RunbikeSki

Hi Michael,
Like Cassie said, a lot of the phsyco-theropy drugs really mess with both appetite and metaobism. As do many of the drugs used for diabetes. The cholesterol drugs are a problem because they can cause serious muscle cramps making exercise difficult if not impossible. So the issue for many folks on many drug therapies becomes much more than just a calories in/calories out issue.

It seems to me one of the unspoken facts in weight loss is that different people really do metabolize calories differently. Like it or not there is a genetic component to our size and shape. Modern life has seriously interfered with that, but the bottom line is that when you mess with the biochemisty of the body through drugs, you can mess with how a person metabolises food.

FutureLegend

Oh Michael... I so wish I was one of the lucky who can rely on calories in/calories out, but there are so many variables for many, many people with different illnesses. For example, Insulin put a phenomenal amount of weight on me which I was able to drop quite quickly when I decided to stop injecting it - and by the same token, decided to stop eating carbs. I was on a real roll until I saw my endocrinologist... then the turn around began and like I said, instead of continuing to lose, I began to gain.

I KNOW for a fact that no matter WHAT doctors say, antidepressants put weight on. I do have a touch of depression (which I think is normal for an overweight woman), and my therapist offered me a variety of drugs to combat this. What pisses these docs off is people like me who look the stuff up and see what NORMAL people have to say about it, and I saw that for most of these drugs, people were complaining about gaining anywhere from 20 - 70 lbs! YES they help with the depression... but darn, all I could imagine is becoming MORE depressed with another 70 lbs on me!

Between workouts this morning, I investigated the levothyroxine (which initially was rx'd to boost my metabolism) :lease note, I was told my thyroid was perfectly functional to begin with::. I was appalled when I saw the number of folks who have GAINED so much weight with a drug that was meant to increase metabolic performance. I just wish I saw that before taking my morning dose. Ok.. so levothyroxine in out of my life!

Today I see so far that I've consumed (including lunch) less than 400 calories and burned over 4000. Hopefully, by eliminating the thyroid medication... I'll begin to see a loss. If calories in/calories out worked for me, I would have seen a loss of about 4 lbs in the last 5 days - so.. I must seek out other reasons for this difficulty. Even a bariatric surgeon (after doing preliminary tests) told me that I have a 50/50 shot of actually losing from the surgery. The only surgery which might help is the roux en Y because of the malabsorption factor. All I know is that I lost 130 lbs BEFORE without this extreme measure... and by revamping my meds again... I think I can do it again!!! (maybe my age has something to do with it too)... perimenopausal..etc... but I do not have PCOS and have been tested for excessive cortisol and that's all fine.

I will continue to do MY do... and get it done because I know I can! All I know is that I was thrilled to be back into a 12/14..and jumping up to a 16/18 is making me a tad nuts!! lol

WHERE THERE IS A WILL... THERE IS A WAY!!!!

Be blessed!!
Lori

rpmcduff

To answer your question about my son and synthroid, he gained weight.

As to how you should be lifting to not bulk up, the general rule 3 to 4 sets and 4-6 reps for mass gains, 8-10 for strength and 12+ for endurance. If you're not at failure on the last rep the weight isn't heavy enough. So for you, try a rep range of 8-10. This will allow you to get the 'toned' look and gain strength but not bulk. Switch it up every couple of weeks by dropping your weight a little and upping your reps to get 12+. This will help you have both strength and endurance.

Just my opinion but the body is a complex system that relies on chemical processes. Tiny changes in the quantities or ratios can have both huge health benefits and consequences. Every thing we consume, whether food or drug, and even our emotions (stress causes cortisol levels to rise) infuence the chemical processes in our bodies. I think your approach to eliminating as many medications as possible is the right one. There are enough variables without the medications adding to them.

Good luck in your journey to be healthier.