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SWToxa Classico
New Member
| Joined: | 24 Jun 2008 |
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| Posts: | 3 |
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Posted: 24 Jun 2008 05:38 pm |
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Hello, I've been using http://www.thelegacywebsite.com for several years, but never checked out the Forum. I was browsing and seeing many different opinions on things. The following is my general weight loss story (In Progress) as it was posted on my Facebook page. I posted it in this forum because I am using Phentermine to aid me in my weight loss (not to do it all, but to aid). Following the post I will add updates and further comments.
The Post:
"'I'm going to drop you like a ton of bricks,' said I to my weight."
So, I know I'm unhealthy. If you read any of my other blogs you'll see that this is the least healthy year I've had in as far as I can remember. The doctors are making headway into figuring out how to battle my ailments, but I know there is an easy fix to a lot of things that are wrong. The answer is to lose weight. Many things can be avoided or made better by losing weight.
For me, I was getting close to getting diabetes. A few years ago I was diagnosed as Insulin Resistant, which means insulin doesn't work as well as it should in my body. If I stayed as large as I was Type II Diabetes would be a certainty. I also had an esophogal fundoplasty a few years ago to help get rid of acid reflux, the kind that could cause Barret's Esophogus, which in turn causes cancer. So, there are many health reasons why it was a good idea do go back to Dr. Kendra Boell at the Geisinger to get my weight down.
At my highest I was 285. I dropped over a year and then got back up to 283 last summer. That is huge. I'm lucky for appearence sake, however, that when I was 285 people guessed I was about 240 and when I was 240 people thought I was about 190, so I guess I have a good frame for carrying weight, but it's still not good to have it.
Last November (11/2007) I watched Velvet Goldmine for the first time. I'm easily inspired/influenced by the media I watch and listen to so after watching that I wanted to be skinny, like I used to be. Some of you may not know, but if you looked at the pictures I have posted here, I used to be twiggy. At the beginning of my Senior year (1997) I was, if I recall correctly 134. That picture I have where I'm wearing the brown striped shirt and the brown pants, yeah, that's how much I weighed and I was only less than an inch shorter than I am now there. I started gaining weight my senior year due to an increase in psychiatric medications going through my system. At one point I was taking 5 different pills and they all "may cause an increase in weight". I think at the end of my senior year I was about 155 (1998).
So, yeah, weight is not something I'm used to even after being above 200 pounds for about 8 years. I thought the weight my doctor told me as a goal weight would be good. She said I should get down to 175, which I'd still be skinny, but have enough to not be Mr. Skullhead Bony-hands.
My doctor put me on Phentermine again, which is a drug related to Meth-Amphetimine. It is safe though, when used right because it's been available since 1959. There was some buzz about it in the news in the 90s because doctors were prescribing it with, I think it's called, Fenitol. The team was known as Phen-Fen and caused many deaths, because those two drugs don't go together. So, I'm taking the safe one, Phentermine. I couldn't take it for a week after I got the precription though because my insurance doesn't cover it.
I've been taking it since last Saturday (06/14/2008) and I'm only having the good results and no side effects. Phentermine is an appetite suppressant and it's funny when you read the papers CVS gives you with it saying "We are not sure how Phentermine works [it just does]" pretty much is what it says. On Sunday I reached a weight lower than what I've seen for about 3 and a half years. I was 249 on Sunday and I've been losing a pound a day every day since then so now I'm down to 244 which feels awesome.
I have to keep a food log of everything I eat, when I eat it, and how many calories are in it. The most I've had in one day was about 2200 calories and the least was 900 calories. Usually I'm closer to 2000 than the lower end, but that's working out. I descrbe Phentermine as "training wheels" because you can only take it for a few months and during that time you are supposed to learn how to eat properly. I see problems with what I eat already. I drink too much soda and non-nutritional things and I don't get enough vegatable intake, I'm sure Dr. Boell will tell me that next time I see her with my food log in hand.
So, for reference I'll post some research I did on my medical records website, which unfortunately only goes back to 2001.
Weight - Date
264 - June 2007
254 - June 2006
250 - June 2005
217 - August 2004
213 - August 2003
235 - November 2002
245 - March 2002
240 - October 2001
224 - August 2001
217 - April 2001
211 - February 2001
I knew before I looked at it that I would generally weigh the least in July - August because I used to lose about 30 pounds from 2000-2004 to go on vacation to Otakon (Anime Convention in Baltimore). So, it looks like it shouldn't be too long until I get back to a happy weight. Although people think I weigh less than I do, I'd like to actually weigh less.
Well, here's to health and rockin' and stuff.
I'll keep ya posted!
End of Post.
Extra Words:
So, since then I've mini-plateaud for a few days losing 0 pounds on Saturday - Sunday and losing a half a pound the next day and 0 pounds yesterday to today. This happens to me a lot, and without being seen by a doctor the plateau usually ends it for me, because sometimes they last a few weeks and I give up. Since I did lose that half pound after losing 0 I'm calling it a "mini-plateau" because I'm sure it will just be a short lived thing.
It is good to keep a positive state of mind with everything especially weight loss, it doesn't come off all in one night. One of the problems with my attempts to lose weight is that I am still on 3 medicines for other conditions that "may cause an increase in weight" usually this is due to an increase in appetite, so if there is something fighting appetite while there are things promoting appetite things are that much easier, but effort is still neeed.
I call Phentermine "training wheels" because you can only use it for a few months according to my Doctor. During the time you are on Phentermine you log everything you eat and she looks at that chart and helps you figure out what was good and bad about that so you are at the point where you are thinking about everything you are putting into your body by the time you are done with the training wheels known as Phentermine.
She does try to teach you how to lose the weight by eating healthy alone. Excercise comes after learning to eat right. If you are already putting good things into your body excersie will work so much easier when you're not fighting off those Butterscotch Krimpets and Banana Splits. I'm going to start doing some minor Aerobic/Cardio and excersices using my own body weight for toning (such as sit-ups and push-ups, knee-bends).
Phentermine or any weight-loss supplement is not for everybody, most people can lose the weight with just diet and excercise. Some people, like me, need a medical push to get going then smooth sailing with be had once I'm a few yards off the shore. I know Phentermine is a nightmare for some people, but it doesn't make me tired, jittery, or anything like that. When I dieted in the past, I had to really excercise about half of the day and starve my self. Something about the insulin resistance makes it harder to lose weight. I assume it's because the insulin, instead of turning into energy just becomes fat. Once I get closer to the top end of my healthy BMI I'm sure the insulin resistance will fade and I'll be more easily able to keep the weight down.
When I reach my goal weight, I will monitor my weight and keep it under control. If I gain a few pounds I'll take care of it then and not let it get to an all-time high.
I also started drinking more water. I read somewhere that 16oz. of water can increase your metabolism by something like 15% for a few hours. So, I'm actively looking at healthier habits while the doctor is helping me out.
My weight got so out of hand for a few reasons. 1. as I stated earlier was all of the "weight increasing" side effect meds I've been taking forever. 2. Sometimes I just don't care and then it goes up and when I actually get real and start caring again things are way out of hand. As long as I care things get good.
So, that's just my personal story. I encourage you to talk to your family doctor and then a specialist if you are seeking weight loss. Talk to the Doctor even if medications aren't an option. When I have to take that Food Log to my Doctor that is a type of accountability. If she's going to see that I had 3 Big Macs (I didn't, by the way) I'll be less likely to have 3 Big Macs.
Well, God Bless and Good Luck to all who are seeking to get healthy!
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SWToxa Classico
New Member
| Joined: | 24 Jun 2008 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 3 |
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Posted: 5 Jul 2008 03:51 pm |
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Two Updates Taken From My Facebook Blog.
Post:
Update #1: 06/27/2008
So, it has been a week since my initial post so I'll try to give an update every Friday unless something awesome happens or for other special circumstances.
Friday to Saturday last week was great. I actually lost 2 pounds from the 06/20/2008-06/21/2008. I was pretty excited about that, then it slowed down. I lost a big ZERO from Saturday to Sunday, so I figured I reached my first plateau. I always get plateaus, but usually after losing for another week or so.
Monday came around so it turned out to be a mini-plateau because on Monday I was down another half of a pound. The next day ZERO, the next day another half, then ZERO and then... A pound and a half! Woot!
So, the current weight is 239.5 versus 244 a week ago. 4.5 pounds in a week is decent. That's actually huge if you go by what the average nutritionist tells you. They suggest 1-2/week. I did see one a couple years ago that said at my height and age I could handle up to 4 a week.
So, yeah, my appointment with the Diet Doctor is on the 9th, which will be the Wednesday before my post in 2 weeks. I'm going to weigh myself before and after on both of my home scales the day I go to see her just to see which scale is more accurate. (The Dial Scale actually has me down to, I think, 224 right now)
Have a great day, everyone!
Update #2: 07/04/2008
So, here's this weeks update on the healthy weight mission. This week had happy moments and then a down moment.
Last weekend was my vacation to the Celtic Fling in Manheim, PA. So, that means good, fatty food was to be had by all, along with a couple good beers. I had 3 Scotch Eggs over the weekend which is a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage, breaded and deep fried. That's a tasty meal. I only had one beer each day though, so that was a good thing. I got home on Monday morning and my weight, not too surprisingly was still 239.5. That's no big deal because I was on vacation.
So, the next day comes around and I'm glad to see I started dropping again. Down a half of a pound. The next day, however, was the most exciting yet. I looked at the scale and it said "236.5" and I was like "Wow, three pounds in a day!" I forgot I lost a half a pound the day before, but 2.5 pounds in a day is awesome feeling. Unfortunately the next day it went up a couple of pounds for some unknown reason. I didn't pig out or anything, so I just think it's water weight from high sodium foods and not as much water.
Today, Friday (07/04/2008), things were disappointing. I was still at a higher weight. As Friday is my official home weigh in day I have to take that. I did weigh myself an hour apart. The first time the scale said "238.5" and the second time was "237.5", which is definitely O.K., any loss is good. I think I'm still holding on to some water weight.
So, 2 pounds down during the week I went on vacation, not too bad. 237.5 versus 283 about a year ago, that's pretty cool. Oh, and I fit in my favorite pants today (black paisley pants that I bought at Hot Topic many years ago.) Next week should be back to what I normally do, but if not, perseverence is still present.
Now, I'm off to enjoy a 4th of July celebration at my friend Dave and Bonnie's house. Gonna' have some Sushi that I bought stuff for last night. mmmm.
Well, have a wonderful holiday, everyone!
:End Post:
As of Today (Saturday 07/05/2008), I am down to 236 so it's 3.5 pounds for the week.
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iwilose
New Member
| Joined: | 18 Jul 2008 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 3 |
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Posted: 18 Jul 2008 06:12 pm |
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hey
I just started on phentermine today at 12
I weigh 231lbs
I want to get down to 140
wish me luck and keep up the good work!
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