Ok here I go. Please bear with me as this is the first time I have taken the risk to open up about the challenge that is effecting my self worth BIG TiME I may get a bit wordy and share many details but that generally helps when a reader might have a question. Hopefully my info will really give the reader a very clear picture of my issue.
I selected this site as I felt that the people on here are kind, supportive and open minded.
For about the last ten yrs. I have been dealing with an eating disorder. This disorder started when I made the decision to see a therapist for my depression and anxiety. For yrs. I had suffered with both and had NO CLUE that a medication could really help me. I am a holistic trainer and generally do not like to take ANY type of med and just manage symptoms with holistic interventions ex: exercise, eating properly, meditation, cognitive tools , vitamins etc...
I am so glad I let my guard down a bit and accepted help with my anxiety. Medications have truly changed my life. The problem is this........Every med I have tried creates weight gain for me despite eating a diet that is VERY healthy and getting lots of exercising. Now this healthy way of living started way before my anxiety and meds. My father died at 51 from a heart condition and I have already out lived all my grandparents and I am only in my 40's. I have always lived a healthy life.
As soon as I noticed weight gain I went to my therapist. I should have been more educated about the fact that weight gain could happen but I NEVER thought I would deal with weight issues. Well my therapist tried every single med to help treat my mental health issues in hopes of finding one that did not create weight gain. She also had me see specialists just in case the weight gain was caused by another physical issue. Tons and tons of tests over the yrs. but all is perfectly well. I also sought help from a few other doctors and a great nurse practitioner. She was so caring and told me about so many patients who suffer from this weight gain challenge . She gave me lots of resources to explore on facts about the term-WEIGHT LOSS RESISTENT. Yes she was wonderful but many of the professionals I saw told me that it was all in my head and that I was probably not eating a healthy diet or getting enough exercise. Several said I needed a dietician or an exercise coach. Now this was one of the first times in my life that I actually told a DOC that he was FULL of crap. I spoke with several dieticians who said that they only wished they ate as well as myself and got the amount of exercise that I did. I actually teach healthy eating groups to women who are new to recovery from drug abuse.
I must share for any professional that reads this that you should NEVER EVER tell a person who feels they have an eating disorder that they are just not educated on eating well. All that does is create more depression . Hey most of us are open minded to suggestions but don't tell us we are not being honest about our eating when we are crying out for help. Ya doc thanks for not validating me and just pushing me further towards going over the edge.
So for yrs. now I have been trying ever mental health med under the sun for help with my anxiety/depression. Several times I went off the meds and just used healthy eating, exercise, different vitamins/supplements/herbal things that are supposed to help with mental health stuff. None of them seemed strong enough to truly manage the emotions and eventually I ended up on the behavioral health department of our local hospital.
I will share that after about one month to six weeks after going off the meds I started taking pounds off without a problem. I actually did not have to over exercise and could eat more without gaining a pound. Sure this was great but oh the depression and anxiety made it unbearable to get up. My husband begged me to please consider a return to meds when I ended up in the hospital. Well I waited about a month lomger than got back on them. During that month and other times I spent thousands on healthy things to control the anxiety/depression. Nothing was strong enough even when combined with exercise ,eating well and many healthy interventions. So I am now back on the meds but suffer from this eating disorder and over exercising. I know in my heart that the only way for me to not gain any more weight is to exercise like crazy and eat very little . I think I am the only person with this typoe of anorexia that does not take any weight off. Oh I only say that to bring some humor and lightness to MY situation. My stomach is so bloated that it hurts. Seriously it is so pushed out that it hurts. I have also been to many doctors just recently and had tons of blood work and tests done. No health issues. Some of these docs keep sending me for all these repeated tests when I keep telling them that the stomach issue disappears when off meds.
Now I will share that my hubby is also on meds for his mental health issues. Like me he suffered for yrs. before he would get help. Well get this....He has struggled to find a med that does not create weight loss. My sister in law has the same problem. The doctors seem to believe them about the weight loss but don't want to believe these meds create so much weight. I will not mention how many pounds I have gained but it is a high number. I should not be carrying all this weight esp. when you consider my genetic challenges.
I will end by sharing that for yrs. I worked with women in recovery who abused illegal drugs often to manage anxiety and depression. Well I saw them on a daily basis for months and once they got on meds for many they finally did not feel trhe urge to use drugs to manage their emotions BUT they too had the weight gain issues. Not just a little weight but great amounts that of course sent them back into depression. I would never encourage them to stop their meds but about 75% of them did as they hated the weight gain. I do work very closely with a doctor now who finally seems more open minded to the fact that meds create weight issues. Sadly she cannot seem to find a way to help me. She is concerned that I eat so little and exercise so much BUT never take a pound off. She too shared that she has never seen a patient with an eating disorder who never seems to take at least a few pounds off. She does feel that there are others who have this type of unusual disorder related to meds. Please Offer Support and help to me But PLEASE do not be like so many of the docs I have seen and say that I just need new exercise programs and a new diet. That just sets me back. Thanks so much
Oh just one..no two more things. My new doctor actually told me that it is a fact that these meds create stomach weight and bloating. She actually explained the scientific reason to me but right now I can't recall it. I will google it later to refresh my memory. This doctor also told me about the other meds that create weight issues. I was aware of the fact that ones for the thyroid can create weight issues as my girlfriend who is a marathon runner is now dealing with weight she cannot get off.