Meds that make you gain weight

[derbygirl]

Long story short I was taking a medication for depression, that despite working out 5 days a week, I managed to put on 19.6 lbs of fat I talked with my GP and we decided to try something else but I hate how it makes me feel. Her and I talked about the possibility of going back to the original medication but just being more aware of the triggers that make me eat. Seriously - if you put anything with flavor in your mouth at night it's like you haven't eaten in DAYS! We also talked about the Whole30 and she's totally on board. I was thinking about sticking with the current medication for the 30 days in hopes that I'd feel better but I can't do it.

Anyone else manage to have decent results keeping weight off while taking a medication that packs it on? I feel like taking the old medication is setting me up to fail. Can I do both?

[Alexandra Kreiman Walters]

I'm steroid dependent. I can't live more than about 3 days without steroids. I will die. They make me ravenous. I gained a lot of weight the first year I took them. I felt really stuck for a long time because I don't have a choice about taking them.

I started losing weight when I put myself in ketosis. I can't give you medical advice, but my endocrinologist was on board with a ketogenic diet for me. If your doctor is okay with that, ketosis made my excessive hunger signals go away. Eating adequate protein and reminding myself that my steroids are lying to me helps, too. I don't have to listen to hunger signals for 3 hours after a meal. If I'm not willing to eat cold chicken breast, those signals are a craving and not actual hunger.

So far I've lost about 70 pounds on a primal low carb diet and kept it off for two years. I've been on two steroids and an antidepressant the whole time. I still have 40 pounds to lose, but I'm no longer morbidly obese. I consider myself healed. I still get very hungry late at night when my blood sugars fall lowest. I'm not perfect. I'm working on saving a small meal for late at night so I can beat that hunger without snacking to the point of stuffing myself silly. If I ate with a plate and fork at the table, I would make better choices.

Best wishes to you.

[lauragh13]

I have been on pristiq and wellbutrin for about 2 years. I gained 25 lbs on them, and have lost 13 in my first and second whole30s. What a HUGE relief. The gain would come in fits and starts, but the scale kept moving UP and felt very out of control. Whole30 stopped my weird binges in the evenings (that I never really had before Pristiq!) and that, more than anything, has contributed to my feeling better and not just stopping the weight gain, but reversing it.