One of the worst side effects of psychiatric medication is that weight gain is very common place. I have been on antidepressants, antipsychotics and other medications and they have all made me put on a substantial amount of weight. I would estimate I am approximately four stone overweight. Some antipsychotics make you feel hungry or increase appetite. I went through a phase of buying cream cakes and other puddings such as strawberry trifles. This was similar to an addiction.
What can we do about it?
I would suggest going on a short walk everyday. Enrol at the gym. Go for a jog. If you are feeling mentally unwell though, and find it hard going out, do not worry.
Do not fast or eat just salad. Fasting can cause severe constipation.
Use a calorie tracker. These apps for IPhone or Android count up how many calories you have used everyday by taking a photo of the barcode. MyFitnessPal is the most commonly used. However I’ve found sometimes it doesn’t scan items correctly. This is very common. NutraCheck calorie counter is the best in my opinion. It has a very user friendly interface and has all foods and drinks in its inventory with photographs.
I would suggest choosing a calorie target for you to meet everyday. NutraCheck will not allow you to go below 1500 calories which is probably sensible. You can keep your calorie target on your mobile phone or Apple Watch as a widget.
Losing weight is hard. Losing weight won’t happen overnight. It is possible, but I still find it difficult…
Apple app store:
Google play store