Gain on Rexulti

Help. I have gained 15 pounds on Rexulti in 2 months I have been desperately trying to lose it. I am 20 miles away from the nearest support group and 30 miles from my dr. I no longer drive so I can't really get help from those sources. I have almost forgotten how to eat. I have been going on the minimum Weigh****ches diet of years ago, trying to cut the carbs as well. Frantic in Florida THANKS FOR ANY HELP.

Your best for regain is going back to basics. Weigh, measure, and log your food. The most common targets around here are around 800 calories, 60+g protein, under 25g carbs.

If you can't get to an in-person support group, many people have great luck with the daily menu threads on the VSG and RNY subforums!

Hi Karen,

Keep working with your doctor that prescribed Rexulti for you. There has to be some alternatives to prevent the weight gain. Don't except no for an answer. In the mean time stick with the basics that helped us get to goal and stay at goal. Here is a list I created that helped me.

Planning/Preparing

Remember when we were preparing for surgery? How many meetings, classes and such did we attend? We were told the more prepared we were the better our chances were for success. And they were right. Go through the house, car and work place and get rid of trigger foods. Stock up on foods that will keep you on track. I removed every bad carb/sugar temptation and replaced it with lots of protein, veggies, grains and fruits.

Journaling

Get back to journaling. This will help you identify when you feel like eating, stress factors and any triggers in your life. Once you identify these factors, this will help you put tools in place to keep you from eating. It became clear I was not taking time for me anymore. I worked my day job and then spent the rest of my time caring for my husband. It was easy to reach for fast, prepackaged food. Since I purged my home I have to eat clean as there are no other options LOL

Use a tool to track you're eating and exercise like Getting Started with Health Tracker. Once I started to track ever bite and drink it became clear why I had gained.

Goals/Rewards

Make a list of goals for yourself. Make them realistic and small. Some of mine were move more, purge all junk from my home, eat more protein. If you didn't make a Weight Loss Surgery bucket list when you first had surgery do it now. GREAT reminder of all the things you can enjoy in life after losing weight.

Food

In general, a long term post-weight loss surgery eating plan includes foods that are high in protein, and low in fat?, calories, and sugar. Important, vitamins and minerals are provided as supplements. (if you had a different surgery adjust this to your food plan).

Water

Water is our Best Friend. I have to say I never went back to pop or any bad drinks, however I was drinking tea like crazy. What is wrong with drinking tea? I was either using sugar or 3 equals and 3 sweet n lows per 32 ounce glass. I found once I started carrying one of the metal bottles of water to keep it cold I drank water all day.

MOVE!

I can't say enough about how key this was for me. The reason I kept my weight off for almost 10 years was no matter what, I kept moving. If I could not go to the gym I would walk. Grab a cart and walk all the isles at your local box store. I loved Zumba, bootcamp workouts, lifting weights. When I stopped, the weight started coming back. So for me I am starting slow to avoid injury by walking and using some of the workouts on my Demand TV. Find something you love to do and it won't feel like a pain in the *** to do daily.

Support

If it's an option "run" don't walk to a support group. Come here on OH daily for support and participate in one of the food threads. It helps you be accountable and also great ideas for food prep.

Keep me posted on how you are doing.

Rexulti is known to cause a significant amount of increased appetite. I'd call the doctor about it if that's the problem; even if you are far from the doctor, he should be able to answer questions for you. I used to not drive myself so I know that it's hard, but it would be worth seeing if he can address it over the phone. There are also many online support groups too these days; check overeaters anonymous or NAMI for a list.