Question:
Has anyone tried Adipex after surgery?

I am 18 months post op and my appetite has returned. I didnt have much of an appetite when I first got the surgery. It seems now everything is going back to the way it was pre-op. I am eating and craving the wrong things, I eat/snack constantly. I love the way I look now and I dont want to gain weight back. I had surgery May 2007 have lost abt 88 lbs which is 12lbs short my goal and wouldnt change it for the world. I was told whatever you have lost at 18 months that is all you would lose and I still would like to lose abt 15 more lbs. I started at 224 and currently I am dwn to 136.....PLEASE HELP I think diet pills are my only way out    — crlindfw (posted on December 2, 2008)

December 2, 2008
Hi Courtney In my opinion diet pills are never the answer. It sounds like it might be a good idea to go back to what you did in the beginning of your plan and get on the correct food. I don't know what your height is but 15 more pounds sounds like a lot for you to lose yet, unless your are very short. You may need to decide what your priorities are. Do you want the food or your looks and health. You have done such a wonderful job already. Maybe you need a better support network and need to talk to someone about why you crave the extra food. If you really wouldn't change things for the world, you need to decide if the unhealthy food is really worth it and substitute something else for that. Hope I sound helpful, as I don't mean to criticize. We are all out here for ya in any way to try and help. Good luck and keep us all posted.
   — katiecakes

December 2, 2008
I hope you don't mind but I'm just gonna give it to you straight..' 1. There are no magic pills 2. WLS is not a cure, but a tool 3. OLD DIETS (including pills) did not work before surgery and will not work after surgery. 4. Diets that DO work are the ones that you make into a lifestyle change... With that all said, you have got to get control back or you will get so far off track you will find it crazy impossible to get back on. Even if you lost your 15 lbs with dieting, in order to maintain that weight, you have got to change your current habits. Go clean out your pantry and fridge...Give away or throw away the stuff you know is bad...take it to work or whatever! GET RID OF IT! Make a shopping list of GOOD snacks and foods and get a variety of them stocked for when you do have a craving...Get pickles, soy crisps and veggies for crunch and dipping...Get hummus and plain greek style yogurt for Creamy dipping (greek yogurt tastes like sour cream, so you can add any spices to it for a GREAT dip and it's loaded with protein and low fat!) Costco now carries it too! YAY!!!!! Get beef jerky and nuts and almonds, sf jello and puddings for sweet cravings...make protein fruit smoothies even just a half is nice when chilled to icy in the freezer and add a sccop of yogurt for a more ice cream type snack...Only eat simple carbs in tiny portions and only once or twice a week! COMMIT yourself to this...It is the ONLY way. If you want chocolate have a piece of dark chocolate but stop at one piece...or a SF pudding...they freeze too for pudding pops! LOL Get string cheeses...or hard cheeses and bake some grated cheese for a crispy-snack-type-crunchy-cracker-thingie!! Blot off the fat first...You can make crunchy chips from baked or microwaved pepperoni or turkey pepperoni slices! GET creative...MAKE healthy versions of the bad food choices...You have to create a lifestyle that works with your tool and the pouch rules... You CAN loose weight after the 18ish months (Honeymoon period)...but it is so very hard and requires much more work than the honeymoon period. And believe it or not, the same instructions that come with EVERY diet I have ever done, is the ONLY instructions you will need...Watch your calories and exercise...THAT is how you lose weight...And you must also apply your pouch rules...eat mostly protein, drink water 30 after a meal...take your vits....eat til you are no longer hungry and not full...stop eating after 15 minutes...chew chew chew...get yearly labs...avoid sugar and simple carbs...only eat those in moderation...This is what works....If you cut sugar and carbs from your diet for a few days, your cravings will go away! And then you have to ask yourself if it's head or really hunger...EAT when you are really hungry...but drink something when you think it might be head hunger! FOCUS! You can do this! Throw away the diet pills with the junk food! You have a tool that works if you just use it like it's supposed to be used! I wish you so much luck and I hope I have helped you in some way, because you DESEREVE THIS! So allow yourself this success...It's yours sweetie...you earned it...Don't throw THAT away!
   — .Anita R.

December 2, 2008
Hi Courtney: I took a look at your profile. You are a beautiful young lady who has your whole life before you. First, in 2005 you had lap band surgery, then the band slipped, and you convinced yourself and found a doctor who agreed to provide for you a revision -- a RNY -- which you had in 2007. This doctor gave you a great tool. But, it is only a tool. It was not a one-time event. A RNY is a life-time committment to help you change your life for the better. Ask yourself, "What measures did you use to lose 88 lbs this time?" Did the weight simply come off, or did you do certain things which enabled the weight to come off? Now, you think that taking a diet pill will do the trick? Oh, if life were so simple that we could all pop a pill and mysteriously, all our issues would dissolve into nothing. The surgeries you've had are nothing more than tools. These tools were/are designed to assist you be the best you can be. Do you attend any local support group? Do you keep records of what you eat? Do you keep records of how much exercise you get daily? How about water consumption? How about protein consumption? Your only way out is not a diet pill, it is for you to come to terms that it is you, yourself, which you must change if it truly is your desire to keep the way you look and even lose 15 more lbs. You can start by thinking about the words you use and changing them from victim words to survivor words, with your ultimate goal to become a thriver where food is in its proper place -- it is only food which is used to nourish your body and not to be used by you as a way to hide from reality. Throw away the "I am eating and craving the wrong things," to "I eat foods which nourish my body." "I feel better because I exercise." "I like the way I look." "I follow the advice of my nutritionist." "I am getting better and better every day in every way." "I love to eat green vegetables." You need to take charge of your own life and your own heallth by doing what is important to your own life and your own health. It is absolutely false that weight loss stops at 18 months. Weight loss stops when you take in more calories than what is necessary to sustain life. Notice, I said, sustain. I did not say comfort. If your metabolism is in the tank for whatever reason, whether it be through eating the wrong foods, or stress, or whatever, weight gain usually is the result. A Life Coach recently told me that in her experience, people who become morbidly and super mobidly obese become that way because they have deep, repressed anger within themselves, from something that happened much earlier in their llife. They use food as a comfort tool. They do not look at food as necessary to nourish them, but to keep the bad wolf away from their door. Weight loss brings about changes in 16 areas of our lives. Each of us must learn how to flourish in these 16 areas of our lives. For the greater majority of us, we can find some of these areas most scary, and the woof may feel like it is just at our door, because we are venturing into areas we've not known before. When that happens, weird and different things can happen. Some folks go back to craving and stuffing themselves on all the bad foods. Others divorce a spouse, become promiscuous, or the life of the party, or whatever. Bad food choices are a crutch, and stuffing ourselves with bad food choices, such as a super-delicious cream-filled donut with a glazed frosting, momentarily may dull the fear we have at doing something new, but ultimately, causes our bodies to increase in size and for anyone who does this to feel lousy. Find yourself a good support group in your area, where each of you can help each other through this journey called life, dealing with these 16 areas of change. By all means, do commence eating the right foods, making sure you are getting sufficient protein, (100 grams daily since you had an RNY, and only 60 grams for folks who've had lap band surgery), getting good exercise, and drinking sufficient water each and every day, and getting an adequate quantity of vitamins and minerals. Shock your system by eating healthy lean protein, such as chicken, turkey, fish beef, eggs, cheese, and nuts with lots of nonstarchy vegetables,, leafy greens, and good fats, especiallly coconut oil (an Omega -3 medium-length fatty acid and good for you!). Get out of your diet grain products such as bread, bagels, muffins, rolls, buns, crackers, rice cakes, cereals, rice, pasta, and pizza and even whole grains such as oatmeal, quinoa, and barley. Give ALL sweets (and sweet foolers such as Splenda, and anything else which attempts to enliven your sweet tooth) the boot out of your life: no cakes, cookies, pies, ice cream, doughnuts, or candy along with most fruit (especially watermellon) and starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn, and acorn squash. Whatever you are craving you are craving because you are eating the wrong foods. Make an appointment and see your nutritionist! Begin learning about foods. Within the week, I plan to list resources I've found very helpful to me on my profile page. You can check back later and see what I've written there for any and all folks. You can do this, Courtney. You really can. You really, really can. I'm betting that you do have it within you to do the right things. All of us are here to support you. Thank you for baring your soul and laying it all out there -- on the line -- for us to be with you, to support you in your efforts to be the best you can be. Blessings. Christine Gibson, MS, MA, OH Coach and WLS Support Group Leader
   — Christine Gibson

December 2, 2008
I also started craving the wrong things, and went straight to my doctor. I have had a problem with depression in the past and was on prozac. He said with the malabsorption issue, the anti-depressant probably wasn't working, so he prescribed Ritalin 3 times per day. It has really helped with my cravings, and given me more energy, and that has helped my depression. I do not have ADD, and I had never heard of a doctor prescribing ritalin for depression before, but it has worked for me. Of course, always check with your doctor first. Good luck!
   — kimee

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