Obesity genes are real ... but they aren't an excuse to give up

Recently, I decided to have my DNA tested through Ancestry. My family is pretty big into ancestry research and three others in my family have done the DNA test. Plus, my dad is sort of a junkyard dog so I thought I might have some secret siblings out in the world, lol.

In researching which service to use, I also found out about Promethease - a site where you can upload your raw dna data to find out all kinds of other info besides just ancestry. So I bought my Ancestry kit (which is on sale right now, btw) and waited not-so-patiently for the results, which came back this morning (they received my kit on Nov 16, so not a bad turn around time).

After reading through all the Ancestry stuff (and not finding any secret siblings, boo) I eagerly uploaded to Promethease - it takes 20 min and costs $12.

Fair warning for anyone considering using Promethease: it's both difficult and potentially scary. I recommend looking at some YouTube tutorials first.

I have a very high risk for blood clots. I found genetic markers for all the conditions I already know I have (including multiple asthma markers). I found out that I carry both genes for blue eyes. And that I carry a gene that might make me less empathetic towards others - maybe I need to change my username? lol.

And then I found close to a dozen genes that have known risk for, and link to, obesity. There was even a gene that's been found to make it harder for people carrying it to lose weight through diet alone (they had to include vigorous exercise). One gene has been studied enough that they found a low-fat diet helpful for people carrying it.

But how can it be that I have all these obesity genes and have still lost 60 lbs? Because your genes don't make it impossible to lose weight. It just means that, with this somewhat depressing genetic cocktail I have, I'll have to work harder than I thought. And it means I may never get all the way down to where I'd like to be. And that's OK.

If anything, I feel more motivated than ever to beat the hand my genetics have dealt me. And guess what - being high risk for blood clots and high blood pressure means I don't really have the luxury of giving up on my weight loss journey.

So the nest time someone blames their genes or says it "runs in their family" you can tell them that's a pretty lame excuse.

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A bad day but LETS DO THIS GUYS

I started losing at 146 and even hit 136 in early November but due to a week of stressful work, I stopped paying attention and got back up 138-139. I’ve been hovering around that and now got my period (no excuses) but last night I just lost enthusiasm to eat right. I worked out very hard but went out and ate cheese fries (800cal) and some drinks (200 cal) Besides my othermeals. My daily intake is usually 1200 😂😂 such a fail! And this morning I feel not so satisfied from my cheat meal. It wasn’t even that delicious, sigh. Anyway I’m writing here so I’m accountable and don’t beat myself up too much, but get back to the game. It’s been tough going back down to 136 and further down to 130 which is my goal weight! but I have been having a very comfortable weight loss journey overall so excited to keep going. I have a couple of months till my PhD defense and wanna hit 130 by then! Let’s do this guys!!!!!!

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Mental blocks to weight loss

Hey /r/loseit friends. I have lost 180 lbs, starting at 480 and hovering around 300. I look better, I feel better, I'm dating and am seeing a girl who really seems to care about my needs. Lifes been great, but I want to lose weight. I want to keep losing but I can't.

Once I hit 300 officially a few weeks ago my brain went into cognitive dissonance mode and started freaking the fuck out. My brain holding my body image of my 480 lbs self and entering new territory that I've never been at as an adult, I just couldnt handle it. I gained some minor weight back but quickly reigned myself in. I recognized the pattern. It was the same thing as last time I had lost a lot of weight and got to 300. I'm just a couple pounds above that (probably water weight, maybe a bit of fat), but I'm going to keep on keeping on and try to push to break into the 200s this week.

I just wanted to know if anyone had experience similar and what their experiences were like?

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Phentermine Maintenance Dose?

I (29/F) was just prescribed phentermine 37.5 (slow release capsule) through my new doctor at Absolutely Thin (I don't know if anyone else has had experience with them).

Just for some context, they are one of the only widespread online weight loss clinics that were available in my area. I chose them because the weight loss clinics in my town were not only sparse, but they were OUTRAGEOUS ($150 - $200+ a month) in price, and most completely refused to even consider prescribing any sort appetite suppressant to help me get past my weight loss plateau. In addition, most required that you come to frequent group meetings and that you purchase their supplements and food, which added to their high monthly costs, and the price tag just seemed ridiculous to me.

I've been able to lose from 240lbs to 180lbs just through diet alone. I'm 5'2". Only recently had my work schedule changed to where I can get back to the gym, I have missed doing cardio!

Initially what helped me control my hunger and learn how to portion and watch my caloric intake was Wellbutrin, which was actually prescribed for me by my normal doctor to counteract the sexual side effects of the Effexor I take for severe OCD. These effects from wellbutrin don't happen for everyone, and I was lucky that it helped propel forward my weight loss goals while it did. But now, I've been plateauing at 175 - 180lbs since July (it seems like I've learned to control my caloric intake enough for maintenance, at the very least), even with incorporating obsessive calorie counting and exercise. I've been hungry, frustrated and miserable, so I wanted to look for some additional help to get me to my healthy weight goal.

I signed up, submitted my health history, and visited my assigned doctor from the website in person, who went over my entire medical history and approved me to start phentermine. Typically, they prescribe phentermine with Prozac in order to stop your body from getting used to the phentermine, but since I'm already on wellbutrin and effexor, I am supposed to be okay in that regard, and didn't need to have the low dose Prozac. It's also to prevent the possibility of serotonin syndrome, which I was glad the doctor pointed out as well, because that was a concern for me when I read what their typical regiment was.

The reason I'm posting today is because this doctor's typical plan is once I reach a healthy weight, she gives her patients a very low maintenance dose of phentermine long term. This is great for me, as I was relieved to know that I didn't only have just a month or two to have this prescribed. I'm hoping it will help me maintain my weight loss as I continue to get therapy for binge/emotional eating, and continue to learn better eating habits and incorporating excercise into my life permanently.

I wanted to see if anyone else has had this regiment before, because I've never heard of anyone being allowed to have a super low maintenance dose long term. Of course, this is on the condition that my body continues to handle the medicine well, and I have to have a progress meeting monthly with my doctor via online/text in order to even receive another month of phentermine, as they do not prescribe refills.

Is anyone else on this regiment? If my body continues to do well with phentermine, as far as experiencing no negative side effects, what are your thoughts on a long term, low maintenance dose? From what I understand, it would the lowest dose of phentermine available (7mg I believe, and I think that can be cut in half via tablet form, for an even lower maintenance dose). Of course, my doctor said the decision to even have a maintenance dose is up to me (should I be handling the medicine well), and she's had successful patients on phentermine both short and long term.

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I'm changing my life

Sorry for the wall of text! I have tried and failed to lose weight many times. I've done CICO every time, and every time I've lost weight while counting calories.

I started the most recent attempt in February of this year. I was down to 207, and then for some reason I stopped. I struggled until June and then got back on the weight loss track. By then I was right back up to 220lbs. I started losing weight again, and by August I was down to 206. And then I stopped again. I struggled with some depression starting in September, and I overate like crazy. By October I was back at 217, and by November I was 225, the highest I've ever been. November 19th I started counting calories again.

I don't know what's different this time. Maybe it's that I'm fed up with losing weight and then gaining it all back, or maybe it's that I'm just finally ready to live a healthier life, but this time I'm really into it. I've only been counting calories for 2 weeks this time, but I've gone from 225lbs to 222.4lbs. Not a large difference, but I'm super proud of it.

Things that are different this time:

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- I've measured myself and will be comparing measurements all through the process. I also took pictures, and will be taking more and comparing them throughout the process as well.

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- I've accepted that I need to just lose 1lbs a week, currently eating 1730 calories a day, instead of trying to keep myself between 1100 and 1200, which is what I've tried in the past. Losing more than 1lbs a week is possible for me, and I've done it, but I've always failed because I find it too restrictive, so I'm not quite sure why I kept trying to do things so fast, though it was probably because I didn't want the process to take so long.

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- Which brings me to another point, that I've finally accepted that this weight loss journey will take around 2 years for me, I have an ultimate goal weight of around 135lbs, smack in the middle of my normal BMI range. That's 90lbs I have to lose.

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- I've accepted that this will be a lifetime of work. The work will not stop when I lose that 90lbs. I will need to be vigilant for the rest of my life so that I don't gain back the weight.

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- I've started doing 30 minutes of exercise a day

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- I've started C25K, and am running 3 times a week, on top of the 30 minutes of exercise a day, so 3 times a week, I'm doing 60 minutes of exercise a day.

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- I've started yoga, also on top of the 30 minutes of exercise a day.

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- I'm actually ENJOYING the exercise I'm doing. This is the biggest difference with this time. I'm excited going to sleep knowing that when I wake up I get to exercise. Every day I'm celebrating that I have a body that can move me, and every day I'm thankful that I have the determination to keep exercising even on the days when I'm maybe not so excited for the exercise when I wake up. The exercise has improved my mood SO much, and I'm not planning on stopping it anytime soon.

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I just feel like this time I'm accepting that this will be hard work, I'll have to keep exercising, and the changes to my body will not happen overnight. This time I don't only want to lose weight, I also want to be healthy and happy. I didn't really have anyone to share this with, other than my boyfriend who has already heard me talk about this like non-stop for 2 weeks, and thought maybe people here would like to hear this! I'm hoping that all these differences mean that this time I'm ready to stick with it and see the weight loss through. I'm hoping to post updates maybe every 10 or 15lbs, so hopefully you'll be hearing from me soon!

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It's important to not only share weight loss advice but also ask for the other person's input.

Kind of a long story

So when I saw one of my friend's dads after losing 20 lbs, he told me he was also losing weight, which is great. However the whole time we were talking he was kind of just lecturing me about weight loss and not really asking my input or what I thought. Now the thing with my friend's dad is, he kind of thinks he's an expert on everything and has all the answers, no matter the issue. He's a businessman so he was all like "oh I know the best weight loss product, the best protein shake, I have a client who's a personal trainer, I'll give you his number" etc etc.

I get that he was trying to help, and I appreciate that, but like it really came off as a bit condescending. His advice wasn't the best either, he would say that lifting is bad for weight loss and that I should eat every three hours (which no, lifting burns calories and preserves muscle, and eating every 3 hours would keep my insulin high all day). He kind of came off as one of those weight loss gurus who tell you everything you know is wrong and you have to try his magic formula.

I'm pretty sure most of you know just how annoying it is to get lectured on weight loss even though you're doing fine, and to get recommended like a dozen different products and diets. No thank you. That was just his personality though, so I really didn't mind at the time, and knowing him, he had 100% good intentions.

After that I didn't see him for quite a while, maybe 3 or 4 months. I just met him yesterday again though, and by this time I'm 40 lbs down from when I last saw him. What surprised me is by this time, his attitude completely changed towards me. I don't just mean that he complemented my weight loss. What I mean is that while we were talking, we were having an actual discussion. He was asking me questions, he was asking what my routine is and what my diet is, and then share his own plans. It was very back and forth and very productive this time. This just made my day yesterday.

Sure compliments are nice, encouragement is nice, but I really appreciate when people ask me for my input rather than telling me to try this and that. Discussion is productive and helps both sides. Weight loss can sometimes be a lonely journey, and if someone compliments me all I can say is thanks, but if someone asks me what I did, how I did it, I get to share my experiences and have a discussion and then ask them in turn. So if any of you have a friend or family member who wants to start losing weight, I REALLY encourage you guys to not just give advice and encouragement but also ask them what they have tried, how they're doing, what their goals are and what they want to do. It really goes a long long way in keeping someone on track with their diet and fitness, and keeping them motivated.

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Issues I've come across on my weight loss journey.

Hey all, I stumbled on some posts from this sub reddit and figured I would share my story and maybe get some insight into some issues I've had while working on my weight loss goals. (CW 350 GW 280)

I'll try to keep it short and simple. I'm 29, nerdy, geeky guy, been chunky my whole life, coming from a Hispanic family I was always being fed that good, but heavy, homemade food. I've never really had a problem with being a big guy, I would be and still am self conscious about parts of my body, but overall I was OK with being the fat funny guy. Earlier this year in March, I was exhibiting symptoms of diabetes (WebMD ftw). I went to an urgent care that eventually led me to an emergency room, because of how high my blood sugar was, and was finally given the official diabetes diagnosis. The doctor pulled me aside that day and told me that if I didn't seriously change my lifestyle from that moment on, I wouldn't make it to my 40s (there were other health issues but that's a story for another time!). This was one of the most defining moments of my life, I simply asked him what I needed to do and was determined to start the change. I was at my heaviest then, 430lbs.

Fast forward to June, I had made the changes to my diet, low to no carb meals, ONE diet soda with my dinner and no sweets! I quickly dropped to 401 just making those changes alone. But I knew that I wanted to lose more and so I started going to the gym and working out. With the guidance of my cousin I was able to overcome the fear that is being an overweight person in a gym and actually start getting to work on myself.

I'm happy with the progress I've been making but now I feel like I have some issues. The first one is body image. I know most people struggle with body image issues even if they aren't obese or overweight, but even when I am losing weigh, actually seeing myself weigh less on the scale, there is a voice in my head that just keeps saying, "you are still fat, you still look fat, don't believe people when they say you look like you lost weight, they are just being nice". I'm sure I'm not alone but sometimes it's overwhelming to be able to come from being excited to see that number on the scale go down to just feeling like crap, if that makes sense.

The second "issue" is that I come from a pretty religious family, although I cut ties with it personally when I went to college. And since I've been working out and losing weight, I have seemingly "reversed", it's in quotes because I don't know if you can actually even cure it, my diabetes. I'm only taking one pill for it now, when I was previously on one other one plus insulin. But now all my family can say is that they are haply that God answered their prayers and that I'm better now. Without getting to much on the religious debate here, it just makes me feel like my work and progress doesn't mean anything to them and then I just get down on myself about it and want to just stop putting in the effort. I know I should only worry about how happy I am now and how exciting it is for me to get progress, it's hard to not be able to share that with my own family.

This became more of a rant but I guess I'm just hoping to connect with people who can understand where I'm coming from and somewhere to share my stories. Thanks for reading

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