J
This is a hard topic.
I was never a huge girl. I have a bigger bone structure, so even at 120 lbs, I was unhealthily thin (anemic, vitamin deficiency, etc) at 5'3". I never went over about 145, and my optimum weight was 130-135. But then, I was put on some really horrible medications. This is what happened:
1) Med A caused an 80 lb weight gain in one year (that's right, one year). So, I went from a lifetime high of 150 lbs to 230 lbs, IN ONE YEAR.
2) Meds B, C and D have all been in litigation for causing diabetes. I was on B and C for about a year, and I was on D for two and a half when I was diagnosed with diabetes, type 2.
3) I continued to gain weight at a rate of about 2-5 pounds a month, even when exercising. I was always hungry. I would eat the equivalent of two meals and STILL be hungry, even with needle-point pains in my over-full stomach.
4) I decided to take myself off of Meds D, E and F on my own when my doctor refused to help me. Two months after my last dose:
1) Laziness/lack of willpower
2) Poor eating habits
3) Refusal to exercise and "take care of oneself"
That isn't always the case. In my case, medications changed the entire structure of my body. I'd never been so heavy. They also caused a LOT of hair loss (I have 5-7 inch strands all over my head where the hair is coming back), I started to develop a small hump on my upper shoulders which has since vanished, and I have a slight case of something called Tardive Dyskinesia (my right hand trembles) which will never go away.
I thank God that I'm doing well without medication and that I'm able to be healthy and active again.
That being said, I think we should strive to be the healthiest we can, always question when a doctor's decision seems wrong, and never judge a book by its cover.
I was never a huge girl. I have a bigger bone structure, so even at 120 lbs, I was unhealthily thin (anemic, vitamin deficiency, etc) at 5'3". I never went over about 145, and my optimum weight was 130-135. But then, I was put on some really horrible medications. This is what happened:
1) Med A caused an 80 lb weight gain in one year (that's right, one year). So, I went from a lifetime high of 150 lbs to 230 lbs, IN ONE YEAR.
2) Meds B, C and D have all been in litigation for causing diabetes. I was on B and C for about a year, and I was on D for two and a half when I was diagnosed with diabetes, type 2.
3) I continued to gain weight at a rate of about 2-5 pounds a month, even when exercising. I was always hungry. I would eat the equivalent of two meals and STILL be hungry, even with needle-point pains in my over-full stomach.
4) I decided to take myself off of Meds D, E and F on my own when my doctor refused to help me. Two months after my last dose:
*My blood sugar levels began to decrease, and I now control my diabetes mainly with diet and exercise,
*I stopped being hungry all the time, and now can feel the sensation of fullness,
*I have lost forty pounds through dietary changes and exercise (but I DO NOT diet; I just eat healthier foods and stop when I'm full),
*I can now jog, something I've been unable to do since starting the medications, and do so regularly,
*I feel healthier than at any other point in my life
Why am I saying this? Well, people often have this misconception that fat people are fat for one (or, more often, all) of three reasons:*I stopped being hungry all the time, and now can feel the sensation of fullness,
*I have lost forty pounds through dietary changes and exercise (but I DO NOT diet; I just eat healthier foods and stop when I'm full),
*I can now jog, something I've been unable to do since starting the medications, and do so regularly,
*I feel healthier than at any other point in my life
1) Laziness/lack of willpower
2) Poor eating habits
3) Refusal to exercise and "take care of oneself"
That isn't always the case. In my case, medications changed the entire structure of my body. I'd never been so heavy. They also caused a LOT of hair loss (I have 5-7 inch strands all over my head where the hair is coming back), I started to develop a small hump on my upper shoulders which has since vanished, and I have a slight case of something called Tardive Dyskinesia (my right hand trembles) which will never go away.
I thank God that I'm doing well without medication and that I'm able to be healthy and active again.
That being said, I think we should strive to be the healthiest we can, always question when a doctor's decision seems wrong, and never judge a book by its cover.
There are times when I have allowed myself to become too thin because there were things I would rather be doing than eating and circumstances in my life were such that I didn't enjoy cooking much at that time. That's unhealthy. I'm trying to do better these days.