Weight Gain

[Mary.Mary]

Hi!!

OK, no word of a LIE!! I am putting on SO MUCH WEIGHT!! HOW do you lose it? Does anyone know of any good easy diets etc.?

[rheller]

Sadly, there are no easy diets! If there were, I'd have found it by now. I have found the most sensible and easy to live with plan is Weight Watchers. Prior to my back getting out of control, I had lost about 80 pounds. I had ADR surgery 7 weeks ago and hope to get back to water aerobics soon (a good, low impact exercise routine for anyone really) and get back on my good old Weight Watchers plan.

[KBear]

I put on 15 pounds post-surgery. I am guessing it is because of all the restrictions. I wasn't doing my normal running around, cleaning the house, chasing children, etc. I am trying to focus on eating lots of fruits and veggies. Good luck, Kathy

[SemperFi]

You might already be doing this but when I first decided to try and lose 15 lbs I got rid of all sweets and anything that had sugar in it. I limited my bread/starch intake and I ate sparingly for each meal with a few healthy snacks. I counted fat grams as well.

I kept my caloric intake at about 1000 calories a day. I wasn't very active so I knew I really didn't need to eat much as I wasn't expending much energy.

I added more veggies into the diet in terms of *fillers*... and I drank non caffienated hot tea throughout the day and the evening (I'm a coffee person first thing in a.m.).

I started a mini walking program that eventually got to be pretty good in terms of time and distance. It was amazing. You should do what you can tolerate without causing yourself more pain/probs.

The eating thing is about discipline though and eating the right foods and the right amount of calories so that you can burn them off even if you're basically doing very little.

good luck. I lost my extra weight in 2006 and it's stayed off even tho I had spent most of last year just walking the dog short distances several times/day because of a bilateral foot condition (posterior tibial tendonitis and plantar fasciitis).. again I say it's about discipline, eating right and not eating more than your body can burn off (also depending on all health issues being OK/no medical conditions that would be problematic re weight/eating).

[Terry Newton]

Some of the medications help with weight gain. Something like the anti-depressants, Lyrica, opiate medications, etc. sometimes help to put on the poundage. I would recommend Cymbalta as you have to force yourself to eat while on this medication.

[KBear]

I am on double the 'normal' dose of Cymbalta and double the dose of Lyrica; but think it has more to do with my lack of activity post-surgery. I usually move a million miles an hour (my husband is always telling me to just sit down and relax); but post surgery I tried to obey and stick to walking only, which blew my rear up. I have found that the stop smoking drug, Chantix, not only helps with cigarette cravings; but really cuts my appetite (I was told that this is either about to or is already being written off label for weight loss). Maybe I should start taking it again; it is really expensive and my insurance won't cover it though, like $150 per month. Uhh, somedays I just want to go back to being a kid again, no worries, no responsibility

[Justin]

I am on double the 'normal' dose of Cymbalta and double the dose of Lyrica; but think it has more to do with my lack of activity post-surgery. I usually move a million miles an hour (my husband is always telling me to just sit down and relax); but post surgery I tried to obey and stick to walking only, which blew my rear up. I have found that the stop smoking drug, Chantix, not only helps with cigarette cravings; but really cuts my appetite (I was told that this is either about to or is already being written off label for weight loss). Maybe I should start taking it again; it is really expensive and my insurance won't cover it though, like $150 per month. Uhh, somedays I just want to go back to being a kid again, no worries, no responsibility

Hey Kathy,

I understand your frustration. It is so easy to put on weight when you are recovering. Inactivity, like you said, is the kicker. I'm on Cymbalta (60mg QD) and I still have a pretty good appetite. You are right that Chantix is being used off-label for weight loss. Adderall, a medicine usually written for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is also frequently used off-label for weight loss. I'm not making any suggestions regarding medication you should take--just confirming that you are right about the off-label use for weight loss.

Something that might help with the weight gain is to eat meals higher in protein. You will feel full longer (proteins take longer to digest). Salads with low fat / no fat dressing are also a good choice because they fill you up and they are relatively low calorie (just watch out for everything else that's on the salad like cheese, fatty dressings, etc.).

You speak the truth about being a kid again--the whole "no/little responsibility and worries" gig was pretty sweet.

Good luck and don't be too hard on yourself. Things will start to normalize as you move forward in the recovery process. I'm sure I'll be visiting this thread frequently in the coming weeks.

EDIT: Make sure to drink a lot of cold water. The colder the better--your body will expend energy by "warming up" the water = more total calories burned.

[Cindylou]

I'm afraid to even look at the scale with this latest recovery. Poundage? You betcha! I am starting my walking program. Nothing fancy, but it should help. And like Justin said, lean meats, lots of veggies and fruit, and plenty of water, which the latter is always the most difficult one for me. I am just not a water drinker. It's terrible. Oh, another: try and be done eating by 7 pm if at all possible, and try a walk after dinner. Or a little jig !

Cindylou

[KBear]

I have actually had crazy extreme thirst lately, been drinking tons of water (which I rarely do, prefer flavor drinks). I know I have been downing 8-10 cups or more a day. I really don't care for cold drinks, don't like ice, just room temparture (I have very sensitive teeth, so the cold bothers me). I have heard though that the cold helps burn calories.

[Terry Newton]

Zimulti

rimonabant
Company: Sanofi-Aventis
Zimulti (rimonabant) is an anti-obesity drug. It was approved for marketing as Acomplia in the European Union in June 2006. Zimulti is not yet approved for use in the United States.
Zimulti Update: On June 13, 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee did not recommend approval of Zimulti (rimonabant) to the US FDA for use in obese and overweight patients with associated risks factors because of continuing concerns about increased risks for suicidal thoughts among some users. The FDA is expected to decide by July 27, 2007 whether Zimulti should be on the market.


This drug has not been approved yet in the United States. It is approved overseas so far. If you can get a hold of this in another country please let me know. It looks very promising.