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lovesmesomedico

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Joined: 04 Feb 2007
Posts: 25

Outside Opinions Posted: 06-27-07 22:24pm


I used to be really overweight. At 12 years old, I was 180 pounds. With the help of a relative, I exercised and started eating right to get down to a healthier weight, but over the years I went back up. I'm 21 now and haven't even gotten back up to the 180 range, but I could still lose a few pounds. A few months ago, I started buying those over the counter diet pills, eating better, and exercising. I saw no results so I stopped all of it. I mean, I kept eating healthier but as for the pills and exercise- they ended. Then family and friends started complimenting me and saying I look great. So I started buying the pills again. It began working. I lost several sizes in my pants and the compliments kept rolling in. When people ask me what I'm doing to lose the weight, I tell them I just eat better. Now I've gotten to the point where I take the pills, as directed, 2 pills three times a day, but don't eat anything at all until dinner time. I don't eat breakfast, I don't eat lunch, I don't snack at all, and when I do eat dinner, it's nothing big or fatty. I have been losing weight at a rapid pace (a couple pounds a day, lately). I'm still above average for my height, therefore not satisfied yet. I want to cut the size I'm in now in half, which is considered the healthy size of clothing for someone my weight. I have realistic goals, I don't plan on going below 110-115. My only concern is my mental obsession with these pills. I have dieted before and gotten no results, and in some cases I've gained weight. But ever since I've started taking these, I have gotten results. If I eat without having taken the pills, I feel as if I'm doing something extremely bad and I feel horrible about myself. If I don't lose at least a pound a day-which I KNOW is not a very realistic goal- I cut my dinner in half. I can barely eat a whole sandwich because I feel too full afterwards. I mean, physically I'm fine. I don't feel sick all the time, I'm in my "normal" mental state, I'm not throwing up or starving myself completely. I've just gotten to the point where I can feel fine eating just once a day. I want other peoples opinions on this, and I wanted to know if others have ever done the same thing. I mean if it's working and everything is okay with my body healthwise, I don't see any harm in what I'm doing, it's just that when I think about it, about the drastic changes I've made in life to lose weight, it doesn't really seem very normal.

v00d00cita

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Re: Outside Opinions
Posted: 06-28-07 02:40am

lovesmesomedico wrote:

Now I've gotten to the point where I take the pills, as directed, 2 pills three times a day, but don't eat anything at all until dinner time.

I don't eat breakfast, I don't eat lunch, I don't snack at all, and when I do eat dinner, it's nothing big or fatty. I have been losing weight at a rapid pace (a couple pounds a day, lately).

I'm still above average for my height, therefore not satisfied yet. I want to cut the size I'm in now in half, which is considered the healthy size of clothing for someone my weight. I have realistic goals, I don't plan on going below 110-115.

My only concern is my mental obsession with these pills. I have dieted before and gotten no results, and in some cases I've gained weight. But ever since I've started taking these, I have gotten results. If I eat without having taken the pills, I feel as if I'm doing something extremely bad and I feel horrible about myself.
(...)

I mean, physically I'm fine. I don't feel sick all the time, I'm in my "normal" mental state, I'm not throwing up or starving myself completely. I've just gotten to the point where I can feel fine eating just once a day.

Hi, welcome here.
Have you already realized that you're not fine? Not even close... Read again what you're doing to yourself: you don't eat - only dinner, sometimes half of it. That's not healthy and that's not being okay. If you want to lose weight, go find a doctor or exercise. Don't take pills! :\
And have all the meals, 4 to 6 a day!

cln1812

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Joined: 15 Jul 2006
Posts: 523
Location: La Porte, TX

Posted: 06-28-07 11:40am


I would suggest you go into therapy for an eating disorder because that's what you've got. A pound a day weight loss isn't realistic, and worse yet, not healthy. Skipping all meals until dinner is not healthy. Taking diet pills is not healthy. Don't think you will stop & be happy when you reach your goal. An eating disorder will warp your mind, and the truth is you are never happy when you reach your goal, so you keep setting lower goals. I started a bit overweight though not much. First goal was 120, then 110, then 100 lb, then 90 lb, then 80 lb. I got to 80 lb. and I still felt crap, had lost my periods ages ago & wanted to lose even more weight. I still wasn't happy and I still felt fat. Every time I reached my goal weight, I wasn't happy and kept wanting to lose more and more weight. It nearly killed me. Please do get some help. If you have weight to lose, I'd urge you to do it the healthy way, with a sensible diet & exercise program like Weight Watchers or the South Beach Diet. It's much better for your body.

lovesmesomedico

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Joined: 04 Feb 2007
Posts: 25

Posted: 06-30-07 03:22am


I'm very thankful for the advice and the concern and I don't want to sound difficult cause I know how frustrating that is when you're trying to give really good advice to someone. But with the eating once a day thing, I seriously am hardly hungry. I work all day, and I'm always so busy that food isn't even on my mind. And when I do eat, I fill up very quickly. So I'm not, like, yearning for food all day, wishing I could eat but punishing myself for being fat. I am honestly not hungry.

cln1812

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Joined: 15 Jul 2006
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Location: La Porte, TX

Posted: 06-30-07 12:04pm


Are you really not hungry? Or is that the eating disorder talking? Because it will fool you into thinking that. Of course, you're probably not hungry because you're taking diet pills! Also, if you've been eating this way for awhile, it is possible your body is beginning to suffer some consequences. If you haven't heard about refeeding syndrome after an eating disorder, I suggest you look it up because it is NOT fun! Basically, it happens because you eat so little and rarely (even though I ate daily, it was never enough calories) that your body starts forgetting how to digest food. It's not pleasant. Eating under 1200 cal./day is dangerous, period. Your body starts going into ketosis, breaking down muscle and protein, leading to damage to your heart. You start getting electrolyte imbalances, severe insomnia (I would go 3 days without sleeping, it was NOT fun), hair starts falling out, your periods stop, I was faint, dizzy weak. You do not have to be underweight to be suffering these consquences. Any prolonged undereating can do this to you even if you're normal weight or even overweight. An addition, any good diet book will tell you that 6 small meals throughout the day is the best way to speed up your metabolism and lose weight. Eating only once a day SLOWS your metabolism, making it harder to lose weight, which is why in the end, I was spending 4-5 HOURS a day exercising (way, WAY too much exercise and I had the stress fractures to prove it). Be careful. I don't understand why if you have weight to lose, you want to do it the worst way possible and probably trigger yourself to have an eating disorder that you will be dealing with many years (many struggle all their lives with it at some level, I still do 7 years after recovery). Weight watchers works. The South beach diet works. These are sensible balanced diet plans that don't have devastating physical consquences or require you to spend years in therapy, on medication, seeing dieticians and doctors and basically miserable. You do know the end result of starving yourself to lose weight is depression? Almost everyone who tries to lose weight that way will get severe depression (I was suicidal, and I'm not alone). It messes up the biochemical reactions in your brain so that you are severely depressed in the end (I was depressed to begin with but this was much, much worse). Just be careful.

sick_mama17

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Joined: 22 Jun 2007
Posts: 960
Location: , England

Posted: 06-30-07 13:45pm

cln1812 wrote:

You do know the end result of starving yourself to lose weight is depression? Almost everyone who tries to lose weight that way will get severe depression (I was suicidal, and I'm not alone). It messes up the biochemical reactions in your brain so that you are severely depressed in the end (I was depressed to begin with but this was much, much worse).

I wonder if that played a part in my depression. I know there were other factors, but after reading what you said, it makes sense that could have partly contributed to it for me.
I was starving myself to lose weight quick on and off for a while.
Im on medication for depression and anxiety now.

lovesmesomedico, which diet pills are you talking about here?

lovesmesomedico

New User, Becoming EHEALTHy

Joined: 04 Feb 2007
Posts: 25

Posted: 06-30-07 23:47pm


Hydroxycut

sick_mama17

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Joined: 22 Jun 2007
Posts: 960
Location: , England

Posted: 07-01-07 01:45am


I looked it up just now because Ive never heard of that one. It seems ok, safe to use as long as you keep to the recommended amount. You should still be able to lose weight on it while eating sensibly, you dont need to starve yourself.

v00d00cita

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Posted: 07-01-07 13:02pm

lovesmesomedico wrote:

I'm very thankful for the advice and the concern and I don't want to sound difficult cause I know how frustrating that is when you're trying to give really good advice to someone.

But with the eating once a day thing, I seriously am hardly hungry.

I work all day, and I'm always so busy that food isn't even on my mind. And when I do eat, I fill up very quickly.

So I'm not, like, yearning for food all day, wishing I could eat but punishing myself for being fat. I am honestly not hungry.

Believe me, you ARE hungry. But your disorder won't let you admit that, it won't let you feel that. But you need nourishment.
Besides, those pills fool your body and your brain into thinking you're not hungry.
To balanced meals every 4 hours. It will work better!

sick_mama17

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Joined: 22 Jun 2007
Posts: 960
Location: , England

Posted: 07-02-07 07:08am


I dont know much about diet pills except what I've heard - which is people complaining they dont work and cost a lot.

cln1812

Active User, Really EHEALTHy

Joined: 15 Jul 2006
Posts: 523
Location: La Porte, TX

Posted: 07-02-07 09:11am


A lot of diet pills contain high doses of caffeine, which can suppress the appetite. I think it works in some people, not as much in others. Of course, so much caffeine also causes you increased anxiety & often sleeping problems as well. Diet pills can also exacerbate depression.

lovesmesomedico

New User, Becoming EHEALTHy

Joined: 04 Feb 2007
Posts: 25

Posted: 07-03-07 20:24pm


Once again, I appreciate all the advice. I know I probably seem like a typical eating disorder case and I know that everything I say is going to just be "the disease", even when I say that I don't feel I really have a serious problem. I know it's weird and it sounds stupid that I don't eat a lot at all, and that I am not happy with my weight. That added with the fact that I'm taking these pills and "punishing" myself when I don't get the unrealistic results I'm looking for probably write off any chance that I'm really "okay". I don't feel I have a disease. There are different levels of problems, yes. Maybe I appear to have it but I don't feel I do (I know, that's probably "the disease" talking). I know the majority of people who have eating disorders probably start out doing what I'm doing, and they say that they know when to stop, as I've said I do. And I'm sure that everyone who denies having a problem says that they're different and that they really will stop when they reach their goal, as I'm saying. So I don't know how to make others see things my way without looking like a walking talking problem. I have lost 20 pounds in the passed 6 months, and I've still got another 30-35 to go to reach my goal of 115-120. I'm 5'2" so I feel it's pretty realistic. I know there are way healthier ways to get it done and I know that, for sure, this isn't the right way to do it. Knowing all that, I'm aware that I'm not making the smartest decision, but I don't think it's right to call it a disease. There are people with far more serious problems than I've got, and I know that I've got far more serious problems than other people have as well. But in the grand scale of problems, mine doesn't seem that serious to me. I posted my situation on here and I got what I was asking for. Good advice from smart people. And I appreciate it. I'm not going to sit here and lie though. I know that I don't see things as you all do. But I do know that everyone here is most likely more in the right than I give you credit for. I know this because I hide the pills. None of my family or friends know I'm taking them. I'm not abusing them, as I said before. I never take more than is directed, and I take them at the right times during the day. But I'm still sneaking around with them. I have gone on them and off them before. I stopped using them for a few months but then got back into dieting and exercising, so I gave them another shot. While I was off them, I was fine. I didn't have any desire to start taking them again until I started wondering if a different brand worked better. I know that I don't see a serious problem developing from what I'm doing but I also know that you're all giving me excellent advice that I probably should follow, but most likely won't. Because of that, I'm sure that if a serious problem does come from this and I really do need help, coming here would be stupid. Because you all have done what you can. You gave the best advice anyone could give in this situation. So all I can say is thank you for your time and advice.

v00d00cita

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Posted: 07-09-07 06:12am

Hey, there, again. *

First of all, you really should stop taking those pills. Really. If they are doing anything is mess up your organism even more. Generally, those pills accelerate your metabolism in order to make it spend more. And that's not good, because your body will be working at an abnormal rhythm.
Imagine having your body working twice as fast...

lovesmesomedico wrote:

I know it's weird and it sounds stupid that I don't eat a lot at all, and that I am not happy with my weight. That added with the fact that I'm taking these pills and "punishing" myself when I don't get the unrealistic results

It doesn't sound stupid at all, because that's the way it is. You don't feel happy about it - it's just the way the disease is! Sad

You'll never feel happy. When you reach those goals, you'll get many others, each time more unrealistic - though you'll always think they are realistic and needed.

lovesmesomedico wrote:

I have lost 20 pounds in the passed 6 months, and I've still got another 30-35 to go to reach my goal of 115-120. I'm 5'2" so I feel it's pretty realistic.
(...)
Knowing all that, I'm aware that I'm not making the smartest decision, but I don't think it's right to call it a disease. There are people with far more serious problems than I've got, and I know that I've got far more serious problems than other people have as well. But in the grand scale of problems, mine doesn't seem that serious to me.

See? You'll always see it that way! :\ So, you want to lose a few more pounds? Okay, But no pills no eating less because "you don't feel hungry".

lovesmesomedico

New User, Becoming EHEALTHy

Joined: 04 Feb 2007
Posts: 25

Posted: 08-01-07 22:52pm


Thank you for replying. I haven't taken the pills in a couple weeks but I've gotten into the habit of eating once a day. Even without the pills, I'm never hungry, and I force myself to eat because I know I have to. I've gotten down to single digits in pants but have not reached my goal. I'm not sure if I'll be buying the pills again. I seem to be losing weight without them so perhaps they're pointless. I'm aware that I should eat more than once a day but I can't. I'm not hungry and if I try to eat when I'm not hungry, I feel physically sick, like I want to vomit. I appreciate everyone's advice so thank you.

KNB89

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Joined: 25 Jul 2007
Posts: 31

Posted: 08-01-07 23:22pm


Well I'm a bigger guy and a pound a day is more realistic for me. But most of the pound a day is just water weight. I wrestle so i know most people float a pound every night. But you should prob be eating more because a pound of fat has roughly 3500 calories and i'm pretty sure your body is burning a hell of a lot more than your eating in that one meal. I used to take Hydroxycut Hardcore but i ran out of pills, and it helped me lose about 10 pounds. I kinda want more pills so I know how you feel, but there def bad for u.

lovesmesomedico

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Joined: 04 Feb 2007
Posts: 25

Posted: 08-01-07 23:48pm

KNB89 wrote:

Well I'm a bigger guy and a pound a day is more realistic for me. But most of the pound a day is just water weight. I wrestle so i know most people *float* a pound every night. But you should prob be eating more because a pound of fat has roughly 3500 calories and i'm pretty sure your body is burning a hell of a lot more than your eating in that one meal. I used to take Hydroxycut Hardcore but i ran out of pills, and it helped me lose about 10 pounds. I kinda want more pills so I know how you feel, but there def bad for u.

That's exactly what I was taking. I ran out as well and I want to get more but at the same time, I don't want to be on diet pills. It sucks sneaking them around and everything.

But as I said, I'm losing it without them too so I'll see how it goes without pills. Thanks for your reply, it's nice to know people can relate Smile

v00d00cita

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Posted: 08-02-07 07:59am

lovesmesomedico wrote:

Thank you for replying.

I haven't taken the pills in a couple weeks but I've gotten into the habit of eating once a day.

Even without the pills, I'm never hungry, and I force myself to eat because I know I have to.

I've gotten down to single digits in pants but have not reached my goal.

I'm not sure if I'll be buying the pills again. I seem to be losing weight without them so perhaps they're pointless.

I'm aware that I should eat more than once a day but I can't. I'm not hungry and if I try to eat when I'm not hungry, I feel physically sick, like I want to vomit.

See? You must fight those urges Wink

waterbaby3214

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Joined: 12 May 2005
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Location: Michigan

Posted: 08-14-07 03:56am


You need to get some help girly. I hope you can see that this isn't normal and that you deserver to live a better life than this xx