A Surely Unpopular Whine

[alwaysamy]

I have Type II diabetes. I take medication for it. Two years ago, my prescription changed from one medication to another, and since then I've been losing weight. Steadily. Despite the fact that I eat (and yeah, I know, I have diabetes, I have no self-control, sue me) plenty of ice cream, and I have a problem with cake, and I generally don't manage my carbs as well as I should. (It's all carbs, people -- at least, that's the new theory behind a diabetic diet. A donut is no worse than a piece of bread, really -- it's just *more carbs,* which you have to take into account. The days of diabetics being denied all refined sugar are over, as long as said sugar is tracked and comsumed in moderation.)

I heard on the news a few months back that the drug I'm on is actually being abused off-market for weight loss. (Apparently, it works especially well in decreasing weight around the middle, although I have no idea how a drug targets that, intentionally or not. It does seem to be true for me, though.)

So, you're thinking, well, yeah, why is she complaining? Weight loss is not bad, for most of us! Weight loss is hard for most of us! All true. The problem is, I can't afford it.

I bought all new shorts and pants last summer because the stuff I had was literally slipping off my hips. And belts only worked to the extent that they bunched up the waistbands and thereby created less than attractive bulgy action in back. (Also, I hate belts. Especially in the summer.)

I didn't splurge, either. We're talking KMart and Target stuff here. And this summer ... it's all too big again. Big like in some cases I'm actually sticking my stomach out to hold the damn things up. Buying new clothes is a lot less fun when it's not really in the budget. It also sort of sucks when you bought stuff you really liked last time around, cheap or not, and you don't really want to give it up.

Comments

[hilleviw.livejournal.com]

Do you mind naming the medication? My dad is a Type II who needs to change meds because of an adverse reaction, and really needs to lose some weight. I'd like to be able to give him a name to ask his doctor about. It's Kaiser though, so if it's expensive he may have to prompt them.

[amy37.livejournal.com]

I don't know why I didn't name it before -- this is what happens when I post too early. I take Metformin, which is a generic of glucophage.

It's one of the oldest diabetes drugs out there, and it's actually one of the $4 prescriptions available at Target.

[going-not-gone.livejournal.com]

While I'm having the opposite weight problem, I sympathize with the no-clothes-that-fit aspect. Fortunately, I am able to buy more, but I hate not being able to wear things I like!

What size are you now? I have some size 4 and 5 shorts and pants that I won't be wearing this summer, I can send them to you.

[amy37.livejournal.com]

Thanks, but I'm not quite that slim yet. I bought 10s last year, and will be looking for 8s this time around (or mediums, or whatever the hell fits.)

It's funny how you react to things -- once upon a time, I would have been thrilled to even consider fitting into an 8. Now, who cares? I mean, I know it's easier than going the other way, but the point is, the number doesn't matter to me anymore as long as it fits. And it all reminds me that thinner or not, I'm not in shape. Everything still jiggles, you know?

[debg.livejournal.com]

Boy, Metformin is sure not having that effect on my husband.

You need a few things in size eight? I can send; I have.

[casperflea.livejournal.com]

I have lost the last of my baby weight very suddenly in the last few weeks - and probably am below my pre-pregnancy weight now - so I feel this exact pain. (The suddenness happened with Casper, too - when the baby hits 9-10 months, I seem to lose 5-10 pounds really fast. Weird.) I have a history of very stable weight as an adult, so having different sections of my wardrobe inaccessible to me is SO ANNOYING. Even though it's the difference between an 8 and a 10, when a 10 is too big, it's really just too big, damn it. I put on a pair of shorts yesterday and was like WTF? I swear I wore them comfortably a couple of weeks ago, and now - all bunchy at the waist. Grrr!

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

When I took Prozac, I lost enormous amounts of weight. No, it wasn't great. Especially the compliments about "You've been losing weight, Gosh you must be exercising a lot."

Last week I saw some of the pictures from Prozac. They were scary. They looked anorexic. Ugh.

So I sympathize completely. What does your doctor say?

[amy37.livejournal.com]

I'm not losing scary amounts. At least I don't think so. I don't think if you're wearing an 8 or a 10 at 5'4", you're anywhere near dangerously thin. I'm 140 right now -- it's just that I haven't been 140 since, probably, right after Ben was born. (Taking insulin during pregnancy made pregnancy another time when I was thinner than usual, weirdly. With each baby, it was all baby weight, and often losing weight in the early months. I think with Sara I gained only twenty pounds.)

My doctor ... hasn't said anything. We still don't have insurance. He refills my scrips when I call, and that's it. It's my fault -- I need to scrape up the money to see him more regularly, and to get labs drawn once in a while, but I just haven't. I can be criminally negligient about my health and my body when I'm *not* responsible for another person growing in there.

Still, I'm not scared about the weight loss at this point. Just sort of annoyed that I need to keep buying new clothes.

Also, Prozac? Really? I'd never heard of that as a side effect.

[vwbug.livejournal.com]

I had that whine for a while early in this latest depression cycle. People would ask me what the worst thing about my depression was, and I'd say, "My boobs are shrinking."

Now, of course, I wish I'd have that problem :). The meds seem to be causing fairly significant gain, no matter what I do about eating/exercising. It is most frustrating either way it goes, is my experience

[fiorituranotte.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry. I think weight issues are frustrating, regardless of what they are, as are money issues. I think I finally have my weight at least stablized this year, but I have had to buy new clothes every season for the past few years, because I kept gaining weight. Do you at least have a really good discount at H&M so that you can pick up a few staple items?

[amy37.livejournal.com]

I do! It's 25%, which is more than I think I've had working retail. The problem with H&M is, I need pants, and their pants are really cut European style -- very narrow and very long. My waist is a lot narrower than my hips and my thighs still, so finding pants that fit those areas always means the waist is swimming on me.

Bodies are hard.

[fiorituranotte.livejournal.com]

I hate buying pants. They never fit everywhere all at once. Do you know anyone who could take in the waist for you?

[amy37.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I'm usually too cheap to bother. Some things I'll wear belts with, but when I'm looking for pants that cost around $20, I hate to pay more for alterations.

I bought a pair recently -- a real scruffy, casual type of cargos with the wrinkly pockets -- that I actually cut off at the bottom instead of hemming. They look fine because of the style, which was partly why I bought them even though they were so long.

[fiorituranotte.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I tend to buy capris because otherwise they just sit in my closet waiting to be shortened. I was thinking more of a family member or a friend who might be willing to help you out for free. Good luck.

[sail-aweigh.livejournal.com]

I can sympathize mightily with you. I've gained and lost weight so quickly over the past two years, that even though I have a whole series of sizes from 8 to 14 I can almost never find anything that fits the way I like. It seems like one size is always too big and the next one down is too small. Argh.

As for pants being too big in the waist, try looking for mid-rise pants. They sit below the waist, but not as low as low-rise. You may still need a belt, but there won't be as much fabric to bunch up from it. I'd recommend j.jill's authentic cut jeans, but they ain't cheap.

And, go see the durn doctor. While you may still be a healthy weight, too fast a weight loss can be a sign of something wrong, not just the meds doing their job. ::poke:: Go, do it.