A Plan For June

Of all the different medication I have been on in the last three years none have worked better then anti psychotics to helping my mental stability. These wonderful little pills keep my brain from speeding, seem to keep both the urges and flashbacks at bay. Of course with everything in life there is the good side and there is the bad side. The side effect that seems to follow anti psychotics is weight gain and if your not careful it can very quickly get out of control and put your risks for diabetes plus other major health risks through the roof.

The first anti psychotic that worked for me was a little white pill called Zyprexa and at the beginning it seemed to be the answer to my difficulties. I have never struggled with weight control so I was not as careful as I should be and before I knew it the weight scale went from 190 to almost 265 pounds in under six months. Against doctors orders I stopped this drug and managed to lose most of the weight in the year that followed but again I was back fighting the psychotic elements of my illness. A real bad cutting session led to a hospitalization where after a few trial and errors Seroquel seemed to be the winner. When I left the hospital the dosage was 25mg three times a day and now six months later the current rate is 100mg three times a day plus a 50mg booster to fill in the gap. I happen to like Seroquel but the scale is starting to creep in the wrong direction so it is time for a plan that will enable me to stay on this med but keep my weight in control at the same time. Here is the exercise routine and diet guidelines that I will start on the second of June:

EXERCISE PROGRAM:
A) Day one - Legs, abs and thirty minutes of aerobic exercise
B) Day two - Back, chest, arms and thirty minutes of aerobic exercise
C) Day three - One hour of aerobic exercise
- repeat

I am going to use a combination of resistance bands and body weight exercises with the aerobic exercise be either biking or roller blading.

DIET
A) No junk food or anything that resembles it
B) Soft drinks will be replaced by water
C) Basic MAOI diet which is essentially fresh food with little to no preservatives

I think the most key area is to eliminate snacking all together and try to get back into following a healthy diet and not the depression diet which is basically whatever requires the least amount of effort.

Well there is the plan that comes into play tomorrow and the reason why I am telling you this is (A) Weight gain is a factor in a lot of mental meds (B) For me personally once I tell someone I am going to do something then the chances of following through is much higher. If anyone has any tips it would be greatly appreciated if they are passed this way. Take care.