I've been tiny all my life. About 3 months ago, I didn't weigh more than 120 pounds. For my height, I even considered that a little bit too much. I've been struggling with depression since I was 13, and it finally got bad enough that I had to be put on medication for it around February 2012. Prozac was an okay start, but it had some side effects that I didn't enjoy, so I was switched to Zoloft around August. It helped more with my anxiety, however, I gradually started to notice my clothes fitting tighter. I didn't worry too much until I came home from college for a weekend and weighed myself. 135. This was the most I'd ever weighed in my life, and I couldn't figure out how I was gaining the weight. I had been eating healthier up at school, and exercising when I had time to. I came for another weekend a few months later, feeling my clothes fitting even more tightly than before. At this point, I was up to 145, and then I realized that I had to do something about it. There was no reason for me to randomly have such a drop in my metabolism to cause me to gain 25 pounds in such a short period of time. I ate mostly vegetables, and did my best to stay away from fast food, unlike most college students. Whereas over the summer, I worked at Subway almost full-time, and ate about 1.5 subs per shift, plus several cookies, without gaining more than an ounce. So what had changed? I did some research, and discovered several other patients on Zoloft were having the same problems that I was having. Constant hunger, and unexplained weight gain, at least 20+ pounds. So I called my doctor explaining the situation, and he switched my meds to Lexapro. I came home for Thanksgiving, after really watching my calorie intake and trying to go for more walks, play DDR, do sit-ups, only to discover that I was now up to 148 lbs. My frustration was unbelievable, and the weight-gain was actually making my depression worse than it had ever been. I want to avoid my friends, my family, even my fiance, because I'm embarrassed about my weight. Now begins my new start, after being switched to a new med, out of the SSRI category, and watching my diet even more than before, and exercising persistantly until I get down to my goal weight of 110 lbs. I just have to keep telling myself that it will be worth it, and I know it will be. I need to have that confidence that I know I look good in what I'm wearing, and not constantly be plagued with worries about my weight. Wish me luck.
