[fluffyinwi]

Help! I don't know what on Earth to do!!!
I have been on Phentermine since November 07. I'm due to see my doctor again on June 16th and if I don't lose more weight she's yanking me off Phentermine. I really want to stay on it, well I really want to lose weight and this helped in the beggining. I lost 22 lbs in the first 2 months, after that I've continued to stay the same. No matter what I do I can not seem to lose more weight!!

I have gone off of it for a week or so while waiting for my insurance to decide if they would cover it or not and it seemed to be OK but still no loss. I eat as best I can and I have a busy job so I'm constantly moving and getting in extra steps and what not.

I fear that if I go off Phentermine that in time I will put back on the 22 lbs I lost.

Does anyone have suggestions??

[kenari]

The big thing is to eat right. I have been using this time on the Phen to re-align my eating habits. Even this last weekend when I did not exercise or take the phen, I still ended up eating pretty decent. I ate some things that I don't normally eat but I watched my portion size.

Good luck to you!!

[msmartini]

Originally Posted by fluffyinwi

I eat as best I can

What exactly do you eat? What is your eating pattern? Are you eating 6 small, healthy meals a day? How many calories a day are you consuming?

Originally Posted by fluffyinwi

I have a busy job so I'm constantly moving and getting in extra steps and what not.

How much exercise are you adding into the mix? Being busy on an average day does not count as exercise. This is your normal daily routine and your body is used to this activity level.

Originally Posted by fluffyinwi

I have been on Phentermine since November 07. I'm due to see my doctor again on June 16th and if I don't lose more weight she's yanking me off Phentermine.

Chances are, you need to come off of Phentermine for a good month or two. Average time on Phen is 3 months on, 1 month off... for 2 rounds. Otherwise your body builds a resistence to the meds.

Originally Posted by fluffyinwi

I fear that if I go off Phentermine that in time I will put back on the 22 lbs I lost.

If you haven't changed your eating patterns in the last 6 months, you will gain those 22 pounds back. Phen is a tool, plain and simple. Just taking Phen every morning without changing your eating habits and adding in a significant amount of daily exercise will not work in the long term.

Please let us know what your eating and exercise habits are now and we can provide advise for getting the most out of your time on Phen.

[fluffyinwi]

To answer some questions YES I have changed my habits, in fact I changed many bad habits prior to taking phen, I had lost 25lbs on my own only to wind up sick once the winter months hit, I then tried WW and gained everything back plus some(counting points is not for me, calories were easier). So before starting up Phentermine I readapted to what I did the first time around that helped me lose.

I drink water, not as much as I should or as much as I did in the beggining. I don't experience dry mouth any more and working in child care it's hard to get time to drink fluids.

I understand that my daily routine isn't enough to maintain weight loss however since November my raily routine has changed significantly due to where I work(child care center and part time student at a local tech school), by the time I'm home at 6pm I need to cater to my own child (single mom) and household duties which leave little time for anything, I'm lucky if I make it to bed before 12-1 most nights. I don't have sleeping issues due to Phentermine- I haven't slept well since I was pregnant with my daughter who is now 5 1/2 years old.

I eat low sodium and no salt added foods and rarely do I salt foods. I hardly ever use butter or maragine and I don't cook with oils ever. Everything I eat is baked, grilled or broiled. I eat low fat or no fat when it comes to dairy and try to buy low fat cuts of meat. I eat a lot of fresh produce as well. I had kicked soda but have since started drinking it but not too often, maybe 1 a day max.

So I guess you could say NO I'm not eating 6 small healthy meals a day as I can barely get in 3 of any kind of meal a day. I wasn't given regular guidelines from my doctor except eat smaller portions, eat healthier and drink water.

I can not go into detail about what I eat on a daily basis as it's never the same. Calories I am unsure what I'm consuming as day to day it can vary, there are many work days where I often don't have time for lunch. I can tell you what I ate today. I had 12 oz water with phen in the am. I had a PB fiber One bar, at lunch I had an uncrustable as it was the only thing I could find that was quick. I had baby carrots and a peach for snacks and then dinner I ate about 6 Jimmy Dean sausage pancake minis and had 12 more oz of water. I haven't stopped moving from the time I woke at 7 am until now 11pm.

My doctor never said anything about going off of Phen for any amount of time and starting it again, she's just gone month to month or every two months I see her and it's always the same. In the beggining I lost weight now I'm just stuck going nowhere and it's been like this since the beggining of January.

I'm basically stuck in the same place I was stuck when I lost weight without Phentermine.

I'm at the point that it's stressful and I WANT to eat just because I'm angry. I know that at night it's worse because I could eat everything in sight, should I take Phentermine a bit later in the day to prevent this?

[msmartini]

You need to eat. Having water for breakfast is not good and will hinder your weight loss progress.

I understand that your doctor didn't give you specific instructions as many just hand over the prescription and say exactly what yours did... there are many that can just take the Phen and lose the weight without changing everything. I'm not one of those... and by the sounds of it, neither are you. What I'm going to type next is purely advise... which by posting here I'm assuming you are looking for.

1. EAT BREAKFAST! This is the most important item to winning the weight loss war! You have to jump start your metabolism. When you don't eat breakfast and you move(i.e. go to work), your metabolism looks for something to burn and when there is nothing it slows to a crawl. Then when you do eat, it's like an angry child and rebels, hanging on to every ounce as it's afraid you won't give it anything to burn at a later time.

2. Track your calories. Fitday.com Sparkpeople.com There are many sites out there, just find one that works for you. Eating too little will hinder your progress as well(again, starvation mode). You need at least 1,200 calories a day.

3. Get a refillable water bottle and carry it everywhere you go! Keep it with you while working... driving... doing homework with your child... grocery shopping... drink all the time! Does it look silly? Probably, but who cares if it helps you to get your water in for the day?

4. There are some really good short workouts on DVD. Go to WalMart, grab some 10 minute Solutions and do them! Just 10 little minutes a day... I know we're all busy but if we look hard enough, we can find 10 minutes.

There are many more little things that can be done, but this is a good start. Your schedule looks very similar to most mothers nowadays... but it can be done and we're here to help you get there, one step at a time!!

I hope you take my comments for what they are, which is trying to help... good luck to you!!

[kenari]

MsMartini always gives good advice, I know it will be hard to find the time, but 10 mins is easier to find than 30 mins. In your daycare, do the children get snack time? I know that my kids did when they went, they had a morning and afternoon snack. That would be a good time to try to get in some food too, even if it is something small like apples or a bannana.

[susanpesek]

One of the biggest problems in the U.S. is we misjudge portion size. If you can do this for just ONE DAY, it will help us know how to help you:
MEASURE EVERY SINGLE THING that passes your lips and write it down. An fabricated example might be:

4 ounces cold water
3.5 ounces dry Kashi- 78 calories
2 ounces 1% milk- 32 calories

Then calculate the calories as you go and write them down.
Most folks have success with pre-planning the day before and pre-measuring their meals into sandwich bags.
YOU CAN DO THIS, BABE!