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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by CareBear04 on November 22, 2005, at 16:17:26
ok, the subject is a little overstated because i'm not fat, but i feel every day like i am. last fall, i was really sick and lost a lot of weight while being in and out of the hospital. i was really underweight to the point where health care providers and other people thought i was anorexic. i had to work really hard with my dr to gain weight back and to combat the deconditioning my body went through. the first few pounds were really hard to gain for some reasson, but then i feel like i gained a ton of momentum and never looked back! since a year ago, i've gained between 20 and 30 pounds, which is a huge percentage of my body weight. i thought i was 5'5, but the last time i was at the dr's, they said i was only 5'4, so you could imagine how visible a change this is. i'm still on the small side, and everyone says i look so much better like this, but i hate it. i overshot my baseline weight by at least ten pounds! all my old clothes are now too tight, but i haven't had time or money to go buy new ones, not to mention the fact that i'm still hoping to shed the extra pounds. i'm not sure why i can't. i'm not overeating as far as i can tell. i get a decent amount of exercise walking to work and at work, even though i don't go to the gym as much as i should. i wonder if it has to do with the meds i'm on. none of the psych meds are supposed to cause weight gain, i don't think. i'm thinking that maybe it's my birth control. i restarted birth control at a fairly high dose in the spring. since then-- coincidentally or not-- i notice that my figure has changed. for sure, my breasts are larger, but this could be from gaining weight in general. i wonder if changing to a lower-dose pill would help?
i don't want to go back to looking skeletal, but i just want to fit into my clothes again. should i buy a scale? exercise compulsively? or is this a permanent change that i just need to get used to?
thanks everyone for letting me vent and in advance for your thoughts.
CB
Posted by ClearSkies on November 23, 2005, at 7:55:09
In reply to FAT!, posted by CareBear04 on November 22, 2005, at 16:17:26
Hi, CareBear. How old are you? I'm 43 and in the few years my body has been changing shape though my weight hasn't gone up substantially. (The few 2 years of trying different antidepressants piled on the pounds and there they sit, not budging.)
But with age, my waist is disappearing, my arms are getting that "matronly" look, and I feel pretty well flabby. I joined a gym for a year and a half and became much fitter, cardio vascular-wise, but the flab didn't go away as much as solidify. I'm about to restart taking yoga classes for the overall benefits, and found that in the past it really helped get my figure closer to what I'd like.
I too was put on birth control pills, about 3 years ago, and that definitely contributed to the weight gain. I consider it a big trade-off; being overall healthier, but at the cost of added poundage. I wouldn't advise getting exercise crazy, but increasing your daily physical activities will help you lose some weight, though slowly. I think that's the wisest way for me to go. Although I really want these extra 20 lbs to vanish, realistically I know that if I radically alter my diet to do it, the weight will return with a vengeance soon after.ClearSkies
Posted by CareBear04 on November 23, 2005, at 11:22:31
In reply to Re: FAT! » CareBear04, posted by ClearSkies on November 23, 2005, at 7:55:09
hi clearskies-- i'm 23 years old. i wonder if i'm having some sort of late pubescent change that never took place when i was a teenager because i was too skinny. breasts and hips are completely new to me; i'm used to having a little boy figure.
i sympathize with you and your changing figure. it's frustrating, especially when you're not gaining weight or eating excessively or whatnot. thanks for the advice, and i'll try to work some more activity into my lifestyle as well as fiddling with my diet.
thanks,
cb
Posted by ClearSkies on November 23, 2005, at 13:00:08
In reply to Re: FAT! » ClearSkies, posted by CareBear04 on November 23, 2005, at 11:22:31
I grew an inch taller when I turned 21!! so there is some delayed developmental thing going on!!
So awful when you feel your body is a stranger to you.
CS
Posted by sassie on November 28, 2005, at 23:50:59
In reply to FAT!, posted by CareBear04 on November 22, 2005, at 16:17:26
dear carebear,
the birth control could definitely be doing it you. i put on about ten pounds on the first pill i tried and had major changes in my figure. trying another kind might help, although i didn't find one i was happy with.
also talk to your doc about your psych meds- again this could be the cause. and everyone has different reactions so even meds that docs swear are "weight negative" can make people put on weight, as they did with me.
hope this helps!
- sassie
Posted by CareBear04 on November 29, 2005, at 9:52:21
In reply to Re: FAT!, posted by sassie on November 28, 2005, at 23:50:59
Thanks, Sassie, and everyone who responded before. It helps so much to know that I'm not the only one who has gone through this. I don't know what's going on with my body, but it's scary and it's frustrating. I was home over Thanksgiving and before that, I had been home the first weekend of October, and between the two times, I'd gained nine pounds! I had no idea I was gaining weight like that! And i don't relaly know the reason why. I think it's partly because I'm bored and homesick, so I snack a lot, but it's not like I'm eating really fatty foods. I've been eating stuff like dry cereal and dried fruit. Anyway, I don't know if it's true that the average American gains something like 7 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years, but I'm determined that I won't be in that group. I've made a THanksgiving resolution to visit the gym more often and to try to eat only when I'm hungry. I already had to buy tons of new clothes while I was at home because my other ones were too tight. ANd I have one friend who said to me right off, "You look like you gained weight!" I think she meant it as a compliment because she told me a handful of times how good I looked, but I was a little shocked because one usually doesn't hear a comment like that.
Thanks again for writing. It makes me feel a lot better to hear from you all.
CB
Posted by Meri-Tuuli on November 30, 2005, at 4:28:32
In reply to Re: FAT!, posted by CareBear04 on November 29, 2005, at 9:52:21
Hey!
The birth control pills definately alter your shape. I know for me they increased the size of my breast a cup size. I was small to flat to start with, so I welcomed the changed!! Actually alot of my girlfriends have experienced the same thing.
Kind regards
Meri
Posted by CareBear04 on December 1, 2005, at 6:44:31
In reply to Re: FAT!, posted by Meri-Tuuli on November 30, 2005, at 4:28:32
HI Meri,
Do you mind if I ask what dose of birth control you were on? And since you seem to know a lot about this side effect of the pill, I was hoping you might know the answer to this question-- when one's breasts get larger from birth control and then the person loses weight or goes off the pill, does the size increase stay? I'm wondering because I too have had the size increase along with general weight gain, and though I'd like to lose weight, even if it means going off the pill, I'd like to stay at the size I am.
I'd be grateful if you could answer.
CB
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