[kimberpc]

Oh yall got me thinking about it so I gotta tell yall this. There's this personal trainer that I used to see at the gym here on base... it would always crack me up when I saw him because there he was with no muscle definition and a belly and he's telling people that they need to lose weight and what they need to do to firm up.... only he isn't firm anywhere. lol I would see him with new clients and I'd think to myself, "what a waste of money!"..... I never once saw him with a client that transformed very much. lol

[thewomanwithin67]

I think MSN or Women's Health said ONLY 5% of people who start weight loss programs succeed and keep it off :eek: that is daunting.

We have programs and help for just about everything else, and the obesity rate is going up daily, so why doesn't the government see this and take steps to "help" americans get "healthy" and stay healthy and find out what we the people want?

So many doctors are against medications, look at some of the ones who have problems even finding a place to get help. Some of us have medical problems, some of us don't - but the bottom line is society in general look differently at people who are "overweight" or "obese".

Heck even though I have lost the weight I have over the past year, I have 35-50 lbs more I want to lose.

I'm leery about going in the clubhouse that we have in our subdivision for fear someone will "stare" or make fun of me inside because they see me working out Yeah, I want to say to HE@@#( with them and just go do it, but I don't want to go through that embarassment.

[kimberpc]

Ok what I don't understand is that doctors are soooooo quick to prescribe 3 different meds for diabetes and then 2 different ones for high cholesterol but they won't even give a person 1 for weight loss. That doesn't make sense at all! My grandma is 85 years old and taking 3 meds for her diabetes and 2 to lower her cholesterol.... she's not overweight at all but if she was I guarantee they wouldn't give her weight loss meds as quick as they give her the other 5.... not to mention her diabetes wasn't very bad when they started her on all 3 meds at once.. how dumb is that??

[misscris]

Not to be a naysayer about the meds, but weight loss pills are pretty much a "vanity pill" to most doctors unless the patient has serious medical issues caused by the weight. Many are not wanting to take on the liability associated with a patient who wants to lose 20 or 30 pounds and feel they can achieve it through regular exercise and diet.

Obviously, at 100+ pounds overweight and several medical conditions related to obesity, my doctor was much happier with prescribing phen than referring me to a surgeon for gastric bypass, which is the next step if this doesn't work.

They are quick for medically necessary drugs because the effects of the illness without the pills can be deadly. Yes, we will die sooner than not if we stay big, but a person who is diabetic can go into a diabetic coma in the blink of an eye. Obesity will take time to do a number on your heart before finally kicking in and killing you.

I actually do know doctors who, if the cholesterol is not too high, will advice diet and exercise but if it is too high, medication it is to get it down to a safe level first.

What I think general practitioners are missing is the mental health of the patient. Being severly overweight can do more than give you high blood pressure, it can affect your self confidence, increase your risk of depression and anxiety, along with cause personality disorders because of the others listed.

For me, its a shame a doctor has a blanket decision for medications like phen rather than doing each on a case by case basis and weighing the personal health risk and mental health risk against how much weight the person has to lose.

[misscris]

I'm with you that I'm surprised that someone that is obese is having problems getting the medication. I'm not attacking anyone who has a BMI less than 30 and gets the drug because honestly, those last 20 pounds can be killer. I'll be on it longer than 8 weeks, I'm sure which is another "abuse" to the medication...

but wow - it still just surprises me.

[jasmyn]

The problem with taking Phen for longer than a couple of months, is that it stops working after 6 weeks or so. At least it did for me. I experimented with taking a week off, or two weeks off, then starting again, but it never worked as well as it did the first time. I am having great success with oil as an appetite suppressant. It is called the Shangri-La plan. If you want to read about it: Seth Roberts and The Shangri-La Diet

We have gyms here called "Curves" that a lot of bigger women go to, but I don't know much about it.

Jas

[thewomanwithin67]

I've been on and off Phen/Adipex since August 1, 2006. The length of time that it starts wearing off has been about the same with my local pharmacies - 2 or 2 1/2 mths. When that happens I split my pills, or I change my eating habits or exercise more/less and if all else fails - take a 2 week break.

My pcp knew I took Phen before May 2007 and prescribed the same dosage and a different eating plan and said I can be on it as long as I was under his care and didn't go under 150 lbs for my age/height/body composition. This month I started taking b-12 shots along with Phen.

There haven't been any studies on the long term usage of Phen because they didn't get the funding for the study, or at least the last time I researched it that was the case. I would be interested if anyone else has info on long term studies of it, because I know I will be on it another 3-6 mths. On the "other" phen board there are a few that have been on it long term and no problems.

Being severly overweight can do more than give you high blood pressure, it can affect your self confidence, increase your risk of depression and anxiety, along with cause personality disorders because of the others listed

I think weight doesn't matter in this situation; if you feel bad because of being 20 lbs overweight then any of these things can affect you also. Being overweight by just 5% of your bodyweight can make you at risk for high blood pressure, cholesterol and a list of other things.

There are the doctors like mine who really care about their patients and help them with losing weight, but at the same time have strict guidelines to prescribing medications. Honestly if I want to go below his 150lb rule for me, I probably won't stay in his program because Phentermine is the only thing that I have found to work for me.

Then there are so who are the "eat right exercise" regimen, then there are ones like the lady where we get our hair done - this woman is about 140 lbs @ 5'4 and the clinic she goes to the dr gave her SIX 6 phentermine a day. She lost 25 lbs in 1 month, was a nervous wreck, started biting her lip so much she gnawed part of it off accidentally. I don't know the dosage she was taking, but even the lowest dosage six times a day can't be healthy.

I've seen commercials for Curves, hopefully they have "average" sized instructors.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the average U.S. woman is 5' 3.7 tall and weighs 152 pounds. This corresponds to a Body Mass Index of 26.3 kilograms/meters², which is slightly less than the average man's. The average U.S. male stands 5' 9.1 tall and weighs 180 pounds, with a Body Mass Index of 26.5

[drone832]

Any person can start exercising at any time. If someone is really obese, with problematic joints, and has never exercised...I bet just the same action of spending 5 mins walking instead of sitting would be a start. After 5 mins, try 10 then 15 etc.

There is no excuse to bash the weight loss tapes, shows, and club members. How do you know that they weren't 200 pounds at one time and were able to get started and lose and keep it off? There is something that will work for each one of us; we just need to find it.

When I was 217 pounds at age 45, I discovered the elliptical: it puts very little stress on the joints, and with it's variable levels and intensities, one can get a brilliant workout that is infinitely non-boring if you put your mind to it. From the elliptical, I started going to a Step 1 class and my knees hurt (even on the very little step). But guess what, the soreness stopped after a couple of weeks doing the Step 1 just 2x a week.

Any excuse is just that...an excuse. Getting fit is a battle; defend yourself!