How to Lose Weight on Celexa
Celexa is the brand name for citalopram hydrobromide, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (or SSRI) drug used for the treatment of depression and other mood disorders. Celexa's side effects can include increased appetite and increased weight, according to manufacturer Forest Laboratories. It may be prescribed in doses ranging from 20 to 40 mg daily.
Some patients actually lose weight on Celexa; in fact, Forest found that "Patients treated with Celexa in controlled trials experienced a weight loss of about 0.5 kg compared to no change for placebo patients." However, other patients report that the drug seems to prompt a craving for food.
Achieving or maintaining a healthy weight can be a real challenge for patients who suffer from this effect, but several options are available to them
A common question asked by depression patients is: "Can you lose weight on Celexa?" According to experts and clinical studies, the short answer to that is yes, it is possible.
Celexa
Lundbeck, a pharmaceutical company, developed Celexa in 1989. When the patent expired in 2003, the drug came out in various generic forms.
Typically, Celexa is prescribed as a treatment for depression. It is also considered a treatment for social anxiety disorder, panic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. From time to time, it can also be included in treatment plans for Huntington's Disease and premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
Considered a mild anti-depressant, its side effects list is mild compared to many drugs of its kind. Just over 10 percent of patients taking Celexa experienced side effects including vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. Other side effects may be experienced, but these are the ones most linked to the potential for weight loss or gain. Studies have shown that these side effects are short-lived and decrease as the patient is on the drug longer.
Can You Lose Weight on Celexa?
It is very possible to lose weight while taking Celexa. Doctors haven't gone on record as to exactly why, but there are a certain percentage of patients who have actually lost weight without trying while on Celexa.
It could be said that the side effects of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are directly linked to the causes of the weight loss. If these side effects are somewhat severe in the first few weeks a patient is taking Celexa, it's understandable that weight loss would be experienced.
As the drug begins to take effect, patients may return to their previous eating habits. Their depression recedes and they start to get back to regular, daily activities, which may mean exercising. This is a natural way that the drug may, indirectly, cause weight loss. As their moods even out, it becomes less difficult to control eating habits and a focus on a healthy diet may return.
It Won't Happen on Its Own
As much as you might like to hope that it will, Celexa is not going to instantly make you lose weight and become thin like in your dreams. Just like any diet plan, it's going to take work, effort and determination on your part.
Healthy Diet
The first thing to do is to eat healthier. This means paying attention to calories, fat content, sugar levels, sodium levels, etc. You may need to cut portion size, or concentrate on not snacking on junk food throughout the day. Some dietitians recommend their patients eat several small meals each day instead of two or three larger ones. This dispersal of calories is more effective than bundling them all into two or three meals. It stretches out your chances to eat throughout the day, making you feel more satisfied and less hungry.
Exercise
You'll need to start exercising, too. Just changing your eating habits isn't going to completely help. It's healthy for you to exercise, and a routine that includes both weight training and aerobic exercises is going to get you pretty quick results. Exercising four days a week for 30 to 45 minutes each day will get you in the groove pretty quickly. It may seem hard at first, but just keep trying. You should alternate your types of exercise every day. For instance, if the first day you work on strength training exercises, then the second day should be some sort of aerobic exercise.
It is Possible
Even though it may seem your metabolism is working against you, there are no scientific reasons that weight loss on Celexa isn't possible. Ask yourself the question. "Can you lose weight on Celexa?" If you think you can, then you can. If you tell yourself that it's impossible, it probably is.
# Step 1
Discuss this and any other side effects with your health-care provider. (The pharmacy instructions include this warning: "Call the doctor right away to report new or sudden changes in mood, behavior, thoughts, or feelings. Signs to watch for include new or worsening depression, new or worsening anxiety, agitation, insomnia, hostility, panic attacks, restlessness, extreme hyperactivity, and suicidal thinking or behavior.") Some side effects vanish as you become physically accustomed to the drug over the course of a few weeks. If not, you and your doctor may decide that a side effect of weight gain is unimportant considered against the benefits of the drug. If you are on a high dose of Celexa, your doctor may suggest trying a lower dose.
#Step 2
Healthy eating and exercise may counteract any weight gain. Exercise itself is helpful in treating depression. According to a study from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas published in 2005, "Individuals who participated in moderately intense aerobics, such as exercising on a treadmill or stationary bicycle--whether it was for three or five days per week--experienced a decline in depressive symptoms by an average of 47 percent after 12 weeks."
The Mayo Clinic recommends dealing with weight gain caused by depressants through eating healthy foods "such as plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains"; cutting back on sweets, sweet drinks, and fast food; getting 30 minutes of exercise each day; and consulting a dietitian or nutritionist.
#Step 3
The Mayo Clinic also recommends talking to your doctor about switching medications. The antidepressant bupropion (brand name Wellbutrin), for example, is not chemically related to SSRI drugs and not associated with weight gain. In fact, a study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine in 2005 found that 400 mg of bupropion daily was effective in treating obesity: "Over a period of 6 to 12 months, weight loss in the bupropion group (4.4 kg) was significantly greater than in the placebo group (1.7 kg)." However, many patients find that SSRIs like Celexa are more effective than bupropion in treating mood disorders, especially major depression.
A doctor may consider prescribing a mild dose of bupropion in addition to an SSRI to help counteract the effect of increased appetite. (Bupropion's effectiveness as an anti-smoking drug, marketed under the name Zyban, may be related.) It is important to note that other antidepressants, especially monoamine oxidase inhibitors such as Nardil, should never be combined with SSRI drugs.
# Step 4
You may need to learn coping skills to deal with increased appetite. Weight loss programs like Weight Watchers, weight loss counseling or a program to deal with eating disorders such as Overeaters Anonymous may be useful. Remember that you have taken a major step in dealing with mood disorders, and even good change can be stressful. Take advantage of help available to learn to adapt to these changes.
10 Diet Tips
Looking for something easy to follow to lose weight, like 10 Diet Tips you can carry in your purse? The key isn't just to lose weight, but to keep it off and feel satisfied about your food choices. The following 10 diet tips should do just that. They are designed to help you achieve long-lasting results. Your job is to not just carry them around, but to implement them into your diet and fitness program and make them part of your daily behavior.
1. Timing. Try to eat every 3-4 hours so that you never get so hungry that you’re tempted to overeat at mealtime. Have breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as a mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and post-dinner snack. Don’t skip breakfast or any meal for that matter. You’ll make yourself too hungry and you’ll overeat at the next meal, If you try to starve yourself you’re body will go into starvation mode where your metabolism will slow down drastically, keeping you from losing weight and actually making you more likely to hold onto calories the next time you do eat.
2. Portions. Use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate. An easy guideline for each meal is to have the plate be roughly be 1/4 carbs, 1/4 lean protein, and 1/2 fruits or vegetables at each meal. No second helpings, but if you are really hungry then take more vegetables.
3. Eat slowly. This one is one of the hardest and easiest things to do. It’s hard because the pace of our eating reflects the pace of everything around us, which is fast, fast, fast! So you must make a conscious effort at each meal to do this. Once you do this for a while you will establish a habit and from then on it will be easy. Perhaps before each meal you might want to close your eyes for 15 seconds, take a deep breathe to slow down, and then say to yourself something like “Take it slow. Taste this food. Enjoy it slowly. Release thoughts of work and other worries for now.” Then, when you do eat, take small bites and really taste and enjoy the food. This will give your body time to send your brain the “All Full” signal. If you only do one of these tips, do this one.
4. Snacks. For snacks have fruit, low calorie popcorn, or nuts (1 handful). Prepare these ahead of time so they are easy to grab. Keep junk food out of the house and you’ll be less likely to eat it.
5. Long Life Cocktail. This idea comes from the book “Fat Flush” by Louise Gittleman, a well respected dietitian. The recipe is 7 ounces water, 1 ounce pure cranberry juice, and 1 Tablespoon of ground flax seed. Have this once or twice a day for increasing your fiber, digestive regularity, and all the benefits which come from flax seeds. Those benefits are: lower cholesterol, antioxidant power, fiber, inhibiting the onset of estrogen-stimulated breast cancer, healing of inflamed intestines from Colitis and Crohn’s Disease. The pure cranberry juice will help to cleanse your liver and kidneys.
6. Dairy and Wheat products. If you find that these foods make you bloated, you might want to cut back on them. How to tell? Cut them from your diet for a week and see if you notice a difference. Just as good substitute: sprouted grain breads such as “Alvarado Street” or “Ezekial 4:9″. And there are many non-dairy substitutes such as rice milk which taste much better than you might imagine.
7. Sugar. For the most part, refined sugar is not good for you. Try to cut back or eliminate altogether. Blackstrap molasses or honey are better choices. Stevia root is a natural calorie free sweetener you might want to try. You can find it in healthstores. A good one is “Stevia Plus.” When having a sugar craving, have fruit instead.
8. Fiber. Try to get 25-30 grams of fiber per day. Fiber fills you up. It blocks the absorption of sugar and fat helping with weight loss and weight management. Having enough fiber in your diet will keep constipation away and will help lower your chances of cancer, such as colon cancer.
9. “100% Whole Grains.” Look for this exact phrase on cereals, crackers, bread, etc., but also check the nutrition labels. Anything else is not going to have as much fiber. Check the fiber count to be sure. Use whole grain pastas and breads. They will fill you up and they are healthier for you.
10. Vegetables. Learn to love them! Find a great book on how to cook vegetables that taste delicious. (Suggestion: “Vegetable Love” by Barbara Kafka) Have salad often. Be sure to measure out your salad dressing to keep from adding too many calories.
11. Chicken or Vegetable Broth and Soup. Use a cup of soup or broth as a snack. Have a cup before meals to feel full. And you can use broth to sautee vegetables instead of oil.
12. Oil. Only use olive oil or canola oil if you need it for coocking. Better yet, use flax oil on foods sauteed in broth to add flavor and health benefits. Don’t use flax oil for cooking and you must keep it refrigerated. Heat makes flax oil and flax seeds loose their healthful properties.
13. Cheese. Keep this to a minimum in your diet. The harder the cheese the better and keep in mind that a little can go a long way to add some flavor.
14. Hunger. If you are trying to lose weight, it’s ok to feel a little hungry, such as if you stay up late at night. If you’re feeling very hungry have some fruit and/or nuts. Or you could try a Long Life Cocktail or a Green Drink such as Green Vibrance. These drinks will fill you up and take the edge off your hunger so you can either go to sleep or make it until the next meal. The beneficial thing about Green Vibrance is that it contains the same kind of active cultures found in yogurt. These live cultures rid your body of yeast and help foster the healthy bacteria in your intestines for better digestive health.
15. Eliminate Toxins. Stay clear of all forms of tobacco. If you’ve tried to quit before and failed, don’t stop trying. If you keep trying you will eventually succeed! Keep alcohol to a minimum. Wash all fruits and vegetables with soap, water and a sponge. Try to buy organic if you can especially for produce where it really matters:
16. Chewing Gum. This is a good distraction between meals.
17. Calories. This totally free diet website has everything you need to know about how many calories you should eat, metabolic calculators, diet calculators,weight loss guides and more!
18. Eating Out. Think about what you will have before you go into the restaurant. Ask for extra vegetables instead of fries. Have salad or clear broth soup to fill up. Stay away from bread and butter.
19. Cheats. Allow yourself one cheat meal per week and do so in moderation.
20. Read labels. Stay away from anything with hydrogenated oils (trans fats). Beware that products are allowed to say “0 Trans Fats per serving” if they are below a certain percentage. But if the ingredients say “hydgrogenated” then know that you are getting trans fats. Stay away from too much saturated fats. And look for items that are high in fiber.
21. Green Tea. Scientific studies have shown many benefits from green tea consumption such as lower cancer rates and lowered cholesterol. Some studies show it can help with weight management. It certainly can’t hurt. If caffeine bothers you then try naturally decaffeinated or you can decaffeinate it yourself by brewing the tea bag twice. Drink the second cup and it will have very little caffeine, but most of the taste. A key point: don’t drink with cow’s milk “as proteins called caseins in milk decrease the amount of compounds in tea known as catechins” which aid in protecting against heart disease. Try rice milk instead if you want to add milk.
22. Get Enough Sleep. If you are very tired during the day, your body is going to crave more food to get energy. So, rest up!
Eat
The only result of starving yourself is feeling hungrier than ever and eventually eating amounts of food above your calorie requirement. Eating four to five small meals a day keeps your metabolism running at its optimal level and you will not experience excessive hunger. It should be step one in your 10 diet tip program.
Plan
Planning your meals is critical to healthy, balanced eating. Moreover, by knowing ahead of time what you will eat, you will not be at the beck and call of fast food restaurants or the vending machines with their primarily high calorie, unhealthy selections.
Shop
Food shopping takes a commitment of time and focus. In the long run, you will save time and confusion by having healthy foods on hand. Also, since your environment directly affects your behaviors, having healthy food in reach is necessary for healthy eating. Make a list and stick to it when you shop. And, never shop when you are hungry or you may find some unplanned chips in your cart to deal with later.
Balance
Balancing your meals is not as difficult as it may sound. Think in terms of fractions: protein taking up 1/3 of your plate, vegetables 1/3 and complex carbohydrate the other 1/3. Fats are often part of the protein such as salmon or chicken or used to cook with as in sautéed vegetables. Fruits can replace the vegetable or be eaten as a snack. Without this type of combination, you will experience cravings and may not feel satisfied after a meal. This can lead you to consume more calories than is favorable for shedding the pounds.
Drink
Without adequate fluid intake, the fat cells can shrink, but the fluids continue to reside in your body and hence show up on the scale. The general recommendation is between six and eight glasses of pure water each day. In addition, a glass of water alleviates hunger for a brief period of time.
Move
Being active does not mean getting to the gym every day for two hours. However, the more you move, the more you will lose. Standing instead of sitting burns twice as many calories. Simple activities like taking the stairs, parking further from your destination, helping with lawn work or washing your car will add to the calorie deficit you need to get to your weight goal and is a key diet tip to faster weight reduction. Aim for sixty minutes of activity each day.
Seek Support with your 10 Diet Tips
When it comes to changing your eating behaviors, it is important to include all the people who affect how you eat. For example, if you are trying to lose weight, but co-workers do not know this, it will take twice as much effort to decline the doughnut box when it passes by your reach. It will be much easier to not eat the doughnut if the box did not come through your office in the first place.
Teaming up with others on the same mission of weight loss offers motivation and positive reinforcement. There are bound to be set-backs when dieting, but a friend can be the key to getting you back on track. And, what an asset you can be to someone who has hit a stone wall. Whether he or she may be a walking buddy, a shopping buddy or a cooking buddy, the benefits are endless.
Get Creative
Find new recipes online or in magazines, look for one new healthy food item each shopping trip, try a new exercise class or pick up a new healthy hobby. Any and all of these suggestions will reinforce your new healthy lifestyle.
Keep Track
Listing what you eat and your activities for the day is a powerful tool. First, by seeing in writing what you are eating makes it real. No more claiming it was “just a handful”. Handfuls add up. Also, it will be easier for you to ensure you are eating a balanced diet. Finally, physical activity can be improved upon or approved by you when it is kept in a log format.
Be Persistent and Consistent
If you eat an unplanned meal high on the calorie chart, do not dwell on it. Get on track immediately by planning your next meal or snack, getting some exercise and reminding yourself of your goals. These 10 diet tips, persistence and consistency will reward you in time.