Obsession With Weight Issues

[Postmorthim]

I am a male in his forties and have recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia related symptoms.  I know I should feel good that my symptoms don't include "hearing voices." However, my life long weight struggle is rearing it's ugly head again.

Before this recent diagnosis I had been given a combination of Zyprexa (olanzipine) and Prozac (fluoxetine.)  It did wonders for my depression and anxiety.  However, my weight shot up even though I was physically active daily.  Then one day I looked above my belt and the battle of the bulge had begun.  So I stopped taking the medication and tried to starve myself until I lost the weight.

So I begun going on and off the medication and battling the weight issue as well.  Flash forward to now and I have started to take Risperidone and my weight has gone up 10 pounds.  Yikes!!

So I'm in that delicate period where do I keep taking Risperidone and balloon up out of control or do I do what I did in the past; stop taking the med and starve myself down to the weight that keeps me content.

I'm stuck and will obsess to the point of depression.

I hope someone has a similar experience.  I just don't want to obsess which leads to negative thought patterns and daily panic attacks.

Please share if you can.

Postmorthim

[epiphone15]

I've never had issues with my weight, so I'm sorry I can't share a personal experience.

But hey, I can tell you that 10 pounds here and there is nothing to worry about. The lame fact is that we can't always have it both ways. And it seems like you're stuck between your weight and your psychological health: take the drugs to boost your mental health but gain weight, or not take the drugs and lose weight but put your mental health at risk. To me the choice is clear: your mental health is way more important than your weight. Don't get me wrong, weight is a huge issue, but when we're talking about 10 pounds or so, then it's really not that important. And people aren't gonna care if you get a slight bit of flab.

I get the feeling that I'm telling you things that you already know. But because of your obsession (I have my own) it's hindering your ability to believe in your own logic. If this is the case, then perhaps you should seek some counseling about your attitudes towards your weight. Either way, your weight isn't a big deal.

[spitfireatme]

Load up on OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS maybe and cut the drug out? Check out alternative remedies to the drug you use to keep calm (I love the website naturalnews.com). Drink something like YERBA MATE, keep your metabolism HIGHHIGHHIGH if you want to stay on the drug. Find weight loss supplements to keep yourself trim! Change up the things in your diet from very fatty things to less fatty things and sub in better tasting less calorie things!

[Senza]

Heya

Stopping the meds and starving yourself is going to do you no favours whatsoever. The effects from stopping the medication is obvious - the starving yourself not so much. One, you'll lose weight, sure. BUT you are also starving your body of vital nutrients which is enough to cause mental health problems in itself. When fighting these issues, your mind and body need decent nutrition to function properly, and without that, your mental state will only get worse. Also, though you may lose weight initially, you'll gain it straight back. Your energy levels will drop through the floor. When you starve yourself, then you start to eat again, your body will store everything it can in preparation for the next time of famine - leading to more weight gain. It's a vicious cycle.
I have had problems with eating disorders, and now I am eating properly, I have the devils own time keeping my weight down. The annoying thing is before this all started, I can hand on heart say I had a lovely figure and wasn't at all fat/overweight.....just my broken self esteem told me I was  (well, and a very charming ex husband did too *spits* )

So, here's what you do. Firstly, keep taking the medication - the doctors gave you it for a reason, you need it. Secondly, Eat healthily. Don't meal skip. Watch what you're eating, eat slowly, chew everything and stop when you are full. If you eat too fast, your body doesn't have time to register that it's full, and will lead to overeating. If you get hungry between meals, it's so easy to grab a cookie, or a packet of crisps...don't. Grab a piece of fruit instead. Junk food is empty calories, with virtually no decent nutrition which you need at the moment.
Eat good quality proteins, (lean meats,fish - including oily types, pulses, beans) rather than processed hams etc with every meal. Carbs are needed too, but since I have gluten problems I tend to go for vegetables rather than the grain types such as pasta and bread.
It might help for you to keep a track of what you eat on a normal day and calorie count it. It's easy to snack our way to well over the intake we need. Don't get obsessive over this, just do it for a couple of days, register if there's a problem, alter your intake to a healthy amount, then stop doing it.
Set a day of the week to weigh yourself, then do it only on that day. At my worst I was hopping on and off those scales several times a day. In the end I needed to throw them away, but I have since bought another set which gets used responsibly 

Exercise. Yep, I'm sorry. I had to say it. I was never one of those lucky people that loves exercising but we all need it........especially those of us stuck in a mental rut. It doesn't need to be going for the burn (although kudos if you can do that - I'm far too unmotivated, or should that be lazy  ).....even an extra thirty minutes walk in the park on an evening is better than sitting watching the tv. It keeps the metabolism ticking, raises seratonin levels, and whilst you're doing it, your thoughts are not going around in those nifty little circles that drive you insane.

Monitor your self-talk relentlessly. If you notice you're getting into an obsessive thought pattern, change the subject. Do something absorbing, something you enjoy that needs mental input - crossword puzzles have been a lifesaver for me many a time.

Well, I hope that's been a little help somewhere at least. Now I'm going to take my own advice and go for a walk, because I'm feeling a bit yucky myself today. Good luck :)