What Is a Healthy Weight for Me?

I tend to compare myself to my former self (before a bipolar illness diagnosis in my twenties) or to my sister in terms of what is a reasonable weight goal for me. This post details why that is not a good idea.

As my prior post reveals, I have been one to tinker with lower doses of my meds in order to escape the weight-gaining aspect of these meds. This has been done with my psyche doctor. But still, this post is to say that is not the best health decision for me.

I feel 100% better (not perfect but better) when I am on a higher dose of my meds namely clozapine and oxcarbazepine. This means accepting the fact that weight-gain or difficulty in weight loss is a real part of the puzzle.

In the last few months I have lost between 6 and 10 pounds. That feels great but I have to keep reminding myself that returning to a weight that I was in my thirties or forties is unlikely given my psyche meds and my age. This weight loss has been occurring during the time when I was increasing my exercise. My husband and I have been walking the dog between 2 and 3.5 miles a day several days a week.

Here is to a reasonable weight goal and continued weight loss while keeping to a therapeutic dosage (perhaps higher) for my psyche meds. I would like to lose 20 more pounds but that may not be realistic. I will take it slowly one day at a time as to whether this goal is reasonable for me. Perhaps increasing my walking goals is key. Perhaps reducing serving size is key. Perhaps cutting out stress eating and snacking is key. Perhaps I need to focus on these behaviors rather than putting store in a specific weight goal, any weight goal. If I can focus on behavior change and healthy eating, perhaps the weight loss (at whatever level) will follow.

I invite you to comment on how you feel about weight gain associated with psyche meds. Do you find it to be a large concern, a medium concern or not at all a concern? What options or what behaviors for weight management and/or weight loss do you consider other than lowering med levels?

Here is cheers to the days when available psyche meds do not have weight-gain as a side effect.