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Mirtazapine diet club

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evergreen
evergreen

I thought I would start a thread about trying to lose weight on this drug. If others are currently dieting, please add your experiences here. I would like to discover whether we gain weight on mirtazapine purely because it increases our appetite, or whether other factors are at play. I certainly gained weight quickly when I started on mirtazapine (around 1.5 stone). My appetite was revenous, especially for sugary foods. I tried to com off mirtazapine around 6 months in and failed. I lost half a stone in the week I waas off it, but most of that was due to severe nausea. When I went back on the drug I did not gain more than a couple of pounds, but I was being very careful what I ate. My weight has been steady now for two years.

I am not happy carrying around the extra stone however, and so have decided to diet. I am on day 8 and it is VERY hard. But I have lost two pounds so far. This is with me still eating 1700 - 1800 calories a day. I have a very active physical job and so my daily calorie requirement is 2100.

I have also started taking raspberry ketones and green coffee bean extract as of this morning in the hope that it will help me to burn fat. The interesting thing is, the amouont of weight I have lost is the same as would be expected from a person who is not on mirtazapine.

Emis Moderator comment: I have removed the link as it was to a site unsuitable for inclusion in the forums. If users want this information please use the Private Message service to request the details.

http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398331-private-messages

3 likes, 210 replies

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  • evergreen
    evergreen

    Posted

    I have a set of extremely acurate scales and unfortunately they have me gaining 1/8 th of a pound since yesterday despite sticking to my diet. sad
  • Nessie91
    Nessie91 evergreen

    Posted

    Hi evergreen

    i'm afraid this is just a side effect of the pill.  It's had the effect on me that because of the weight gain, I don't eat and can only manage a banana as I constantly feel sick because of the weight gain.

  • Nessie91
    Nessie91 evergreen

    Posted

    Evergreen

    why did they remove it?

    • jacqueline59667
      jacqueline59667 Nessie91

      Posted

      Hi all I joined slimming world last week and been very strict x weigh in tomorrow will let u all know x my cpn said it's not the drug that gains weight it increases our appetite certainly but he states we have to try and control wat we east x hard as it is x so fingers crossed I lose tomorrow x ps this drug has been a god send for me x
    • julie1111
      julie1111 jacqueline59667

      Posted

      Hi jacqueline, be very intresting to see how you go on, im on 15mg mirtz and want to lose weight. Goodluck hun x
  • Nessie91
    Nessie91 evergreen

    Posted

    Hope your diet is going well.  Do you have a total calotype intake each day -and is there a diet sheet?

    regards

    Nessie

    • evergreen
      evergreen Nessie91

      Posted

      Hi Nessie,

      I worked out on the calorie counter at www dot calculator dot net/calorie-calculator (replace the 'dot's with . and leave no spaces) - can't put a link. What I needed per day to stay the same weight based on my age, height and current weight. It came out at 2093 calories a day. So to lose weight I have to stay under that amount. I have a hard physical job and so it is hard to not eat very much. Also, I LOVE white wine and like a glass or two most nights with my evening meal. So my daily intake of calories has averaged at 1700 per day. They say to lose a pound of fat you need a deficit of 3500 calories! I have lost 3 ibs in two weeks so actually, I'm not doing too bad. It shows that the mirtazapine is having very little effect on my metabolism as if anything, I am losing faster than I should be.

      I think this is very important. I sat down and worked out what I was consuming on a pre diet typical day and it was 2600 calories! That was without eating between meals, and thinking I was being quite careful what I eat! However, I was not thinking about drinks. I have one sugar and milk in my tea. That's around 50 calories per cup. I have four a day which is 200 calories. I now truly believe that the reason I put on weight with mirtazapine was because I was eating and drinking more than my body needs a day. Sticking to what I need (2093 calories) is actually quite hard when on a drug that makes you crave fattening foods.

  • evergreen
    evergreen

    Posted

    Another thing to remember is that the more overweight you are, the more calories you can eat per day to maintain weight. As you lose the weight and even get to your target weight you will need fewer calories just to stay the same weight. So it is always easier to lose weight to begin with. As you get closer to your target it gets harder because your body needs fewer calories. Using a calculater such as the one I mentioned above will help you work out ho many calories your body needs according too your age, sex, height and activity level. smile Good luck everybody!
  • Nessie91
    Nessie91 evergreen

    Posted

    What is the calotype counter you were talking about?

    regards Nessie

    • evergreen
      evergreen Nessie91

      Posted

      I can't post a link here because it's not allowed but just replace where I have written dot with . and remove the spaces.

       www dot calculator dot net/calorie-calculator

  • evergreen
    evergreen

    Posted

    Okay now I'm on a roll. Suddenly my fat is melting away and I have lost a pound in the last two days! The onlly change I have made is taking green coffee bean extract capsule before breakfast and a raspberry ketone capsule before my evening meal. I think it is the former which is making the most difference. But I AM keeping to under 1800 calories a day (averaging around 1650). So four punds lost in total now. smile
    • tara6744
      tara6744 evergreen

      Posted

      Well done evergreen. I got a GP refererral for the exercise scheme and have signed up with that at my local gym. Had my first appointment and have a workout plan for an hour. I plan to go 3 times a week so will see how this goes in the coming weeks. I'm currently off work so this is possible but before that I had a fairly physical job so think that was also why I piled on the weight due to not working. I'm going to stick with the gym for the moment as I have never been a calorie counter and if I don't lose anything then I'm going to try the 5:2 diet as well. Luckily I'm not a huge alcohol drinker - although I have noticed I don't feel too good with alcohol and these meds. I just need to be disciplined and not snack on junk!! Good luck and look forward to seeing your updates. Do you mind me asking how much you have to lose? Can't remember reading how much you have put on since starting on these meds
    • evergreen
      evergreen tara6744

      Posted

      Hi Tara,

      Good luck with your fitness plan!

      I gained a stone and a half after starting on mirtazapine. I was about perfect weight before that. I lost half a stone in one week when I tried to come off the mirt, but that was because I felt so ill and just couldn't eat, so I went back on them. I was far more careful what I ate after going back on them but my weight had been slowly creeping back on again before this diet. I thought I was eating sensibly and healthily, but when I sat down and worked out my average daily calorie intake, it was around 2600 and so of course I was gaining weight. It was not just due to the mirt. I reckon the main reason I gained weight on it was that I really was enjoying my food. Something I never used to do.

      So in answer to your question, I want to lose a stone, though one and a half stone would be good. So at least ten pounds to go. In any case, once I reach my target, I am still going to calorie count as I am sure my weight will pile on again otherwise.

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