If you lost weight, how did you do it?

[Darkling1]

Just looking for tips. Since being prescribed Mirtazapine (I’ve been on this for over a year.) I’ve noticed that I’ve put on weight and my clothes don’t fit me anymore.

I’m 29 and I’m 5ft 2, but I don’t know how much I weigh as I haven’t got scales in the house. I’ve made an appointment with my GP to ask for a medication change as Mirtazapine makes me hungry all of the time, which isn’t helping.

Does anyone have any tips for me in order to lose some weight please?

I don’t drink alcohol or fizzy drinks at all. My issue is my constant stacking.

I worked out 45 every day at home eat properly.
My body is toned well and ive kept the weight off.
No junk food or sugar just clean food.

I'm doing it with mounjaro now, but to get it on the NHS, you need to be a high BMI which you can only work out from going on the scales.
I have been on anti depressants in the past, but if you adjust your eating and your calories, you will lose weight despite that medication, albeit a bit slower.

The evidence for weight loss injections is that over 97% will put the weight back on within a year. Which means staying on them.

I have lost 51lb since January 2022 and I’m just about 12 stone 7lb.

It's a decision to permanently change the way of eating.

This is how I’ve done it, but it might not work for everyone. It’s taken over three years, and I can ignore food cues that some people find overwhelming.

Essentially, eat as much protein and fat as you like as long as you don’t eat pasta, bread, rice and potatoes. If I drink it’s at the weekend and I expect not to lose any weight that week. Not drinking for two months at a time will help me lose, but I do eat white carbs on holiday and Christmas but put weight on.

Meals - exactly the same most days
Breakfast at 11 - half of a five egg omelette with loads of peppers and mushrooms.
Lunch at 3 - 400g of Fage live Greek yoghurt with blueberries and kiwi fruit, topped off with a seed mix of 11 seeds and a 5-nut nut mix ground up and mixed with turmeric.
Dinner at 6.30pm - roast chicken (but pork, beef or lamb is fine) with a lot of salad (leaf, avocado, feta, cucumber, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, onion, radishes) during the summer and roast vegetables (courgettes, onion, garlic, mushrooms, aubergine, tomatoes) in winter.

Occasionally I will have chicken stir fried in butter with tarragon and greens, then sour cream stirred in.

On two days a week I replace the chicken with two boiled eggs and sardines in mayonnaise.

This works for me, but it’s a long haul.

Just upped my walking a bit, before that I gave up sweets and did Yoga.

For me (and my DP) it was a very low carb/ketogenic diet. I started it to see if it would improve my arthritis as an anti inflammatory style diet, my rheumatologist was positive about it). DP decided to do it too (to save on having to cook and prepare separate meals, and he wanted to drop a few lbs). It really helped with my joints, and was the easiest way I’ve had so far to lose weight, as after a few days the feeling of always being peckish pretty much disappeared.

I also used the Nutracheck app/website a number of years ago. That was really helpful (though I slipped back into bad snacking habits over time). I still subscribe, as it’s pretty cheap for a years membership when there’s offers on, and I like to track things from time to time to keep in good habits. I also have a few good friends I met on their forums that have remained friends in real life.

I hope you find success with whatever you try op.

@Darkling1 it's really hard when your appetite is affected by your medication, so step 1 is to speak to your doctor about changing your medication - especially if you're likely to be on it for a long time. Constantly battling hunger, or steadily increasing weight might not help your mental health in the long term.

I needed to lose a lot of weight for medical reasons and I found there were 3 strands to it: physical (how much I moved around), dietary (what I put in my mouth), and psychologically (how I approached it in my head).

Physically I just did a little bit more. I found a dance class that I liked, I walked to the swimming pool twice a week (then had a leisurely swim), I went for a 10 minute walk before breakfast, and before bed. I only did things that I enjoyed and that I thought I could keep on doing.

Dietary, I was extremely strict. Forget the "averge woman needs 2000 calories per day". If you're 5'2'' you don't! Find out your TDEE (it may be between 1300 and 1600 calories) and you need to eat about 300 calories less than than every day to lose about a pound a week. It is hard when you're not tall - a cinnamon bun at almost 600 calories is about 40% of my daily allowance, but for someone much taller it might only be 20%. Because of my health issues I cut out all alcohol, dairy, salt. I ate eggs, fish, meat, beans, lentils, lots of herbs for seasoning and flavour, lots of veg and salads, and pickles / fermented foods. Oils were olive oil, avocado. It was hard. I enjoy cooking so I saw it as a challenge to make tasty meals with lots of variety.

I also used a smaller plate and deliberatly ate small portions. To begin with I'd put a 'normal' amount on my plate and then take at least a third of it off (keep it for lunch the next day). That included cutting a third off a slice of toast and throwing it to the birds!

I stopped buying any snacks. I bought snacks for dh that I knew I didn't like (horrid flavours of crisps).

For the final stone I discovered a higher fat lower carb approach that really suited me. And which I found (mostly) sustainable once I'd lost the weight.

Psychologically, I had to get used to the idea that sometimes I felt hungry, and that my tummy rumbled. I would use that as a cue to drink a glass of water - it didn't stop me feeling hungry, but it did help me to stay hydrated. As I said above I had to recognise that the amount of food I could eat in a day was less than my taller friend. I calulated how much a slice of toast, or a mars bar, or a big mac contributed to my weight, and also howmuch pleasure it contributed to my life. Honestly the best slice of pizza is the first one, after that the pleasure diminishes. Ditto chips. I tried to eat mindfully, enjoying what I did eat and then really noticing when that joy started to get less - does the cold chip taste as good as the hot crispy one?

I was brought up to eat everything on my plate, not to waste food, and I had to change that thinking. If there's left over food do I put it in the dustbin, or do I put it in my mouth? A fish finger on the kids plate, a spoonful of apple crumble... Previously I would eat it all. Someone I know has the mantra "I am not the dustbin". Better still repurpose it into a meal for the next day maybe not the half fish finger

I was really strict with my shopping list - I tried for mainly vegetables and fruit, nuts and legumes, healthy protein, and whole grains. I didn't buy snack foods other than things like seaweed, popcorn, and sugar free jelly. No eating after dinner at 6pm, just herbal tea. If I wanted a mindless snack I would chew gum.

I’ve lost nearly 2 stone with slimming world in 6 weeks. Follow the plan, use the app, exercise some willpower.

I lost a stone this year without too much effort. Basically - no bread during the week, no crisps, no eating between meals, upping strength training. What really helps is starting the day with protein. So in the week breakfast is some high protein natural yoghirt (I like Skyr) with some sugar free museli and fruit, weekend I have a boiled egg and small slice of brown sourdoigh bread.

It's hard when it's related to meds.

It sounds patronising but I lost 3 stone quite quickly a few years ago by just being more conscious of what I was eating. I know that sounds a bit "well duh".

I had weekly weigh ins which meant I was less inclined to accidently eat all a family sized pack of crisps. I didnt follow the programme (it seemed designed to encourage people to eat crap or find ways to cheat) but going to slimming world each week focused me.

I also planned food (including controlled snacks) so that I wasnt getting hangry in the supermarket and just buying crap or eating all the snacks in the house "because there is nothing to eat".

I just stopped buying biscuits because I could never have just one.

I also (and I appreciate this is different for you) got used to being a bit hungry sometimes and not needing to eat everytime my tummy growled. That took a bit of a mindset change.

Second the 11am - 7pm eating window. I think fasting helps reset your blood sugar, or something. I do have coffee first thing though so it’s not total. But it definitely seems to help. That and couch to 5k. Plus doing cardio on an empty stomach seems like it gets the body into fat burning mode.

I totally understand. I definitely do not want to use the jabs, I know they have worked for some people but I am petrified about the long term side effects then one day a friend just said. there is no magic cure you just have to eat less calories than you burn. That is it !!!!!!! It sounds simple but That is it !!!! I joined weight watchers if you ring them and explain your situation you can probably get a good deal. now my friend didn't like weight watchers she found slimming world worked for her and my other friend only eats treats on a Friday and Saturday. Whatever way suits you just eat less calories than you burn in a week !!! Snacking was my issue so I used to go and brush my teeth after meals! For me weight watchers changed the way I eat for ever. Just go slow. You have to change your eating habits or excersise more. A little less butter on your bread ever day, if you get a takeaway add more cooked chicken and eat less sauce. Get some ice lollies in the freezer for when you need a sweet treat etc. Good Luck it's so hard but if you can change the way you eat then it will make a huge difference for the rest of your life ! you can do this. Set yourself realistic, small targets.

But this is unsustainable and the reason people yo-yo diet.

A walk every day of 5k
Instead of snacking drink a tea or coffee
Eat only clean home made food. No sugar.

This worked for me. All cravings gone after a few weeks.

Difficult to suggest what might work for you as you don't give your approximate weight, things you've already tried and where you think you fall down.

What's worked for me - someone with PCOS who had a high 30s BMI and who tried and failed every diet under the sun - is Mounjaro. The urge to snack is gone. I don't fancy unhealthy foods. My portion sizes are 'normal', I don't get lightheaded from hunger and I'm in the gym most days of the week. Nearly three stone gone since May (and several more to go until I get to a 'healthy' BMI).

The decision to take Mounjaro is not one I took lightly. It's a bit of a last-chance saloon. Definitely do try other methods first - especially if you haven't got a lot to lose - as the side effects can flaw some people and you have to put the work in too around healthy habits, exercise, weight training, protein, fibre etc. One cannot simply just jab and carry on as normal. But if you've genuinely tried everything and are significantly obese I'd recommend it.

Yes! Clean your teeth when you have finished eating for the day!

Use an app like myfitnesspal for 1-2 weeks. Eat as you usually do but weigh everything (dont just guess) and record in the app so you understand exactly how many calories you eat and drink. Calculate your TDEE with an online calculator, and it'll tell you how many calories you should eat to maintain, lose or gain weight based on your exercise levels. Then you know how many calories you need to cut from your diet. Now cut those calories and continue weighing and recording food for another week until you can understand your new portion sizes.The odd weekly treat is fine but you probably need to eat a lot less than you think! (I was shocked). I've lost 5kg in 2 months this way, I could have lost more but I do let myself have treats on the weekend so Im not miserable. I drink a lot of water / squash to suppress the hunger but you do adjust.

I lost 8 kilos last year and as someone not much taller but nearly 30 years older than you, that was hard work. What I did was:

1. Exercise - I've always been a keen runner but had to accept that it wouldn't lose the weight so I switched the running down to an interval session and a long slow run each week. I subbed in two weekly gym sessions - long walks on an incline treadmill and upper body weights. I hated it but it worked - there is quite a bit of science around why a combination of weights and zone 2 cardio is good for weight loss whilst adding in some intervals helps with afterburn.
2. Food - I switched to 2 meals a day - brunch at about 11.30 which would be very high protein eg 2 scrambled eggs on a slice of smoked salmon rather than toast or half a tin of baked beans and a tin of tuna. If I was out I'd have a couple of hard boiled eggs plus carrots and hummus.

In the evening I'd have another large portion of protein with salad/veg.

Good luck

Calorie tracking and regular gym, a mix of cardio, weight training and yoga 3-4 x a week.

I'm 5' 6", started at 15st 1lb (BMI 34) end of Feb 2024 and reached my target of 10st (BMI 23) in May this year, been maintaining between 10st-10st 3lb since then.

I was around 12st previously, gained a huge amount during lockdown then got the evil (for me) contraceptive injection following a miscarriage which piled on even more.

I don't fast or cut out entire food groups (eg low/no carb or similar), don't follow a particular plan and still have a glass of wine once or twice a week. I just make sure whatever I'm having is within my calorie budget.

I'm 40 and feel in the best health of my adult life.

I've done it fairly quietly and not really talked to anyone beyond my sister and husband about it but obviously people do notice and I've had a few prying questions who obviously think I'm on WLI and are trying to get me to 'slip up '.
Injections are great for many people just not the road I chose to go down.

Just simple portion control and stopped buying snacks so they weren’t available to just quickly grab.
It’s hard at first but then your body adjusts to a reduced intake and it’s okay from then on.

Intermittant fasting, though it meant I basically went down to eating one good meal a day in the evening, with very little else, so a good chunk of calarie cutting in there too I imagine, though without any counting. Once I got into the habit I found it easy to stick to and I lost around six stone over about nine months.

For the one meal a day I did not limit myself, but I found that I wanted to eat healthier because it felt like a waste of effort to be good all day and then blow it in the evening.

You’ve recognised that the problem is mirtazipine itself not being the cause of the weight gain, but the fact that it’s increased your appetite. That’s a start. But you also need to know that Mirtazapine induces insulin resistance so increases your preference for carbs, and also leads to more accumulation of abdominal fat. So you may find it difficult to lose weight. You’re doing the right thing in consulting with your GP to try your find something else that won’t have the same effect - although depending on the reason for taking it, that may be difficult.

This is why so many people struggle loosing weight because it’s impossible. I’m 4’10 so i gain just by looking at food lol - but unfortunately the only way I lost weight was by developing an eating disorder and not eating anything over than 500 calories a day and then when I lost the weight, I ate nothing over 800 calories for about a year to stabilise my weight. It was horrible. I’ve eaten healthy, gone gym, tracked my calories and nutrients and been balanced within my diet and lifestyle and that never worked - yet having a full blown eating disorder which almost made me lose my life was the only thing that ‘worked’. I’d rather be bigger and happy than thin and miserable.

This is an unhealthy calories level for many people. And almost certainly for Op who is perhaps quite overweight. It would be a starvation level diet for some, especially if like you they exercise.

Download a calorie counting app. I recommend Nutra check but there are lots of free ones.

Start logging what you're eating today. Just to get use to it. You don't need to do anything else but that to start with.

Find a TDEE calculator online.

Enter the details it asks. Weight height etc. This will give you the exact amount of calories to eat daily to maintain your current weight.

Remove 500 calories from the daily total and this will have you on average losing around 1 pound per week.

Don't do anything too drastic. The key is sustainability.

If your goal is to lose weight on average if you eat the amount of calories from the TDEE calculator minus 500 you will lose roughly a pound a week.

Just see how you go. It can be adjusted. Take things slowly. The key is to make things sustainable. Eat whatever you like as long as it fits in with your daily calorie amount.

Protein will keep you fuller for longer. But no need to over complicate things to start with.

Think about where you want to be next year rather than next month. If I started doing this at the end of January I would have been 2 stone down by now.

As it happened I started on the August bank holiday last year and have lost just over 50 pounds. I've never felt restricted really. I've eaten what ever I fancied as long as it fit in with the calories -500 from the TDEE calculator.

Good luck :) x