WEIGHT issues, please help!

[jessikachu]

Here's a quick refresher of my situation:
Took Celexa for GAD for 7 months, gained 40lbs (despite heavy diet and exercise) due to the meds. I'm 23 years old, 5'8" and was 120lbs before meds (I have a small frame so, I was still considered healthy at that weight). Had to stop the Celexa due to the weight gain, even my doc said my frame couldn't handle the weight. She put me on Prozac to try and lose weight and control the anxiety. Prozac did the opposite for the anxiety, and I gained another 5lbs (once again, despite heavy dieting and exercise). I made the very difficult decision to stop the meds all together. Thankfully, anxiety-wise, I'm doing pretty well. Feeling "normal" for 7+ months gave me a lot of perspective.

ANYWAYS, I have been off the meds for almost two months now. I have restricted my diet even more and continued the exercise. One week I lost 5lbs! Then continued to not lose, not lose, then slowly another 3lbs came off. Now... nothing... So, in almost two months I have only lost 8lbs total. According to the doc I should be losing weight more rapidly than this for sure. I had a wonderful metabolism before this, and I'm assuming that by now it should be repairing itself... apparently not. Obviously, I'm not expecting, nor do I really want to go back to 120lbs, but I would at least like to reach 130-135lbs (I'm sitting at 157-158lbs right now so, I have a long way to go). That was a comfortable weight for me.

I feel awful every day, and I'm so tired of tracking calories and worrying about it. I am not on any other meds that would be delaying or preventing my weight loss. ANY SUGGESTIONS???

[acasey]

i had the same problems with zoloft a few years back. i was 110 before i started, and 135 after being on the meds for like a year. i stopped taking them when got pregnant, needless to say i gained more weight! lol. my son is almost two now, and i am FINALLY back down to 113, and wearing my pre pregnancy jeans. honestly after taking the zoloft i couold not get rid of the weight no matter what i did. i only finally lost it because my anxiety has been through the roof for the last 3 months and had to force myself to eat. plus side to anxiety i guess, lol. i guess you really just need to give it time, it really does take awhile for your body to return to normal after taking meds. thats why i refuse to take them ever again! good luck :)

[ImJace]

I've had the opposite happen to me. I've been on Pristiq for about 2 months and I've lost about 7lbs, and I notice that it actually has decreased my appetite. Also, it has done amazing things for my anxiety. The first 3 weeks sucked, but after 6 weeks I noticed a much improved state of mind.

[jessikachu]

Yeah, I haven't had children yet, and won't for many years so, I would really like to be skinny again before that happens. Fortunately and unfortunately my anxiety isn't nearly as bad as it was before I started the meds, and I'm worried that's the reason why I can't lose weight. My anxiety (haha) kicks in and says, "Oh my gosh, what if I was only skinny before because I was worked up all the time? Will I be fat now just because I have it under control?!" I've shared that worry with my mother. She thinks its definitely not true and that it's just going to take time.
I would be able to accept my weight as it is now if it wasn't for my shape. Unfortunatly, I'm completely a pear shape so, gaining all that weight put me from a size 2 pants to a size 12. So, even with a slightly fit body, I still look pretty dumpy for being tall. Ho-hum. We'll wait and see. I'm definitely not going to try any of those diet pills. Yuck.