The struggle of weight loss is real! I’m a 45 year old mother of two, who is only 5’2. Being that short, I gain weight from eating, thinking about, or even looking at food.
Late last year, I looked in the mirror and didn’t even recognize who I was looking at. I had gained 40 pounds and it definitely showed! My clothes didn’t fit and I felt disgusting. I didn’t want to have to keep shopping for clothes in a size bigger, and then another size bigger. Something had to change!
Diets and Exercise
Over the years I have tried every kind of diet possible. I added grueling workouts to my diets every time I tried them, with no results. Exercising like that was quite difficult for me because I had no energy to begin with and was always tired. I tried really hard to do what all of the fitness experts say to do like drinking bucket loads of water each day, cardio workouts, not eating late, eating healthy, cutting carbs, sweets, dairy etc. The most weight I ever lost was two pounds over a period of 4 months each time I tried again. My frustration was extremely high and I was upset most of the time. It just didn’t matter what I did or didn’t do, NOTHING worked. Next option – diet pills.
There are many different brands of diet pills which you can buy at any nutrition or drug store. I bought and tried at least 5. Holy moly the side effects were awful! I was wired and irritable as could be. I couldn’t even stand to be around myself! Taking these drugs were ruining my relationships and I STILL wasn’t losing weight.
I was finally at my wits end and felt desperate and hopeless.
New Breakthrough
One day I heard the girls at work talking about how they are losing weight. These women are taking some sort of pills and getting shots. I observed their behavior to see if I noticed them acting any differently. Other than them talking too much, which is pretty normal for them, they seemed the same. I asked if they had any side effects that weren’t obvious and they said no. They gave me the name of where they went for this and I immediately started my research. This is a local medical weight loss clinic with several locations that offer several programs to choose from. I felt like I had nothing left to try so I picked up the phone and made the appointment.
A few days later I arrived not knowing what to expect, and I was very nervous since I DESPISE needles. I checked in at the front desk and sat in the busy waiting area. After my name was called I headed to the back and sat in a room, excited to receive information. I was greeted by a medical assistant who took my blood pressure, weighed me and then took my blood. Ugh! I thought I would pass out. I am such a wuss when it comes to needles so I asked for the smallest size possible. She looked at me like I had never been to the doctor before. She was probably wondering how I managed to have two kids! Anyway, she was nice and gentle and the process was over quickly. She left the room and then a nurse practitioner came in to fully explain the program, process and medications. This is nothing like weight watchers. You don’t count any calories or weigh yourself in front of a bunch of people. Sounds good so far.
Program Details
The program I purchased included a one month supply of Phentermine and 4 lipotropic shots with B-12. Phentermine??? Omg! Isn’t that what people were taking years ago and died from? The nurse calmed my fears by explaining that what I was thinking about was Fen-Phen. That was a combination of Phentermine and Fenfluramin. According to articles I have read, apparently the Fenfluramin was what caused problems (and death), which is why Fen-Phen was banned. Phentermine was shown not to have harmful effects.
I carefully thought about my options and the struggle I had been through for so long, trying to lose weight. I then agreed to give it a try, hoping this was going to be different. The medical assistant came back in and said she was ready to give me the shot. I tried get a grip on myself to get a shot and remain calm. Ok, so I managed to look like I was calm, but was totally freaking out inside. She gave me the choice of having the shot in my arm or glut (side of your butt). She said it hurts less in the glut but I chose to receive it in my arm. This whole experience was raising my anxiety so I wasn’t going to drop my pants on the first visit too! I fretted for nothing. The shot was over with so fast I didn’t have time to lose my mind over it. Woohoo!
I left the clinic smiling and excited to see results. I woke the next morning and took my first pill. Wow! I was alert and full of energy and felt like I could conquer the world. My mood was good which is an effect of Vitamin B. Why not just take vitamin B pills? I would have to take a ton of those to equal the amount that’s in one shot and the shot deposits the vitamin directly into your bloodstream, which makes it more effective.
Weight loss
Much to my surprise, the results came quickly! I weighed myself each morning, and almost every morning I lost a pound. I thought, could this really be happening? This is a miracle! I felt so good and didn’t have any cravings for junk food like I always have. It’s like it completely rewired my brain. Since I now had energy, I started walking on my treadmill a few times a week. The weight loss continued for 6 weeks until I lost 22 pounds. At this point, my body was now used to the pills and I was not losing any more weight in the final weeks of taking them. Since my goal was to lose 20 pounds and I accomplished that, I decided to stop taking the pills, and give my body a break from chemicals.
Side Effects
Although I did not have the same awful side effects that I had from over-the-counter diet pills, I did encounter a few.
- Good
energy
alertness
clarity
no cravings for pasta or sweets
weight loss - Not so good
staying up too late
trouble falling asleep
dry mouth
constipation
For me, the good outweighed the bad and was all well worth it. It was an awesome jump start, which is exactly what I needed since nothing else had ever worked.
Long Term
Taking Phentermine and receiving lipotropic shots are not intended to be taken long term. The point is to teach you how to eat smaller portions and make different choices with what kind of food you eat. Cut back on your alcohol intake as well because that adds pounds quickly! While on the program it’s easy because you don’t feel hungry constantly and don’t have cravings. When you stop taking the pills, it is much harder, but doable. Stay mindful of what you’re eating and you should be successful in keeping the weight off!
Next stop – shopping! My 22 pound weight loss was noticeable to everyone around me. My clothes were too BIG for once and I looked sloppy. The clothes shopping journey was now a fun experience instead of dreadful. I am now able to wear different styles because I am not trying to cover up as much. Before this program I had hit an all-time high weight of 170 pounds and was wearing a size 14. Yikes! Now that I weigh 148 pounds and wear a size 10, there are so many more options to choose from. That makes me very happy!
Update
It has been a couple of months since I stopped the program so I have not had any shots or pills. I have only gained 2 pounds back, but at 5’2, 150 pounds is still considered overweight, I have decided to start the program again next month. My goal is to lose another 20 pounds. I have seen great results with all women I know who have used this combination of products. My daughter has successfully lost 40 pounds in 3 months with absolutely no exercise. She eats healthy but has not modified any other part of her life.
I am not endorsing or promoting any product, nor listing all side effects that Phentermine could possibly have. It is up to you to talk to a doctor to figure out what program is right for you.
I am simply sharing my personal story and results. Best of luck to you on your journey!
