Posted by Zellie on January 28, 2004, at 9:23:34
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR?, posted by meds4life on January 27, 2004, at 14:33:45
Keeping weight off is a life-long battle for most of us! I am not overweight, but not because I am a lucky one who just seems to stay slim (I'm not slim, either, but a reasonable weight for my age and height). I must work at it all the time. I have found that the glycemic index of foods has a whole lot to do with how much weight my husband and I either gain or don't gain. As it goes, foods we eat will cause the pancreas to secrete insulin in proportion to the amount of carbohydrate that the food makes readily available to the body. If the carbohydrate is a complex one, the body has to work harder to turn it to energy, and less insulin is secreted in response to it. The simpler the carb, the easier it is for the body to grab hold of, and the more insulin is secreted. This same insulin will gather up and store excess energy that is not needed at the time, and stores it as fat.
So the idea is to eat only foods with a low glycemic index. These foods keep the insulin from being dumped into the bloodstream, but rather, cause it to trickle out. (This is the gist of it, although you'll notice the lack of medical jargon in my description!!)
There are many very excellent books out on the matter to educate you. They have indicies/charts that tell you the G.I. (Glycemic Index) value of various foods. Take the book you get with you to the grocery/health food store, until it becomes second nature for you to know what the G.I. is of most foods.
My husband and I have lived by this for 2 years now. Initially he took off 35 pounds (which he needed to) and I took off the 5 or so that had crept up over the years. Now that we are at a more optimum weight, we do not continue to lose, nor do we gain, unless, of course, we fall off the G.I. wagon and indulge in my personal favourite, Baskin Robbins Jamoca Almond Fudge!
Effexor has definitely made me hungrier at times (ravenous sometimes), so I eat pre-peeled and washed carrots dipped in a little light ranch dression. I munch on apples (that always have their skins on to keep the G.I. low). Nuts, and whole grain products that have fructose as a sweetener rather than any other sugars (fructose, incidentally, is NOT fruit sugar. It is available in pretty much all health food stores, and has a G.I. of 20, compared to sugar, which is 100! It is 1.8 times sweeter than sugar, so you require less of it, and it tastes excellent).
That's how I fight the weight....lots of only low G.I. foods. As long as I stick to the low ones, I don't gain. And if I go off the plan and indulge and gain weight, then I know exactly what to do to take it off again!
Hope it goes well for you.
Kindest regards,
Zellie> Hi! I have been on effexor xr for 4 months now due to deep recurring depressions and anxiety. I was hospitalized for a brief period. I realize now that I will be on medication for life to prevent a relapse. I don't like the idea, but realize that my life depends on it. I take 150 mg. of effexor xr. I started on effexor,klonopin, and ambien (for sleep) I feel great now. I have no anxiety or depression. I also discontinued klonopin and ambien without any problems. My concern is the weight gain. I have only gained 10 pounds, however when on paxil for my last depression I gained 40 pounds. My psychiatrist has talked about adding synthroid or something else to offset the weight gain side effect for me. Does anyone have any comments? Other than the weight gain, effexor has been highly effective!
poster:Zellie
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040127/msgs/306370.html