silentspirit987

Hi,
I wanted to write on this board to let people know about a theory that I have regarding weight loss. First, let me share part of my story:
I have had an anxiety disorder for as long as I can remember. I sought help for it at age 16, and at age 18 (after LOTS of therapy) I decided to go on an antidepressant (Paxil). That is when the trouble started.
In just six months, I wacked on over 100 pounds. I was told that I probably had a pituitary tumor or a thyroid issue and so after many tests with negative results, I reluctantly came off of the Paxil. During that awful time I could eat 2000 calories by noon and still be starving. I was literally hungry with intense hunger pains occuring frequently. I probably ate from 5,000 to 6,000 calories a day during that time, and I was still "starving". The Paxil relieved my anxiety, but it caused such problems that I was stunned to find out that an antidepressant could do this to someone.
I had never been overweight, and while I dieted successfully throughout my teen years I was never overweight. I am very dense, and at 5 feet 6 inches tall I weighed 160 pounds and wore a size 6/8 before the weight gain. After the weight gain I wore a size 26/28 pant size and weighed over 260 pounds.
VERY fortunately, since coming off of the medication I have lost 70 of the 100 pounds I gained and I am now down to a size 12/14. I still have about 30-40 more pounds to lose, but I will never forget the portion of my life that I was robbed of due to these antidepressants. Plus, now skin literally hangs from my arms. I can see my arm and then see about 4 inches of extra skin hanging down. This will only be fixed with surgery to remove the excess skin.
I didn't really do anything to lose weight, my hunger just stopped and it came off. I did exercise and was able to watch my calories again without feeling starving. I truly felt like a different person. I felt like my "old self" again and was so happy to be rid of my terrifying lack of control over my life.
I truly believe that weight gain and obesity is NOT always related to a person's ability to have will power or self control. I believe that a person's weight is largely affected by their mind and the levels of certain chemicals in their brains. I hope that one day scientists can locate these chemicals and prevent obesity from occuring. I felt different, out of control while I was on the antidepressants. My mom experienced a similar thing, packing on 40 pounds herself. Before going on paxil, my mom was skeletal, weighing under 100 pounds and could not put on weight.
If anyone has any similar stories or thoughts regarding this theory, please respond to this thread! Because of my experience, I know that weight gain cannot be totally physical. Is it all in the mind?