Hi from a soon-to-be new Phentermine user

[roller_coaster]

Hi everyone.

I've been reading messages in this forum and waiting for my Phentermine to arrive. I actually got some last week but it was recalled drugs from Able Laboratories and I sent them back because I didn't feel comfortable taking recalled drugs. My new order should arrive Monday or Tuesday and I will being my new experience.

I'm 44 years old white female, 5'4", and for the first time in my life over 200 pounds. Not sure how much over because when I visited my doctor several weeks ago I told the nurse I didn't want to know how much I weigh, then caved and said "more or less than 200" and she said "more". I felt absolutely sick.

I have been overweight nearly all of my life, turning from normal weight kid to fat kid sometime between 2nd and 3rd grades. I went on my first diet at age 11. My max weight through high school was 165.

When I went away to college I started having big problems with self-esteem. I was a smart kid but very self conscious about my extra weight. That's when my roller-coasting began. I would gain 20-30 lbs and then take it off, and then regain what I lost plus more ... at age 21 I lost approx 60 pounds, dropping to my all-time adult low of 123 and I was an absolute mess, constantly thinking about what I would or wouldn't eat, abusively exercising, and spending so much time focusing on my weight that I was flunking my clases. People who hadn't seen me in a while would say "You look so great" when in actuality I was really really screwed up ! That demonstrated to me just how superficial people are about weight. Guys who wouldn't give me a second glance suddenly were around me like, as I used to like to say, "flies on sh*t". I didn't appreciate the attention.

Maintaining that low weight was impossible and one day I binged and then made the fateful decision to make myself throw up, which launched me on a horrible 5 year battle with bulimia that landed me in the hospital and nearly wrecked my life. I was very close to committing suicide 2 times. It's kind of a miracle that I'm still here, really.

Even 20 years later I still on occasion make myself throw up, maybe 3 to 4 times per year.

After recovering from bulimia I still roller-coasted. 5 years ago I started putting on weight and now I have gone over 200 and I just don't know what to do. I had seen my doctor for an eye problem and I brought up the issue of my weight. It's the first time I'd seen the guy and in a short amount of time I summarized my history. But it became obvious to me that he really has no comprehension of weight problems, and although I like him because he understands that bodies are not all the same and some people are happier and healther "overweight", he still wasn't helpful. I asked for a short-term drug to give me a boost, surprisingly the first time I have ever made the request, and all he could recommend was Effexor. That's just not right .. I'm not going to take an anti-depressent that has a sometimes side effect of causing people to lose their appetites. After I saw the doctor I found someone who had taken Effexor and didn't have any loss of appetite. That's when I started researching the weight loss drugs, chose Phentermine, and ordered it online.

So we'll see what happens. I'm a smart person about food, I don't binge like I used to though I do on a non-diet day eat 2500-2600 calories, and I'm not lazy by any means but I don't get regular exercise. 2500 is too much for a 5'4" non-exercising woman to eat. Plain and simple. I'm hoping Phentermine will help me shed 5 or more pounds and get me pointed in the right direction. I know how motivating losing those initial pounds can be. If I can tolerate it, I plan to take the drug 1 month, MAYBE 2.

I'm going to take a photo of myself but I won't post it until I've lost some weight and have a comparative additional photo to publish ... IF I lose weight, that is.

By the way, just want to say I am so happy for those of you who have lost weight, and I love reading your stories and advice. I know how painful it is to be overweight in a skinny-obsessed society in which people constantly view overweight people as lazy, sloppy, and stupid. We are constantly denegrated and even though we realize that we are not the problem, the bigots are the problem, it doesn't really take away the pain.

I will never be skinny and I no longer think skinny looks good. I will be very happy if I can be 175. I would ultimately like to weigh 150, still "overweight" by conventional standards but I know it would be the lowest I could reasonably maintain, based on my past history.

Onward !!!

[ July 17, 2005, 04:14 PM: Message edited by: roller_coaster ]

[roller_coaster]

(post deleted ... contained edit of above post, then I figured out how to actually edit that post. )

[ July 17, 2005, 04:16 PM: Message edited by: roller_coaster ]

[eyegotu]

I just wanted to say Hello and good lukc. I too will be starting phentermine 7/20. Know that you are already a success by conquering your eating disorder and reclaiming your life!

[V-]

Welcome! Chicago girl!!

Let us know how it goes.....your first week is probably the hardest, as your body will be getting used to the drug...hang in there and stay on it....
it is so worth it...I love it.I want to be on it for life!!

Just so you know there is a diet doc in Chicago that prescibes this and will somewhat monitor you....
most of us that are from Chicago already go to him.
He does not accept insurance, cash only.

If you have any questions along the way I would be happy to try and answer them....feel free to PM me.
Good luck with your weightloss journey.

[Natashi2876]

We can and we will do this!!!! I am 5'8" and have never been lower than 175 as far back as I can remember. Conventional charts say I should be 140. But I agree with you, its all about being healthy, fit, and maintaining. Being 140 or in your case 120 and sick is no good.

[Michellle]

Good luck to you. In my case I am here at this board to keep me motivated. I always had a good body but lately since I am very anxious about my IVF I gained 25 pounds in 5 months (no its not the hormones) by the way I start taking my hormones on the 20th.

So I am hanging here to keep me motivated to not gain more. If I get pregnant I have a long journey until I can lose weight..If IVF doesnt work I will get a prescription and take care of myself.

I think this med will be great for you. Will be a good way for you to feel "less" hungry and eat less calories..

[roller_coaster]

I really appreciate the encouragement and advice ! V, I might ask you for the name of that doctor. I'll see how I do initially on the Phentermine.

If I have success with Phentermine I'm going to tell the doctor I'm currently seeing so that in the future he might consider prescribing it to other people who want a boost to lose weight. There's no reason people should have to suffer when there's a drug available. Thank god for online pharmacies.

I'm going to rely heavily on this forum. I never thought I needed anyone else's support before but I now think it can be very helpful. People here have lost truly amazing amounts of weight through sheer hard work. The Phentermine might help, but it's really the hard work that takes the weight off. Maybe I can do it too. I think I can.

The internet is such a powerful social tool. I have been chatting online since 1991 and participated in forums on many different topics since then. This is really the first time I've used a forum for psychological support and advice. I should have sought this out years ago !

Oh I hope my Phentermine arrive quickly ! I'm ready to start !! I need to get myself weighed so I know exactly where I'm starting from. Ugh, I don't want to know how much over 200 I am ! Oh well, it can't be too much more of a blow than finding out I'm over 200. That bit of info was really deflating, you know ?? Maybe I can just pop in to the doctor's office and have them weigh me.

Question: should I get a scale ? How often do you weigh yourselves ? I don't want to weigh myself daily but I'm considering doing it once a week. Other option is to just pop into doc's office once a month and have them weigh me on their nice professional scale. Hmmm, maybe there's a scale in the nurse's office where I work.