Moodstablizers and how to diet

[Bluetwo]

I might have to go on moodstablizers but I worry about the weight gain.
How do I keep my weight down?
Low carbs?

[cornyguy]

Mood stabilizers will cause your apetite to increase so have a low carb diet with plenty of fibre and have plenty of physical exercise.That way you wont put on a lot of weight.

[Bluetwo]

Mood stablizers will cause insulin resistance syndrome.
Follow a diabetic diet?
Go to the gym a lot.
I should be okay.

[cornyguy]

Yes but is it the antipsychotics both typical and atypical ones  which cause them

[ILADVOCATE]

Well its generally the atypical antipsychotics that have a risk of diabetes and other metabolic imbalances. Lithium can certainly cause weight gain. I remember that being a problem when I was on it. With other mood stabilizers it varies. Right now the mood stabilizer I am on Clonidine can cause weight gain but the way I avoid that is to not snack on things that are unhealthy and to drink flavored seltzer water instead of soda or any other beverage with sugar. I don't buy them and they are not in the house when I want to snack as well. And to excercise which in my case means taking a full brisk walk daily. If its too cold to go out I ride the excercise bike. And even with the atypical antipsychotics the risk of diabetes is not automatic. A friend of mine had pre-diabetes from Abilify and he went on a healthy diet and lost 40 pounds and that passed. If someone needs general weight loss or diet advice their doctor can usually advise them. If it becomes severe and a medication change doesn't help it then its best to see a nutritionist. First find out what medication your psychiatrist will prescribe and what the risk of weight gain is and see from there.

[HVAC]

I exercise more and eat a healthy diet. My hardest thing is the night time munchies after I take my medications. The doctor says I should have a time like 7PM and not eat after that. I am having trouble. I am not hungry in the day.

[cornyguy]

Yes even though I have not put on weight due to various reasons even I find it hard to sometimes resist the nighttime snacks.

[cornyguy]

I diet and exercise regularly and stay away from high carbohydrate foods.

[Xila31]

They key to eating healthy and keeping insulin resistance under control is portion size. This will actually also help with mood as limiting foods or cutting out too many carbs can actually cause your body and mind to stop functioning properly. A healthy diet is not one that excludes any food, but a diet that balances all things. For example, high carb foods should not be 100% restricted from your diet. Carbohydrates such as starch, fructose, lactose, sucrose is our fuel. Protein helps build muscle and holds important nutrients but is not a fuel. Fiber is non-digestable and mainly helps with feeling full / clean sweeping the digestive system. Healthy fats are also important to good health, such as nuts and olive oil, etc.

So, you can have cake or whatever, but just limit. If you want to follow a healthy diet then you should count your carbohydrates properly. In order to do this (if you don't already know,) take your label and subtract the fiber from the total carbohydrates. Ignore the part that says sugar (this is already included in the total carbohydrates.) You should have 45-60 carbohydrates per meal and 15 for a snack. But, if you already eat more carbs than that slowly reduce your intake or you'll just go crazy.

Hope this helps. :D

[starbunny]

Not everyone gains weight on these pills, don't think that it's inevitable - I'm on both moodstabilizer and antipsychotic and am still underweight! I made a decision not to worry about it until it happened, carried on eating as normal, and it diddn't. You might be one of the lucky ones too.

[Bluetwo]

Just went to my pdoc yesterday. I didn't need to take moodstablizers. Instead he increased my Wellbutrin to 400 mg a day and told me to take 300 mg the next day. I have to alternate days. Then he put me on Abilify by giving me a starter pack. I got the chills last night and felt like I wanted to throw up but I didn't. I will take the drug alittle bit early today instead of taking it at 6pm.

Abilify will cause insulin resistance syndrome too.

I'm doing the Weight Watchers program. I lost 50 lbs since Jan 2008. I go to the gym regularly. WW is a simple program to follow. I notice that if I don't eat too much carbs the weight will drop. Portion size helps too because I want to reserve my points. If I only have 1/4 cup of oatmeal in the morning then that will be 1 point. Munchies at night: animal crackers or diet popcorn or ramen noodles will hit the spot but I only do that if I have left over points for that day. I made chocolate and ice cream off limits. Cookies I will bake myself if I use powdered egg whites and sweetners. I save money that way. I don't have to go to a Trader Joe's to pick up all the special food because it's "natural" on its label. I go to the regular food marts. Aldi's has their own line of diet products. Try  Morning Star Crumbles when you make your next lasagna. It's so good my kids eat it!
Using lots of spices and herbs enhances vegetarian dishes.

[Bluetwo]

http://www.morningstarfarms.com/recipe_detail.aspx?id=1896

[starbunny]

Thanks for the recipe I will give it a go, suits me well as I'm veggie anyway! Hope you get on with the abilify OK, it may take a little while but the nausea etc should wear off with time. Sounds like your doing very well to keep in shape as it is, keep the way you are going and you shouldn't have any problems! All the best

[Xila31]

Ironically, I found this study today about diet and mood. Although these people were not bipolar it found that after 8 weeks, people on a low carb diet did improve mood. However, after 8 weeks their mood declined. They were on the diet for 1year. People on a high carb diet had the same initial improvement in mood but this improvement continued over the course of the year.

http://health.msn.com/nutrition/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100248252&GT1=31036

This is, of course, only a small study and only the beginning. But I think further study will show that it is better to limit portion sizes in all areas of a diet and not just one area.

Of course, just like anything, you should consult your doctor before changing your diet.

[Lisabeced]

I've been on Lamictal for a month, it actually decreased my appetite and I have to schedule my eating so I don't forget or go too long. Since I am overweight, I am taking advantage to get routine about healthy eating and I have a trainer 3x a week to build my strength. I posted a question in the Nutrition boards and the RD suggested a well-balanced diet 45/35/25 (carbs, protein, fat) with portion control, frequent meals, water, no saturated fat and combining carbs and protein together. No sugar, white flour or processed food. It isn't easy but it is worth it. I not only want my mental health back, I want my whole health back so I can live with joy. LBC

[adel_ezz]

your question is strange because had it been your choice then it can be up to you to choose your ms, but it's your doctor who chooses them. besides sometimes you take a while until you settle for a certain convenient ms.

But as  Lisabeced said, lamictal is known not to cause a weight gain. It's also good for depression so you shoot 2 prays by one bullet.

i don't know about abilify causing weight gain, in general it doesn't
http://www.askdrjones.com/2005/02/14/ranking-the-mood-stabilizers/
but of curse all atypical AP's run the risk of increased blood sugar and diabetes.

good luck

[Bluetwo]

Brain food.
Fish
Omega 3.
I thought that was a seniority at college!
Wow! You learn something new everyday.

I think I'll have sprats on my salad tonight.

I'm in a rhyming mood today....
"Jack Sprat could eat no fat his wife could eat no lean."

[jessierabbit]

Like anything else - diet helps half the battle.
Undoubtedly, eating well - specially thinks like red meat, green vegies and in general any protein make me just that little bit more balanced.

I always seemed to immediately gain 5-10kg after I start a course of any mood stabilisers.  It increases the appetite for carbs, they're comfort foods and the rest is history.
So I really am a bit scared to go to my GP today - hopefully they can find something that works for me :)

[Bluetwo]

My brother lost a lot of weight by keeping away from bread. Carbs causes weight gain. I try not to have too much of pasta. Since I've been on Abilify I don't eat much except at night.Got to figure away to stop night snacking.

Trying to get my husband to lose weight. Drink more tea not wine. I like Decaf Earl Grey which I drink without sweetner but with Mint and Chamomile; I like my sweetners. Alcoholic beverages are empty calories and when you try to lose weight it's next to impossible. He always talks about going to the gym but talk is cheap. The military base closed down the woodshop because of lack of members which means there's no excuse for him.

Do you have rabbits? My daughter has a rabbit. He is one mean little bugger! He won't take **** from the ferrets, little dogs and cats. My husband bonded to old Frank. I never saw a guy being so taken in by animals. He's a soft touch!