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Tips on Losing Weight?

Discussion in 'Physical & Sexual Health' started by FuelsMySong, Mar 20, 2020.

  1. FuelsMySong

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    I am 24 years old, cisgender female.

    Currently, I am 5'2 and 169 pounds.

    When I was a teenager, I was around 113-115 pounds and stayed that way until I was around 20 years old.

    Then, when I was 21, I was diagnosed with schizophrenia. For the past 3 years, I've been trying out different antipsychotics prescribed by a psychiatrist and the meds made me balloon up to about 50 extra pounds. The highest weight I've ever had was 180 pounds.

    I started taking metformin, a diabetes medication despite not having diabates, on the recommendation from my doctor for weight loss and was able to get down to around 163-165 pounds from 180 pounds.

    I noticed that around December and January months, I tend to lose weight. Last December 2019, I was about 158 pounds. However, now it is March and like I said, I am 169 pounds. I gained over 10 pounds basically.

    A few things that happened that I believe may have contributed to gaining weight again:

    -I broke up with my ex-gf in January 2020 (we only dated for 2 months, however)

    -I started a new job in January 2020 (I used to work 8am-5pm with a 1 hour break in between but now I work a split shift, 7-9am then a break, then go back to work from 2pm-6pm)

    -I worked out with a personal trainer for about 6 sessions (1 hour per session) and I think it actually made me gain weight?? Before, I was just doing cardio but she made me do some strength-training

    Could the extra pounds be due to muscle mass from weigh training? I just am not sure whether you could gain that much muscle as I am not educated when it comes to this stuff. I am also on my period atm, so that could be another factor.

    Ideally, I would like to get down to 130 pounds but I do not have a specific timeline, probably in about a year is when I would like to achieve this weight? Any tips?
     
  2. Chiroptera

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    Hey there,

    Yes, muscle mass could add some extra pounds, but I wouldn't expect this until you have spent a considerable amount of time doing it (6 sessions wouldn't be enough to see much change, unless you mean 6 per week).

    It's impossible to give precise diagnosis over the internet so, considering you are on treatment, the best thing you can do right now is to ask the health professionals who are assisting you about weight control.

    In addition, you should start monitoring the basics. How is your diet? Are you exercising regularly now?
     
  3. DecentOne

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    Hi FuelsMySong,

    The online sources I looked at don’t list Metformin as a weight loss drug, generally. But it does appear to work that way for folks who are pre-diabetic or diabetic. For folks with those medical conditions, watching out for too many carbohydrates is often discussed, as those conditions tend to convert excess carbs into fat. This isn’t my medical advice (as I’m not a doctor) but it might be something to look into.
     
  4. FuelsMySong

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    Hi, thanks for your tips.

    I monitor my diet through an app called LifeSum and sometimes I eat over 2000 calories a day but I try to aim for 1500 calories but doesn't always work out. I also monitor my macronutrients: carbs, fat, protein.

    I try to exercise but sometimes, I just do not have the motivation and plus everyone is in quarantine cuz of COVID-19 so going to the gym is not an option. However, I do have some exercise DVDs I have been meaning to do, but like I said, sometimes the motivation just isn't there.
     
  5. Chiroptera

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    You are welcome.

    About motivation, I quote Dr. Drauzio Varella, one of the most famous brazilian doctors, who also runs marathons as his hobby (even now, being 76 years old!). He runs 3 to 4 days every week, and he said once in one of his videos that the part where he feels best while exercising is when it ends. He believes exercising is a matter of discipline and, if you wait until you are motivated, you will never commit to exercises in a consistent way.

    I tend to agree with him. I'm terrible at exercising. I'm an introvert and also someone who loves eating pizza and sitting at my computer playing games all day long. However, I try to exercise at least 3 times a week (first I was going to the gym, now I'm running in a park near my home). Of course, everything changes with the quarantine and that's completely understandable, but it's important to include some exercises as part of our routines, especially when things get back to normal.

    Our bodies evolved, like all other animals, to save energy. Before civilization and tribes, we were forced to run from predators and also to catch our prey. We had to collect fruits from trees. We had to use our bodies to stay alive and survive. Nowadays, we don't need to do anything like that. We can order food, we can work in our desks all day long (in most cases) and exercises are not a part of our natural routine. It's understandable that we don't feel motivated. However, more important than seeking motivation is doing it (even if you want to start little, like running a few minutes per day) and building the habit.

    And, of course, if that feels too overwhelming, therapy is there to assist you in changing your routine. :slight_smile: