. Do you miss that as you go on for several months?

Hiker Chick ~ I don’t drink much because a) I really only like the fruity drinks, hate beer, most hard liquors, and most wines b) one drink makes my arthritic joints hurt the next morning c) I really shouldn’t be drinking with all the meds I’m on.

Whitlin ~ I’m on 4 meds to keep my bipolar disorder in balance. By being diligent with taking my meds, eating right, exercising, getting proper sleep (which can be up to 12 hours a day – down from a high of 14) and most importantly minimizing all stress, I’m able to lead a stable, productive life.

Almost all meds for depression and mania cause some amount of weight gain. Plus the physical symptoms of being depressed (difficulty getting out of bed, difficulty getting motivated, difficulty with sleep) makes a person prone to weight gain.

5 years ago, I started taking an anti-psychotic for the voices and visions I also experience. That med made me extremely hungry all the time. It was like the commercial for a weight loss program where a lion is roaring in front of the woman by the refrigerator. I craved carbs and sweets. I just couldn’t stop eating no matter how hard I tried.

Mentally, I was ok with the weight gain because I was happy and finally had relief from the voices I hear at night when I try to fall asleep. They could keep me up for hours on end.

Then in December 2005, I was having a stressful month and the medicine no longer quieted the voices. I was awake for days and even heard them during the day – which I’m usually able to block out just by thinking strong thoughts. I knew I was well on my way to another manic episode so I made an emergency appointment with my doctor and she prescribed a brand new anti-psychotic. It worked immediately.

I also noticed that I no longer craved the carbs and sweets. Instead, all I seemed to want to eat were salads. Having been a chocoholic my entire life, I was no longer interest in indulging. I still have the large Hershey’s chocolate bar my husband gave me that Christmas. Sweets just taste too sweet now.

My appetite really dropped off and the weight just came of naturally. After the first 30 lbs, I started preparing really healthy meals and watching a TV show called Christina Cooks about cooking whole vegetables and whole grains.

Yes, I’ve talked with doctor about the weight loss as a wonderful ‘side effect’ of this medicine. She believes in addition to reducing my appetite and changing my taste buds, it has increased my metabolism or at least brought it back to my normal level. Like most people I had times where I needed to lose 5-10 lbs, but until the first med, I had never been overweight. For my height or 5’1”, I recently learned that at 160 lbs I was on the BMI borderline of being obese. That really surprised me, because even though I knew I was significantly overweight, I didn’t think of myself in those terms and how it could impact my health long term.

One of my major concerns is that my current cocktail of drugs will stop working and I’ll have to switch to another set or combination that will put weight back on. I have NO will power when my stomach is telling me I’m hungry.

I’ve written to Pfizer who makes to drug and told them of my weight loss experience. It would be wonderful if they could isolate the component in the drug that either works on metabolism or on the hypothalamus that regulates appetite

I am reluctant to mention the medicine by name because my own doctor is no longer prescribing it to other patients with a similar mental illness as mine. She has found it only worked in 50% of the patients she prescribed it to and the other 50% had bad side effects that I do not know the details of.

So that’s my ‘magic pill’ weight loss story.

Where's Cats tongue? I bought a boat load of salad fixin's ....

Carolyn~so glad I can be of some help to you! Now if someone could motivate me to exercise!!!

Thanks SusanB, your the one who invited me here and has made me feel welcome

Well what a warm and cosy place this is today!

Susan, Ilene and Allison I see you guys as the mainstays of this particular forum and read all your posts. Keep posting!!!!!

Well I'm here tonight because I need to read, read, read as got my sugar head on. However, unlike I usually do I am ABSOLUTELY NOT giving in tonight. I have to be in some fom of swimwear in 4 months time. I refuse to go to Greece praying for rain so that I don't have to bare my flabby body

Well done to all the losers and stuff. Spanky nice to see you back. Now if only Sodiumlightbaby would drop in.

Yeah, isn't she in finals mode? We should all be thinking happy grade thoughts for her.

Hey everyone!

Here I am Susan! hmmm, a boat load of salad fixin's? Sounds delightful! What have you got planned? I myself am thinking of some kind of green bean salad tonight. Along with a portabell mushroom bake.

clvquilts - What a story! Thanks for sharing. It's always inspirational to hear about people who have faced such problems and come out so strong.

silverbirch and susan, I have images of people randomly lunging down the street instead of walking, I had a good laugh and am still smiling.

Swim wear is always a great inspirational piece doughnut. Are you going to be doing a one piece or a two piece? I don't know if I'd ever have the guts to wear a two piece really, I just feel so naked in them.

So my day has been okay-dokey. I'm still really really tired, but I think if I get a good sleep tonight I'll be better. Hopefully it'll wear me out enough to get me to just fall asleep when my head hits the pillow.

Well I'm sure I'll be back a bit, but right now I've got to get supper going and get in a short run (it's so wet and icky out and my roommate is all sick and stuffed up that the inspiration for getting outside isn't comming...).

A salmon filet, ff cottage cheese, a whole dinner plate full of mesclun and iceberg lettuce with ff italian dressing.

My friend and I just walked 4 kms. It is sooo lovely outside!

Oh Susan that meal and walk sound wonderful!!

I had a great day too... Did lots of stuff and worked out 3 times AND food was good too, IMAGINE?!?!?

But I sure am tired so I'm off to shower and to bed .... Night all

Just wanted to add Carolyn, your story touched me you are a very strong lady...

Yes Carolyn, thanks for posting your story. I am so glad that you have found a series of medications that are keeping you healthy and well.