Phentermine solution?

Question
Hi.  I have been on the weight loss journey of my life!  Over the last two years I have taken off over 100 pounds on my own and kept most of it off for the past year.  I accomplished this by eating 1200 calories a day and exercising 5 days a week.  I started out at 308 pounds and at my lowest was 187 pounds.  Today I weigh 210 pounds, so some of the weight came back, but not nearly as much as I would have put on in other diets I've tried over the years.  Over the summer I decided to get serious once again and take off the weight I had gained and to lose more.  I cut my calories to 1500 per day and exercised three times a week.  After 2 1/2 months I only lost about 4 pounds--I've been SO discouraged!!!  I finally broke down and went to my doctor for help.  He prescribed me Phentermine (37.5mg) and told me to hold off on taking it until after my blood work he ordered arrived back.  I filled the script and it is sitting in my medicine cabinet and waiting on my doctor to call me.  In the meantime, I have been reading online reviews about Phentermine and am both excited about the potential to lose a lot of weight and terrified about the side effects.  I am not one to take medication.  I take my health very seriously and I know I need help.  I am unsure of what to do.  Is this drug safe?  Can this kill me?  I have three young children and a wonderful husband that I need to be healthy for.  Are the risks of side effects worse for my body than an extra 50 pounds?  Obviously my doctor would not have prescribed this to me if he thought I might be harmed by it, but I'm skeptical.  I'm confused, but I REALLY want this weight off--REALLY BAD!  

Do you have any experience with this drug?  Is it safe?  How many calories should I eat while taking it?  How much exercise?  I need some direction.

Thanks for your help!

-Tanya

Answer
Hi Tanya,

Well, it's just marvelous that you were able to lose weight with diet and exercise, and such a great deal of weight too!
Since you were on a low calorie diet and exercised a lot, the weight came off rather quickly. Now you are on a calorie level that is not quite as strict and you are exercising a bit less often, so the weight is coming off more slowly. If this is a lifestyle you can keep up, it might work for you to continue losing two pounds a month--after all, you'll have lost about 25 pounds by this time next year, and if you aren't starving or suffering, that's not bad!

Here is some information about the drug your doctor prescribed from the national institutes of health--a very reputable source.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000605

As with any medication, there are possible side effects. You and your doctor have to decide if the risks of the medication side effects outweigh the risks of being overweight. Do you have high blood pressure or diabetes? Are there health conditions that will likely improve when you lose weight?
I do know one person who was taking this medication and it totally took her appetite away.

But that doesn't mean there will be lasting effects, or that you won't gain the weight back, or that you aren't doing the best thing right now. The medication only makes you lose weight because it helps people eat less food. While you are already on a reasonable diet, I'm not sure how much faster you will lose.

These are all things to consider when taking a diet medication and ultimately it is up to you: I suggest you take a piece of paper, make 2 columns, list the pros of the medication and the cons, and see what comes up for you!

If you decide to keep dieting on your own without the medication, something that helps many people is keeping a food diary. There are lots of online sources to help you with this if you have easy access to a computer. Thedailyplate.com, fitday.com and myfooddiary.com are a few of the free and easy ones! Writing it all down keeps you accountable and stops some of the little 'cheats' we indulge in when we tell ourselves it doesn't matter because it's just this one :)

Also, I'm a big fan of Judith Beck's "Beck Diet Solution". It teaches lots of behaviors so you'll keep thinking like a thin person and eating like a thin person for many years to come.
I applaud you for getting back on track so quickly after a few pounds snuck up on you. I think you are doing super!

Keep in touch and let me know how you're doing !!

Laurie

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