Lived Experience Forum

[Dogman]

I have recently had a lapse, I have chronic complex PTSD & mixed bipolar. I had been off antipsychotics for 2 years and a month ago I had a lapse in my mental health and am now back on high levels of antipsychotics again. I had forgotten how much they play up with my metabolism and am finding it extremely hard to exercise and keep my weight under control. Is there anyone out there that has worked out some way I can watch my diet, exercise and try and keep my weight down?

I have my antipsychotics at 6pm-6.30pm and find my self in bed most nights by around 8pm-8.30pm & up around 5.40am-6 am the next morning, how ever I am of balance for most of the day and very hungry for sugar. I have celeic desease and find it very hard to keep to my diet.

Is there some I can plan differently to try and keep my health in check?

Thanks,

Dogman

[Queenie]

Hi @Dogman, like you I am on high levels of antipsychotic medications and unfortunately have gained about 35kg on them, making me obese. I try to exercise and eat right but nothing shifts the weight and I end up craving sugar too (but don't always give in). Can you ask your GP for referral to a dietician at all? I am seeing one early next year. 

[Former-Member]

I really struggle with this!

I get the night time munchies as well as generally hungry during the day. <br>What I try to do is snack on carrot/beans/celery sticks with hommous (you can make your own very easily if the shop bought stuff has gluten). I aslo snack on icecubes of fruit juice while I'm studying which occupies me a little. I also go for a walk each day. One thing that is helpful for maintaining weight is increasing your basal metabolic rate, which you can do by increasing your muscle mass. So I do some push ups and sit ups and squats. (I'm too scared to go to the gym and aerobic sports are beyond me atm.) Fruit is also good when you are craving sugar. I eat dried fruit and some nuts and seeds. They have heaps of energy, but I like to think it's better than eating junk food.

For me the trick to exercise is to make it part of my routine, something I ALWAYS do, otherwise I can convince myself I'll do it tomorrow. So exercise EVERY day. No exceptions. Even if it's just for 10 minutes. It's still 10 minutes more and you have to congratulate yourself for that.

I don't know if any of this helps, but I'm feeling you. I wish I could live without the meds, but I wasn't living before.... and I am now. 🙂 

[Former-Member]

Oh, and I find with exercise - I have no motiviation if it is just me, so I go with friends or do a team activity. 

I've just started dancing classes. I struggle to keep up which is a bit embarrassing, but it's fun and I'm learning something new. 

But I find it all really hard, and I slip up every other day. 

THe other thing you have to remember is that if you've been ill recently, it's going to make it doubly hard to do. So be kind to yourself. Don't beat yourself up. It will get easier with time. 😊

[Dogman]

Thank you @Queenie & @Former-Member for your help,

I have started with working out a exercise program that fits in my schdule and is part of my routine. I will look at a dietation and i have to become more strict with my self.

Will keep you up to date with my progress, 

Cheers,

Dogman

[rogueone]

hey,

Yeah....ditch the sugar. I love coke but on antipsychotics coke don't love me!

I have problems....a XXXX gold has 100 cals....walking 30 minutes round the block is like 1500 cals.....with food and stuff it's hard math....

I am trying to drink less and exercise more.....it's just simple math. Don't obsess about it...that is a problem.  Meanwhile. I burn more than I eat and I have some drinks on the weekend......slowly losing but it's hard cheese for the modern man!

Paul. Rogueone!

[Dogman]

Hi @rogueone,

I wake up every morning with extremely bad relfux and have next to no strength to do any thing, I have started walking for 30 mins and have cut out of suger, but the antipsychotics really are giving me reflux and gas. I hurt and the only time i feel like eating is a bout an hour after I take my main meds in the evening, and I know thats the antipsychotics speaking. I m trying a few things but the first thing in the morning is really hard.

Thanks very much for your support.

Dogman

[Appleblossom]

@DogmanIt is great that you are doing the right thing by your body .. eating & keeping active .. Now the weather is better I find exercise is easier .. and I count gradening etc.

I am not sure that calorific count .. in and out .. is totally accepted now .. with the "gut brain" and the idea that mini bugs effect our metabolism.  It doesnt mean dont watch food & exercise .. but that there are other factors that enter the equation.

[Former-Member]

@Dogman, props to you. getting out of bed and doing exercise, particularly with ap's on board. I'm a mess in the morning, I can barely talk, let alone exercise.
I go around lunch time or in the evening, gets me away from the desk/sitting around.
I hope things get easier for you and I hope you feel well soon.

[Dogman]

I am working on what feels good for me and it does have to be fun, I have worked out that 1 black coffe in the morning just before I exercise and it gets me into the first 5 mintues. After that 70% of the time i feel like doing a little more.

I make my self a green drink with spinach, green apple, celery, cucumber and ginger and it is good straight after exercise and some times i have a squeezed orange as well. I found things like bread and sugar even though my body craves madly for them gives me bad reflux along with the antipsychotics. So I am trying to exercise a little , meditate a little, try and eat right, spend time in the garden and or down at a park where their is birds and lots of nature.

For me their is a lot of different rules for different parts of society, how ever in nature their is one set of rules for everyone and its good for me to some times get out into nature and just experience the sound of the bees, and the birds and feel the grass on my feet, None of it is easy but while I am doing that i am not thinking of the bad things in the past or worried about what might happen in the future.

To really live life in a positive way i am finding that it is important for me to look upon today as the most important and to try and find injoyable things to do today and when i look back at today-tomorrow the thoughts are starting to become slightly happier ones so i am able to feel less anxietious and injoy today for what it is. I have my down days but i am learning to try and think about the good ones and so i am going from there and see how it goes.

I look upon it as this: My desire to change  and for the better must  be greater than the desire to stay the same.

So, I am separated from my family, due to my illness and I am working on this hoping that it will point me in the right direction and beable to work on getting my family back. If i am not reliable and good for myself how can i be good for anyone else. 

So Onwards and upwards.

Have a joyious day,

Dogman