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Weight: 263.5 (-1) (total: -6)
Meds
(8:00 am)
50 mg Naltrexone
54 mg Concerta
30 mg Cymbalta
Food:
7:00pm – 1/3 Kielbasa (Hillshire Farms)
8:00 pm – 2/3 cup Peanuts
I feel great this morning. Seeing the scale move in the right direction doesn’t hurt my mood a bit. I have a lot of work to do so I don’t see temptation being an issue today.
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Summary:
It was a great day for Naltrexone. It was less great for me. While I did not overeat and did not have any urge to binge, I made unhealthy food choices. I had a lot of work to do and I was making a lot of progress. It never crossed my mind to stop working for a moment to eat something. I didn’t even realize I hadn’t eaten anything until 7 at night, when I should be done eating for the day.
Weekends are very difficult for me. Having an extra person home means there is even less time for self-care. Instead of coming in second to my child (which I don’t mind at all), I come in third behind him and his father.
Preparation is the key to healthy eating on a low carb diet. I do not prepare, so I do not make healthy food choices. In fact, I really don’t make choices at all. My busy schedule corrupts my diet just as carbohydrate obsession did prior to Naltrexone.
Weight: 264.5 (+ .5) (Total -5)
Meds:
(8:00 am)
50 mg Naltrexone
54 mg Concerta
30 mg Cymbalta
Food:
9:00 am – 5:00 pm – Constant munching on peanuts.
5:30 pm – 1 beef hotdog (no roll), Mustard, 1/3 Kielbasa by Hillshire Farms
8:00 pm – Beef Jerky
9:00 pm – Peanuts (2 handfuls)
The scale crept up another half pound. I continue to hope this slight gain over the last three days is due to pms. My period is late, but only by a couple days. This may be due to the abrupt change in diet. Low carb eating induction has disrupted my menstrual cycle in the past and I have no reason to suspect anything else might be causing the delayed onset.
On a personal level, I am extremely disappointed. My weight loss started so swiftly I had hoped I might lose a total of 10 lbs by the end of July. At this rate I will be lucky if I don’t start August
back up at 269.5 lbs.
I don’t blame Naltrexone for the failure to continue losing. It’s highly probable that menses is to blame for the slight gain. It’s also possible that my poor eating choices (peanut butter) are interfering with my weight loss. It’s generally very easy for me to lose at the very beginning of low carb induction, only to find the weight loss stops if my diet doesn’t improve.
Naltrexone continues to prevent the carb binges. That is the goal of this experiment– to see if Naltrexone is a viable method of biomedical intervention for obsessive compulsive eating. It is
difficult to remember this when, in an effort to gather data, daily weigh-ins are a must.
Update: period has started… thank goodness. Can’t wait until the weight starts dropping again.
SUMMARY: I had absolutely no urge to go off my low carb diet today. I am so deeply impressed by Naltrexone. Weekends are difficult for me because I have to prepare foods (for others) that are not legal on my food plan. Breakfast. Snacks. Lunch. Dinner. I have always found myself cheating on weekends. It just seemed pointless to resist because the temptation seemed to much stronger and more determined than I am. This weekend has been wonderfully different. Add to that, I am having my period. Add to that, I went through the day without the motivational boost of seeing the scale go down.. actually, it went up again today.
My eating, while not compulsive, is lazy and unhealthy. I know this must change. I must be better prepared and make wiser food decisions or the good times will end for sure. Eventually, there will be no convenient low-carb foods available, or the additives in them will prevent further weight loss.
Weight: 264.0 lbs (no change) (5.5 lbs lost total)
Meds:
(8:00am)
50 mgs Naltrexone
54 mgs Concerta
30 mgs Cymbalta
Food:
7:30 am – 2 Hillshire Farms Cheddarwurst Sausages, Mozz Cheese, Mustard
12:30 pm – 1/2 Chef salad with sliced ham and turkey, 2 pouches Newman’s Own Ranch Dressing
6:00 pm – 2 Hamburg Patties, 2 slices of American Cheese, Mustard
8:00 pm – 3 tbs Peanut Butter
9:30 pm – 1 Hamburg Pattie, 1 slice American Cheese, Mustard
Water: 60 oz (YAY!!!!)
Summary:
No urge to cheat today. I had been feeling really bored with my food options for the last few days, but my limited options didn’t bother me at all today. I was happy to stick with the program.
Again, late night hunger is a problem for me. I’m too stupid to go to bed when I feel tired. Then hunger kicks in. I make poor decisions because I am too tired to prepare healthy food late at night. Honestly, there are probably NO healthy food options (aside from Jello) after 7 pm. I am going to make some jello today and see if that helps. I might also whip up some cream with a little Splenda to make it a real late-night treat.
Weight: 264 lbs. (up .5 from yesterday) (5.5 lbs lost total)
Meds:
9am
50 mg Naltrexone
54 mg Concerta
30 mg Cymbalta
Food:
7:30 am – 3 Jumbo Eggs, Fried in Oleo, 2 Slices American Cheese
2:30 pm – 2 Hillshire Farms Cheddarwurst Sausages with Mozz Cheese on top.
7:30 pm – 2 McD’s Double Cheeseburgers w/o buns or ketchup
9:00 pm – 3 tbs Peanut Butter
The scale crept up half a pound this morning. Grrrr. I am hoping it’s a matter of water retention, though I can see how it might be the consequence of peanut butter abuse. I should have gone to bed when I started feeling tired. I am at my weakest late at night.
This morning I feel no desire to cheat, which is a blessing. Last night the urge was strong, but manageable. I am hoping my period will start today and the weight gain and the draw to carbs will stop.
I didn’t get enough water in yesterday, but my eating was much healthier. Today I will try to drink at least 32 oz of water.
Additionally, I am struggling with the common diet disorder of premature self image shrinkage. For some reason, though I am only down 5.5 lbs, I keep thinking I should go try on the jeans when I was 40 lbs lighter. I’m not going to do it, but I won’t say I’m not tempted.
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The quality of my eating went down today, as you can see.
However, I did drink 28 oz of water.
In general, the urge to cheat at night is strong and I should be smart enough to go to bed earlier, before I am munching on scoops of peanut butter, dreaming it was something else.
Weight: 263.5 lbs. (6 lbs lost)
Meds: (7am)
50 mg Naltrexone
54 mg Concerta
30 mg Cymbalta
Food:
7:00 am – 3 Jumbo Eggs (fried in Oleo), 2 slices Cheese
12:30 pm – Large Chef Salad with Turkey, Ham, Cheese
5:30 pm – Large Hamburg Patty with 1 Slice Cheddar Cheese, Lettuce, Mayo
9:00 pm – 4 tbs Peanut Butter
Thank God I started this experiment just before cutting my antidepressant back to almost nothing. I would probably be stuck in bed, hating myself as I rode out the carb sickness (while planning my next binge). The ability to abstain from carbs is really helping my self esteem. I feel a bit more in control of things. That desperate compulsion to eat is probably one of the greatest contributing factors to my depression.
I am starting to urinate again with less difficulty. Thank God. Now I just need to get my bowels back on track. It occurred to me yesterday that I can’t remember the last time I had a bowel movement. I am going to push fluids today and if I still haven’t gone by tonight, I am going to take a Dulcolax.
I would like to start exercising more. I don’t really care about the impact of physical activity on weight loss. I think when you are this overweight, the benefits of exercise (to weight loss) are blown way out of proportion. I could probably sit perfectly still for a couple months and still lose weight by following a low carb eating plan. I need to get up and moving for heart health and to increase flexibility. Plus, I want to chase my son around the block. Unfortunately, I am still nursing a wound on my right foot so it may be a couple days.
This has nothing to do with weight loss, but it’s a significant improvement that I attribute to the Naltrexone. I am a writer. Or, I try to be. For weeks before starting the Naltrexone, I had no ability to concentrate and no energy to write. My writing income is an important resource for my family, so my writing is an important resource. The non-stop binge had reduced me to an emotional and intellectual cripple, incapable of doing my job well and meeting deadlines. This had a significant impact on my income. Yesterday, for the first time in months, I sat down and wrote for 3 hours straight. My thoughts were clear and my writing was intelligible. I got a ton of work done and finished feeling wonderful about myself and my work.
I am finding Naltrexone to be personally liberating on a number of levels.
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Summary:
Today was was easy. Tonight was challenging.
I felt no urge to go off my diet until late in the evening. Then, thoughts of carbs flooded my brain. All my old binge favorites called to me. Still, even with a bag of home-made candy in the fridge (provided by my mother for my son), I managed to limit the damage to a bit of excessive peanut butter consumption.
I am inclined to believe the biggest reason for this temptation is hormonal. My period should begin any time now. Until this evening, I had experienced none of the premenstrual chocolate cravings that usually rule this time of the month. If I am correct, the scale will probably tell me so in the morning.
Weight: 264.5 (5 lbs lost)
I have said that the goal of this experiment for me is to control binge eating. That’s true. Weight loss is a fantastic bonus, but being free from the food demons is more important to me. However, I know there are others who might read this and be more interested in weight loss results. For those readers, here is a short note on the weightloss progress.
I have lost 5 lbs in the first 3 days of this experiment. I am happy to see the weight go, but the number is not all that impressive to me. It’s common to shed a lot of water weight when first starting a low carb eating plan. I am, however, extremely impressed with this weight loss due to its timing.
My period will start in the next day or two. Normally I retain a lot of water, starting 3 – 5 days before my period starts. In the past, no matter how strictly I adhere to a diet plan, the best I can manage at this time of the month is to get through without gaining more than a few pounds of water weight. The ability to lose weight during this time is quite impressive to me.
I suspect the unexpected weight loss is not the direct result of a biochemical reaction to Naltrexone, but some other environmental influence. I will have to do some more research on the impact of Naltrexone on hydration and water retention. When that is done, I will report back.
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Goals for Today:
1. Prepare: I have not been making healthy food choices and I know this is because I consistently fail to prepare. Last night I ate peanut butter, not because I wanted PB, but because it was the only semi low-carb food in the house. Eating in this unhealthy manner may initially result in weight loss, but when the induction honeymoon is over I will likely hit a stall. Beyond that, I know kidney stones and constipation will be coming soon if I don’t change my unhealthy eating habits.
2. Water: Water hasn’t been mentioned yet in this blog because I haven’t been drinking it. I have been consuming coffee and diet soda only. I know how horrible this is for me. I have had terrible kidney stones in the past. One was so bad I had to have a stent implanted for over a month before it would come out. The pain was mind blowing. I don’t want to go through that again. So, today my goal is to drink at least 32 oz of water. It’s a start.
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Food:
7:30 am – 3 (large) eggs, 2 slices of American cheese, oleo for frying
Coffee, coffee, coffee
8:30 pm – Chicken Stir Fry (1/2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 cup broc florets, 1/2 green pepper, 1 cup green beans, TONS of butter, 3 tbs peanut butter, ginger, soy sauce)
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Summary of Day 4:
I did not achieve my goal of drinking 32 oz of water, but I probably got 8 oz in.
I managed to eat a bit healthier, buying fresh veggies for stir-fry and avoiding all processed meats.
I am having a great deal of difficulty sticking to a HEALTHY diet. It has been so long since I have had energy and clarity to invest in anything other than binging, I find it extremely challenging to stop projects and take the time to cook for myself. My calories are high, but mostly due to adding excessive fats to the foods I am cooking. I seriously could have gone all day yesterday without eating and it wouldn’t have been a problem for me. It just wouldn’t be healthy.
I woke up this morning thinking about bread. It was the first thought on my mind. It’s not a raging craving, but it’s still an unpleasant thought.
Weight: 265.5 (4 lbs lost overnight)
I was shocked to see the scale move so swiftly this morning. In fact, I weighed myself 6 times to make sure it was correct. I am pleased that I am losing weight, but I am also aware that weightloss is not the measure of Naltrexone’s success. At least not for this experiment. The measure of success is whether or not I am able to control carb intake and binge eating. For the most part (with the exception of a peanut butter blow out late last night) I have been able to control myself with ease.
My downfall yesterday was lack of preparedness. This is a common stumbling block for people on low carbohydrate eating plans. I need to make sure the house always has some low carb options for me. Also, I need to remember to go to bed when I am too tired to make good food choices.
This morning’s thoughts of bread have passed. I am not feeling any urge to binge or even taste carby foods. Can’t tell you what a miracle this is to me, considering how only 3 days ago I couldn’t go 20 minutes without shoving carbs in my mouth.
MED NOTES: I am supposed to be taking 90 mg per day of Cymbalta in addition to 54 mg of Concerta and 50 mg of Naltrexone. I had already dropped the Cymbalta down to 60 mgs per day due to the incredible and constant pain I experienced at 90 mgs. Now, I will be dropping it down to 30mgs. as another, more troubling side effect is becoming worse. Difficult urination is associated with Cymbalta, and I am at the point where urination is almost impossible. This reduction of Cymbalta is frightening to me because it has been one of the most powerful medications I have used to combat my severe depression. However, you gotta pee… it’s good for your health.
Today:
30 mg Cymbalta
54 mg Concerta
50 Naltrexone (will be taken at 7:30 am)
Food:
7:30am – 3 Eggs (Large) fried in butter, 2 Slices of American Cheese
12:30pm – 2 Double Cheeseburgers (no bun, no ketchup) from McD’s. 1 med diet lemonade.
8:00pm – 3 tablespoons of Peanut butter
8:30pm – 1 cup hot SF Gelatin with 1 tbs half & half
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Notes and Observations
The point of the Naltrexone Weightloss Diet Experiment is not to lose weight. It’s to see if Naltrexone can help put an end to the non-stop binge that was controlling my life. I guess it’s logical that controlled eating would result in losing weight, but I am working hard to remember that weight loss is secondary.
Naltrexone is working with AMAZING results. I can’t even remember when I started waking up in the morning with the knowledge that I was going to binge all day long and there was nothing I or anyone else could do to stop it. This morning I woke up just wanting to get work done. I have not felt the urge to binge or eat carbs since I started taking the Naltrexone. I feel so free right now.
Naltrexone, however, may work too well. I can honestly say it would be quite easy for me to become anorexic on this medication. Perhaps it is the combination of low-carb dieting and the medication, but I felt almost no urge to eat anything at any point yesterday. It was only the understanding that anorexia is so unhealthy that got me to eat. I need to stay healthy for my son.
I will be making some changes to my eating habits on day #4.
Feeling great today!!!
Weight: 269.5
My mornings are generally marked by pains, aches, bloating, and depression. I feel none of that this morning. I woke up eager to post about my experience on Day 1 and start this record for Day 2.
I will be taking my Naltrexone a little later than I did yesterday. Mornings don’t usually pose the same challenge for me that late night does. I will take Naltrexone around 9 am and hope that its benefits last longer into the evening.
Food
12:00pm – 2 Double Cheeseburgers at McDonalds (no bun or ketchup)
8:00pm – 2 hamburg patties with American cheese and a little mozz cheese.
9:00pm – 5 tablespoons of peanutbutter
Too much coffee all day long.
No deliberate exercise.
Summary: Today was a great day with absolutely no desire to cheat… still, I screwed up at night. Due to an inexcusable failure to plan, I found myself with Peanut Butter as the only low carb option in the house. Unfortunately, it is not low carb enough and just a spoonful left me wanting more. I didn’t stop until my stomach was totally full (5 tablespoons later) and then I went to bed before more damage could be done. I am disappointed in myself, but I don’t see this as a failure of the Naltrexone. I know it doesn’t take many carbs to send me into a binge.
I spent most of the day thinking that I need to drink more water (I have had none these past two days). Also, I should start exercising, not necessarily for weightloss, but for cardiac health.
This blog has an odd name, considering that weightloss is not my primary goal. Putting an end to binge eating is, by far, my greatest hope for Naltrexone. I believe Day 1 can easily be described as a success in that regard.
In the months leading up to this experiment, my eating habits were growing more dangerous by the day. The weeks before I started taking Naltrexone were, in regards to eating, a constant carbohydrate binge-fest from the moment I woke up until the time I went to bed, plus the midnight snacks (every night) in which I would easily consume 1000 calories. I was sneaking and hiding food from my partner because I knew the quantity alone would cause him concern. The fact that I was eating whoopie pies, potato chips, fast food, slices of bread, pretzels, high sugar drinks, and other junk foods would only make matters worse.
Yesterday, there was none of that. In fact, until the very end of the evening, I didn’t even think about whoopie pies. It sounds ridiculous, but I had been obsessed with whoopie pies for several months and they were a daily part of my diet. Not only did I not eat a whoopie pie yesterday, but I only once had a passing thought of one. It was getting late and I was both tired and hungry. Those thoughts disappeared when I ate a low-carb meal.
Situations that typically led to binge episodes, like working from my favorite coffee shop and going grocery shopping, did not compel me to buy or binge on carbohydrates. I made fairly wise food choices with ease. Consequently, my day was largely free of the self-loathing that had been my constant companion since my eating habits got out of control.
This morning I did not wake up with my typical carbohydrate hang over. I have no urge to binge or even taste carbs at this moment. I have not yet taken any Naltrexone and I am still free of that sad, self-destructive compulsion.
I am aware of no side effects of the Naltrexone at this point. I feel physically better than I have in ages. I am not struggling against aches and pains, and I don’t feel so fat and bloated I might explode.
It is too early to call the Naltrexone weightloss diet a success, but I can certainly call Day 1 a success.
This is a record of my experience on Day 1 of the Naltrexone Diet
50 mg of Naltrexone (taken at 6 am)
Other medications: Cymbalta 60 mg, Concerta 54 mg
Current Weight: 269.5
So far there is little to report other than the depressed, achy, awkward feeling that I experience everyday while being obese. I generally do not experience hunger or feeding urges this early in the morning so there is no change to report… yet.
It is 7:00am. I am eating breakfast even though I am not hungry and I normally don’t eat breakfast. I know that one of the keys to success early on in a low-carb diet is to eat before you are hungry. This helps prevent carb cravings for some. I am not being terribly strict with this low carb diet at this point. I am simply trying to stop the constant carb binging. I am sure my food choices would cause most experienced low carbers to shake their heads. I’ll worry about sound dieting after I stop the binges.
10:10 am: Feeling very crampy.
1:30 pm: Cramps have passed. Not sure what that was about. On a positive note, I am facing my 2nd biggest challenge of a typical work day. I usually work at a coffee shop in the afternoons. It is most convenient and offers free wifi. Unfortunately, the majority of the menu is comprised of baked goods and are very high in carbs. The only low-carb food offered are salads… Normally, I would be good all day, and then crumble at the coffee counter and order a bagel. Today I ordered the chef salad and I am actually looking forward to it. Not only am I starving, but I am eager to see if I get the typical post-lunch foggy agitation that makes it so hard to work.
4:50pm – I feel great. I don’t feel tired or distracted at all. I don’t feel like stuffing my face either. I just feel very thirsty. So far I am very pleased with the Naltrexone diet. It does not deliver the enormous rush I was expecting, as I have experienced with other weight loss drugs. Now the big test… making it through the evening without overeating and junk food.
FOOD INTAKE
7:00am – 3 eggs, 2 slices of ham, 2 slices of American cheese.
1:30pm – Giant chef salad with an egg, some ham, some turkey, some swiss cheese, and lots of parm peppercorn dressing (high carb, but I won’t sweat it on induction)
7:30pm – Beef Jerky
8:30 pm – 2 Cheddarwurst Sausages (Hillshire Farms) with mozz cheese and mustard
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