BTW - you can only get prescribed weight loss meds if your BMI is 30 or higher, or if it’s 25 or higher with a condition that is caused or made worse by being overweight.
Hey guys, I noticed in these posts that no one ever mentions getting medical help (outside of surgery) to help them lose weight. I wanted to share what changed my life - when I went to my family doctor to check out a mole, and she asked me about my weight. Turns out, she was also an Obesity doctor (super lucky for me).
Obesity doctors are specialized to deal with issues related to obesity. They are also able to prescribe medication that is clinically proven to help manage hunger or to help lose weight more. My medication was also covered under my insurance.
The medication I got prescribed is called Phentermine. There are a lot of different drugs that help with weight loss but this one is the most common. This is because it has minor side effects and most people can take it with no problem. It is a controlled substance so you can’t get it without a prescription. There are drugs that are somewhat effective for weight loss that you can get OTC but the only one I know of is one that makes it harder to digest lipids.
My personal experience with Phentermine:
It made weight loss super freaking easy. I struggled with my weight my whole life - I now realize that my struggle was with managing hunger symptoms, and some of us just feel hunger more strongly than others. On Phentermine, I didn’t (and don’t) even count calories. I specifically didn’t want to because I had come close to disordered eating in the past and the meds were extremely effective in reducing the feeling of hunger.
When I initially got the meds I was at my wits end. I had been at around 165 pounds for years during high school/my early 20s. It was so hard for me to even keep that weight stable, and I was overweight according to BMI. But every time I tried to make it to a normal weight, I just couldn’t. And then, I went through a breakup with an ex that controlled what I ate. So after that, I shot up to 197 pounds. It felt impossible to get back down, every time I tried it was like my hunger would take over my brain. And I could control myself for days, but it just took 1 lapse in self control on 1 day to fuck up my progress. It was awful. I honestly had a moment where I thought, “I cannot control this at all” - that moment where I gave up on trying to get to a normal weight. It felt impossible.
Medicine changed that for me. You can get this stuff prescribed, you guys. It is LIFE CHANGING. After I was on my meds, I just magically ate until I got full and then I couldn’t eat anymore. And I would get full on normal portions. I started having leftovers when I ate - I used to have to control myself to not clear everything on my plate. After my meds, it was rare for me to not have food left over.
I could eat everything I wanted to. Doctors definitely will encourage at LEAST one of 2 things: a vegetable-heavy diet and strength training. My doctor personally cares a lot about the veggies but more about the strength training. I do strength training regularly so that wasn’t difficult for me. So as long as I also eat my veggies, I can eat anything. And I do, I eat anything I want whenever I want. I just get full so quickly that even calorie-dense foods barely interrupt my progress. If I feel like eating it, I will go get it and consume it with no guilt. This stuff is amazing.
It gave me a sort of mental freedom I haven’t felt in years - I used to calorie track EVERYTHING. And if I didn’t know exactly how many calories something was, I would guess and I would track it so that I at least had an estimate as to what I ate. I did that every day for years. When I got on my meds I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t track my calories, because I had come close to an eating disorder. I just told myself I would record my weight occasionally and give myself a year of just seeing the effectiveness of the meds. One year with no restrictions. And I lost 50 pounds. And my BMI is in the normal range!
I still drink soda. I still eat ice cream. I eat burgers and Thai food and cupcakes. In fact, I eat them whenever I want.
This drug - phentermine, in my case - changed my life. I feel so happy and carefree. I don’t have to track my calories. I don’t have to do keto. I can drink full sugar coke. And I don’t even think twice about it.
Sports have become easier. I weigh so much less now, I’ve gotten faster at running. I can do pull ups now. So much of being athletic is in not carrying an extra 50 pounds with you. Everything is easy now.
I have no idea why more people aren’t talking about weight loss meds. They are amazing. They are a resource for you. They were able to change my life! Go see a specialist doctor, they know what they’re doing!
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