My sister was a size 12 at 5'3" tall. I don't know her weight prior or currently. However, she went to a doctor who sold her Phentermine for $15 and charged her insurance the rest, straight from his office. I guess he's a weight loss doctor or something. Anyway, she was only a size 12, not obese like the WebMD information gives about who it's for. That's not my complete concern though. She dropped to a size 7 after using it. And then I guess today went to the Gap, tried some pants on and had to try on a size 4 to get a fit. And THEN she went on to tell me she was planning on taking the Phentermine AGAIN! (She's been off a while). She's a SIZE 7 (or 4!)! I read it can cause dependancy and I told her but she pretty much blew it off. Apparently this doctor has no problem just shelling it out like bandaids! I'm not sure what to do about this. She lives in another state from me.

I guess the best you can do it to try to get her to see another doctor for a second opinion. If there are other family members that live near her and that agree with you, you might enlist their help in trying to convince her to do so. If she rejects that, I'm not sure you have many options. She is an adult, and short of having her commited (which clearly isn't the answer here) you can't really control her behavior.

Good luck with whatever you try!

I agree, you can't control her, or do anything about her doctor. All you can do is be a good example to her-by living a healthy lifestyle, and showing her (by your results) what healthy eating and exercise can do.

I don't even know what clothing sizes mean anymore since some of them went to "vanity sizing."

I agree with the other posters. You can express your concern, provide her with information on phentermine, suggest a second opinion--but ultimately what she does is up to her, even if it is scary to you.

Keep on with your program, and as aphil says, be a good example!

Jay

Cathie, I can understand your concern and hopefully her Dr. won't renew the prescription for phentermine. You mention her clothes size. At a size 12, I was 185 lbs. (I'm taller than your sis). So, anything over 182 (if I remember correctly, was considered obese for my heighth). I mention this, because at size 12 she may have been closer to the obese category than you think. You mention that she was a size 7 and now bought a size 4. A 7 is a Jr. miss size and a 4 is a Women's size. I have jeans that I wear all the time, some are 4's, some are 5's or 7's in Jr. Miss and my wt. has stayed consistent. So, it sometimes depends on the difference between Juniors or Womens sizing. Vanity sizing is proliferant and a size 4 now is what used to be at least a size 8. I hope this makes sense. I'm not at all trying to say that you shouldn't be worried. Be it a size 7 or a size 4, she obviously doesn't need any more diet pills. I would just try to encourage her that she looks great NOW and doesn't need to lose more weight. Sometimes it takes quite a while for the mind to catch up with the body.

Lily-- just for comparasion purposes, I am a 12 in dresses (big boobs) and an 8 in jeans. And for me a 12 is NOT obese. (hooray!)

Sorry, Cathie, I don't really know what to say...........

Charlotte, I should have clarified. I was a 12 in JEANS when I weighed 185. I am big on top and have the football shoulders and still wear a size 12 in dresses.

Lily----Thanks! I'm not alone.
So, who in the **** do they make size 0 dresses for then exactly...............??????
I'm guessing 5 year old boys.

I emailed her with all the info I could on Phentermine, including the fact that a large portion of people who take it often gain it back plus some (after reading the Phentermine post on here). I reminded her that it's an addictive substance, that if the doctor prescribes it to a non-obese woman it's considered off label use, and that selling it directly from his office could mean he's avoiding writing a prescription, which could potentially mean he gets kick-backs from the drug corp. She told my mom that she's actually about a size 8, and that the size 4's were mismarked...but still, a size 8 as someone said, shouldn't need weight loss pills. I have a heart murmur so I can't take pills like those. I gave her links to BMI calculator's and weight maintenance sites that said how many calories needed to maintain, explaining that a small decrease in calories per day would help in the long run to losing weight. She's very active, working a lot, and has a 1 1/2 year old son. Her husband's in the military, so he's not home and has been gone for about a year. I'm just going to try to encourage better eating...because I know my sister and she probably eats junk food (like big mac's and the like).

Cathie--- It sounds like you have now done EVERYTHING you can do. You clearly are a very supportive sister. I wish I had one like you.
Now, it is up to her. And if she doesn't take heed, then it is not your fault. You have done everything. She is her own person and now needs to figure out that this is NOT the best thing for her health.

Charlotte, I have 2 step-nieces that were a size 00. One just had a baby and now she's a size 1 being 6 weeks post-partum. I know that for both of them, it is genetic, both parents are absolutely tiny. I still feel Huge next to these 2.

Cathie, I took pondimin and phentermine in 1993 and lost 90 lbs. in 7 months. Gained all but 3 lbs. of it back after stopping the med. So, what you say is absolutely true. Yep, when I was on those diet pills, I got them directly from the doctor's office. That was a great idea to give her the links to BMI chart and calorie counter maintenance support.

[QUOTE=lilybelle;1615853] Vanity sizing is proliferant and a size 4 now is what used to be at least a size 8. I hope this makes sense. QUOTE]


I so agree with that. I still have some of my skinny clothes (size4-6) from 12 yrs ago including my wedding dress. My cousin who wears between a size 0-2 can NOT fit into my skinny clothes. So peple cant convince me that the sizes are differant now.

As for the OP .. All you can do is send your sister info on the pills and hope and pray that she will listen to you. I can understand how upsetting in can be for her to be going this route for her weightloss. Pills are scary things to mess with. Hopefully she'll listen to you and come off of them, or perhaps sinc she's so small they DR wont renew her pills.

Starla, when I lost the 90 lbs. before I weighed 147 which is very close to where I'm at now. I was a size 8 jeans then. I fully expected this time when I hit my 145 goal that I'd be a size 8 again, but definite vanity sizing for me to fit in a size 4 that is for sure. Plus, I wore a size 11-13 in Jr. Miss before at this weight not a 5-7.

So, I totally believe that a size 4-6 from 12 yrs. ago was much smaller than a 0-2 nowdays.

Yeah I have a cousin like that. She wears a size 0. When my daughter was 7, and my cousin was visiting, we were going out to a park and all she had was the pants she had on. We were going to be in the sun and hot, so she wore a pair of my daughter's shorts...and they were slightly baggy on her. LOL It's genetics, her mom was that way as well. She had a hyperthyroid problem like my husband too, which also keeps their weight down. Her highest weight was 113 pounds...at 9 months pregnant.

Cathie, it sounds like losing a bit of weight was probably a good thing for your sister - she's pretty short, after all. The part that causes concern is how she did it. Anyone who undergoes some kind of weight loss process that doesn't include a change in lifestyle is doomed to fail, in the long run. After all, it's poor lifestyle choices that make us put on the weight in the first place. The Dr. is a concern - if he give her more of the meds, he should be reported.