Yes, i am quite pleased by my progress- i am feeling real hope here. I am still not convinced that something was wrong with scale at doctors.
I have been following the 1500-1800 calorie a day diet requested by Canadian Bariatric Clinic ( Dr. Sean Wharton) . Also increased fiber and proteins. It has been very easy. Not sure because the diet is curbing cravings or because of drug but it has been very easy.
Almost like when i quite smoking 17 years ago using the patch- was shocked at how easy it was.
I hope I am not getting false sense of security. I am still apprehensive. I put on my “control” jeans. I call them “control” because I am going to put these on every week or so to see how they fit and take picture in them every month. I am putting photos in My Weight loss Gallery.
So I have been doing very well- eating lots of yogurt, fresh fruit ( mostly apples) and the occasional meal replacement shake. They can be a bit chalky but adding a handful of strawberries makes a HUGE difference. I have been buying whatever is on sale or cheapest so maybe that would make a difference.
Posted by Linda J. - Weight Loss Using Diet, Exercise and Meridia as Daily Posts at 1:25 PM EDT
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As of of now- 1 month after I started my weight loss journey using Meridia weight loss drug and lower calories diet I have lost 12 lbs!
My current weight is 302 lbs. Yeah! I am quite pleased. I started at 314 4 weeks ago. I am following a low calories diet ( 1500-1800 calories a day) and trying to eat low glycemic foods- as well as more fiber and protein.
Here is my pic now:
Other pics:
Posted by Linda J. - Weight Loss Using Diet, Exercise and Meridia as Daily Posts, Meridia Weight Loss Drug, Weight loss Pictures, Weight loss Updates at 1:14 PM EDT
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The side effect of insomnia seems to be wearing off a bit- thank god! I have had a few good nights sleep this week, despite the stress. We have had some bizarre things going on in our family and we were all running around this week.
Today my husband commented that he could see that I was “slimming down” a bit.. he was quite sweet about it. He is very supportive of all the changes I have been making. I am sure it has hurt him over the years to see me try and fail over the years.
I am struggling with adding more fiber to my diet. I am trying to eat 6 times a day, stick to about 1500 calories, 90 gram of protein and 30 grams of fiber. The fiber part is challenging!!! Looks like adding more vegetables and fruits is the only way to go.
I do eat oatmeal in the mornings which I think has been key.
Snack also hard. A couple of times this week I have felt a bit of a craving for something sweet- but nothing major. I did discover at county fair last night that a GIANT bag of Cotton Candy only had 100 calories in it.. I didn’t have any but I was shocked that it was so little. I thought for some reason it would be like a 1000 calories or something…
So- looking for some ways to add fiber to my diet.. if you could please share in comments section that would be great!
Posted by Linda J. - Weight Loss Using Diet, Exercise and Meridia as Daily Posts, Food and Snacks at 9:23 PM EDT
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Had my second visit last week. I met a different “bariatric technician” named Derek who was a little less monotone than Christina. To be fair the clinic gets 15+ new patients a day so must be difficult to keep the information fresh.
I spent about 20 mins with Derek, who was quite kind and gentle- though he admitted he was new to the field. He went over my diet journal and made some comments. I think what happens is he inputs into computer and Dr. Wharton takes a quick glance at it.
Met Dr. Wharton for a few minutes and was given a meal plan. By this- told how many calories to have in a day and what the makeup of those calories should be… At least 90 g of protein and 30 (!!) grams of fiber.
I am to stick to a 1500 calorie plan although I may just do an 1800 calorie one.
I also asked him a bit more about the Meridia- he told me that it was not true that the Meridia boosted metabolism as I was told by my family doctor. He also stressed again the importance of eating slowly.
I am not sure how much to share on this blog0 some of the details are deeply personal. One of the things I discussed with the Doctor was my relationship with food. That I felt I did not eat from hunger or pleasure or comfort- but more out o anger or self-mutilation. This is something I will need to think on. I don’t eat a lot- but I do binge every once in awhile .. so my weight has crept up over the years- about 3 lbs a years for the last 10 years. I so have some eating issues and he recommended I see their on staff Bariatric psychiatrist. So I will think about it.
Posted by Linda J. - Weight Loss Using Diet, Exercise and Meridia as Canadian Bariatric Clinic, Meridia Weight Loss Drug, Struggles with Weight Loss at 9:15 PM EDT
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Today marks the third week I have been taking the weight loss drug, Meridia. It is from the same family of drugs as serotonin uptake blocking anti-depressants ( like Prozac) and one of the “side effects” is a feeling of satiety. I do notice I do not crave foods or “fantasize” about foods or over indulge since I have been on the drug. So much so that making meals for my family has become an issue- I rarely feel hungry and have to ouch myself to think about meals and what to make.
Curretn side effects of Meridia:
I am still feeling racy- though not as much
dry mouth has pretty much gone
Insomnia- I am having problems sleeping and I am normally a pretty good sleeper. The last couple of night have been much better so hopefully this is a sign of things to come. Last week i resorted to taking Tylenol Pm to knock myslef out but still woke several times.
My blood pressure is still fine. My heart rate has increased by about 10 beats per second, however. Dr. Wharton assures this will go down as I start to lose weight.
I weighed in today at 308 lbs. For a total of about 7 lbs in three weeks. I am quite pleased. I put on a pair of jeans today that I couldn’t manage to zip up last year. My goal is to wear them by Halloween.
Posted by Linda J. - Weight Loss Using Diet, Exercise and Meridia as Weight loss Updates at 9:51 PM EDT
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I attended a lecture offered by the Canadian Bariatric Clinic last night. It was done in two parts, 1st hour was bariatric specialist Dr. Sean Wharton and the next hour was the staff nutritionist.
I can see why Dr. Wharton strongly encourages his patients attend. It is an in depth and science based presentation that would be impossible to to get across to all his patients- and it is information you need.
In my last post about my first visit to the clinic I mention how sceptical I was, disappointed even. I am starting to feel a glimmer of hope.
I couldn’t possibly repeat all that was discussed. Of the key points of the talk was that you needed to eat to lose weight. Not just eat- but eat often- to keep your metabolism at a steady pace and not have it go into “starvation mode” . One of the most important things to do was to eat in the morning- that to go 12 hours with no food at a stretch was too long and your metabolic rate would drop and then “hang on” to any food that subsequently came in,,
Many people grumbled that felt nauseous in the morning and the was no way they could eat in the morning and he said tough… to try a handful of grapes and gradually increase the amount.
He also talked a lot about genetics and our environment. That environment was a large part of why we are an obese culture. I got the feeling that Dr. Wharton was a bit of a fanatic on this point- he was very passionate about the effect fast food is having and at some point hinted that it should be illegal.
The lecture was WELL worth my time and really did allay many fears and concerns that I had. The lecture was very informative and I am very happy I took the time to give it a chance and go.
Posted by Linda J. - Weight Loss Using Diet, Exercise and Meridia as Canadian Bariatric Clinic at 9:33 PM EDT
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I mentioned that I was going for more first appt. with Dr, Wharton at the Canadian Bariatric Clinic. I was sure what to expect- but several forums had led me to believe that he was very quick to push the Opti-fast program and drugs. The clinic was very busy and to be honest I was put off by the amount of business going on- scales and cases of Optifast were being sold like crazy- there was quite a bit of traffic of people purchasing things from the receptionist and this troubled me- ALOT.
The wait time was much longer than I expected. On a positive note- staff cam out often and were friendly to returning clients patients. There chairs where extra wide and comfortable.
I first saw some sort of intake worker- her role was never explained to me. She rhymed off what felt like a “speil” she had said a thousand times in a quick monotone. At this point I could see no difference between a Jenny Craig office . The selling of stuff from behind the counter was just so unprofessional and it got worse. I had to pay a mandatory 100.00 to receive their special binder and take test using a calorimeter which checked your metabolic rate. Also I had to buy a scale - the ones I saw flying from behind the counter- a whopping 130.00. I filled out a lengthy medical history and chronicled my weight loss attempts and history.
I did express my concerns to Christina that from what I could see it looked like they were positioning themselves to be the next Dr. Bernstein … she was polite and friendly but she did say it felt like a slap in the face. She said that the scale was difficult to find and that it was really a service they were providing patients. I then said- if you were doing a service than the scales would be provided at close to cost and were they- she said “no” and did admit that in that regard it was a business. She made great effort to tell me they were like a family here.
I was weighed and measured and goals were discussed, etc then asked to go back to waiting room to wait for Dr. Wharton. she also explained some of their available services- a psychiatrist ( covered by OHIP) , kenesieoligist (not covered and 65.00) and nutritionist (not covered).
I waited about another half hour - again staff were very friendly and many came out to waiting room to greet patients by name.
I finally went into Dr. Whartons office. He gave me quick medical exam- checking for swelling, rashes and enlarged liver as well as listened to my heart and chest.
I spoke with him for about 10 minutes- not a lot about treatments, etc was discussed- basically had to journal my food, he talked about the importance of understanding food , relationship of carbohydrates , proteins and was adamant that the key was understanding calories and nutrition. And before I left he advised that I attend his lecture coming up on Wednesday.
I left feeling a bit like every other program i have ever tried.. and felt like this was just another business aiming to make money off of weight loss. I also wanted to give it a chance- i have been wrong before about first judgments and after all- this was a bit of a last stop for me before getting weightloss surgery ( WLS) . Nothing else has worked.
Posted by Linda J. - Weight Loss Using Diet, Exercise and Meridia as Canadian Bariatric Clinic, Daily Posts, Personal History at 9:06 PM EDT
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Saw my doctor today for two weeks check up- they need to monitor blood pressure for first little while taking Meridia.
My blood pressure is fine it is about the same 130/77 . My heart rate is a little high though- was 81 which is higher than it normally is…
I also got weighed- i started 2 weeks ago at 142.5 kg ( 315 lbs) and this morning it was 140.5 kg (310.5) so close to 5 lbs !
I am quite pleased- as I don’t feel like I have honestly been eating that much differently- though we are following a low glycemic diet- eating whole grains and reducing or cutting out simple processed carbohydrates.
I do feel with Meridia that I am craving less and do not feel hungry. I still feel pretty racy and sleep is an issue.
Other news- I am seeing the obesity specialist soon. Dr Sean Wharton at the Canadian Bariatric clinic. I am quite nervous. I don’t know why- but I am… I have mixed reviews on him- my doctor says he is great but on some of the obesity forums people have have not been that positive- saying he REALLY pushes expensive liquid weight loss product, Opti-fast, which I have no desire to take. It is also $3500.00 for the program ( I believe it is 6 month program). I will give full report next week.
Posted by Linda J. - Weight Loss Using Diet, Exercise and Meridia as Meridia Weight Loss Drug, Weight loss Updates at 5:18 PM EDT
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Many people- especially those who have had weight loss surgery use a protein powder as part if there diet. It almost ALL cases the powders come in giant tubs and have varying degrees of flavour :-)
Some companies will send you a free sample- or next to free sample- of their product to try before you buy- and get stuck with vat of protein powder you won’t use as well as the cash out of product.
My advice also is to send the company an email and explain your dilemma- that you are on a very restricted diet or you just had WLS and you would like too try a small amount before you stock up.
Here are some companies that have sent out samples or trial sizes of protein powders at little or no cost:
Jay Robb Protein and Protein Bars
UnJury Medical Quality Protein offers sample packs- Samples
Each sample is a single-serving sealed packet, with 20 grams of protein and cost $1.75 each.
Do you know of a company that offers samples of protein powders? Please let us know!
Posted by Linda J. - Weight Loss Using Diet, Exercise and Meridia as Food and Snacks, Weight loss Tip Articles at 11:49 AM EDT
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I am just finishing up day 9 on the weight loss drug, Meridia. I found out yesterday that my drug plan will cover it- because I have >40 BMI.
The biggest problem I am having is trouble sleeping. I cannot drink or eat caffeine in any form and I was worried when I started drug I might have a problem… I am. I have really not been sleeping at all. I just cant fall asleep and when I do i wake up about every 2 hours. Last night was one of the worst- i went to bed at midnight and fell asleep about 5:30 am. I woke up 2 or 3 times and slept until 10. I am in bad shape. I have not had a good night’s sleep since I started taking.
I hope it will wear off at some point because I don’t think i can continue like this. I do feel the drug is working. I am not over eating in any way and often forget to eat. I feel to “speedy: to eat. I don’t know if this is a good thing- but neither is weighing 300 lbs.
I also notice a somewhat dry mouth- but nothing I can’t live with.see doctore for checkup - blood pressue needs to be checked at 2 week point when taking Meridia and also will weigh myself. I am hoping to have lost 10+ lbs.
Posted by Linda J. - Weight Loss Using Diet, Exercise and Meridia as Meridia Weight Loss Drug at 10:21 PM EDT
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