Weight loss pills etc

[ayceejay]

"I am still gaining weight...I think its stress and medication related but hey ho" you say and are considering amphetamine or caffeine or some other way/pill to speed up your metabolism? Not sure that is such a good idea

 

[Becs]

"I am still gaining weight...I think its stress and medication related but hey ho" you say and are considering amphetamine or caffeine or some other way/pill to speed up your metabolism? Not sure that is such a good idea

Indeed. Also - the only way that stress would make you gain weight is if you comfort eat/have a poor diet from being so busy (I used to have this problem when I still worked in practice and had to eat at least 2 meals a day on the move in my car). If anything stress should make you lose weight. If you think it's medication related maybe speak to your doctor - however medications don't just magically make you fat, they either increase your appetite (e.g. corticosteroids and the pill) or reduce your activity levels and therefore metabolism (e.g. some anti depressants). So therefore if you are gaining weight you must be eating too many calories for your current activity level.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Orlistat is marketed under the brand name Xenical. I as put on this by my Doctor a few years ago. Alli is the non-prescription, and lesser dosed version or Orlistat/Xenical.
Both work by inhibiting how much fat your body absorbs from food, (alhtough I'm sure everyone know this).
The basic idea is that if you eat a healthy diet while using it you will lose weight, (as your eating a healthy diet ), and you won't suffer from steatorrhoea. It doesn't suppress your appetite or prevent you eating anything you want. So you can still eat a greasy fry up, of fish and chips, but you will suffer when you visit the porcelain throne. Alternatively, you simply don't take your tablet, eat the greasy $hit and avoid the toilet issues, but just don't expect any positive weight results.

It's not a case of eat less, ride more, (although it will certainly help). It's a case of consume less calories than you use, simple*


*Well it is in theory

 

[compo]

That's what I was alluding to, above!

A mate of mine caught a nasty virus that messed up his thyroid gland. He ended up with a permanent heart rate of 180 bpm, felt like he was going to die, couldn't sleep, was agitated all the time, was dripping sweat and the weight fell off him so quickly that he was eating 6 huge meals a day and still couldn't stop getting thinner. Just like being a speed freak in fact ...

He eventually had his thyroid gland 'zapped' to bring it back to a healthy range of operation, went back to eating 3 normal-sized meals a day and his weight settled back to its old level.

So, if you don't mind being a speed freak for the rest of your life, can put up the symptoms mentioned above, plus the mental health damage that would almost inevitably follow - you know what to do!

Alternatively ... You don't need to eat 'less', you need to eat 'different'. If you want to, you can eat huge quantities of many vegetables and not take in that many calories, as long as you don't accompany the veg with similar amounts of cheese. meat, bread and so on.

I went there with those signs and symptoms with Grave's Disease, badly overactive thyroid being one of the factors. Two doses of Radio Iodine had little effect on my thyroid output. In the end I had a total thyroidectomy and now rely on Levothyroxine to keep me going.

 

[david k]

I went there with those signs and symptoms with Grave's Disease, badly overactive thyroid being one of the factors. Two doses of Radio Iodine had little effect on my thyroid output. In the end I had a total thyroidectomy and now rely on Levothyroxine to keep me going.

i had a big dose of radio iodine that didnt wok at first, i stayed on carbinazole, after 3 weeks it kicking in and i went drastically under active! u probably like me had irregular heart beat which was a worry but alls good now. i sometimes get tired but on the whole very very well. my cardiovascular work is better than its been ever, as thye presume i had problems for years
now im out with tennis elbow but taking time to diet and this makes me too weak to cycle much, when im back on the bike soon i should be lighter

back on diet, ive lost weight by using a simple old fashioned diet. i have 3 meals a day, cereal, salad or tuna crunch or similar for lunch and a healthy dinner at tea time, no chocolate, chips or crisps, i have barely any bread. i occasionally have a meal replacement shake or bar if im too lazy to make my lunch but this is a pretty sustainable diet. i have muller ligh yoghurts if hungy or need something sweet. ive lost nearly a stone in 3 weeks, too much IMO but i hope to slow it down

 

[oldfatfool]

High5 zero tabs claim to be proven to make you burn more fat during exercise http://www.highfive.co.uk/zero_INT.php Wether they do or don't they are cheap, reasonably pleasant tasting and keep you hydrated.

 

[Camrider]

High5 zero tabs claim to be proven to make you burn more fat during exercise

I would take take claim with a huge pinch of salt, 1st off apparently only 22 people were involved in this study, and more importantly they do not provide a citation to this so called piece of research which I suspect does not exist. I smell snake oil again.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

or reduce your activity levels and therefore metabolism (e.g. some anti depressants). So therefore if you are gaining weight you must be eating too many calories for your current activity level.

probably true as I am currently dropping down from what i consider to be the worst anti depressant out there (and I've done nearly all of them) citalopram. The fatigue it leaves you with is incredible..at these doses anyway. So yes I think my metabolism is slower than it was before and very ride is a battle at the moment. Which is why I have been eating very sensibly as well. I like the idea that these pills can give me a 'boost' when exercising and suppress the appetite. What is wrong with that?
I have been through the weight loss battle already (some of you may know I lost over 8 stone that way)...but thta involved more riding than i can do atm given the medication crap.

To me this is just a temporary thing, not a final solution. The aim being to just get more benefit from the exercise I am doing (iro 75-100 miles a week). The plan being to reduce some weight and feel better during the withdrawel period (which I am told will last until august..sigh)

The alternative would be to do nothing...and exist on a lettuce leaf a day likely ride even less as my energy levels drop further.

As far as the anxiety thing goes...trust me ..at 60mg citalopram for 3 years I KNOW all about that! It sucks BIG time...but now I'm down to just 28mg and a LOT calmer as a result. I doubt the Grenade will cause to much extra anxiety, and if it does I'll just stop taking it as its not addictive (unlike citalopram...and pplease dont anybody jump in here and tell me it isnt..because I have the T shirt on that one and it is.)

So..FWIW...yes if the situation was 'normal' and this was a simple case ,of more lard than legs I would agree, and do it like I did before. But it isnt, and while this incredible fatigue continues I have two options...1) lay down do nothing and grow fatter or 2) fight , my choice, and ride as much as I can, eat healthily etc....but to do that RIGHT NOW I feel a little temporary 'help' cant hurt.

Now dont get me wrong, I am not a massive great hulk of lard...in fact for my age I am told I am fit. But I just want fitter, nought wrong with that either.
Cycling is also crucial for my withdrawel, it keeps me 'out there' in th efresh air, moving, and whilst the withdrawel effects keep hitting me I want to fight them by cycling my way through them. I refuse to simply lay down and let them win.

This is a temporary 'crutch' if you like to help get through this, when I will drop the grenade and keep going at the then , hopefully higher , level of activity as the med withdrawel effects reduce.

 

[col]

I guess, yes. Only thing I know is that it's incredibly effective for energy boosts.

I once had four cups of coffee in an hour , on a very hot shift on ward. Felt my heart rate go wacky and asked the doc to check me out. Two minutes later I was in A and E downstairs getting injections to stop my heart and get it back to normal, after three injections if it didnt work, its the paddles. Luckily the second worked. Reason, caffiene from the coffee Id guzzled. And they gave me a lecture on what caffiene can do to you if you overdo it. It caused tachy eurithmia for me. People dont realise how bad for us it is, I now drink decaff.

 

[fossyant]

CHECK YOUR THYROID.

Really.

My wife has been diagnosed with an under active one of these thingy's and it's taken a very very long time to get things better - doctors are clueless. Like many, she has digested the WEB, and know's more than the GP. Still not right, but it's going in the right direction. Your symptoms are typical though !

 

[fossyant]

I once had four cups of coffee in an hour , on a very hot shift on ward. Felt my heart rate go wacky and asked the doc to check me out. Two minutes later I was in A and E downstairs getting injections to stop my heart and get it back to normal, after three injections if it didnt work, its the paddles. Luckily the second worked. Reason, caffiene from the coffee Id guzzled. And they gave me a lecture on what caffiene can do to you if you overdo it. It caused tachy eurithmia for me. People dont realise how bad for us it is, I now drink decaff.

Take more than that for me. I was about 30 bpm on my op in Feb 11, they could not get me to get up at first. ~I was out the hospital 4 hours after coming round, bye !

 

[col]

Take more than that for me. I was about 30 bpm on my op in Feb 11, they could not get me to get up at first. ~I was out the hospital 4 hours after coming round, bye !

So you were very laid back and chilled then? My HR was 220 give or take, lucky I have no heart defects or, they said it would have been a heart attack.

 

[CopperCyclist]

You don't even need to eat less. Or eat healthy. Just do more instead! I've lost two stone since last March just because I started cycling, and I still eat as unhealthy (and as much!) as I did before.

Of course, if I ate healthier I'd be healthier, so I'm not saying don't - just saying you only HAVE to hit one side of the 'eat less'/'do more' seesaw to start losing weight.

 

[ColinJ]

You don't even need to eat less. Or eat healthy. Just do more instead!

Generally, that's good advice, but you seem to have missed this rather important clarification by BOAB ...

I am currently dropping down from what i consider to be the worst anti depressant out there (and I've done nearly all of them) citalopram. The fatigue it leaves you with is incredible..at these doses anyway. So yes I think my metabolism is slower than it was before and very ride is a battle at the moment.

Doing more is rather difficult if you are already exhausted doing not very much!

I've suffered from chronic fatigue like that a few times. One time I got so bad that I had to stop every 50 yards when carrying two bags of shopping back from the local market! (That was a few months after romping round some hilly 200 km audax rides, so it wasn't that I was desperately unfit.)

 

[Becs]

I'd say the only benefit to diet pills is the placebo effect, and a mild increase in fat burning efficiency from the caffeine ones. You'd be better off spending the money on high quality protein and leafy greens. Maybe try something like the my fitness pal app to help you count calories, although beware of it overestimating your exercise calories. Eating less doesn't automatically mean you'll feel more tired, quite the opposite in fact. Maybe you could ask your doctor whether you can talk to a nutritionist about how to manage things while you're coming off the anti depressants?