Just been to the Drs and asked about Reductil

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

He won't presribe it for me as my BMI is 30 and he says its only for peopel with BMI over 35. But everything I've read says if your BMI is over 28 then you should be able to get it. Is it still up to the Drs discretion?

He told me didn't look like I had a BMI of 30. Well it is, no matter what he thinks I look like. You can't argue with scales and tape measures. Then gave me a load of advice about eating less. As I sat there in tears telling him I've been trying to eat less for the last 2 years and it isn't working 'cos I'm constantly hungry.

[HolyGuacamole]

My SIL is on it and has done really well, lost nearly 2 stones. The doc say's she will have to come off it soon as her BMI is coming down. Have never asked her what her BMI was at the start. I think the drug is a good thing but the downside is that you have to keep it all up after you come off it and that is what is worrying SIL. The drug is a great reason not to overindulge but take away the drug and all you have is your motivation again.

Can you go for a 2nd opinion or what about the non prescription one you get in Boots?

[Dumbledior]

Seriously, they only help if you change your diet completely. And if you can do that, you don't need them. Can you ask if there is a 'Shape Up' programme in your area that he can refer you to on NHS?

[hippipotamiHasLost49lbs]

I had a BMI of 42 and was not given it. The GP wanted me to prove I could stick to a diet before he would prescribe it. Diets never worked for me - or rather I did not try hard enough The GP passed me over to the practice nurse. And told her to send me back to him once I had lost one stone. Well, once I had lost that stone I realised I could do it without reductil.
Now I have the practice nurse weighing me every 2-3 weeks and do you know what - that is the biggest incentive going because I feel guilty if I haven't lost anything at a weigh-in.
I have been eating less and exercising more since March and have lost 49lbs. My BMI is now 36 so I have a long way to go yet.

Old fashioned 'eat less exercise more' is really the only way to lose weight.
I honestly never thought I could do it, so if I can anyone can

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

I just think that if I had a month or two on Reductil which would lower my appetite then I wuld get used to eatng less and then be able to do it myself without the pills as my stomache would be used to smaller amounts.

Dr said no help on NHS at all for me, no counselling, etc. I have started SW thought but not holding out great hope as I've tried WW and Rosemary Conley before with no luck.

Will just have to wait till my BMI gets to 35 I guess.

[shinyshoes]

Those with a BMI of 30 + meet the criteria of being prescribed Reductil.

Xenical/orlistat/Alli you need a BMI of 28 +

[shinyshoes]

Why would you wait until your BMI gets to 35. You are not going to put on weight just to get it are you? If your weight does go up so you have a BMI of 35 the doctor still might not prescribe it and you have put on all that weight for nothing. More weight that is going to take longer to lose.

For your BMI to get to 35 you need to weigh around 17 stone ish or more i'd imagine

[LibrasBiscuitsOfFortune]

Dumbledior is right. Also if you are constantly hungry either something is wrong with you OR you are comfort eating. If you are comfort eating you need to find out why. Is their any possibility you can afford private counselling?

[HolyGuacamole]

Sometimes it can be about recognising when you are actually hungry compared to craving. If you are hungry, try a large glass of water.

There is no magic pill that will do the work for you. I don't mean that badly but to say "oh, I'll just wait till my BMI is 35" is giving in.

Your doctor, if he cannot offer you tablets, should at the very least be trying to help you in other ways.

[hippipotamiHasLost49lbs]

I second the water thing. I don't like still water (never have) so am drinking sparkling water by the bottle full. It stops me feeling hungry.
Likewise, I have not changed how much I eat, but what I eat. Breakfast are tinned peach slices with a dollop of low fat yoghurt adn some musli sprinkled over, mid morning snack is now fruit (used to be chocolate biscuit), lunch is salad and some oatcakes (used to be cheese on toast) and dinner is cooked in less fat, more veg, less cream based sauces etc.

I used to hate exercise (still do really but I now walk briskly for an hour 3 or 4 times a week and swim continually for an hour once or twice a week.
And it really really is working.

I honestly never thought I could lose weight, had resigned myself to being obese forever, but it truly can be done!!

See if you can speak to the practice nurse at your GP surgery. I found GPs to be very unhelpful but the nurse was full of support and suggestions.

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

Thanks for the advice.

I don't think I'm comfort eating, when I say I'm hungry I really do feel hungry. Churning, growly tummy hungry. This can be an hour after breakfast (2 weetabix).

I exercise a lot - I run 5k at least twice a week, usually 3 times. I walk the dog for an hour 5x a week. Also play badminton for 2 hours once a week.

I'm seeing the nurse on Friday as the only thing the GP did want to do is a thyroid function test.

I think the water suggestion is probably a good one as I know I don't drink enough. I probably only have 3 drinks a day.

[hippipotamiHasLost49lbs]

Wow, you exercise a lot!! Right, definately back to the doctors. Perhaps if you wrote down what you ate / how much you exercised so you could show him? Keep a diary for a week or so?

[LibrasBiscuitsOfFortune]

hmm you maybe eating too much less, also are you having 3 meals a day? If you are feeling constantly hungry then I would move to 6 meals a day (but smaller IYSWIM). Also the exercise is great and fitting in something else would probably be a pain but is there any change you could maybe drop one of the runs (think the dogs might have something to say if I recommended dropping a walk!) and do some resistance training? If you don't want to join a gym you could get resistance bands or just use your own body weight to start with.

food diary is GREAT idea write down HOW MUCH you eat as well as what you eat. It also means you can see what you eat in terms of how long it will keep you satisfied for i.e do you eat high GI food rather than low. Weetabix is actually a high GI. Cereals like porridge and all bran are low GI if you can't face them even things like muesli tend to be lower GI than weetabix.

Also what you can add to your diet to make you feel satied for longer. Personally if you are hungry an hour after breakfast I would add a yogurt to your 2 weetabix (and change your cereal!)

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

I do love museli but thought it was high in calories so stopped eating it. I am having 3 meals a day, will try having 6 smaller meals and spreading it out. Thanks.

[Bunnysoprano]

I second (or is it third) the water comment. I am dieting too and drinking about two and a half litres a day.

I now realise that a lot of the "hunger" I felt before was actually thirst.

Secondly, eat as much lean white protein as you can (sliced chicken breast etc). I have increased my protein intake and find that it is hugely more filling than all the processed carbs I used to be stuffing down my neck! If I eat protein as a snack, it really keeps me much fuller. Also, if I think I'm hungry but don't want the protein and want a donut then I'm reading that as me not being hungry at all and wanting to eat for some other reason.

Not advocating Atkins per se, just a slight shift in ratio of protein to carbs

PLEASE don't put on weight to get the reductil.

[stickylittlefingers]

If you mix your own muesli you can keep the good bits and keep the nut content down etc (also dried skimmed milk which seems to be in a lot of premixed stuff weirdly)

I do feel sorry for you if you're doing that much exercise and still not losing weight. Have you been doing it long? I would go to Drs to make sure you're alright re thyroid etc.

Good luck with it tho - it really is worth the effort to be healthy and feel better about yourself.

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

Just been and bought some low sugar/healthy museli.

Had my first weigh in at Slimming World and have put on 1lb. The leader had a look at my food diary and said I haven't been doing anything wrong. And no I'm not due on.

[LibrasBiscuitsOfFortune]

oh wow someone took a suggestion I made! Would like to re-iterate that porridge would be better however.
I have had a quick look and alpen and weetabix appear to have very similar calories per 100g but the composition of those calories is of course different and it's easier to give yourself 2 weetabix than measure out a portion of muesli correctly.

You might like to use this:
[[http://www.glycemicindex.com]

[sophieandbelly]

stripeyknickers.... i have been taking reds for a couple of months now, think some people get confussed between these and ones such as alli (the anal leakage if u dont stick to low fat ones! nice!)

anyway u sound alot like me diet wise, i eat healthy but just to large portions and huge apetite. tried everything still drank 2-4 litres of water wen i was bigger etc, but its hard, wen u r fighting this constant hunger.

the doc gave them to me wen my bmi was 30, altho said u can have them frm 28 bmi, they do suppress ur appetite hugely, yes u have to eat well etc, just so nice to not be thinking of food 24- 7.

it has given me the head start i needed and the confidence to manage my weight, i have had few weeks off of them and my appetit hasnt gone back to huge again!

i no u shouldnt but have u looked on line? bout 100 quid