How to Manage Weight Gain on Prozac
While it’s difficult to predict how much weight you might gain on Prozac, you still want to understand what you can do if you suddenly start gaining weight.
Monitor your weight
Keep track of your weight when taking Prozac. This will help you identify any potential changes in your body that might be related to the medication. You might want to weigh yourself once a week and record it in a journal or on an app so you can easily refer back to it.
Monitor your diet
Eating healthy foods low in fat and sugar can help reduce calorie intake, leading to less overall weight gain over time. Additionally, avoiding processed foods and those high in sodium can help prevent water retention, which could further contribute to unwanted pounds.
Exercise regularly
Exercising regularly can help prevent weight gain while taking Prozac and improve overall health and well-being. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day, such as walking, jogging, swimming, or cycling. If this isn’t possible due to time constraints or physical limitations, aim for 10 minutes, 3 times per day instead.
Watch your portion sizes
Overeating leads to weight gain regardless of whether you are taking Prozac or not. To avoid overeating, try using smaller plates when eating meals. This helps create an illusion that you’re eating more food than you actually are. Also, ensure that half your plate is full of vegetables or salad before adding other items like protein sources. This is an easy trick to ensure that portion sizes remain controlled at all times.
Get enough sleep
Getting enough restful sleep every night is critical in avoiding weight gain while taking Prozac. Aim for 7 – 9 hours of sleep each night. Regular naps during the day can also help maintain energy levels and better manage hunger pangs.
Talk to your doctor
If you feel like you’re gaining too much weight too quickly, talk with your doctor to receive proper medical advice about possible alternatives, like switching medications or adjusting dosages.
“It can be discouraging to gain some weight while on Prozac, but a few tweaks can be positively impactful. Monitor stress routinely and take a look at your self care. Sometimes, noticing how stress impacts our daily nutrition, sleep, and relationships can be the key to taking some of the pressure off. Medication management is certainly a process, but over time, establishing a regimen that works well takes a little bit of time and patience to reach goals for diminished symptoms and increased coping. Enlist your clinician’s support to encourage an honest assessment about how to get the best results from medication and therapy combined.”
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