Weight gain due to meds?!
Question: i took depakote for three years and i went from 180lbs to 312lbs. i now have really low self esteem. i got off depakote in july of 07 and i cant seem to lose the weight. how can i lose weight.
Answers: i took depakote for three years and i went from 180lbs to 312lbs. i now have really low self esteem. i got off depakote in july of 07 and i cant seem to lose the weight. how can i lose weight.
Medications can certainly make many people gain weight. I'm a clinical nutritionist, so here's my advice.
1. Eat smaller meals of 300 calories each, 5 times a day to keep your metabolism going and to stop the body storing food as fat because of the preservation mode it goes into with only eating 3 big meals a day.
2. Increase water intake to 8-10 glasses a day to release stored up fluid from the meds. The water will not cause fluid build up, it will release it.
3. Increase fibre from fresh vegetables and fruit.
4 Get some Omega 3 from fish or walnuts or Canola Oil.
5. Start doing some gentle exercise for 5 minutes per day and build up. Do it religiously every day to create a habit. It takes 3 weeks approx to create a new habit if you do it every day.
6. Eating more protein to help restore some muscle. Muscle burns calories, so gaining some muscle from weight bearing exercise eventually, will help to burn more calories.
Hope some of this helps, and good luck.
Yes, I know this one well. I have taken Depakote for years. It makes you gain weight because you can't feel satiated after eating and want to keep eating and eating. It also makes you tired so that you might not be as active as you should be. I am guessing that the former problem might have slowed your metabolism since you are off of it. The only solution is to work out more and be more active in general. Also notice how much you are eating because you might have gained bad habits on Depakote that have to be unlearned. I have struggled with keeping my weight down for a long time because the urge to overeat is so bad with that drug. Good luck
I took depakote too and I blew up from 175- 235. I started working out and eating healthy. The first couple of days you will dread doing exercise but after that you will find it easier to work out.. Now I am down to 185 and feel great. You can lose the weight
The first anser has good advice to