Can not shift this weight!

[WoundTheBobbinUp]

I'm feeling really miserable about this. About 5 years ago I lost 2 stone, going from 11st to 9st. I kept this off until I had my twins, then was pleasantly surprised by how quickly it dropped off again. By the time they were 6 months old I was 9 and a half stone, despite not watching my diet at all!

I then started Milinette (contraceptive pill) and Sertraline (for anxiety). That was a year ago, and I'm now approaching 11 stone again. I noticed the weight gain around Christmas time and have been really careful ever since, essentially eating the same way I did when I lost the weight a few years ago. I don't exceed 1200 calories per day and that's made up of porridge for breakfast, salad for lunch and a home cooked dinner. I haven't lost a pound in weeks.

Do you think it's the medication? I will talk to the GP at my next review, but the Sertraline has changed my life and Milinette seems to be the only pill that suits me! So I'm not sure what to do. Any advice or mumsnetters in a similar boat?

Sertraline only causes weight gain by increasing your appetite so, if you are only eating 1200 calories, it won’t be this A Google of milinette comes up with there being no evidence that it causes any weight gain.

The possibilities are that you aren’t accurately weighing and tracking all your calories, so are eating more than you think. If you are eyeballing portion sizes or guesstimating you could be wildly underestimating. or you could be weighing when holding extra water eg from eating saltier food the day before, have heavier clothes on, need better scales or, like DH, have the scales set up on an uneven area of floor so they aren’t weighing accurately.

how big is your portion of porridge Oats? What sort of milk?
What sort of salad and any dressing etc?
what kind of evening meals?
What do you drink throughout the day?
Any snacks at all?

Yes that's what I'd read too, so I feel like I can't really blame the meds! But I can't think why else I gained the weight and can't shift it.

I'm definitely weighing everything I consume, recording it on My Fitness Pal, checking I don't go over sugar/carbs/fat even within the 1200 calories... I'm not sure what else I can do!

My porridge is 25g with skimmed milk and half a teaspoon of Splenda

Salad dressing is 10 sprays of Heinz at 2 cals per spray, with 30g half-fat cheese, half an egg or a few Quorn chicken pieces

Evening meals range from jacket potato to vegetable curry, but never anything creamy and no sides like naans or garlic bread

I definitely don't drink enough. About 3 cups of coffee with skimmed milk and a couple of small glasses of water.

I have a snack if My Fitness Pal puts me under 1000 calories, as it won't let me complete the diary if it's under that. Snack could be a little bowl of my toddler's Shreddies, a piece of fruit or a couple of rice cakes.

I was in a similar position but with added thyroid issues

if you’ve had your thyroid checked, and it’s definitely not that, look into insulin resistance

I bought some Ozempic after reading lots of threads, and lost 1/2 stone in a month without changing anything else using the lowest 0.25mg dose
you’ll have to exaggerate your weight on the form when ordering because it’s only licensed for weight loss in people with a BMI of 27 or more

I did 3 months on it and have now stopped. If I notice the weight creeping back on, I’ll do it again

I have been on citalopram for 2 years and my weight has ballooned. I do not eat any differently to before I started this medication so I personally think the medication is the issue. Fortunately citalopram has been a god send for me but if the weight keeps piling on I may have to reconsider my options.